Constipation after stoma reversal (early days)

Hi Georgina, 

i had the same  thing happen to me after my reversal. I took ‘softerners’ regularly for months after my op. They helped a lot. Only two per day and I kept to a very fluid diet a couple of days a week which I found also helped. It’s frustrating isn’t it because you want everything to be normal again . Im two years post op and still struggle some days but I understand that is quite normal from what I’ve been told. Ihooe things settle soon for you

best wishes

Hi Georgina 

It's likely to take some time before your bowel movements return to normal. Some people have constipation or diarrhoea, but this usually gets better with time but either way it does not help solve the problem.

You are correct there is not much out there to help with the problem we all know we need to drink plenty of fluids and keep to a diet and still eat small and often to get out bowels working properly but no one actually tells us what we should be eating so it's back to trial and error and keeping a food diary and recording the effects on any output. As you know some foods are more likely to make your bowels move more than others and having high fibre may help maybe even some of the breakfast cereals you could also try fybogel.

If you are still in contact with your stoma care nurse why not give her a call or contact your GP for advice although we are told to speak to a high street pharmacist these days. I think I would be wary about starting a laxative without medical advice first just in case it changes to heavy output suddenly and become uncontrollable

Walking or other gentle exercises might also help as could placing a hot water bottle on your stomach or even gently massaging your stomach might help.

Sorry can't be of much help as my Ileostomy is permanent and can't be reversed but I do hope that someone else will be along shortly who has been through as you are going through now.

Ian

Hi Georgina

Im the opposite to you but my friend who I met going through treatment had her reversal long before me and suffers discomfort when she can’t go so she swears by a glass of prune juice for breakfast - just the sort that you find with the orange juice in the supermarket?

My stoma nurses reassured me that they were still there for me so you could also check with them first.

When I had my reversal the surgeon told me that they checked my Bowel out at the same time so, if that is standard practice, you would think that any potential blockage would have been picked up then?

Hope things start to settle down for you soon

Take care

Karen x

Hi:

Thanks for sharing your experience. After I left the hospital from a reverse ileostomy, I became constipated.  My discharge instruction was to take miralax or colac if this happened.  Instead I took prune juice which did help but apparently not enough.  After 3 weeks from discharge I developed a constant painful stomach cramp on the left side of my abdomen.  My ileostomy was on my right side. It seemed I did get painful stomach ache when ever I eat certain food.  Once I stop eating them my stomach ache passed. I did went back to soft food and bean soup which helped but I continued to have this left side abdominal pain.  This continued & I finally went to see my general doctor who took an xray that showed I had a blockage of poop result  of constipation.  Today I am going into my 4th week of constant pain and my surgeon still don't know what to do about it.  His nurse told me to take miralax & that it will take some time to see some results.  I am still able to go bathroom everyday but I am still having these left side abdominal pain.  I read someone who had Recurrent Acute Small Bowel Obstruction Due to a Narrow Ileocolic Anastomosis.  This person had similar recuring abdominal pain.  I am not even sure what a Narrow Ileocolic Anastomosis is?  Could I also have a infection going on. Is this why I am having this continue pain.  I ask my surgeon nurse why I am still having this blockage in the same area? I think my surgeon is waiting to see if the miralax would move everything out and remove the blockage.  I am in so much pain and almost went to the ER.  Can anyone might have similar experience?

Yes I’m there right now … what to do?

Was having major constipation after removal.  Laxatives took 12 hours to kick in.  My client told me to drink hot as I could stand water, (I drank 16 ounces) and after 3 days of being backed up, I had a bowell movement within 15 minues.