this is gross- so if you are easily offended do not read-i have had "minor" complicat

bandster_1007 · 12-11-2007, 01:55 PM

i guess you could call it a "complication". i read about constipation before i had the band. well, i have been going what i would consider pretty regularly---daily. i have had a couple of moments where i thought that going to the bathroom resembled labor to the extent of making it productive, but it was productive.

ok, i woke up this saturday with a sharp pain on my left side. i almost went to er, but i have had something like this happen before and after all the poking and prodding, i had a bowel impaction. so..i didn't go to er. instead, i stayed home, drank lots of water, and took a lot of ex lax. then on Monday morning- i looked 8 months pregnant.

i am not exaggerating, when i went out someone actually asked me when i was due. yes, i am heavy, and my abdomen has been somewhat distended since surgery, BUT, i did not look pregnant like i did monday. and i didn't look pregnant at all prior to surgery.

so i go to my doctor, and i have a freakin' bowel blockage. one that is so bad the gas in my belly cannot get through and was building up in my belly. my doc wanted to do x-rays, etc., but i talked her out of it and came home and drank magnesium citrate and did an enema.

i'm 25 years old, i don't think this is normal. i thought last night that i was finished "cleaning out", but my belly was still sticking out. so, i planned to go to work this morning. i could still feel the pain in my left side, so i just thought that i would work on that the next week or two with miralax.

well, over night i HURT SO BAD. i felt like i did post op. rolling around in the bed and moaning. then, when i get up this morning, the "cleaning out" just began. i'm stuck at home sitting on the porcelain god every 5 minutes.

at least my belly is going down and my pain is going away.

has anyone else had this problem? if they venture to share. if you haven't watch out. it hurts like hell when it gets blocked.

i know this is gross and costipation is an issue with banders, but what should i do to prevent this from happening again? my doc suggests that i go sit and "try" for 15 minutes after i eat every meal. what? who does that 3 times a day!! besides that, she is not my band doctor and she doesn't understand that my food intake is less.

any thoughts would be appreciated.

**FairyFacade** · 12-11-2007, 02:10 PM

Hello!
I use to have regular bowel movements.. post-op I think I didn't get a bowel movement till 3 weeks in.. and I induced it with prune juice.
Now, I can go days without a bowel movement. And sometimes it's very hard to get it to be productive. I know my problem is fiber. Fiber makes you poo!
Take a fiber supplement (Benefiber mixes taste/textureless into other things). I try to do that but I forget since I have to mix it into things. They also have fiber tablets.. or just check foods you eat and make sure you eat more fiber. It can take a week or so to regulate you, but it does.

bandster_1007 · 12-11-2007, 02:14 PM

my doctor doesn't let us take benefiber, or any other fiber supplement. is my doc the only one that thinks that? he says it can swell our pouch.

i'm know i need fiber, but i'm not sure how else to get it.

**FairyFacade** · 12-11-2007, 02:20 PM

Wow, never heard that before.
I don't know then :(

bandster_1007 · 12-11-2007, 02:32 PM

thank you so much for your input anyways. doctor's are so different you know. my doctor says "take milk of magnesia", but then you "hear" or "read" about dependency on laxatives. i think that i haven't been eating any fruit or vegetables, and i need desperately to have those for fiber.

i will talk to my doctor tomorrow though, maybe i misunderstood on the fiber thing. especially if other people can take it with no problems.

bandster_1007 · 12-11-2007, 02:32 PM

by the way laura...i absolutely love your quote....

Jachut · 12-11-2007, 03:06 PM

I've not had exactly the same but I have had bouts of what I can only describe as irritable bowel associated with my period since banding.

I normally go in the morning, I wake up feeling normal, then get the urge, off I go and then the pain starts. Labour is a good way to describe it, it honestly hurts as much as labour, and similar type of pain, in the lower belly, down my legs, into my back. With full on cold sweats and shaking.

What I, ah, produce (lol) is normal. Not runny, not diarrhoea, not hard like consipation. But it just keeps coming and coming, like where on earth was I keeping all THAT? The episodes last a few hours, there's no way I can go anywhere, and they do actually involve some screaming.

I've never in my life suffered from anything like this before. Its happened only maybe four times in two years, so its not too major a concern, but I did get checked out for endometriosis, on the suggestion of my surgeon, nothing seems to be abnormal.

I stick with a diet that includes plenty of wholegrains, I dont do protein first, I'm pretty big on fibre and bowel health and whilst I certainly eat enough protein, its not at the expense of other foods. The fruit, veges and wholegrains probably get more attention in my diet.

**AthinnerDenise** · 12-11-2007, 03:42 PM

I eat Kashi Crunch cereal and even mix in a little bit of Fiber 1 cereal. They are whole grain and considered "good carbs" They are super high in fiber, but sometimes I have that same problem.

It's really true that bandsters don't get enough fiber. I try to eat high fiber foods but sometimes it's hard to get the protein AND the fiber in.

My doctor recommends 2 fiber caplets 30 min before meals. I have a hard time remembering to take them. I do mix in benefiber in water sometimes, but I usually get bad gas from that. Someone said to eat baby food prunes, but that did nothing for me.

It's definitely a problem.

**FairyFacade** · 12-11-2007, 04:02 PM

I am curious if your doctor says not to take fiber supplements.. let's say you're eating a high fiber food (which he approves of?).. would be the same as adding benefiber to a non-fiber food.
So that makes me think he doesn't want you eating any fiber, and then you'd be in my boat, where BM's are few and far between and always a PAIN IN THE BUTT (Pun intended).

**FairyFacade** · 12-11-2007, 04:03 PM

Oh! And thanks about the quote, if you've never heard the song.. it's really pretty. "For You" by Barenaked Ladies :)

**FairyFacade** · 12-11-2007, 04:25 PM

I was googling for info on fiber & LAP-BAND^® since I never heard about it doing anything to the pouch.. This first excerpt I found was from a bizarre website that was weighing pros & cons of LAP-BAND^® surgery and how it effects religious beliefs.. anyway, thought this was interesting!

Fiber is the part of our food that we can't digest. It thus doesn't add calories but it does take up space. It also absorbs toxins and helps purify the system generally. There are also different types of fiber, and different types do different things for us.
Most Americans get about 10-15 grams of fiber per day in their diet. It's thought that we need 25-30, though many question whether that is enough. In some places, people eat much more fiber than this. It is reported, for example, that in some parts of China they manage to get 75 grams of fiber per day.
Fiber can be gotten both from eating foods that contain it (e.g., nuts) and in the form of nutritional supplements. The latter are often packaged as compressed tablets, capsules, or powder.
It's not easy to get significant amounts of fiber without adding calories just by eating food. Most foods don't have enough fiber in them to make that easy. Tablets also aren't great as they may not dissolve fully. Capsules can suffer from that, too. But powdered fiber works great.
Of late I've been incorpoating significant quantities of powdered fiber into my diet (about 45-55 grams per day, in addition to what fiber I get from food), and I have been very pleased with the results. The fiber generates a sensation of fullness, a notable desire to eat less, and I've been losing weight more rapidly and without hunger. The effect has been dramatic.
It also may be accomplishing the same thing as the LAP-BAND^® surgery (shrinking your effective stomach space), only without the surgery. You therefore might want to try this as an alternative before you try surgery.
If you do, a few important notes:

Rule #1 of using fiber is to Drink Lots Of Water with it. If you drink too little, problems will result. I generally stir three heaping tablespoons of fiber (about 15 grams) into 12 ounces of water, drink that rapidly, and then follow it with another 12-20 ounces of water while the fiber expands.
Rule #2 of using fiber is Build Up Slowly. It takes your system a bit to adjust to processing fiber, and if you add too much, too quick then you feel an uncomfortable bloating. Start with one tablespoon (not even a heaping one) and build up slowly from there.
Rule #3 of using fiber is to recognize that it changes the absorption pattern of food, vitamins, and medicine. You therefore need to sequence fiber into your daily diet in places where it won't interfere with any medicines you may be taking. If you need to take any medicines on an empty stomach, don't take fiber for at least an hour before or after you take the medicine. If you need to take any medicines with food, don't take the fiber too close to mealtime.

Personally, I try to take fiber immediately after eating (it kills any desire I have to eat further), but if you are taking medicines then you may not be able to do that. I've even been experimenting with adding moderately carb-laden food items (well, popcorn, anyway) and then taking fiber immediately afterward so that it slows the absorption of the carbs and doesn't cause my blood sugar to spike. It's worked well, and I'm still losing weight even though I'm allowing myself moderate portions of popcorn (one of my favorite foods that I haven't been able to eat in years while doing low-carb).

tinywishes123 · 12-11-2007, 04:34 PM

i suffer from consiptation associated with my periods (I do have endo). Right now I am on my period and worried.

I didnt know that the fiber could strech the pouch. I took some the chewable Benefiber (its good!) today. I hope its okay?
I also use stool softeners (colace) that shouldnt be problem right?

InTheCityGirl · 12-11-2007, 04:50 PM

I'll throw my half a cent worth in here too on constipation. I have struggled with it in the past but recently have been regular (daily) for the 8 months prior to getting banded. Mostly due to drinking more water and eating lots of fiber.

Now, I haven't had a movement in 7 days since my banding. I tried now and it hurt so much, I had some blood. . .not nice.

I called and scheduled a colon cleanse at a holistic spa (RN administered) for this week. I read all the threads about how it is quackery, etc. but what I never saw was it was dangerous if administered properly. I got have a movement. . .I must, I must, I must?:-)))))

bandster_1007 · 12-11-2007, 04:51 PM

i only know what my doctor said about the fiber supplements. that is his opinion. my doc also doesn't think we should eat popcorn..so there you go.

i have endometriosis, too, but i have not been "checked" for it in several years. my last period only lasted 4 hours, so it may be that the endometriosis has attached to the colon.

i may need to get that checked.

this is a particularly horrible situation for me because i had missed so much work from migraines and then my surgery, that my work is threatening to lay me off at the beginning of the year (despite the fact that i filed fmla), so to be stuck at home on the pot really sucks. my boss said that "shit happens"..haha.. and she understands, but who knows.... they have a business to run, and my colon needs to stop running so i can help.

my family doctor said that this blockage, as far as the pain, resembles a ruptured appendix. it is nasty. hurts to walk, etc. but i have to say i have lost about 14 inches in my abdomen over the last 24 hours.

bandster_1007 · 12-11-2007, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InTheCityGirl

I'll throw my half a cent worth in here too on constipation. I have struggled with it in the past but recently have been regular (daily) for the 8 months prior to getting banded. Mostly due to drinking more water and eating lots of fiber.

Now, I haven't had a movement in 7 days since my banding. I tried now and it hurt so much, I had some blood. . .not nice.

I called and scheduled a colon cleanse at a holistic spa (RN administered) for this week. I read all the threads about how it is quackery, etc. but what I never saw was it was dangerous if administered properly. I got have a movement. . .I must, I must, I must?:-)))))

the magnesium citrate that you can buy at the drug store works (it comes in a little glass bottle..i like (not really, but you know) the cherry flavored). you drink it and i promise you will go. just shake it real well a few times to get the carbonation out, and it is a sickly sweet taste. but..it works. i drank that yesterday, and i did a saline enema, and i am taking rx miralax.