gas and mucle sore

You should NOT need to push anything out -- a gentle push to get things going is OK occasionally, but generally things should pretty much come out on their own (once you relax on the toilet of course). It sounds like you might be thickening your movements up too much which is causing you to feel the need to push. Pretty much all of those foods except for chicken thicken your output quite a bit.

I would try either easing off of the thickeners, or adding something that will thin things out, like juice or hot tea with meals.

When I feel there's gas that won't come out, I stand up and touch my toes and stay like that (with my butt in the air) for 5-10 seconds. Usually when I sit back down the gas will come out in a rush, *without* pushing. In the long run pushing will damage your pouch, so you shouldn't get in the habit of doing it with every BM.

thank you for the info, I will try the tips you offered. I didn't know pushing could "harm" my pouch. why is that? What could happen?

I still push a bit with every bm, not straining though. I don't know, it feels natural. Only when I feel the pouch cramping or whatever the heck it's doing does it just come out. I would have to sit on the toilet forever to get it all out on its own.

I feel the same way, if I don't push I will never empty my bag.

quote:

thank you for the info, I will try the tips you offered. I didn't know pushing could "harm" my pouch. why is that? What could happen?

Straining can cause the pouch to dislodge or prolapse. I don't mean to scare you, it's VERY unlikely to happen from a few weeks of pushing, but it's not a good thing to get in the habit of doing. If you have to push so much to have a BM that your muscles get sore, then something has to change. Either your stools are too thick to evacuate properly or there is something structural preventing you from evacuating properly (like an anal stricture or cuffitis).

Thanks Liz. I don't push all the time, just sometimes it feels like my pouch is not empty. Most of the time the push comes from having gas. I also noticed I am having trouble with gas ONLY in the evening and I feel like I have a lot of pressure. Any tips/suggestions for this?

I wonder how much liquid you are consuming in a day? I know that I am prone to dehydration and try my best to drink 2 litres every day. Keep in mind that this should be water or something without a lot of sugar in it and definitely not caffeinated. Of course you can drink coffee or tea but don't count this in your fluid intake for the day.
I hope you find a system that works for you very quickly.

I try to drink 2liters a day. I know the importance of staying hydrated. Why would this have an effect on gas/sore muscles? Just wondering?

Another trick you can try is different positions while on the toilet. I often lean forward and rest on my thighs; this has a tendency to "push" out any remaining gas. Also sometimes I stand up for a second and then sit back down; this gets last bits out.

Gin

The best way for me to release gas is to lie on my stomach. Not always the most convenient thing, however.
Katie

I had a lot of pelvic floor pain for weeks, months after takedown. At first it hurt to even sit down. I don't know why. I had to sit on my side a bit to be comfortable.
Katie

I am just 7 weeks post take-down and also have a lot of gas but I don't have any trouble expelling it. Some times I wish I did. lol It can be embarrassing to say the least.

My surgeon told me it was normal to have more gas than with a normal colon. I remember that I also had a lot of gas for the first 2-3 months after my initial colectomy (2013) but it tapered off after a while. I am hopeful that this too will taper off.

As for emptying the pouch, I read from a poster here that rocking back and forth while seated will help to move things along and it does work for me. Also lying on your left side as opposed to the right can also help.

Good luck. I feel your pain.

K