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Constipation after colostomy reversal: Suggestions?

Posted by janice3 @janice3, Mar 16 5:52pm

July,24 I had my sigmoid colon removed due to diverticulitis. I ended up with a leak and became septic. I had emergency surgery and had a colostomy bag until Feb 3, 25. Bowel movements were often first couple weeks. Now, I have a lot of constipation. Doc told me to increase fiber. I have and it doesn’t help much. Any suggestions?

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piki | @piki | Mar 17 6:58am

I'm confused. Do you still have a colostomy bag or what is your output situation since Feb 3?

I'm on 3 anticholinergics to try to deal with my constant 'pee urges'. Of course they are constipating. I take Hydralax (Canadian Rexall brand) which is basically the same as Polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350) and MiraLax, GlycoLax, Lax-A-Day and RestoraLAX. The pharmacist said it was thee best one to use.

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barbwith3cats | @barbwith3cats | Mar 17 7:36am

I had the same problem. I started with a single tablet of Colace at bedtime. At times I bump it to 2 tabs. Since my reversal everything moves slow and the Dr said to avoid hard stools.

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lindadiane | @lindadiane | Mar 23 9:25am

I have had the same problem since sigmoid removal. Have tried fiber, more water, and stool softener. Nothing seems to help the constipation. Always end up taking milk of magnesium to clear out but have been taking it too much lately. Don't know what else to do. I guess I will try the colace.

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1 reply
barbwith3cats | @barbwith3cats | Mar 24 8:44am

Senna-s is also a good alternative if the stool softeners are not working. It’s a stool softener mixed with a natural laxative.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Mar 26 7:32pm

@janice3, did you try any of the suggestions fellow ostomates made? How are you doing?

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iamluvie | @iamluvie | Apr 2 10:36am
In reply to @lindadiane "I have had the same problem since sigmoid removal. Have tried fiber, more water, and stool..." + (show)
@lindadiane

I have had the same problem since sigmoid removal. Have tried fiber, more water, and stool softener. Nothing seems to help the constipation. Always end up taking milk of magnesium to clear out but have been taking it too much lately. Don't know what else to do. I guess I will try the colace.

Jump to this post

Have you tried pelvic floor PT after the surgery? It might help. It takes time to find which exercises will work for you, but once you do, you can create a solid plan to rebuild the structures that were damaged.

I had reoccurring intussusception, complete rectal prolapse, ulcers in my sigmoid, torturous/redundant colon, and stool blockage that so far has required 3 surgeries. I had my second ostomy revision 4 months ago and stool absolutely will not reach my bag, so I'm stuck irrigating until we call figure out why it's still not working, but in the interim, I've been going to pelvic floor pt to help release some very tight ligaments and muscles and rebuild what's left of my poor pelvic floor. I have EDS so I'm beyond flexible ethic can make PT a challenge of you don't have the right therapist. If you do PT just make sure that your therapist understands all of your conditions and has experience or at least solid knowledge about them, otherwise your sessions could be ineffective. I went through 15 years of ineffective PT because they knew nothing about ppl with EDS at that time.

Be careful with M.O.M and miralax. They can both lead to awful electrolyte imbalance. I've been hospitalized for it twice. If you feel foggy headed, or more neuropathy than usual, headaches, vision changes, dizziness, irritability, or just feel a bit "off," You may need to up your intake of electrolytes. I use a product called Saltt, and so far I've avoided anymore trips to the hospital. It got so bad that my arms and face were paralyzed. I'd love for no one else to suffer from this if it's avoidable, so I preach hydration.

Apologies, if you've already tried any of my recommendations 🙂
I hope you have an amazing recovery!

REPLY
1 reply
lindadiane | @lindadiane | Apr 2 12:07pm
In reply to @iamluvie "Have you tried pelvic floor PT after the surgery? It might help. It takes time to..." + (show)
@iamluvie

Have you tried pelvic floor PT after the surgery? It might help. It takes time to find which exercises will work for you, but once you do, you can create a solid plan to rebuild the structures that were damaged.

I had reoccurring intussusception, complete rectal prolapse, ulcers in my sigmoid, torturous/redundant colon, and stool blockage that so far has required 3 surgeries. I had my second ostomy revision 4 months ago and stool absolutely will not reach my bag, so I'm stuck irrigating until we call figure out why it's still not working, but in the interim, I've been going to pelvic floor pt to help release some very tight ligaments and muscles and rebuild what's left of my poor pelvic floor. I have EDS so I'm beyond flexible ethic can make PT a challenge of you don't have the right therapist. If you do PT just make sure that your therapist understands all of your conditions and has experience or at least solid knowledge about them, otherwise your sessions could be ineffective. I went through 15 years of ineffective PT because they knew nothing about ppl with EDS at that time.

Be careful with M.O.M and miralax. They can both lead to awful electrolyte imbalance. I've been hospitalized for it twice. If you feel foggy headed, or more neuropathy than usual, headaches, vision changes, dizziness, irritability, or just feel a bit "off," You may need to up your intake of electrolytes. I use a product called Saltt, and so far I've avoided anymore trips to the hospital. It got so bad that my arms and face were paralyzed. I'd love for no one else to suffer from this if it's avoidable, so I preach hydration.

Apologies, if you've already tried any of my recommendations 🙂
I hope you have an amazing recovery!

Jump to this post

Thank you for your input. Will look into it

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