Messing After Surgery?

[KittenAB]

I will say this right off, I hate messing. Since my gallbladder surgery though I have had a hard time controlling it, anyone else with similar experiences if you have any suggestions for effective methods of getting your body "back on schedule" please, I'm desperate now. Been to the doctors about it several times and they can't find anything else wrong so I'm thinking it's something that can be fixed with the proper trick or common method that I just haven't found yet. I've tried fiber (the non-laxative type) and that just makes me feel full, so I wind up not eating enough. Right now the only thing that makes me feel somewhat regular are Tums antacids, but that doesn't help with the timing. It hurts if I try to hold for too long, again the doctors say everything looks fine.

Basically I have enough problems without this one, and a search on Google didn't help much, most just say to take fiber, but that's not the issue really. I'm wondering if this isn't actually in my head, but the last time I wrote that off I wound up with a six inch scar across my tummy.

[adhb]

Unfortunately, fecal incontinence is an occasional side effect of gallbladder surgery. It's not common, but also not that rare. I'm very sorry to hear about your problem.

[KittenAB]

Unfortunately, fecal incontinence is an occasional side effect of gallbladder surgery. It's not common, but also not that rare. I'm very sorry to hear about your problem.

Thanks, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. I'm hoping for something I haven't tried yet to work. As I said, I hate doing that in my diaper, wetting isn't all that fun when you don't have a choice either but messing isn't something I can cover up so easily. It's a "quality of life" thing to me.

[matt p]

about the only thing i know to do is get your self on a time being inco both ways myself i have found it better for me for all my messes happen at nite when i am at home and i have my aides right there and get things cleaned back up sometimes some people are that lucky to get set up like that no real way to help it with the gallbladder gone mine have allways been runny sence mine was taken out

[KittenAB]

about the only thing i know to do is get your self on a time being inco both ways myself i have found it better for me for all my messes happen at nite when i am at home and i have my aides right there and get things cleaned back up sometimes some people are that lucky to get set up like that no real way to help it with the gallbladder gone mine have allways been runny sence mine was taken out

That's the problem, there is no schedule, if there was I could just be home when it happens and it would be fine. I don't have to wear if there's a toilet i can get to when I need to for urinary as it is. I'm looking to find a way to get the body onto a schedule because it seems I can't now, no matter how hard I try.

[redneck diaper boy]

The surgeon managed to stop my feacal incontinence. I was lucky.

There is nothing worse than having to tell your boss you need to take a break and the reason is obscenely obvious. I have been there and done that!

My heart goes out to you. I pray that you recover quickly

[riflemanjon]

my wife had the bathroom trots. and after watching what she ate helped. she had to cut back on grease food. her was back in april of this year it has cleared up now.

[KittenAB]

The surgeon managed to stop my feacal incontinence. I was lucky.

There is nothing worse than having to tell your boss you need to take a break and the reason is obscenely obvious. I have been there and done that!

My heart goes out to you. I pray that you recover quickly

That's the thing, it's been over 6 months since the surgery, everyone kept telling me "you'll feel so much better after this surgery" but oddly all that's changed is the pain is gone. >.< Not really complaining because of that.

@riflemanjon ... that's a possibility, I've never eaten greasy food much but maybe try cutting it out completely for a while might help.

[prettygirl]

I had this surgery done in 2000 and yes I too had this problem. It was horrible . I knew every bathroom around ,who had the private ones etc. LOL. I had many accidents. They say that because the gall bladder held bile and then dispursed it, it continually drips and if they were to clamp it off you would turn green and die pretty much. They put me on a special powder the spelling is off (its been a while) but cholesterine. Its suppose to do something with the bile. Then they put me on Immodium pills and Nulev( a pill that melted under your tongue for the cramping. Well I was on so much meds at this point . They started blaming it on of course the easy way out IBS. I forgot the name but they even put me on a med that they had taken off the market cause it was exploding intestines. They had put it back on but i had to sign for it(pretty much my life). They tested me from my hooter to my tooter. Even tested me for a glutin allergy during the endoscopy.Blood work galore. Well 5 years i suffered. I seen many Drs. 2 Specialist and all passed off as IBS. At the end I had seen a Physicians assistant at my Drs office. She was a new one. I told her my story and she did say that, yes the glutin allergy in the endo came out negative. But it was positive in your blood work. She said why don't you try the diet(which is very difficult for 2 weeks). And see what happens. I tried it and I think in about 3 weeks I was off ALL meds. Everything. So I found out I did have a glutin allergy or sens(I feel its more a sensitivity) Its called celiacs. All along the Drs was just by passing off things and I didn't look like I would have had it. Many Celiacs are very thin. At the time I was pretty heavy. My body was not working right and getting the nutrients I needed. But anyways. It seems the surgery and change made my body to be sens to the glutin in foods. To this day I stay away from a lot of pasta and breads .. If i eat alot of it ... it still lets me know to this day. I hope my story may help you some. And good luck. Oh PS. glutin is in many foods also known as Maltidextrin. Many Drs will not look into a glutin allergy as its not so much a text book thing. As for many things in my life I would suggest keep searching till you find someone who will listen and help you. :)I agree though with the greasy foods. Your body just cant handle it anymore.

[lil_baby_wet_n_squishy]

Interesting thought with the gluten. Food allergies can often come later in life and can cause issues with the bladder and bowel. A lot of preservatives and additives in food can cause problems. Try switching to an all natural diet. MSG and aspartame can cause bladder problems, Sulfates can cause issues with Bowel.

[KittenAB]

I had this surgery done in 2000 and yes I too had this problem. It was horrible . I knew every bathroom around ,who had the private ones etc. LOL. I had many accidents. They say that because the gall bladder held bile and then dispursed it, it continually drips and if they were to clamp it off you would turn green and die pretty much. They put me on a special powder the spelling is off (its been a while) but cholesterine. Its suppose to do something with the bile. Then they put me on Immodium pills and Nulev( a pill that melted under your tongue for the cramping. Well I was on so much meds at this point . They started blaming it on of course the easy way out IBS. I forgot the name but they even put me on a med that they had taken off the market cause it was exploding intestines. They had put it back on but i had to sign for it(pretty much my life). They tested me from my hooter to my tooter. Even tested me for a glutin allergy during the endoscopy.Blood work galore. Well 5 years i suffered. I seen many Drs. 2 Specialist and all passed off as IBS. At the end I had seen a Physicians assistant at my Drs office. She was a new one. I told her my story and she did say that, yes the glutin allergy in the endo came out negative. But it was positive in your blood work. She said why don't you try the diet(which is very difficult for 2 weeks). And see what happens. I tried it and I think in about 3 weeks I was off ALL meds. Everything. So I found out I did have a glutin allergy or sens(I feel its more a sensitivity) Its called celiacs. All along the Drs was just by passing off things and I didn't look like I would have had it. Many Celiacs are very thin. At the time I was pretty heavy. My body was not working right and getting the nutrients I needed. But anyways. It seems the surgery and change made my body to be sens to the glutin in foods. To this day I stay away from a lot of pasta and breads .. If i eat alot of it ... it still lets me know to this day. I hope my story may help you some. And good luck. Oh PS. glutin is in many foods also known as Maltidextrin. Many Drs will not look into a glutin allergy as its not so much a text book thing. As for many things in my life I would suggest keep searching till you find someone who will listen and help you. :)I agree though with the greasy foods. Your body just cant handle it anymore.

Now there's something I hadn't considered (and neither have the doctors of course). I've been lucky, the hospital I go to for emergencies didn't write a strange pain I've had as IBS, but I think that the pain is actually in my muscles because I sit funny and they haven't healed right, a lot of the area is still numb and I'm having to relearn what things feel like there. They checked all the important things, said it wasn't life threatening, which is all I cared about at the time. But the gluten thing may actually be a possibility. I do eat a lot of foods with it. >.< The bile problem I tried fiber supplement, as I said, it kinda worked, but kinda didn't ... and it contains of all things maltodextrin ... LOL I'm seeing my regular doctor in just over a week from now, I'll ask about that.

PS: I'm normally "thin" to ... except since the gallbladder issues started.

[LuvsGurl]

From what I've had relatives tell me, sudden fecal urges and accidents are a relatively common side-effect of having your gallbladder out. Your doctor probably should have warned you.

[KittenAB]

From what I've had relatives tell me, sudden fecal urges and accidents are a relatively common side-effect of having your gallbladder out. Your doctor probably should have warned you.

A heads up would have been nice, yeah. But just in case you thought I had a choice (not assuming you think I did) ... I didn't. It was do or die painfully at this point.

[babykeiff]

Kitten,

Since the main function of the gall bladder is to store and regulate bile production, excess production indirectly leads to bowel incontinence. The way to control this is a extreme rethink of your diet. The is no quick answer to this since many different people react to or build up an immunity to certain foods.

For a starts, I would suggest that you eliminate red meat from your diet, as well as artificial foods - ie the group of foods that come pre-prepared. Doing this will limit the different food types that you are consuming, and allow you to judge your bodies reaction to each specific food group.

Re: Timing and scheduling bowel movements, this is difficult but not impossible. The best way to do this is to clear out your digestive system so that it can run on a schedule - which is 4 hours after you eat, you will want to vacate your bowels. The diet suggestion above is phase one of this, and the second stage, which will also reduce the odor of your poop, is to start taking activated charcoal capsules (400mg per day) and fish oil capsules (200mg per day). If you take them before you sleep, you will need to vacate your bowels overnight, or if not, coffee will act as a stimulant to ensure that occurs the following morning.

Secondly, regarding timing, it is advisable not to eat later than 3 hours before going to bed, as this will not be processed / digested until 4-6 hours after you wake.

Although bowel incontinence may be inconvenient, it is completely manageable, and with organization and timing, you should not need diapers.

[prettygirl]

I am the same as KittenAB mine was a due or die situation. My stones got into my pancreas and my liver was infected. I was green. All cause the Drs said oh its something you ate no worries. The pain is so bad you want to die ,cant breath and want to fall on the floor. Most gall bladder surgeries is in and out one day. Mine was a emergency go in on a Wednesday night ,had surgery on Friday and didnt leave till Sunday.

I find it interesting on the bowel control part. I had tried everything. There was no controlling mine even when i was on 3-4 meds by Drs and dam if I could have ,it would have been nice not to have accidents or let it control my life and where I went. I found in my situation which was in combo of the surgery and 5 years of not knowing I had the gluten allergy after the surgery it didnt matter when I ate or what. I find even when you have the flu or even a prep for a colenoscopy you can still have stuff coming out. I am sure we have all been there when we want to stop and wonder in our brain where the heck is it coming from. I would def agree with find out what foods bother you and rule out things. I know I told my story already. But I suffered 5 years of this before we figured out how to control mine. Im sure it takes time but hoping for you someday. I totally sympathize with you though. I know how it feels and its not nice. Remember everyones body runs differently and reacts in their own way. Its kinda like trial and error.

[Bettypooh]

I had the opposite problem after colon surgery In researching my problem I found that diet is everything whenever anything in your digestive system is disrupted Generally (and this may or may not be you) a balanced diet as close to natural as you can get works best. Sometimes the balance you need will not be the 'normal' balance, but the 'natural' part never fails to help

At first avoid all 'hard-to-digest' stuff (like red meat) and remember that potatoes are on that list- they are one of the slowest digesting foods, taking a long time to break down as they pass along After you find what works if you want you can add one food at a time to your diet to gauge your reaction. The best part is that you can do this on your own- the worst part is that sometimes it takes years to figure out exactly what your system doesn't like and it may be a favorite food

Processed foods often hide what's in them through renamed ingredients- I found that modified food starch=potatoes which I have to avoid. Google is your friend for that kind of info.

Best wishes for a speedy solution!

Bettypooh

[babykeiff]

Since the word 'diet' and a diet seem to be interchangeable, I will try and explain.

What I am referring to as 'diet' is the food that you eat to survive, and not to loose weight. Weight, or weight gain is your bodies natural way to store either what is can't process at the moment, OR what it has too much of. Certain foods need specific chemicals to break them down, but if your bodies store of these chemicals is low, your body will convert the food to fat, and store it.

Diet is what you need to survive, which would break down something like the following:-

Breakfast / First Meal:

Tea / Coffee (preferably unsweetened) - There is very few processed sugars / or sweeteners that are good for you. If you are a sugar junkie, try using honey.

Toast and/or Cereal (again unsweetened) - The cereal should also be whole grain. Oatmeal or something similar is ideal, if not, try museli or cornflakes. Avoid the 'sugar enriched' brands.

Lunch / Mid-day meal

Savory snack you prepared yourself - Salads and associated products are ideal. Again avoid sugars and sugar based drinks. Apart from damaging your teeth, they will also create constipation.

Evening Meal

Fish or White Meat. Avoid red meat completely. Red meat will clog up your digestive system.

Vegetables - yes those things that you forgot about, and wouldn't eat as a child. If I listed the 'good' in these, I would be writing for years.

Snacks

When you are feeling peckish, it is these that will ruin all your good work. Again I suggest raw vegetables, like carrot sticks or celery etc. You can easily make dips for same using peanut butter or fruit. Try mixing avocado with kiwi in a blender.

Also, avoid the 'low cal' foods. As with all processed foods, they never list all the contents. Most, if not all contain sugar and salt in some form. I usually find the the products advertised as 'low cal' or 'low fat' contain more of the stuff that you don't want in food. To control your diet needs time management - ie shop for the 'unprepared products' and get back into cooking for yourself. An average evening meal for 4 needs about 10 mins prep time, and 20 - 30 mins cooking time. This is done by using a steamer etc, and is an extremely healthy way to live. Most microwave meals take 20-30 mins cooking time, and 10 mins standing time before you can eat it, will be 2 - 5 times as expensive to buy, and despite the ingredient listing, you can't really trust that is all that is in the product.

Common tricks - which is still practiced, and totally legal - by the food industry :-

Heating sugar to give the 'golden brown toasted look' - Most fast food outlets heat the buns to caramelize the sugar so that they look toasted.

Mixing water / ice in the product to enlarge the bulk - done with most meat product.

Injecting water into product to make it look more appetising - done with chicken fillets

Adding salt to increase shelf life and to enhance flavor = involves adding equal amounts of sugars to counteract the taste of the salt.

Chemically creating a flavour - done with most soft drinks. Most if not all soft drinks have three ingredients - WATER (73%) SUGAR (25%) FLAVOR ENHANCER (2%)

... and this list could go on forever, as companies get smarter.

It is often said that 'you are what you eat', but it is more correct to say that you are made from what you eat. If you don't know what you are eating, how can you survive?

[Daddy Fred]

Now hear this -- sulphites, MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame (Nutrasweet etc.) can and do cause migraines, and I mean REAL migraines, not just bad headaches. Real migraines have all the same symptoms as a stroke, but without the lop-sided face. I know this to my cost, as a sufferer. It's taken me years to find my 'triggers' and background susceptibility. I avoid these substances LIKE THE PLAGUE!

Aspartame is found in Nutrasweet and other cheap sweetners, it has a peculiar turkish-delight taste, also found in cheap sweets/candies. Banned in many countries. A known neurotoxin.

Sulphites are a preservative found in cooked meats that are NOT refrigerated, also other foods. Not generally found in canned meats etc. Also with sulphur dioxide found in wines and other alcoholic drinks -- it kills the yeast and stops fermentation, so no exploding bottles. It's the sulphur that's the problem. Was used by the ancient romans.

MSG is usually found in 'meaty' foods to give a savory taste, doesn't affect me, but I know one person it does -- a nurse.

It takes many months to get these substances down in your blood, so there is no quickfix, you just have to be patient.

Daddy Fred.

[Dill_Pickle]

Now there's something I hadn't considered (and neither have the doctors of course). I've been lucky, the hospital I go to for emergencies didn't write a strange pain I've had as IBS, but I think that the pain is actually in my muscles because I sit funny and they haven't healed right, a lot of the area is still numb and I'm having to relearn what things feel like there. They checked all the important things, said it wasn't life threatening, which is all I cared about at the time. But the gluten thing may actually be a possibility. I do eat a lot of foods with it. >.< The bile problem I tried fiber supplement, as I said, it kinda worked, but kinda didn't ... and it contains of all things maltodextrin ... LOL I'm seeing my regular doctor in just over a week from now, I'll ask about that.

PS: I'm normally "thin" to ... except since the gallbladder issues started.

For IBS, I use konsyl...no sugar added, just the psyllium...

[LuvsGurl]

Now hear this -- sulphites, MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame (Nutrasweet etc.) can and do cause migraines, and I mean REAL migraines, not just bad headaches. Real migraines have all the same symptoms as a stroke, but without the lop-sided face. I know this to my cost, as a sufferer. It's taken me years to find my 'triggers' and background susceptibility. I avoid these substances LIKE THE PLAGUE!

Aspartame is found in Nutrasweet and other cheap sweetners, it has a peculiar turkish-delight taste, also found in cheap sweets/candies. Banned in many countries. A known neurotoxin.

Sulphites are a preservative found in cooked meats that are NOT refrigerated, also other foods. Not generally found in canned meats etc. Also with sulphur dioxide found in wines and other alcoholic drinks -- it kills the yeast and stops fermentation, so no exploding bottles. It's the sulphur that's the problem. Was used by the ancient romans.

MSG is usually found in 'meaty' foods to give a savory taste, doesn't affect me, but I know one person it does -- a nurse.

It takes many months to get these substances down in your blood, so there is no quickfix, you just have to be patient.

Daddy Fred.

Yes, I've been saying this to my friends for years. Avoid all man-made sweeteners. Skip the diet drinks, "sugar free" gum and candy, all of it. If it has "zero calories" and isn't water, it just isn't natural.