dVH/RALH Trapped gas and pain 5 days post hysterectomy

Hello,

I am only 5 days post op, but more uncomfortable than I had anticipated. My stomach is very swollen. I expected pain around my incision, but I am also experiencing a lot of very painful gas that is hard to pass. This pressure seems to just add to the pain I am
Feeling around my abdomen. I have taking gas meds and drinking prune juice. I had my first BM today. I expected that to get rid of the gas, but still experiencing quite a bit of painful gas. Did anyone else experience this in their recovery?

Thank you

I've had a fair amount of gas pain, too. So. Annoying.

So far what I've done is loosen my abdominal wrap and do a few laps around the living room. It helps things shift and pass. I hope this helps

Peppermint tea is a wonder on gas!

Gas pains were worse than the surgery for me, 4 days of brutal gas pains from the gas that they pump into you prior to surgery & then another 4 days of intestinal gas, beyond brutal. I think I got myself a free trip somewhere after all the frequent fliers! Thank goodness that is behind me. 15 days after surgery & i'm doing great, that gas is a distant memory! It'll pass, pun intended but it takes days to leave your system trust me.

Ugh .... same!!! Been doing light walking, light eating, taking prescribed stool softener, prune juice & myralax. Spoke with nurse yesterday & she suggested milk of magnesia .... so far just more air & lots of liquid coming out - nothing solid - surgery was 12-12, still waiting ( sorry if tmi)

Hope you ( we ) get some good suggestions here

*started peppermint tea too

Yep, me too! Hot tea seems to have quite a good effect for some reason but I can't drink that while I'm asleep, so mornings are a bit of a challenge!!

I would recommend going easy on the prune juice; it's high in poorly digested carbohydrates, which end up being fermented by bacteria in the colon, contributing to more gas. Other foods in this category include legumes, onions and garlic, cruciferous vegetables, cucumbers, melons, pears, and artificial sweeteners. I do second the recommendations for walking and peppermint tea; those have always been two of my top recommendations. For the gas, also try fennel seeds, which act as a carminative, breaking up the gas, so it's easier to expel; you can have some with your meals, or steep them in hot water for a delicious tea. To get your bowels back to normal, I would recommend against taking any kind of laxative, because your bowel can become dependent on them, which would make matters worse. Instead, try supplementing your diet with magnesium, which promotes proper bowel function; food sources include leafy greens, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate. Also try massaging your abdomen, starting at the right hip, moving up to the waist, across your belly button to the left side, then down and across, back to the starting point; this follows the path of your colon, and should help to move everything through. Here's hoping you'll be back to 💩 soon, so you can get rid of that pesky gas!

Kris2 - Hello! Ditto for me. I had the worst gas pains up to 2 weeks post my TAH hyster. I can say that that was probably the worst pain (versus incision etc.).

As the other girls have posted - peppermint tea - lots of water - Gas x - walking -walking walking.

It will work itself out so hang in there!

Happy Holidays!

Edie

Gas is the worst! I drank lemon juice and baking soda in water to release the gas! Oh what a relief it was!!!!

The gas was seriously the worst thing about the first few days. I just basically rode it out until it dissipated.