Pain meds and constipation.

 

  Dear Potsie,

 

      hehe, completly understand! I suggest Colace, but you may want to talk to your doctor first, because sometimes , meds interact with it. It is OTC thou.

 

     I used to have to use it, but then my doctor added in a med to my pain meds called nabumetone.... lets just say after the first month I ordered a new magazine subscription...

 

*huggs*

  dani

Potsie,
A few prunes do wonders but make sure to do it in moderation! I learned the hard way as I could eat them like candy. about 5 or 6 prunes maybe on a regular basis. When I was first out of surgery I took a colace, but no longer need that. I ate a half a container of prunes one night and spent the night on the "throne", so know now not to overdo it!

PaLady

I usually just take a tablespoon or 2 of good old MOM....Milk of Magnesia for when I am constipated and need to get moving again. Colace for when it is just painful to go.

Hey Potsie...

This was such a struggle for me for years to find the right combo of things to help as I am on both Morphine and OxyIr which are very constipating...along with the dry mouth and teeth issues...

A few suggestions I can offer that are all natural which I found to not only work the best..but don't have any bad side effects..

I switched to eating all organic food end of last year and that has been a tremendous help to my stomach/intestines as well as energy and clear face...

A drink that is the same consistency and taste of a yogurt shake is called Kefir...it comes in a lot of different flavors which are all yummy!! I just have a cup in the morning with breakfast...It is a Probiotic so helps the digestion...

Instead of having to eat prunes..which I have a hard time getting down...there is a new drink by Sunsweet...Plum Smart with Extra Fiber...and this has PRE-biotics...which also aid in digestion and help keep your stomach healthy along with intestinal help...

Another fantastic product I use each day is by Natural Vitality...and called Natural Calm..(found in health food stores or online)....it's a magnesium powder..for me..(I can't do the MOM...too medicinal tasting for me...)
This powder (instead of magnesium tablets)...you put two TEASPOONS in a glass..add a 1/4 cup hot water and it dissolves...then just add that to a bottle of water to drink...it has a berry/lemon flavor and perfectly clear when it dissolves...
This helps things stay in ..ummm...perfect form shall we say...LOL...and keeping things from being hard...sorry...trying to not have tmi..haha

Then I take a Senna tablet when needed at night to help things along if needed as that is all natural so no cramps...

You don't have to do all these together everyday...but find what combo works for you...

And because of taking my pain medicine..I drink 10-14 glasses of water/tea a day which also helps with fatigue..

The magnesium also has an added help with muscle pain which is great so that I use without fail...

The one medicinal thing I keep on hand since it is now Over the Counter is Miralax..this was bought before I started using the magnesium powder so haven't had to touch it but that is another thing to try...I am just so tired of taking medicines that when I can find a solution that is natural I am there!!! LOL

I was diagnosed with IBS way back when so these last months to finally find the perfect combo helps me feel amazing!!!

Kimber..I am worried about even your regular habit of only going once a week...we have so many toxins that build up in our body each day that we should be going once to twice a day to stay healthy....I would just double check with your Dr. about this after you get recovered from your surgery and see if there is anything they are worried about...I know I feel so awful if I have any issues for more than one day!

Sorry for such a long post..this is such an important topic that so many of us face with surgeries or our chronic pain and medicine use that sharing ideas is very helpful..

Take care..

That's why I have gone the all natural route to help as for me...I just feel so much better and especially the Pro and Pre biotics are for prevention of stomach/intestine issues down the road...And magnesium is an all natural supplement that most of us are low on anyway...like with Vitamin D, and B 12...

Adding daily walking...more fiber in fruits/veggies...all these things not only help with this issue but will help you feel better with overall health..


Pain medicine, along with other types (antacids, blood pressure meds, anti-depressants, anti-convulsants) all happen to be dehydrating to our system...they say because the colon is absorbing more of the water to process/eliminate the medicine...

that's why it's important to drink more than the usual 8-10 glasses of water/fluids to counteract the effects...dry socket with teeth, dry skin, constipation..and fatigue are all symptoms of dehydration...

So..there are all natural things you can take to help with all of the suggestions from folks above...just add one at a time so you don't 'overdo'...haha

Glad to hear that things are moving along!..:)

That's interesting Flower. I like Triscuits. Thanks!

I understand now. I drink water, but not enough. Thanks!

Hi Potsie,

You've been given great advice....there is a really good product and very cheap called Yerba Prima Daily Fiber that you can take daily.  The best way to start your day is with a 24 oz. glass of room temperature water as soon as you get up.  This will help to flush the toxins that have been released during sleep and shortly after will prompt a BM (it may take some effort to get in the habit of doing this but once you do it happens naturally despite pain meds).  Our sleep cycle is our healing cycle ( I worked alternative Medicine for 21 of my 35 yr working career and heard this over and over by many of the worlds CA specialists).  Water is crucial to health as are OILS.  I take 6,000 mg. of Fish oil every day, this helps inflammation and also acts as a lubricant to our joints, organs, skin and brain function.  Olive Oil added to our food especially salads is another great way to keep our colons moving.  You can also add Olive oil to cooked foods just be careful cooking with Olive Oil at high temps, it turns rancid.  Coconout Oil, grapeseed oil and Avocado oil are great to cook with.

Veggies, cooked or raw definitely help keep things moving as well.  Avocado's contrary to what you think are very very healthy, full of protein and natural oils!

Hope this helps!!

XXOO
Patti

I used Miralax mixed with kool-aide to help me along. As I got more regular I was able to cut back the dose and now that I've become used to the meds I don't need anything. You can get this over the counter at walmart.

Sure. The reason I even tried them is because a lot of the medication for constipation just doesn't agree with me and I have so many severe allergies that it's always a risk for me to try a new medication. I never thought they'd work! I eat them in the afternoon for lunch, and then I have oatmeal at night.

Also, I am on very high doses, and it works wonders.

I've also read that olive oil is great. Everyone is so different, but for me (thank God) changes in diet have been enough to keep things going.

I want to thank everybody that has given their suggestions. I love this place and I love everybody here. It's taken several days for the laxatives to get out of my system, so every morning, I'm in the bathroom, but I'm not constipated anymore. Thanks again!!!

Dear "Don't you wish you could just go potty like everyone else."

I don't know which medications you're taking, but I can tell you that narcotics can plug you up quicker than you can blink.  When you finally do manage to get things going, it's like a small import is being expelling itself out of your back end.  Isn't this the **** well you get the point.

How I've managed this most annoying of all things:

1:  I actually replaced the toilets in my house since I was so  tired of plugging up my old ones.  I found the highest rating of getting the rough stuff down the potty I could.  Toilet manufactures rate this with tennis balls.  Mine are suppose to take 36 at a time!  Nevertheless I still plug up my pot around 50% of the time.  It's rough going at times.  I'm quite close to my plunger these days.  We're on a first name basis.

2:  Think of yourself as a camel.  The more fluids you keep in your body, the better odds you will in having enough librication to get the hard stuff out.  It's time to start those 8 glasses of water routine up and running.

3:  There is a really great product called GlycoLax that requires a prescription, but is well worth the effort.  Finally something that won't cramp you or me to death, and that's easy enough on the body so you don't feel like you're going to die because of being backed up to the gills.  Tasteless, this easy to use powder can be put in any kind of food or water and yet won't mess it up your food or beverage with some nasty taste or other even worse side effects most over the counter "get the poop" flowing cures always promise but that usually do cause such as bloating, cramping and sweats.

4:  Try and keep your body moving.  We need to keep things moving south, so we need exercise.  If you're wheelchair bound like I am, this is harder, but even if you go for a whirl in a manual wheelchair, you'll find your tummy muscles have gotten a work out so everything passes along just a bit easier.

Here's hoping everything "goes" well.  Bob.