Amburmist

I've had this happen 4 to 5 times now in the past 6.5 weeks. I spent most of today curled almost in a fetal position on my bed with horrible cramping/aching in my abdomen area.
Have had no food issues in most recent 48 hrs. Start to get really bad abdominal cramping like I'm going to have diarrhea...sometimes there is a small BM & it is not the signature 'hard/rocky' type BM, but the pain just continues on and on. Have decent pain tolerance but if I was asked to walk upright, I'd have to pause and bend over if there was anywhere to do so.
In the end it is usually concluded that I was not necessarily:

• Constipated
• Experiencing a bad food/rejection/pouch issue
• An upset/irritated pouch that is possibly swollen

I still have some medicine on hand that my doctor prescribed for abdominal pain - methocarbamol (Robaxin). That doesn't even put a dent in it! I also have another med for abdominal pain/spasms - hyoscyamine that I have not been able to find today but it has never seemed to help much either. This med is supposed to "Gut antispasmodic and anti-tremor".
I wish I HAD found it today to at least give it a try as I was at 'desperation level'. Only way I can think to describe how it feels is that it feels like my lower intestines/colon are twisting themselves into knots.
Is this just something that is part of the healing process/that just stops over time. It's the whole 'intense pain without a causative factor that I can put my finger on" part that is driving me crazy. This type of pain usually lasts at least 8 hrs and knocks me out of the majority of the day which is NOT good when you need to be working.

Hey Karen,

I know EXACTLY what u are going thru. It's been happening to me about once a month for the past year. It doesn't happen everytime I have a BM which is why I waited so long to talk to my surgeon. I'm 2 yrs out from bypass surgery btw. The pain is incredibly intense and i can feel the poop moving extremely slowly thru the lower intestines as the pain is happening. The poop will move, intense unbelievable pain happens, poop stops moving, pain eases. Rinse and repeat. I'd be drenched in sweat by the time the cycle stops and sometimes the poop would come out, othertimes not.

As much as I want to curl up into a ball, it hurts more when i do that. Once I started stretching my stomach out, like arching my back/leaning back type of position so my guts were as stretched as can be, I found the pain would last for shorter bursts. Still painful but less so. Also, this is going to sound silly but also putting pressure on my lower belly where the pain is and rubbing around in circles or jiggling that area also seems to help the bouts of pain go by quicker.

My surgeon immediately told me not to worry, this can unfortunately be a common ailment with bariatric patients, worse in summertime due to dehydration, and it's Constipation and/or harder poops. The poop (probably harder, less Water in it) is trying to move thru the intestine which is what is causing the pain. I, too, was terribly concerned that it was a twisted intestine or choked bowel or some horrible thing and he assured me it wasn't that. For a couple of reasons:
1. I can have a BM without pain. The excruciating pain doesn't happen every time/day.
2. If it was one of those very rare horrible ailments I was so afraid of, he said it would be OBVIOUS. My other symptoms would be things like uncontrollable vomiting, fever, pain doesn't stop, no bowel movements at all, can't keep food or drink down, etc. Stuff like that.

So, he said I needed to incorporate Miralax (polyethylene glycol) daily into my routine immediately, keep trying to drink lots and lots of water, and get more Fiber (green veggies and other fibrous foods or fiber supplement).

That convo was last week so I'm just starting the new regimine and can't tell u how successful it's been yet, but I'm hopeful. Many other people on this board are also taking daily constipation prevention OTC solutions for the same reasons, so we are not alone. Some folks use Milk of Magnesia once a week and/or daily colace and/or daily magnesium citrate...along with lots of water and fiber of course. Just another thing we need to keep up on in our new "rearranged guts" lives! [emoji6]

All that said, I am not a nurse or doctor and above all, if u feel concerned and that u should see a medical professional about your pain, u do it immediately! Don't let anyone stop u or talk u out of it!!

Good luck sweety! [emoji106]

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I too am in the same boat. [emoji20] I'm 2 yrs PO and for the past year, I've been experiencing unbelievable pain in my lower intestine during a BM, tho not every time. I can feel the hard poop slowwwly going thru the lower intestine and just causing the worst pain ever! [emoji31] It's horrible and terrifying. I drip with sweat by the time it finally comes out.

However, since it didn't happen with every BM, I wasn't sure WHAT was going on. I thought the worst, of course (twisted intestine, impacted bowel, choked off intestine, etc) and finally called my surgeon. He said not to worry, it's none of those things, it's Constipation and it's an unfortunate commonality with bariatric surgeries. He said that the Benefiber I'd been taking isn't really what I want and to start daily Miralax regimine: a capful at first and adjust as necessary.

So last week I started the Miralax regimine. I don't really feel like it's working yet tho. I've always been a once a week pooper and even with the Miralax, it's still taking that long for a BM and the stool is still pretty hard. What do u guys think? Does that mean I should increase my daily Miralax dose? Should I put the Benefiber back in? I have to admit, I struggle every day with getting in the minimum 64oz liquid reqmt and I eat very little quantity and variety so I'm sure that's not helping. Also, can one take Benefiber AND Miralax daily?

Any and all feedback is welcomed!!

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Oh hon! ((hugs)) I'm betting that is part of the issue. Swearsies! Don't wait for Miralax to work. If it were me, I'd go ahead and get it and Colace on board, but I'd hit it hard with MOM. And a crap ton of liquids! But I'm not a doc and definitely not qualified to dx and treat. LOL. Hope you feel better soon!!!!

Understood. Thank u much for ur feedback!

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I am only just about a month out.. so do not have the expertise for this, but I surely hope you do feel better!

Thank you. Me too!

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Yep, it happens any time I get semi backed up. Personally, I know the pain is from hard and large poo going through my colon like Sherman through Georgia. But that's just me. It could be so many many many things! Only your doc will know for sure. One of the things could be diverticulitis or diverticulosis...or just a food sensitivity. Apple peel can be hard on some. As can gravy!
I make sure I don't go longer than 2 days without a visit from Mr. Hanky. If the schedule on the #2 tracks is more deranged than 2 days out, I call for MOM or for the glycerin suppositories. Cuz homie will not play those games any more. It's tooooooo difficult! LOL.
I take daily Miralax, generally keep dairy and cheese to the low side, eat lots of fiber from veggies and psyllium husks and take 2 Colace per day + drink 120+ oz of liquids. And I exercise every day too...

Hey Fluff! Long time!
I was wondering about this too. My poo routine has always been slow, between 3-5 days between trips so it was no oddity that it was that long between trips even after surgery. The difference after surgery, tho, is that my #2s are - most of the time - oily rabbit turd little things, sometimes bigger and drier. I had been thinking about starting on a Miralax habit as well prior to this.
Ps. I guess I expunged so much on the 28th, I still haven't gone since. And I don't even feel anything coming. I feel very empty, really. My food intake has been super, super low bcos I'm afraid of pooping again...the pain was THAT bad. And I don't wanna go back to the doctor...so no food, no poo, no pain. I know, I know...[emoji53]

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Sounds horribly like my gallstones... a known side effect of bypass surgery (well, rapid weight loss really). Mine hit me in Hong Kong Airport! 3 hours of waves of intense pain, bad diarrhoea, feel like vomiting until after a bowel motion, then it settled to milder pain, less sweating, but 1/2 hour later started all over again.
See your doc. It isn’t normal - and if it is gallstones, the surgery is quick and simple...

Gallstones can cause so much pain in the intestinal tract? I thought the pain would be relegated to the gallbladder area...? No?

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Hi bypassers. I'm currently a year out and things have been going fine for the most part. However, I have recently had 2 separate bouts of the most awful and sever intestinal cramping I've ever experienced in my life. I don't quite know what I ate or why it happened but it was horrendous. Here's what happened:

I could feel like I was going to have to poop soon, but not yet, like normal, and then the pain started. It hit with sharp pains, I start to sweat (i think from the pain), so I start walking around bcos sitting is worse. The poo continues to move further down and the pain just increases the lower it goes. There's lots of noise in my lower intestines, almost like the bubble sounds of diarrhea. The pain is sharp, then it fades, then sharp, and fades and this happens over and over until I'm hunched over each time it hits, legs almost giving out. I run to the potty and just pray for the pain to stop. The pain stopped once the poo came out, but no diarrhea. The second time this happened there was a lot of poop (in 2 trips), solid at first, then extremely putrid diarrhea. (Sorry so graphic.) Once it ALL was out (i could barely even push it out bcos the pain was so bad), the pain subsided eventually. I was sore intestionally for the remainder of the night.

That last one was on Nov 28th. I haven't had a BM since, and I'm afraid to eat anything so I'm kind of back to my basics, not eating anything new or various. In fact, the only new thing I ate the night of the 28th was some stuffing and gravy. Never had the gravy before. The stuffing I had 3 days prior with no issues. The first time this happened, about a week prior, the new food I was eating were apples. I don't think I'd had apples in months, or maybe at all since surgery a year ago (I'm a very picky eater and don't eat much variety). I don't know if this issue is bcos of apples and gravy...in other words, food my body didn't like...or something more nefarious.

Anyway, my question to u all is if this has happened to anyone before? I'm petrified it's going to happen again; it was almost as painful as when my lumbar disc exploded in my back before I had fusion. Almost. I'm just nervous if it's an obstruction or intestional twist or something crazy that may require surgery. Or was it was just that new food I ate? Is it a food thing? Any thoughts u have are welcomed. Please help me brainstorm this out. I'm so scared to have another BM, or eat anything new.

Thank you.

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Any answers you need ping me anytime [emoji847]

@bariatricbutterfly
Thanks so much for ur responses!
Was ur followup surgery to remove the excess skin very painful?
Did ur insurance cover it?
Why not the thighs? Too dangerous?

Wondering if anyone else is experiencing anything like this. I wake up several times in the night absolutely drenched. I feel a bit cold as well (so severe night sweats). I’m also a bit delirious when I wake up. Thoughts like “ok, you have two choices, rule the world OR be a camel” so very weird. I get up, go to the bathroom, straighten out my thoughts, go back to sleep, and start the pattern all over. I believe I’m plenty hydrated (I’m a psychologist, so I’m thinking about possible delirium causes and hydration is one of them) and getting the required Protein. More curious about the night sweats than anything I guess.

Have u talked to ur doctor about this? How long ago was ur surgery? I'm just afraid ur body is low on something important, causing the delerium. That's the part that worries me. I don't have any suggestions, but i hope u get to the bottom of this quickly. Good luck and take care.

Yes, u will eventually be adding back most things, including carbs. Just at the beginning and then for the first 6 months to a year postop, u wanna lose as much weight as possible during this "honeymoon phase" while ur body figures out its new inner workings and becomes efficient again. My doc said that right now (the first 6 months to a year post op), our bodies arent really efficient with our new inner workings, so weight is more likely to come off faster. So take advantage of that and stay on diets that allow faster weight loss, like a low carb type diet.

Premier Protein, Vanilla...i drink one every morning. I look forward to it. Love them! Ive had the Caramel, strawberry and Creme, and chocolate. I think the Chocolate is bad but the others are good.

I, too, was frustrated so much at my slow rate of loss. I was seeing so many on these boards losing so much so fast that i was feeling defeated when i had only lost like 15lbs a month out. I am about 2.5 months out now and "only" down 33lbs (310 to 277 lbs) and have resigned myself to just "keep with the process" and what will happen will happen. There's not much else i can do. My body is just not one of those bodies that is going to lose quickly. But if i continue to follow the program, i can't go anywhere but down, right? My big butt cannot sustain all this weight only eating 600-700 cals/day, plus exercise. I thought that too, that people who didn't have this drastic-ass procedure lose weight at 1-2 lbs a week, same as what's happening to me now (unless im in a stall, which i have been in SEVERAL TIMES already in 2 months!). But, like a poster above said, the difference is I don't feel hungry all the time, like I'm forcing myself into this diet of starvation like i used to. It's easy now for me to only eat 4 ounces of food and push away from the table, for instance.

Also, keep in mind, just because we're only eating 400-600 cals/day, doesn't mean we're going to lose faster. I, too, thought that initially. But when i started including more grams of healthy fats a day (almonds) and about 100 more cals, i started losing more. That's the hardest part, i think, is finding the sweet spot of cals/day, fat grams/day, protein/day, carbs/day, etc to where ur body doesn't think ur starving it. I think my body was holding onto weight before i started increasing the macros. And I'm ok now but i know I'll have to change again as my weight gets lower. Bottom line, its a pain in the butt...but it's way easier now post-op than it was pre-op, don't u think? Maybe it's a mental thing but whatever it is, I've finally given in to the process. Eat better, exercise daily. There's no magic trick (eg, rny bypass)...just tools to make it easier. You'll get there too!

Ps. I still cannot get in 64oz of water/day. No matter what i do, i just can't do it. I'll continue to strive but as of now, i can only get in, max, 30-40oz/day. Yes it would be good if i could drink all sorts of Water, but my body seems to be accepting of my lower intake...for now. It may change or it may not. I just have to wait and see. My point is...just keep trying. That's all we can do.

What strikes me about your original post was that at first, you assumed you were being insulted. When In fact, you were being “checked out” in a positive way. For many of us, I thinks it’s hard to let go of the negative assumptions and see ourselves how others see us after weight loss. Letting go of the old body image can be hard, letting go of the defensive mindset. Just something to think about for all of us vets.

Interesting point Bella. Never thought about that but ur absolutely right. I can totally see that happening. Not necessarily with Jens situation, i just mean in general. Thanks for bringing that up. I will definitely try to remember that to be aware when i get my smokin hot bod (Im a newbie at ~2 months postop) [emoji6]! Although, I'm like Fluffy, I can't wait to get oogled! Never been one of the oogled type of ladies, so bring it on I say!

Ahhhh.....aspirations!! [emoji1]

Grazing is a difficult topic to discuss. I am over a year out and have surpassed my weight loss goal. I still have good restriction when I eat the right foods so I eat often too. I have to or I don't get enough calories for the day. I am trying to stop losing weight.

I think the difference is making good choices and tracking. I gained a couple of pounds over the holiday last week by taking a bites here and a bite there of "bad' foods and not really tracking them. Allowing yourself healthy Snacks is not the same thing as grazing.

I always wonder about people who only eat 3 times a day post weight loss surgery. And who stop eating after 20 minutes or so each time. I would be like 80 pounds now if I did that!

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Nah, not everyone loses at the same rate as u, which is probably how they can do that and not wither away, lol. Like me, for example, I'm a slow loser so my weight loss is like the little engine that could. Stall, lose, stall, stall, stall, lose...and on amd on I chug chug chug. Although, your body's way sounds better to me!! [emoji6] Although, the eating 3x a day thing doesnt work for me either, but just because I feel like Im hungry for something every 2 or so hours now. May be mental hunger, but I just grab a nib of something healthy (ie, couple 5 almonds, sugar free hard candy, etc) to plop in my belly to keep me satisfied until the next 'main' meal.

Hi@bariatricbutterfly! Very motivating post, thank you! Would u mind if i picked ur brain for just a few questions? Such as:

--Did u lose the majority of ur weight within the firsr 12-18 months?
--Assuming u did, thinking back to that time, what was ur exercise regimen? Like did u exercise 1 hr, 5 days/week...or ?
--What was ur diet like? Specifics like max # of cals/day u allowed urself, and max # of carbs/day, etc?
--Ur body looks great, not a lot (if any at all!) loose or excess skin. What types of exercises did u do, or was it removed by cosmetic surgery afterward?
--After 8 years of keeping the weight off, what are ur max # cals/day now, what is ur exercise regimen now? Do u find it harder to maintain or harder at first trying to get it all off?

I just love picking the brains of success stories to try and glean best practices, good and new ideas, etc, from those like u who have been where I am (2 months postop) and have made it - so thanks in advance for responding with some details of ur journey.

And Congratulations for the long term success!

Hi I'm 8 weeks out and down 30 pounds from surgery ...40 with the pre op diet.

Same!

It has to do with how opiods effect the stomach, not restricting pain mangement. From what I've told. It is to prevent Constipation and slowing of digestion along with other things.

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That's just an excuse they're giving u, in my opinion. Yes, opiates can cause constipation, but giving a 5 or 7 day supply after a major surgery isn't out of the realm of acceptable. Besides, were not allowed to eat anything anyway for the first couple of weeks so constipation 5-7 days post op isn't as big of an issue.

So, I'm 2 months out from RNY and still having a problem with hunger. About every 2 hours or so, I find myself thinking about food, wanting to go rummage thru the fridge or pantry for something to munch on while I'm working or on a conference call. Now, I know that's not a very good idea and so to help me NOT go back to old mindless eating habits, I started sucking on hard candies whenever I feel the urge to go get some food (outside of my planned 3 meals or snack times).

Is this happening to anyone else? Does anyone else suck on hard candies, mints, chew gum, etc in between meals/snacks to try and quiet the head hunger? What's bad about this is that my hard candies are Jolly Ranchers - and NOT the sugar free ones. I know, I know! That's all I had around at the time I started this new habit, and I figured it was better than shoveling in foods I shouldn't.

And here I was so excited to have the grehlin hormone essentially cut off from sending such strong signals to my brain, I was hoping I'd be one of the lucky ones who stopped being hungry altogether after surgery!

Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts? Words of wisdom? Advice? What did u do to quiet your head hunger after several weeks post-op? Are u in the same boat as me, still feeling hungry in much the same way u felt PRE-OP?

I wish I had known- being three years out now, that I would live with long term consequences. I would trade being obese for living with chronic digestive issues, never being able to eat freely or normally again and that meals would always be a struggle.

I’m not saying it would have changed my mind. It probably wouldn’t have. Being thinner and healthy is amazing and wonderful.

But you have to know, it’s likely you will trade one thing for another.

Im sorry to hear ur not feeling as well as ud hoped u would after surgery. U indicated to the OP that she will 'likely' trade one thing for another. Do u hear this happens often, losing the excess weight in exchange for getting some bad ailment? Were ur chronic digestive issues caused by the surgery?

I wish that I had known that my taste buds would change. I threw out tons of Protein, Soups, broth, etc, because I just couldn't stand them after surgery. Don't get me wrong, I read this in multiple posts, but didn't think that it would apply to me.
My advice...Don't buy too much of anything before surgery, because you might just despise it afterward.

I did this with Jello. Ugh. Cant stand jello now. Threw out tons of it in anticipation for post surg. Had it a week and thre it away, never looked back!

That is absolutely ridiculous of ur surgeons!! They're being bastards about it because of the opiod crisis, but gimme a break. This is MAJOR surgery and a 5 or 7 day supply of pain meds is NOT going to create an addict of u, plus it's the right thing to do! My surgeon sent me home with a 5 day liquid supply of hydrocodone. Once it was gone, that was it. Which was fine. At that point, my pain was manageable without opiates anyway, as should the general post op patient. I mean, some folks don't need any pain meds at all post op, but generally speaking, I would say it's the norm for patients to need a few days worth post-op.

Ugh, it just irritates me that these doctors have gone to the other extreme and are just not prescribing opiates at all, especially the ones performing major surgery! So arw they leaving u in the hospital until ur pain is manageable without meds?? Or its next day and buh-bye?

I don't know if ur primary care will give u a few days worth RX if u tell him/her that ur surgeon isnt going to, but what have u got to lose by asking him/her? I would. Good luck!

Ps. You will start to feel better every single day, bit by bit. For me (Im 2 mos post-op), it took about 2 to 2.5 weeks to feel semi-normalcy again. Hang in there. U just had major surgery and ur in major heal mode right now. Ur tummy's mad at u so nausea is normal. Just give urself some time. Take care.

With all due respect, I don’t understand how “it didn’t work”. I am pre op but I do understand calories in vs calories out. If your only ingesting ie 800 calories a day, how can you not lose weight? I can’t keep weight off but when I cut calories I will lose. How can this be that it didn’t work?

Don't worry. It worked. We all have different expectations. If you expect this to be a tool not a miracle you will be fine I love my sleeve 4 months post. You make it work for you Good luck.

Unfortunately, its not as simple as CICO (cals in, cals out). Without going into my complaints, for some, it's become A LOT more complicated than just cutting calories, trust me when I say that. For some, the weight just pours off and it DOES seem like it's as simple as CICO. But for others, many others (me included), just cutting calories isn't doing jack. Constant 'stalls', as some call it, or just no movement on the scale no matter how closely one sticks to the diet plan and exercise regimen given to them by their team. So, just be careful with judgement. WLS doesn't work the same for everyone and every body doesn't take to WLS like one thinks it should.

I think what y'all have in common is SEVERE caloric restriction. Both of you are experiencing no scale losses, but your clothes ARE getting looser, so fat IS melting off. I think the super low caloric intake makes you hold onto Water extra long.
But, we don't care about water, we care about shrinking. So, keep to your plans, and don't worry about the scale.
If you really want the scale to move, a day or two of eating extra will help you release the extra water if it's bothering you so much. Just take care that a day or two of extra calories doesn't turn into a week or two.
(I'm not Keto, so I use sweet potatoes to boost calories.. if you are trying to stay in ketosis, use nuts).

Thanks for the insight berry. This journey is just smashing all I thought I knew about weight loss, because it's not as simple as CICO (cals in, cals out) like I thought it was. Such complexities! At the end of the day, we all want our hard work to be represented in our bodies, and, if we're being honest, in the number on the scale. I wish I could 'just know' that the number on the scale will eventually sync up with the fat that seems to be coming off. It's just super odd to me that the scale #'s aren't moving. And it's annoying to me that I've become obsessed with the damn scale. I never cared so much before. I knew I was big. Period. Lots of changes I guess, mentally and physically!

Anyhow, thanks for the insight. No one's offered that possible explanation so at least it gives me something to go on.

Family member recommended these! Since they are gummies she doesn't have trouble passing them and are a nice treat after your meal [emoji4]

My NUT says gummies are a no, no, no because our bodies dont absorb what's required from the gummies.

You don't think that losing 10 lbs a week is not crazy weight loss!? Did you mean 10 pounds a month? My average the first three to four months was 17 lb a month and I thought that was amazing. Surely you're not thinking that 10 lb a week is not crazy awesome weight loss! I'm glad you posted about the carbs because I really wasn't sure how many carbs I should be aiming towards a day myself. I'm 5 months post up now gastric bypass. I've lost 65 lb and I'm happy happy happy.

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5 months, 65lbs down. Congrats! Can u tell some of how u accomplished that? Like how many cals/day did u ingest? What did u eat on a daily basis? Exercise regimen? Height? Starting weight?
Thanks!