Just trying to distract myself with a post about poop. Apologies to the delicately inclined, might be best if you stop reading now.
My surgery was 10 days ago and was breeze compared to this! Feel like i have either been sobbing on the loo or pacing about in agony half wanting, half dreading the loo for the last 48 hours. Got so desperate on Saturday I called111 and got in to see an out of hours doc who gave me 2 instant enemas and sent me home. 20 minutes later I’m expecting fireworks but only managed to shift a little 2 inch plug.
Yes I’m taking lactulose, eating fibre and drinking loads but I think the codeine they gave me in hospital has done a thorough job of bunging me up and I really don’t have much appetite right now. Anything I eat feels like it’s backing up.
Last night in one of the half hour naps between trips to the loo, I had a dream about someone manually flushing this stuff out if me - think I might have been re-living a documentary on colonic irrigation. Trouble is, in practise everything they suggests relies on you pushing stuff out and my poor bowel muscles and botty are so tired and sore from producing rabbit pellets, I can’t face it.
Don’t know what to do with myself. Things seem to be moving a bit more now but this is absolute misery. Will it never end?
Sorry you are suffering the dreaded constipation. I have every sympathy with you as i have also had the bunged up feeling since my op.
I did get a slight release(literally!!) but have regressed to struggling again:(
my bowels are the main topic of conversation in our house and has become a bit of a joke. Everyone finds it funny except me!
I am nearly finished Rod Stewarts autobiography ( a xmas present) which is placed on the unit in my downstairs loo (thats how long i spend in there)
So desperate i got i can eat a tin of prunes and gallons of orange juice as well as take senokot and still just manage. I thought once i was' moving' that was it sorted but it is still an ongoing problem for me though not quite as bad so hang on in there xx
I know what you mean about all the trips to the loo too. I just manage to get comfy then need to go again! To make matters worse i have now stared leaking lymph fluid too and feel a bit the same ! When will this all end? I felt grand post op and seem to b e going downhill!
Know you are a strong funny lady so lotsa cyber(( hugs)) for you and maybe sometime soon we can laugh about how miserable this bit of our recovery feels
That’s funny, I was just thinking last night that my lymph drainage had eased off but today it’s back with a vengeance. The doc did say that would happen when the vaginal stitches started to dissolve around day 10. Back on with the Tena pants!
The lactulose I’m taking does seem to be doing something although it mostly seems to be adding gas and gravy rather than really shifting the motherload. My poor bum is so sore now that I have taken to pouring a cup of lukewarm water down between my cheeks before doing some gentle blotting, rather than wiping as such (top tip)
Like you, I am definitely having a sense of humour failure about this. Wish I had had a little more pain and a little less codeine in hospital. Good luck! X
I have every sympathy!!! I was never frequent before my op but afterwards I was so bad I used to cry sat on the toilet. I didn't go to the toilet for days at a time. I took my phone and played mindless games, anything to take my mind of the pain :( I tried lactulose, lots of fibre, lots of water, senokot etc. Senokot helped a bit I think but it was still a nightmare...and I'd be on the toilet in agony for an hour only to pass a pea!
Be reassured though that there is always someone worse off. The girl who had a hysterectomy the same day as me got rushed back to hospital after a week. She was so constipated and in so much pain they thought her stomach might rupture. Cue an ambulance, morphine drip plus other medication. She was in hospital another 3 days.
My lymph fluid leakage stopped within a couple of weeks and my intestines got back to normal after about 3-4 weeks. So hang in there it does improve :o)
Never described myself as battling cancer or any such nonsense but I think we all deserve a medal if we make it through that long in this much discomfort. Jeez!
Please to report a ‘significant development’ this morning. I really did dance around the bathroom singing ‘ding dong the witch is dead’ afterwards. What a relief!
Not sure that I’m out of the woods yet, but feel like I’ve taken a significant step forwards today. Yay!
So pleaed to hear you have managed Rosehip. Its such a relief that noone can understand unless you have been there. The power of bodily functions i have decided is so underestimated!!
Just keep doing what you are doing that worked for you and you are right not to assume all will work by itself now or you may find - like me- you take a back step and end up bunged up again:(
Good luck on your recovery- I have found it a bit of a rollercoaster and everytime i think i am moving forward something knocks be back:( But i am a very impatient person.
Thought i would be desperate to get back to work etc but you know what- for once in my life i am gonna put me first and get better properly and then think about it- Hope you can do the same - we deserve it!!
hope all the problems with constipation work themselves out (no pun intended lol!). I remember feeling similar after my second baby as I suffered a third degree tear down below and I was constipated and then dreading the actual event as I knew it would hurt. Right now I have the opposite problem with having to go so frequently that I dare not stray to far from my home and am up several times in the night...oh the joys of radiation! Rosehip, I have lost my way round the forum in the last month or so and had a few problems at the end of my treatment but am pleased to hear you have had the op and are recovering slowly. You take good care of yourselves and hope you continue to improve
just by the by, I was discharged with a stool softener as well as laxatives and continued to take this for a good two weeks post surgery. It really did the trick and reduced my anxoety about 'going'. It's probably too late for you now Rosehip - but it might help others!
Thanks Andrea, I’ve been meaning to drop you a line to say how sorry I was to see how you’ve been struggling that last few weeks. You’ve been in my thoughts. Hope things improve for you soon x
Louise - I was given lactulose by the hospital and assumed it would act as a stool softener as well as a laxative, but I’m not sure that is actually the case. I did buy some stool softener myself but was reluctant to take both in case I ended up with even more trouble, cramps or something. Will think about taking both for a few days - really don’t want to go back to where I’ve been lately.
Now I’m going to put on my snow boots, dig out my hiking poles for stability and go for a little slow wobbly walkie round the block to see if I can get the peristalsis going. Just the wrong time for winter to set in!
Just thought I’d give a quick update as I’m sure you’re all desperate for an update on my toilet adventures.
I got into such a pickle with it all that I finally did what I should have done in the first place and phoned my oncology nurse. She suggested a change of laxative (Laxido aka Movicol) and advised me to take a ducosate sodium stool softener as well (Dulcoease). We also talked about more suitable pain medication so that when I phoned my GP to ask for a new prescription I knew exactly what I needed from him and he sorted out new prescriptions for me with no fuss.
Can’t say things are perfect yet but I’m certainly on the right track. Still need to drink loads and keep my fibre intake up but at least the days of sobbing in pain on the ‘throne’ seem to be gone for now. Thank goodness for fruit smoothies and beans on (wholemeal) toast. Just need the wind to die down now!
Good luck with whatever challenges you are facing this weekend my dears! xxx
