ladies can any of ye share your wisdom with me... - My Ovacome

My Ovacome

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ladies can any of ye share your wisdom with me on how ye kept your bowels moving i am using dulcolax but know have horrendous trapped wind

Clifden1 profile image
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Keeping me awake all night

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Clifden1
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29 Replies
Clifden1 profile image
Clifden1

I forgot to mention i am 8 days after debulking surgery

Lyndy profile image
Lyndy in reply to Clifden1

Oh dear! I think the debulking often causes trapped wind. I tend to go for chamomile tea and peppermint but I would also contact your team and get their input. The good news is that it should ease gradually as you recover xx

Slipper1 profile image
Slipper1

hi that was me too, are you managing to drink plenty of water? and are you taking the meds to the max to get you going?, think i was day 8 when it happened......

Kkaren profile image
Kkaren

I was taking two dulcolax when I hadn’t been for a couple or three days but found them quite harsh. I have now decided to take only one every other day and that seems better for me.

Tulips66 profile image
Tulips66

Hi Clifden, It will take awhile for your bowels to settle after the op as you have just had major surgery & a lot of handling. My doctor prescribed Movicol. I find it very good & easy to take as you mix it with water so might be worth a try. I am not sure if you can get it over the counter. Hope you are recovering OK otherwise & taking it easy. 🌸Mag

Dmercury profile image
Dmercury

I am experiencing the exact same problem as we speak. So uncomfortable. I too have been using Dulcolax, but it’s not working. Going to try Sennakot or Gerikot. I don’t care for Miralax it seems to bloat me even more. Having a good poo 💩 is so underrated!😂

Brum1966 profile image
Brum1966

Omg, someone else suffering, I have been in agony for two weeks. I had to go to a n e last Thursday my stomach swollen like a football and severe pain in lower tummy. Had a chest and abdomen xray which showed gas and was told might be fluid so could be cancer back. Sent home with nothing! Spoke to cns nurse who looked at xray report and said there was no mention of fluid just gas and feacol matter other than that bowels look normal so I'm backed up and to take laxative till I have firm stool and to let her know how I get on over weekend. Suffered all weekend, cried with the pain which is doubling me over. Called my gp on Monday who said take movicol get 4 down me straight away, next day take 6, next day take 8 and a sepositry within 6 hours, am to do the same today and all her ba k tomorrow if its not cleared.

I am desperate! In so much pain and only passing liquid not the stool I'm supposed to. I'm exhausted and look nine months pregnant and wondering when is somebody going to medically help me and get this feacol matter out of me? I'm so low and crying as I write this, I hope your out of pain soon as would not like to think anyone else could suffer like this xx

Yorkiepudd profile image
Yorkiepudd in reply to Brum1966

Oh my love that is not good. Have they examined you? If it’s backed up in your rectum then it doesn’t matter what you ingest. I’ve been there and never thought I’d be so happy to have an enema! The Laxido/Movicol worked for me from then on and also helped during chemo.

Time to make some more noise xx

Kkaren profile image
Kkaren in reply to Brum1966

Oh my goodness I’ve been there. Longest I went was two weeks without going. I tried everything. Eventually things did start moving but it absolutely exhausts you. I come out that toilet feeling like I’ve given birth and have to lie down to recover. I hope since you wrote your post there has been some movement. It’s just such a relief when you go.

Brum1966 profile image
Brum1966 in reply to Kkaren

Omg I long for that, I'm in a & e right now hopefully they can get me moving xx

Yorkiepudd profile image
Yorkiepudd

Oh dear I can empathise! I found the docusate just didn’t work for me as my bowel was working fine until it got to the point of exit 🤪. I had to have an enema (not as bad as I imagined but I’m not signing up for a rerun!) and then things kept moving with Laxido/Movicol which also worked for me during chemo x

Jenjill47 profile image
Jenjill47

Brum,I can sympathise with you. I got to the point where I had to give myself microlax enemas. I think you should call your doctor. Also if I were you, I would go to ER as you are at risk of impacted faeces which can cause damage. The hospital should give you a proper enema to relieve this problem. Do it and don't put up with this agony any longer. Please let us know how you are going.

xx

Brum1966 profile image
Brum1966 in reply to Jenjill47

Hi hun thanks for your reply, I went to ER last Thursday I was there 10 hours and sent home with no help at all the doctor said it might be cancer back, I just want this over with xx

Jenjill47 profile image
Jenjill47 in reply to Brum1966

Brum, that was week ago. (it's Thursday here in Australia). It's not acceptable that you were sent home with no proper help after a 10 hour wait. Can you contact your Dr or go to another ER. I worry that you are leaving it too long. I'm an RN and while I don't know everything (I have OC too) it seems that your acute pain is telling you something. I came down with sepsis when I left a UTI too long. Landed in ICU for 3 days. I don't mean to frighten you but you need to get that sorted out if you haven't had a poo for so long.

Brum1966 profile image
Brum1966 in reply to Jenjill47

Hi jenjill47 my hu by getting onto my gp today cos I am getting distraught I just keep crying xx

Jenjill47 profile image
Jenjill47 in reply to Brum1966

GOOD! You will feel so much better getting it sorted out. Please leet me know when you are up to it. No rush.

Brum1966 profile image
Brum1966 in reply to Jenjill47

Omg turned out to be ascites I have just had the drain put in, so my first reoccurance xx

Jenjill47 profile image
Jenjill47 in reply to Brum1966

I hope you are feeling better now that you have a diagnosis. Please let me know how you are going.

Big hugs from Down Under (Jill).

Eriksendi profile image
Eriksendi

Ever since my debulking surgery in 2017 I have had to take stool softeners. I did have bowel surgery as well. I take 2 sachets of Laxido every night and am careful what I eat but it does keep it moving. I use Laxido.

MarleyZ profile image
MarleyZ

Hi Clifden

I used every trick in the book believe it or not, ate softer foods, foods with grains etc the days were horrendous even with senokat, eventually had laxido proscribed it sort of worked, having constipation which the kind of i had never had in all my years, eventually I decided to eat what u wanted ( call it my take it to the brink moment ) ate spicy crisps ate spicy food drank wine ..lol I do remember doing some dancing whenever I could did it work you ask...yes to a certain degree it did for a small amount of time but that time felt good when the constipation stopped unfortunately it can go the other way, had the deabulking surgery along with a bowel intersection in 2020 everynow and again I have issues but nothing like the first occurrences after surgery and also the chemo ... you will find what works ...wish you luck know u will be fine just don't get stressed out.

Riverflo profile image
Riverflo

Hi, Congratulations on your surgery, another step towards feeling well. I did have difficulties with wind and constipation for quite some time. And I went with the advice, against my normal habits, to have bland, low fibre food, basically to not over exert the digestive system. Good luck and best wishes to you. xx

fendweller profile image
fendweller

Only thing that worked for me is Movicol / Laxido my CNS recommended it , I called my GP surgery and got a prescription ,I think you can by it in a pharmacy but she said its expensive , I've had orange and lemon flavour ,advised against chocolate flavour ,its disgustingly apparently , hope you get sortied .x

Cheryl.

RoseMS profile image
RoseMS

I gave up on laxatives as got so dependent. Good day then problems, needed suppositories at times.

Have hit upon something that is working great for me now, regular as clockwork. Am taking each morning some Aloe Vera juice containing Neem with a little MOLKOSAN. Its from a health food shop (they both are) and its made from ‘fresh whey from a special lactofermentation’. Fingers crossed it continues, been 2 months now and its working well. Good luck.

Nadie2018 profile image
Nadie2018

Mylecon chewables help

To break up gas. It is sold in any drug store. Congrats on having your debulking behind you. It does take a while for your bowels to “normalize” after such a big surgery. Be well, Nadie

candyapplegrey profile image
candyapplegrey

ok-i-find-that-what-initially-works-doesn't-after-a-while.-docusate-did-if-i-also-took-laxidol-n-fybogel.-but-now-on-senna.-seems-to-be-shifting-things-if-i-take-two-in-evening.--good-luck.--c--xx

Leniko profile image
Leniko

Vinegar. In water w sweetener. In salad dressing. In gummies. Also, don’t lean forward to squeeze. Try leaning back. It helps your colon have a more natural flow. Good luck!

judyneh profile image
judyneh

In in Texas, USA. I've had 2 debulking surgeries, and may need another. I don't know if the surgery hurts because I am, like you, consumed in pain from the bowels for weeks. This last time it took almost 3 weeks. The main culprit is the gas. It seems like most doctors here have only one "cure" --dulcolax and Miralax (Movocol). Both made mine worse, all it did was let some liquid through, without warning, so I wore a huge pad to avoid bigger messes. I don't know what product you have there that may be the same or similar, but I finally resorted back to my old standby, Benefiber, and simethicone. Once you can pass gas (or wind or fart), you're on the way. Great advice from Leniko to lean back! It really helps! I would also rock back and forth. Also, place a small footstool in front of the toilet to rest your feet on, that can help a little too. Laying on your left side with knees drawn up helps gas to pass.

I found out something about the mechanics of it. With all the manipulation of the bowels during surgery, they go into a shock-like state, followed by a total failure of the normal peristalsis. Normally, peristalsis pushes towards the rectum, but after this type of surgery, it can get confused, and it is contracting up, down, up and down at the same time, just all over the place. Until it finds itself and starts pushing down again, nothing that I tried worked at all, it just made it worse. At the end I went to the Benefiber, and maybe it was just time for it to settle down, but it finally stopped. The first semi-formed bowel movement was pure joy!

I know exactly how you feel, I was close to suicide! The thought of another surgery is very troublesome, but if the surgeon says it's necessary, I'll go through it again. I may ask a gastroenterologist or colo-rectal specialist for advice first, however.

Hang in there Clifden1, this too shall come to an end. Many HUGS!!! Keep us informed of your progress.

Guds profile image
Guds

Take 5-6 prunes or prune juice in the morning. Have fiber rich food. Drink good amount of water during the day preferably Luke warm water. Walking helps. Yoga exercise helps too(search YouTube)

Artgreen profile image
Artgreen

Andrews liver salts for emergency , it flushes the bowel with water and shifts whatever is backed up. A probiotic and bran plus leafy green veg with meals and some flaxseed helps keep things moving.two glasses of water first thing in the morning is essential.

Always had sluggish bowels but now this regime plus the berberine and Metformin I’m on in Jane McLelland’s book How to Starve Cancer also helps motility.

If I were to stop any of these I’d revert do feel they are all important.

Good luck with getting your gut health back soon.

Xx