Nighttime and sleeping advice

When are you eating dinner or your last meal? do you think the cramps are from gas as they were in my case so for dinner I tried to eat really plain for a few weeks like chicken or fish with little to no carbs like wheat and perhaps some easy to digest fruit or veggies like a sweet potato or a banana I do this fairly early 5-6 pm at the latest, I also notice if I lay in my sides I can usually pass some built up gas. I'm about 5 weeks post op and can get through the night now without really having to get up so I'm trying to expand this low carb process to the day too! I also try to have a spoonful of almond butter close to bed time to give my gut something to work on while I sleep, a few other suggestions would be beano or gas-x with meals.

I never really had much nausea except when I had a partial blockage that passed on its own after a few days, anyways I'm sure we all kind of figure out a routine that works and I'm sure you will too.

Post Edited (Virdent) : 3/12/2015 11:03:58 AM (GMT-6)

Thanks for the replies! I'm going to try not eating so soon before going to bed. The heating pad is a good suggestion as well! I actually do have some zofran leftover from my first surgery that I forgot about until now that I might start trying again!

Virdent- have you been taking gas x at all? I bought it and took one tablet with lunch one day to see how it would work and didn't seem to do much? Like you asked, I do think the cramps are still gas pains. Do you think I maybe need to take 2 at once?

Nope, no Imodium. My surgeon said at my follow up that I am actually doing very well in terms of frequency. about 5 or 6 times a day usually. Sometimes even less than that. So no frequency problems, only the cramping. Thanks for the advice on the food and medicines!

Can't add anything to the above but wanted to say I hope it resolves itself. I did find that exactly at 6 weeks post takedown my minor nighttime leaking accidents stopped completely. So maybe you just need a little more time? I think because I otherwise felt wonderful after Step 2 that I kept forgetting that the surgery was only a few weeks prior and it can take months for the J-Pouch to get all the "kinks" out.

I fortunately had very minimal gas issues during the first week but none since. And I never had any nausea except immediately following Step 1 and that was because of the Percoset (but I've always had a pretty much "cast-iron" stomach). I have been trying not to eat after 7 pm but last night ate pizza and drank beer at 8 and had no issues. I do get up 1-2x per night but that's been happening to me since menopause started 10 years ago (getting up to pee) so I can't blame that on my pouch! Since the stoma wound has healed I can sleep anyway I want (even on my stomach!!!).

Vicki

Amanda, if you remember I had my jpouch connected a couple days before you. I've been offline for awhile. I was hospitalized for a week after surgery because I developed an ileus and had to have a ng tube to control severe vomiting. Once that was resolved I have been fine that way. I am not having issues with cramping at all. I am going 7 or 8 times a day but I don't have the terrible urgency that I used to have with UC. I take Imodium before eating per the surgeon. I do have to get up a couple times a night. I went back to work today and did fine. Overall I am very happy so far with how things are going. Sounds like you are doing pretty good too.