3 weeks post Gallbladder removal severe constipation Sorry TMI

[dahliaaa]

I've tried Calfig, lactulose, pessaries, peppermint tea, huge amounts of water, flaxseed, dried apricots, prune juice :-(

Had one proper BM week after surgery. Now with pessaries having v small BMs (which are v soft from all the stuff I've been taking so don't really understand prob?)

So bloated and uncomfortable. Worried this is how I'll be now long term.
Have now got movicol from chemist.

Sorry for the TMI. I hate talking about poo Is the movicol likely to work if everything already soft (or maybe some blocked higher up - there's nothing 'close' to coming out.) I'm mortified writing this.
I stopped coedeine after 2 days post op so don't think it's that. No other painkillers for more than 2 weeks.

Oh. God.

My gallbladder op is next week, and I have tricky bowels at the best of times.

Hope I don't regret it...

Billy from what I've read more people are affected the other way but might be worth you chatting through with the dr before you leave hospital to get advice. If I'd started trying to sort earlier (with lactulose etc) it probably wouldn't have become such a big prob.

I all 8 the first day (GP instructions) in 1 litre and did exactly the same the 2nd day. After that, it all was better!! . I did not need any more after my bowels started moving. I do have to say the first couple of times I too did not feel empty but at least I was going and after a few days I did not have any problems at all.

To the person going in for their op, if it was me again, I would immediately start taking movicol as per the normal instructions every day BEFORE the constipation sets in. The constipation is normally caused by the painkillers. I left it all a bit late because I did not realise that the constipation would cause a problem and that's because no one had told me that taking the prescribed painkillers would cause the problem in the first place!

Thanks Kittikat really useful - how long after your surgery did you have the prob? Have you been ok since?

I think it developed about 3 days after surgery. Firstly I thought it was my reluctance to strain in case I did some damage to myself internally. By day 5, I was in such agony and vomiting and fainting from the pain of trying to go. The GP did a home visit and gave me a suppository but when I got the urge to go, I had not left it long enough and the bloody thing shot down the pan. . I rang him and that's when he gave me the prescription for the movicol along with the instructions to take all 8 at once.

I have been fine every since.

Saying that, I am on painkillers for something else now and am using movicol to make sure I am not in the same situation as before. Things are sluggish but definitely not unbearable.

I'm 3 weeks post op so slightly different time scale but I think that's probably because I did bits and pieces to sort it out initially rather than sorting properly.
I'm concerned that because it's been a while it might be longer term issue but fingers crossed not.
I hope the movicol keeps all ok for you this time round !

I am with @Dailystuck71, mine came out two weeks ago and I have nothing but diarrhoea ☹️

Somewhere in between the two extremes would be good 👍

Hope it calms down soon vilamour.

How are things now Dahliaaa? I hope you're feeling much better.

Thanks for asking gold.
Ended up with 1 day on 3 sachets of movicol. Then 2 days of 4 sachets, 2 days of 3 sachets and going to do 3 more days on 2 sachets then think might try 1 a day.

TMI: I've had a decent amount of v soft stuff but tbh I'm still not sure it's all cleared out ?? (I've still got sensation that more to come out but then that might be from the movicol.)

Anyway - I've got some milled flaxseed, dried apricots and prune juice and taking all those at the same time as increasing water input to try and resolve longer term.