I had anesthetic on Thursday morning for keyhole surgery and haven’t had a poo since? Is that normal? I’ve googled but not found much apart from it might be caused by dehydration which I can’t see because I’ve been drinking gallons of water because I’m so thirsty. I’ve had two mediumish sized meals since too.?? Must be something in there to come out? Don’t know whether to go to the doctors tomorrow or not?

It’ll be fine, just need to be patient and eat normally. If there was a problem you would ne aware of it by now.

Really? I’m not looking forward to it, it’s bound to be huge and the op was on my abdomen so if I have to push anything out I’ll cry 🙁

Hi Emma I had 12hr surgery to plate my arm after a washout 2.5 weeks ago, the anesthetic inhibits the body’s ability to produce the wave motion that you need to pass a ‘good un’ , the drugs that stop this movement are opium based like orromorph, codine etc, blocked me good and proper for 5 days, got to say cause I was in hospital I wasn’t too fussed, eventually I got then to give me two types of laxative , started on lax lose and then they gave me senna, it still took 24 hrs to get me going and it turned out to be a 20 min afair that involved a hell of a lot of sweating !!! I was slightly disappointed with the delivery I must add but I did feel better after .

Go to the quacks and get some lax Emma , hope you feel better soon

Aww ski boy that sounds traumatic! Im signed off until Tuesday so if I’ve not been by then I’ll book to see the doc. :/ I was only knocked out for 30 minutes so shouldn’t be that bad but three days in and nothing….

Are you taking any painkillers?

Ahh, pooing. The best thing about being in hospital.

Thank god for paralysis!

Co-codamol every 4 hrs although I took some before bed last night and lasted til now, just about to take some more?

co codamol turns your poo to concrete. You should be able to get something to make you poo from your pharmacist. Senna perhaps? Or Lactulose

Pop down to your local pharmacist today tell them the tale and the surgery you’ve had done they’ll sort you with something. Co-codamol contains codeine which bricks some people up and you’re more prone since having anthesia so may need something to help you along.

I shouldn’t worry too much, I know plenty of women who go on holiday for a week and don’t turn one out until they get home again.

Wallop! Charming :/

Thanks chaps, I’m no where near as sore as I was so might just move to paracetamol today and stop taking cocodamol. Will pop to pharmacy tomorrow morning if I’m walking upright 🙂

Dont bother with drugs just get some prune juice a pint is natures pixolax and works quite quickly.

I wouldn’t worry too much – I had a similar problem after surgery and then taking co-codamol (although I’m taking co-codamol regularly now and thankfully haven’t had the same problem!), think it was almost a week before I…erm…”emptied myself”! 😛

Might be worth nipping to the chemist – explain to them what you’ve had and I’m sure there’ll be able to give you the appropriate advice / pills if necessary to sort you out! 🙂

Oh yes grapes loads of them, I was on a ward with three other guys and the poo’ing issue became the best laugh ever, you might want to get some pile cream in by the way, but don’t do what i did which was grab my toothpaste and give ringy a good smear, oh that’s a bit fresh was my first thought , followed by hmm minty ? Quickly backed up with OMG !!!!!

I’m just glad you weren’t keeping any deep heat by your bedside skiboy 😯

when I was taking a fair bit of codeine for my sciatica, I had the old “gastrointestinal motility” issue… but when it arrived, it arrived, so you may want to get a shiny unopened new mtb magazine ready for reading, and consider flushing halfway through.

Speak to the pharmacist as you’ve had a op you may not want insides turned out maybe just things turned mushy, they will advise diet, meds or maybe both.

Lol thanks for that advice Zulu, I shall take a book. Off to the pharmacist for me tomorrow then. Don’t really want to go back to work on Wednesday if I’ve not gone, I’m not much liking the idea of being stuck anywhere other than my own loo when the moment comes.

Had the same thing, more linked to the post op drugs though. Went out for a few beers and was almost instantly cured…

Try drinking a litre of orange juice – that never fails to work for me.

Too Poo or not too Poo ❓ that is the question 😆

having chemo and 2x ops on my throat for last 4momths my movements are all over the place,i just take senokot before bed and lacktolose twice a day keeps things ticking along, looks like i may be turning into a goat looking by how how its changed my poooes

Picolax is what you need to ease you nice and gently back into the swing of things 😆

Wait, don’t force it.
I had peritonitis caused by a burst appendix.
Tried too hard and ripped open the wound, so now have a massive scar from my navel to my hip as it wasn’t stitched it was packed out.
So use tyre levers if you must.

So use tyre levers if you must.

What tyre levers for…….?

I have seen a teaspoon used to perform an evacuation under anaesthetic. I’m not sure what happened to the spoon.

Had a general anaesthetic for an inguinal hernia 3 weeks ago (still off the damn bike!)

I had quite a healthy movement (a double flusher) around 12 hours later!

Day 2 on the job as a newly qualified doctor, it was my ‘role’ to evacuate a paralysed patient who had no control of their bowels. I didn’t have the luxury of a spoon…..
(it was a very sad case actually -she was a lovely lady so I was glad to have been of help, still, not the nicest job!)

Anyway, back on track. I’m sure it’s the codeine bunging you up -simple laxatives and I wouldn’t worry too much unless you get stomach pains etc.
(when I went to Oz, what with the flying and such, I didn’t poop until I had about 13 meals in me! I was getting (unnecessarily) stressed out by it also! Us Brits eh!

DrP

Well, I’m going to have a big roast dinner now, lucozade, jelly babies and orange juice seeing as I’m uber bloated anyway, may as well go for it 🙂

When my nephew was little my sister had to give him a helping hand when he had the same problem. Do you know anyone with small hands? Where are you based?

Picolax….?

For once this is a thread that does not need pics 😀

As a GP may I humbly suggest ….

A corkscrew…. 😀

Some good suggestions above. Movicol is what we often use rather than lactulose now.

Mmmm, movicol and senna cocktail 🙂

Any success or do we need call this fella in…?

Oh, and as oldgit says above, don’t force it. Sometimes these things just take time, posted on the last thread about this, I once didn’t go for 5 whole days despite eating probably 4-5000 calories a day the entire time… When it came though, think I read a whole magazine cover to cover, and it was a double, if not a triple flusher!

Well, you’ll all be very pleased to know that at 5pm yesterday I did in fact manage a massive poo. No pushing allowed so it took a while. I then had another big one at 7 which was extremely painful then another one at 730. Jelly babies, orange juice and roast dinner along with lucozade did the trick. And perhaps staying off painkillers yesterday too maybe?
Not sure I’d ever have gone for the corkscrew or chimney sweep ideas mind

Clinks his Champers glass in your direction….

DrP

Good thread, I forget quite how I came across it, but glad (really?) I did 😉