It has been 14 days since gastric sleeve surgery, and I’m so constipated and painful to the point I was crying the whole time! I decided to go to the ER, and all they told me was to manually extract my stool which I did, but I’m so scared it will always be like this. Is there anything I can take for stool softeners which are made naturally? Any teas that I can drink daily to prevent this? Please tell me this gets better?
Answers ( 10 )
There is a tea called smooth move which works very well, but it sounds like you may need it in conjunction with something like Miralax or Dulcolax if you are that constipated.
Try smooth move tea from traditional medicinals – make it as a decoction (strong) – 3 bags in a quart canning jar, steep with boiling water for 30 minutes; add monk fruit for sweetening if you wish; sip then give it 4 hours and the liquid Drano effect should begin.
My husband is 10 days post gastric sleeve surgery and today is my 7th-day post op. I cannot stress just how obnoxious we are with our fluid intake. We bought 4-ounce mason jars and have broth, peppermint tea, water, Crystal Light and Protein shakes in the fridge. Every 45 minutes to an hour we are up drinking and walking. We both pooped on our day 2 and took Miralax unflavored powder if it hurt to go.
I know it is off regimen – but apple juice should loosen you right up if you’re in a pinch or don’t want to use all the chemicals.
Another thing you can try is having extra virgin Coconut Oil. A tablespoon before bed every night & you won’t get any issues in the morning. However, it takes 2-3 days to get started.
I use Benefiber in the morning and Miralax at night. Coconut oil helps too; I’ll take 1 tbsp sometimes in between. Between the protein shakes and the iron, I stay constipated no matter how much I drink and walk.
It was so bad for me. I was so backed up for about 2 weeks. I used a laxative and made it worse. It felt like I was having a baby. No joke it was so painful. I was screaming and crying. I have to drink smooth move tea (I got it at target) twice, so I can go. It also comes with haemorrhoids. I have them for about 3 to 5 days out of the week when I do go to the restroom. I really hope this gets better as well. I wish you luck.
Half a bottle of magnesium citrate (like .99 at most pharmacies) and don’t leave the house for a couple of days, is what my surgeon told me, works fast! But for every day, I drink smooth move tea, and it keeps me from needing the mag citrate.
Does having Smooth move tea give you the runs if taken daily?
Didn’t happen to me, I’ve heard it does for some, but just makes me go once a day.
Tried all the meds and none of that worked for me. I do take Dulcolax, but I try not to take that often because when I was younger, and I was in the military, I got hooked on Correctol to go to the bathroom. I couldn’t go to the bathroom without them.
And then you need more and more to go. I had to nearly take the whole pack to go, so I eat something fried if I haven’t been to the bathroom on a week. That’s the only thing that triggers it for me to go.
It will get better. The anaesthesia used during surgery makes for the worst constipation ever imaginable. Once you get it all out of your system, things will start to back to normal.
How long until it gets out of the system?
It could take up to a month. When I had my c-section, it took about 4 weeks until everything went back to normal. I am 2 weeks out from the sleeve, I can’t wait to get back to regular.
I use Miralax in my water daily. I’m now recovering from a hip replacement, and they told me to use it 2 times a day. Once you get enough water in your system and get some Miralax in, it will help. When I was doing just one dose I would take it in the last bottle of water I drank before bed, and things were moving by the next morning.
Water and good fibre were what my surgeon told me. I have been using Miralax and stool softeners every day. I’m 6 months post-op, so I have added veggies like beets, fruit besides blueberries, strawberries + toss a Kelloggs All-Bran Buds on my Fage Greek yoghurt zero. And a Psyllium husks fibre capsule 2x daily.