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Constipation!!One of the dreaded side effects of having surgery is constipation, which commonly occurs in the days following your procedure. Constipation after surgery is caused by a number of things, including the drugs that were administered to you for anesthetic, the medications you take to control pain, and the fact you skipped several meals around the time of the operation.It is normal not to have a bowel movement for a day or two after a planned surgical procedure. If you haven’t had a bowel movement for several days after your operation, and you’re starting to feel uncomfortable, there are several things you can do:Don’t panic. Your bowel habits will return to their usual pattern eventually.Get up and move around. Physical activity helps promote regularity of the bowels.Be sure to drink lots of water and, if allowed after surgery, eat lots of high fiber foods.Add additional fiber to your diet through the use of a fiber supplement, such as Metamucil.Add a stool softener such as Colace (ducosate sodium) to your daily routine.If the above measures are insufficient, then use a gentle laxative such as Enulose or Miralax.Colace is a stool softener that makes stool easy to pass. You can start taking 100mg twice daily and may increase to a maximum of 200mg twice daily as needed.Enulose is a laxative that works by pulling water into your intestines hence helping your stool move along the intestinal tract. You should try one tablespoon accompanied by two full glasses of water up to three times daily as needed.You will have to determine for yourself the amount of water needed for you to have a bowel movement as everyone is different. Start with two glasses: if your stools are very “watery,” then drink only one glass of water with one tablespoon of Enulose at your next dose. If you do not get satisfactory results, you may double or triple the dose of Enulose until you move your bowels.When it comes to laxatives some are harsher on your intestines than others. In our experience—Enulose is gentler than Miralax, and Milk of Magnesia tends to be the harshest. You can take any of the three but REMEMBER TO DRINK WATER RIGHT AFTER TAKING THE DOSE!!Laxatives can be habit-forming, but only when used on a long term basis. ................
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