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Posted 11/19/2008 9:28 AM (GMT -8)
Prior to this pc surgery, never ever had constipation, regular as clockwork  The day before surgery, had a drink 40 oz of nasty tasting laxative.  made me go to toilet 22 times that day alone!  Have not passed bm since surgery, Nov. 1th.  One reason they kept me an extra day, but despite 3 suppositories, 3 liquid laxatives, and doses of warm prune juice (yuck), not a thing, not a sqiurt or even a baby turd, so the sent me home anyway.  Nothing is working here.  What else can we try or do?  At some point this might turn into a big problem.  Cant do enema, too dangerous  according to my sugeon  Other than minor gas, nothing is happening.

David in SC

Posted 11/19/2008 10:04 AM (GMT -8)
David, it sounds like you are doing the right things. be sure you're walking, too. I assume you passed gas since that was the requirement for Jeff before he could leave the hospital. Jeff did not have a BM for several days either (and had to drink some liquid laxative to get things moving) and it was somewhat painful, but once that first one was done, things moved along well. (sorry, I just had to say that! tongue) Check with your doctor if it gets to be too long a period. how long is too long? I don't know.... kat
Posted 11/19/2008 10:33 AM (GMT -8)

David,

I had the same problem and almost freaked out when I didn't have a decent BM for several days after surgery (almost a week). But of course it FINALLY came. Just a word of warning. Do NOT try to force it. Take stool softeners and laxatives and let nature take its course. Hope that is a word of encouragement from one who has been there. And oh yes, if you are taking iron supplements, as I did, don't let the discoloration bother you.

BillSD

Posted 11/19/2008 10:39 AM (GMT -8)
David...it took several days for me as well. I was really bothered by that because I didn't want to be constipated. The prune juice and other laxatives just didn't work. After several days of eating lots of solid food and with the build up of laxitives in my body, it finally worked. But yuck...it was that tar sticking goo stuff and with the little muscle control I had at the time, it was really a mess to clean afterwards. Don't worry though, soon you will be back to normal. If it persists, then call your doc for advice.
Posted 11/19/2008 10:43 AM (GMT -8)
Oh and a suggestion...while sitting on the bathroom comode, get a foot stool to bring your knees slightly above your waist line...helps open the passages a little and relax the muscles. Just a tibit of info from having been in your shoes.
Posted 11/19/2008 11:20 AM (GMT -8)
This is obviously a problem that all of us had to varying degrees - I had it as well. I followed the same routine as the rest of you. I can only say that having had the good ole enema before surgery, and eating nothing but liquids before and after - part of it is there is not a lot there. It is not like you just ate two plates of enchiladas. I worried about this also, but it came about when it came about. "This too shall pass!" (pun). Take some stool softener so that when it does happen you will be able to handle it. It will happen!

RB
Age 61 (now 62)
Original data - pre-operation
PSA: 5.1
T1C clinical diagnosis, Needle biopsy - 10 cores, Gleason 7 = 3+4 in 1 core (40%), 7 cores Gleason 6 = 3+3 ranging from 5% to 12%
All scans negative
Lupron administered 4/9/2008 for 4 months (with idea I would undergo external beam radiation followed by seed implants - then I changed my mind).
Robotic DiVinci surgery - Dr. Fagin (Austin) May 19th
Post operative - pathology
pT2c NX MX
Gleason 3+4
Margins - negative
Extraprostatic extension - negative
seminal vesicle invasion - uninvolved
1st Post PSA <.04
2nd Post PSA <.1 10/30/2008
Posted 11/19/2008 1:08 PM (GMT -8)
yes i had the same problem i got milk of magnesia on day 4 and it worked for me
Posted 11/19/2008 3:56 PM (GMT -8)
So happy to report, no longer having a BM problem, resolved itself around 630 PM this evening, just as several of you and my doctor said it would. Gee, this is some club we are in when we are happy to report something this mundane to the world. But thankful to have the pressure relieved inside, and one less thing to worry about.

David in SC
Posted 11/19/2008 7:00 PM (GMT -8)
Dont be surprised if that problem comes and goes for awhile.  I kept the stool softner around for the first 6 weeks.  Whenever I had gone a day or two I would have one of my grandsons applesauces with a sponge bob cup of prune juice.  seemed to work.

Keep up the regular walking it helps a lot.

Posted 11/20/2008 2:38 PM (GMT -8)
I didn't have my first post-op BM for about 3 days. For the first month, my Urologist recommended twice-daily dosages of Senokot to help soften the stools and keep things flowing; it worked well and I've experienced no constipation problems.
Posted 11/20/2008 4:21 PM (GMT -8)
I don't recall how long it took me for my first BM....but I remember wanting a SSN for it cause I was sure I had just delivered a baby!!!!...OOOOUUUCCCHHHHH!!!
Good Luck,
KW
Posted 11/20/2008 10:38 PM (GMT -8)
Stool softeners work eventually, but the wait can be anxiety-producing. For me it was 4 day before sweet relief!
Posted 11/21/2008 6:22 AM (GMT -8)
I also think this is an almost universal problem, primarily to the anesthesia and pain meds slowing down the intestinal movement. You are right KW, I think that is the closest I have came to giving birth!! I used stool softeners for about 3 mos, 100 mg colace. Occasionally, I would need a mild laxative. I also was aware of increasing my fiber intake to help. The single packet All Bran works nicely, and since it mixes with bottled water, takes care of helping to increase fluid intake as well. Purgatory, this is indeed a special club, where BM's and erections can share space, never thought I would discuss the two together, but at least we are not alone, and we all understand.

Randy
Posted 11/21/2008 7:15 AM (GMT -8)
I also had the same problem and experienced continued problems for a while. My best success was stool softeners and walking. After a while I got offf the stool softeners and started taking Dannon Activa on a daily basis.
Posted 5/22/2009 12:10 AM (GMT -8)

Once again you guys have come to my rescue.  Here it is at 4 in the morning on Day 4 after surgery, and my stomach pains have awoken me from my sleep, making me question whether I've done anything wrong, since my doctor told me to make sure I'm having BMs by now.  Started slowly with the solid foods due to blood in the urine (see my report at "Greg's RALP" https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&p=1&m=1475616), and based on your posts here it sounds like I've been expecting too much too soon.  I'll continue with the colace and the milk of magnesia, and concentrate on high fiber intake.  I'll send the wife back to the store later today for some All Bran to go with my Weetabix.

I do have two questions regarding the posts:  when/why is too much liquid is a bad thing?  What/how exactly does walking help the constipation?

Greg

Posted 5/22/2009 4:57 AM (GMT -8)
When you have surgery there are at least three things that contribute to constipation. The anesthetic, the pain killers, and physical inactivity. The total effect is dependent on your dose and physiology. Drinking lots of fluid helps with the first two because it gets your kidneys to filter out the residual drugs. It also helps keep your stools softer. Short of forcing yourself to drink, I have not heard of too much water although I suppose you could upset your blood electrolyte balance. Walking gets the pelvic muscles active – not just the walking ones but all the associated ones as well. Remember that your body actually moves food through the digestive tract it is not just gravity.

Follow your doctor’s directions on laxative and stool softeners and if things aren’t moving along call the office. They would rather deal with you on the phone rather than in a more serious situation
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