Has anyone experienced any sort of constipation immediately following the illeostomy takedown surgery? For the first week I was very consistent but I was eating a lot of broth soup and jellos and other very light liquid type food.. now, after following up with my surgeon he recommended me to move on to a more solid diet to see how the pouch adapts to a more complete diet... I did this and have noticed I tend to spend a lot more time on the toilet with very little results... It feels like ever time I try and empty the pouch, I never seem to get it fully emptied as it feels something always remains. Is this normal when you progress to a more full diet? Or should I be concerned?
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I for one have to try various positions to full empty. Sit straight up, bend to the knees, clench, etc.
If you feel the "urgency", then take your time. Gravity has a huge effect for me. Sometimes, I think I am done, but as soon as I stand up, I have to go again. Try not to strain.
If you feel the "urgency", then take your time. Gravity has a huge effect for me. Sometimes, I think I am done, but as soon as I stand up, I have to go again. Try not to strain.
what do you eat? I'd try two bananas on empty stomach and raw grated carrots with meals, both them have few short fibers which shouldn't increasing your bathroom trips, but should stimulate bms and helping emptying well the pouch...
Did your surgeon check you for an anal stricture? I had this happen to me right after take down and the stricture makes it very hard to go. It's a quick fix (usually). He/she can tell with a digital exam. I had to go about 5 times to my surgeon's office for a dilation and it's been fine since but that's exactly how I felt...constipated.
Are you taking pain medication? Pain meds can slow things down to a crawl.
Sue
Sue
One possible factor is that when you shifted from a liquid diet to solids you reduced your fluid intake. Make sure you're drinking enough water. Also, the pouch doesn't work exactly like a rectum, so be patient with yourself, and gently experiment to find out what works best for you.
Also, don't be in a hurry to get up from the toilet. The pouch empties primarily by gravity, and when your stool thickens up, it takes more time. If I am not feeling empty, I get up then sit back down, move from side to side, etc.
Jan
Jan
Jan -- I have to butt in and ask... does the "waiting time" decrease as the pouch matures? My frequency is already pretty good (5-7x/day) but I usually need to sit, rock back and forth, stand up and sit down, for a solid 15 minutes with each trip. That means I spend about an hour and a half each day sitting on the toilet. That's 10% of my waking hours! I often hear veteran pouchers saying it only takes a minute or two and that emptying a pouch takes far less time than a typical bowel movement... is that something that develops with time?
After my takedown, that was pretty common. I'd rush to the toilet and then have nothing come out or only have little rabbit poops many times a day. It ended up being part of the adjusting process. My surgeon said if it lasted longer than a few weeks after the takedown, he was going to get me evaluated for stricture. Turns out, that wasn't necessary. Maybe your situation is different and you have something else going on so ask your surgeon, but that was par for the course for me. Good luck, hope it gets better soon!
Liz,
I was like that in the beginning too but now I can empty as fast as I can pee.
I was like that in the beginning too but now I can empty as fast as I can pee.
Marianne- in the beginning when you had a stricture?
Yes, when I had the stricture it took me time to empty. And even after that was resolved, it took me a while to empty fully. I think it was about the year mark when things really adapted to how they are now.