How soon after surgery does bowel movement return to normal

[jecoll]

Hi all!

I had surgery almost two months ago, and my BMs still haven't been "normal." Sometimes "regular", but usually either somewhat loose or full-out diarrhea. For all you Crohnies who have been through surgery, when did you find your BM-behavior return to some kind of normality?

According to the surgeon, all of the effected intestine has been removed, so why it's still acting up is a little concerning...

 

[misscris]

It's normal to have loose stools or diarrhea after surgery. I asked my Dr after I had surgery as well and he said that due to the fact that when in the hospital (before, during, and after surgery) you are pumped with antibiotics, it can and will cause D. Also, your body and intestines are basically pissed off and so it's a natural protectant for your body to NOT let normal bowel movements go through. Thank god for that! Ouch. I believe I was back to normal with my bowel movements around 2 months, but I'm not 100% sure on the time frame. I know that it did take me a good 8 weeks to fully feel normal again. I didn't have much appetite for several weeks either, so that could account for not pooping much.

If you're still concerned, talk with your dr again and tell him/her that you're worried. Hopefully things come back to normal soon!

 

[RafHam]

I've been told that it could take up to 6 months to go back to normal. Also the removed section of bowel could have something to do with it. The shortened bowel could affect the absorption of liquids as well as bile resulting in looser stool. In my case it took about two years and a second op to experience normal bm's again- but there were other complications involved.

 

[jed]

hey, faf, what kind of surgery did you have?

was it large or small intestine that got removed?


i had 95% of my large intestine removed, i'll probably never do a nicely formed poop again, the joy tho is i havent had the pains that debilitated my life for almost two years now.

imodium can help slow the bowel down a bit, which can you a little more formation in poop, but some people can feel a bit blocked up with that. i only ever used to take 1/2 a tab in the morning, that was enough for me.

my urgency has hugely slowed down now, first few months out of surgery i was in diapers (phwooar, sexy!), but over time the bowel is getting better and better at retaining the poop.

 

[RafHam]

First surgery I had 50cm of ilium and 20cm of sigmoid removed. Plus there was massive adhesion which had to be untangled. The op took over 4 hrs and required a temporary ileostomy for 12 weeks. After the reversal I never felt like I returned to normal BM's even in the absence of other symptoms. I got various explanations from short bowel to bile absorption.

Last year I had a second op, this time strictureplasty in seven locations in the ilium, again they found adhesions and had to spend a long time disentangling my guts. About a week after the operation I had a completely normal crap for the first time since before the first operation. My theory is that the intestines re-adhered straight after the first operation because they were dormant due to the ileostomy, causing the bad BM's.

I started taking two imodiums/day late last year and it's helped a lot. I feel like my movements are completely normal atm, at least as normal as a guy with crohn's can get.

 

[jecoll]

Hmm, now that you mentioned it, misscris, my doctor wrote me a 3-month script for Flagyl (metronidazole?) post-surgery. I'm finishing up the second refill now ...but you mentioned antibiotics giving you problems. I check on the side effects of Flagyl, and sure enough, diarrhea is there.

I'll have to check with my GI to see if he think the benefits of taking this outweigh the side effects. Thanks for the input!