Scared to poo after hysterectomy!

[73kittycat73]

Had a total hysterectomy on Tuesday. Was finally released today (After 2 blood transfusions.) and I'm dying for the loo! (I'm not a poo troll honestly.) I haven't been since Monday night. Trouble is I can't go and I'm to scarred to push to hard. Scared I'll rupture my stitches or something! I've taken a couple of Dulcolax but they usually take from 24 hours onward on me. Does anybody have any advice? I'm really uncomfortable and really need to go! Has anybody else had a hysterectomy and had the same problem? How did you get over it?
Thanks for reading!

Oh, sorry, it was keyhole surgery, if that makes any difference?

Drink loads of water and put your feet up on a stool or something when you’re on the toilet (or two piles of books) and lean slightly forward. First post hysterectomy poo is very stressful! Lay off any codeine based painkillers too if you can. Good luck.

Sorry if this is tmi but would it help to wear a disposable rubber glove and ease it out with your finger? I know this sounds gross but I've heard of that being necessary for extremely constipated people and you wouldn't rupture your stitches.

Hi, thank you both very much for your replies! I am drinking but I will try raised feet. Luckily I don't need any painkillers at the moment. (Another reason while I'm scared to poo, don't want it coming back!)
The rubber glove idea is a great back up plan, thank you for the advice.
The overriding urgent urge has gone for now so I'll try those ideas when it comes back.
Thank you again for the advice ladies, it's appreciated!

Success! Managed to go without the glove. Have a bit of fresh blood from wiping at the front but nothing major. I presume that's quite normal for your first poo after a hysterectomy?

Get some glycerin suppositories from the chemist. I used these after prolapse repair and perineum rebuild. This will ease out the hard stuff. Also movicol is more gentle and softens stools. It is osmotic so hangs on to fluid. Dulcolax can give bad cramps as it pushes stuff though.

Once you are sorted a daily kiwi fruit works well

Thank you for your reply Melamin. I shall look into those suggestions.

I don’t think the nil by mouth period before the op is helpful, bowelwise, and is probably the cause of the initial dry stool, even when you drink loads after. But it will pass and keeping stool soft for a while after will reduce anxiety about mending. The kiwi fruits work well as the seem to provide push as well as softening without the sudden explosion I have experienced with prunes😃 . My kiwi friend also takes magnesium every day but it is a step too far for me.

Some good advice above. I went through this too and the once thing that helped me from a comfort perspective was hugging a pillow whilst I was sat on the loo. It sounds odd but it sort of gave me something to lean into whilst I pushed down slightly to release the poo.

I remember my first really good poo a few days after I got out of hospital. It was 4.35 in the morning and I was so proud of it I woke DH up to share my joy.

I'm glad you're safely through your op.

Avoid codeine-based pain relief if possible (if you need pain relief) as that has a constipating effect. Some really good advice above.

It's normal to see fresh blood after a poo - also if you exert yourself, get up quickly etc. It can take several weeks for the bleeding to stop altogether and during that time it will vary in colour and amount, but have an overall trend of getting lighter and browner.