Me again ladies with another question.
Any tips on constipation? Day 6 after op and feeling ok. Moving around the house a lot and resting. Eating very little but often. Only good foods. Drinking lots water. But the pain from trapped wind and trying to empty bowels is a killer. Tried peppermint tea (yuk!) and peppermint water but not helping.
Am I able to take Movical ? Or can anyone suggest something that will help ?
Thank you. Xx
Hi Alf77
I have not had surgery yet just finished round 2 chemo, however I have always had a lazy bowel I have been put on move ok twice daily.
I also now have a smoothie daily of rhubarb , plums advacado raspberries and flack seed and apple juice , I put a little honeyinto it to sweeten it up .
I have started going the toilet daily even after chemo, maybe ask your nurse if you can take the movical.
Hope you get this sorted as the trapped wind is very uncomfortable .
Ellsey
Hi Ellsey
My daughter is into smoothies so will send her these ingredients for her to make for me. How are you doing? How are you coping with the chemo. Have you had a date for surgery yet?
Sarah x
Sarah
Onc said I will have CT scan 10 days after 3rd chemo so I am hoping if all goes well with bloods and everything I will get my scan around the 19th June, she did say three to four weeks post chemo so it will be the usual waiting game.
I have to say I have lost so much fluid since starting chemo, once I am up and about after a couple of days I am eating better than before I was diagnosed and looking better, so I find it a little easier to bear the side effects.
Take care Ellsey XX
It sounds like you are doing everything you should.
Do you like peppermint sweets, as I found them soothing. Also the hospital sent me out with some gentle laxatives that "helped to move everything along" I took these for 2 weeks and they were magic. It might be worth giving them a call as you don't want to take anything too aggressive.
Prunes in juice are a mover and also eat a kiwi half an hour before eating. You are doing everything right and probably not eating much anyhow. I was given a good tip what goes in must come out sometime, the law of gravity and I stopped fretting so much. Maybe a hot water bottle and some strong peppermints sweets might be more appealing than the tea,
Will add kiwis to shopping list thank you. I'm not a fan of prunes !
Hot water bottle good idea too.
It does make you aware of what you eat. I think your body knows what it needs because the thought of any chocolate or cake etc is not pleasant. I used to be a chocolate lover but haven't had any for about 6 months !!!
I was given a liquid laxative which was great. I did have a lot of constipation but also ended up with a colostomy so have to make sure it is all moving. I followed some advice which was a glass of iced water when you get up before having anything else. It worked for me.
LA xx
Hello Alf77,
I was prescribed Movicol and still need half a sachet per day (3 years after last op in which bowels 'man-handled' out of the way etc., plus dose-dense chemo & Avastin). I also incorporating vegetables where I can into lunch and supper & juice a carrot, beetroot, bit of root ginger, apple & pear to share with my husband before breakfast....often 30mins before. In addition, I drink about 100mls a day of a probiotic drink, 'Kefir' (you'll find it on the internet), which I buy from our Sainsbury or local Polish shops.
Most recently I was told by a friend to add linseed/flax seed to my diet. I 'mill' this and add into yoghurty breakfast mix too.
For the first time since the last operation & chemo I am feeling settled and smooth in my tummy and bowel!! Keep experimenting... Lesley
Constipation has been the bane of my life...so I can really empathise with you. The chemo can be very constipating for some so u may find with the best diet in the world u will still need help with laxatives for the duration of chemo. It's really important to keep things moving as a small percentage of the chemo is excreted via the bowel and you Don't want an unnecessary build up of the drugs. You may need a bowel stimulant ie senacot and then a stool softer. Ie movicol. You will have to play around to see what suits but don't get impacted as a build up of hard stool will block the anal outlet...there is a huge under estimation of the importance of bowel management among health care workers and the misery and damage it can cause.good luck
Great to hear you are home already and making a good recovery from the op.
I was given Docusate Sodium 100 mg capsules to take twice a day by hospital when I had problems with constipation during chemo. It is a stool softener so gentler than many laxatives and I found it did the trick. Trade name is Dioctyl and I am sure your GP would prescribe it for you.
Hope these problems soon get sorted and you continue to make a good recovery.
Best wishes,
Barbara
In addition to all the good tips already shared Imadded fibre through a bowl,if all bran for breakfast and when on the toilet I Was advised to have my feet raised a couple of inches and to gently rock backwards and forward.... I did that and sometimes it worked but when it didn't I just had another go later. A good book and a shawl to keep warm whilst sat 'on the pan' also helped. Plus gentle walking which also can help move the bowel
Take care
Clare
Wow all brilliant advice thank you !!! Hadn't even thought about having problems with vowels with the chemo. Hope I get this sorted before that starts.
Just had first sachet of Movical. Think part of problem is I'm not eating much. Just thought of food is off putting.
I have a cushion on floor in bathroom for feet when on the loo. A thick cardi as even though warming up outside I'm freezing !!
I have had no guidance from anyone re any of this. Nothing from the hospital re what to expect when home or how much should be doing to be active. I was naive I think and hadn't googled anything much about the op or afterwards. Sort of pretending it wasn't happening maybe.
I feel silly now as I feel I haven't a clue as to what I need to be doing. How I get my appetite back. How best to lay in bed. Downstairs is it better to lay on sofa or sit up straight. Think must be having a bad day today as it seems to have really hit me that I have cancer. I should have done more research. I should have accepted it by now.
Sorry to have a moan as I know there are so many of you suffering far more than me.
Thank you so much for all the support. Without this site it would just be awful.
Sarah. Xxxxx
Before anything else each morning I make the following drink: half lemon, tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Tsp tumeric. Dash of black pepper and hot water. I normally don't finish the drink before I need to go the loo, keeps me regular x
Hm Movicol was recommended to me before , possibly several sachets. Never tried it though.
I hardly ate anything for a full week following the op and then only a little bit at a time. Also check which pain meds you take because those could be constipating too (e.g. opiates).That all contributed to constipation I experienced following the surgery and it took irrigation measures while still in the hospital, enemas and a total of about 2 weeks before the bowels slowly consented to cooperate and function again. They just really really dislike being handled.
Prunes and a low-caffeine (instant) coffee right after getting up (and a quiet half hour sitting end enjoying it), plus eating decent amounts of food helps me these days.
Hope it'll get better for you soon.
Hi Maus123
I ended up back in hospital and had enema. Helped enormously. It's day 11 and still in so much pain. Still can't eat. Nurse coming daily re wound as its now infected. Got horrid cough so wound keeps weeping.
What did you start to eat. Such conflicting advice from hospital GP nurses.
Struggling to walk around. Toilet trip painful enough.
Dr now prescribed co codamol. Worried that's going to make me constipated.
Trying to stay positive but getting harder.
Here in US we have "Smooth Move" senna tea. It tastes fine and works beautifully. It's a vegetable laxative. FYI peppermint causes heartburn. If you have GERD it will make it much worse.
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