Nobody Talks About But GOTTA ASK???

I know this is a topic nobody wants to read about or deal with but...... I'm having problems with BMs.

I am 10 1/2 months out now, doing fine except I am not having BMs on my own. I eat a lot of protein, greek yogurt and fruit basically. I drink around 55-64 oz of water a day. I have not been doing much exercising lately. I have been taking my vitamins daily. Seems like I am getting constipated and have to take 2 x-laxs to get my BMs. I don't know if this is good for my new stomach or not. I have also been taking muralax (1 scoop) daily. Just wondering if anyone out there experiencing the same thing. Is this normal? What am I doing wrong? I have just started taking 2 chewable fiber choice tablets a day to see if that would help. How long, or how many days should I wait before being concerned on having a BM? I hate to rely on x-lass to get me

going. Sorry for all this subject but I have been having this problem for several months now. Just wondering

if anyone could give me some input. Is this normal after having the vertical sleeve?

Thank you for all your suggestions and input.

I had to take Miralax and colace daily for about 2 years after my VSG. Miralax is non habit forming, as is colace. Taking fiber can actually work against you. It bulks up your BMs making them harder to pass.

My advice is to up your water intake quite a bit. That should help and make them easier to pass.

Good luck!

You're kidding right? The subject of constipation comes up in several posts every day. WLS peeps have no problem talking with each other about their bowel habits. There is LOTS of info and great advice on OH on how to correct the problem. Use the search function ( little magnifying glass in the blue bar at the top of the page) and type in constipation. You will get THOUSANDS of posts to pour through for help.

Everyone has their own formula. The biggest culprit is not getting enough fluids. Remember that 64 ounces is the MINIMUM required daily amount. I have to drink 120 ounces to keep things moving. I also take a dose of Benefiber morning and night and 1000 mg of Magnesium daily.

I'm 10 months out and use miralax, stool softener and glycerin suppositories as needed. My surgeon warned against fiber pills saying it could stretch pouch.

Keep it moving

Hi,

Constipation is a common problem with VSGers. I am 2.5 years post surgery, and I am still taking miralax daily. If I miss a dose, I can tell. I found that a half a dose a day keeps me regular. I assume I'll need to do this the rest of my life.

Best wishes,

Carol

The most common topics on OH, in order:

1. Protein shakes
2. Stalls, especially the three week stall
3. Poop
4. Regain

This is a really common problem. People talk about it A LOT.

Drink. Then drink some more. Don't limit fats too much. Fat helps grease the wheels. And don't take ferrous salts for iron splements, they constipate. Take carbonyl or heme iron.

I just emailed my NUT about the same thing !!

I have been constipated since surgery and I am taking 2 sennas twice a day as recommended by my surgeon...I am worried my intestines are going to just stop doing the work all together :(((( But they said senna and Colace is fine.

I drink TONS of water and excersize frequently...sooooooo frustrating !!!!!!

Not true! Everyone talks about, and talks about ,and talks about it - really, do a search on OH. No shame here! Try stirring in Benefiber (clear fiber) daily to your coffee/tea/cold drinks. You need fiber daily so you don't get bound up. Try Miralax if you are in trouble.

Drink water, drink water, drink water, then drink some more water lol

All best,

Layla

Thanks for all the replies! :) LOL, My subject title came out wrong.... I know people talk about BMs on here. What I was trying to say was, "I don't want to talk about it" "Not my favorite subject" LOL I did not think of typing in the subject, constipation in the search box above. Thanks for that tip. Again, thanks for all the suggestions. I will start using benefiber instead of fiber choice chewables. I will up my water to more than 64 oz. I will use "more" of the miralax. Hopefully this will help. I do not want to rely on x-lax to get a move. :(