NO BM since surgery worried

Hey guys,
Well my LAVH was on October 8th, which was wednesday. Today is monday, I have not had a bowel movement since then, kind of worried. What did others on this site do for that matter. I'm doing ok otherwise I think. Just sore at times but doing ok. Please reply with any tricks or tips. Hope you all are recovering good. Thanks again, Candi

I'm glad to see you're doing good macecmm. My doctor sent me home with a prescription for colace, a stool softner. I also take metamucil twice a day on a regular basis for prior problems with bowel movements. Getting up and moving around helps as well. I have seen many of the ladies state they have tried prunes or prune juice and it has helped. I wish you well.
Melissa

I had purchased a bottle of Miralax prior to use for my neice after a friend had great results. I hadn't used it yet so this morning, I took a dose of it. A friend who is an RN later called this afternoon and said it was definately the best way to go instead of nothing or a laxative.

We will see!
Good Luck!
Alicia

I had similar problem after my TAH, I tried colace, but did not work, so i bought a fleet suppository,it got things moving, and then the colace started working. Hope you feel better. Hugs and Prayers

I think it took me 4 days....

	Quote:
Originally Posted by macecmm Hey guys, Well my LAVH was on October 8th, which was wednesday. Today is monday, I have not had a bowel movement since then, kind of worried. What did others on this site do for that matter. I'm doing ok otherwise I think. Just sore at times but doing ok. Please reply with any tricks or tips. Hope you all are recovering good. Thanks again, Candi

My surgery was last Tuesday and I still have not had one either. I think alot of the pressure I am feeling in my belly is from this. Hopefully we will go soon.

HUGS!
Tammy

Hi there,

I had a LAVH on October 2nd and went 7 days without a BM (since two days prior to surgery). Stomach was so painful and distended and hard. I ended up being rushed to the ER on the 6th and in hospital for two days for a blockage. Was released last Wed. night thinking I was cured. Here I am five days later (like you) with no BM. I have tried it ALL. Stool softeners, mild laxatives like milk of magnesia (don't do anything harsh after abdominal surgery...they told me that can burst internal stitches), metamucil, suppositories, bran cereal, yogurt, lots of water, fresh fruit, prune juice, walking around a lot and at last...an enema that did not work. I called doctor again today and they are going to wait another day and see what happens.

I would call your doctor if you feel nauseous (even without vomiting), get a distended and hard belly, lots of abdominal pain, no appetite (I ceased feeling hungry completely).

If you question it at all, call the doctor. A blockage can be very serious. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!! I know how bad this sucks!!! :-(

It took me 9 days and was extremely painful. I finally found the right combo of meds to help me have a soft BM daily (I take a colace twice a day and 2 senna at night and one in the morning. I've also been eating 5 prunes a day, fiber enriched oatmeal, and the activia yogurt). I had a rectocele and enterocele, cystocele and sacral copoplexy along with my TAH and so I was terrified that I would tear something, but now all is working, though still a bit painful. Make sure you keep your Dr. up to date if you haven't had a BM! Impactions are not anything to fool with! Best wishes!

Milk of Magnesia...you can have someone buy it for you in a drugstore...nice mint flavor. Worked like a charm for me and I was 6 days no BM after surgery.

I drank tons of prune juice in hospital because the gas pains were so intense and took stool softners, but nothing.

Once home, 2 tbsp milk of mag, bm within hours. I do recommend stool softeners too while you're on the pain meds as they will constipate you.

Good luck. As they told me in the hospital...mother nature will eventually do her work but don't let it go to long. Are you passing gas? They wouldn't release me from hosptial until I started doing that. Hopefully you are. The gas pains do ebb and I'm actually very pleased that now with regular diet of good healthy food my bowels are working better than they have my whole life. 3 weeks tomorrow post op and they must have unkinked something because now I'm like clockwork every morning.

funny topic....but hey....we're all friends here

I had to use a glycerin suppository to get things moving. The sooner you can get it going the better. Be prepared, it will likely be uncomfortable. The relief is worth it though.

Barb