Post Surgery problem

[crampygut]

Almost 2 years ago I had 30cm of large bowel and 30cm of small bowel removed where the two connect. My surgeon at the time said that my bowel motions should go back to normal as long as there is no inflammation present. I still have very sensitive bowels and my stools are almost always very loose and explosive going four to five times a day to the toilet even though I had no inflammation at the time. But the strange thing is that every few weeks I might have a period of four of five days where my stools are very well formed and I only go twice a day but my food and medicine do not change from my normal routine. Does anyone have any ideas on why and how this is happening and does anyone have the same problem after similar surgery?????

 

[mikeyarmo]

Hi crampygut,

After surgery (about 30cm of small intestine) I had bowel movements that were very loose and not well formed for almost 3 months. This problem has mostly resolved itself, but overall my bowel movements are still on the soft side (which I now prefer as it beats the constipation I used to have).

Everyone is different, and I know that I was supposed to have "normal" bowel movements a bit sooner than I actually did (according to what the doctors had told me). Anyways I would recommend ensuring you are taking in enough fibre to bulk up your stool so that it is firmer. Just remember that by taking in more fibre you will require more water also to help move things along. You can try any item that is high in fibre, but you may find that it is easier to take in soluble forms of fibre. Insoluble forms are things like the skins/peels of fruits and vegetables. Bran has a lot of both types of fibre, but it greater in insoluble (I believe). Therefore you may have some trouble with it.

You may also want to try taking Psyllium husk. I am not sure what type of fibre it is (according to This it is mostly soluble fibre), but it is a well known stool-bulker that is what popular products like Metamucil are comprised of. But you do not need to buy a product like Metamucil to get this Fibre, as you can buy it seperately (and likely cheaper) from natural food stores and other places.