Endometriosis Support Group

Endometriosis is a common medical condition where the tissue lining the uterus is found outside of the uterus, typically affecting other organs in the pelvis. The condition can lead to serious health problems, primarily pain and infertility. A major symptom of endometriosis is pain, mostly in the lower abdomen, lower back, and pelvic area.

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JenC13 08/29/2013

I had my lap on Monday morning. I spent all of Sunday on a liquid diet and drinking laxative so that my bowel was completely empty for surgery.

It's now Thursday and I haven't had a bowel movement yet. I've been taking stool softener a s was recommended but nothing seems to be happening except gas.

I feel uncomfortable and bloated. Is this normal? I'm not in pain.

It took three days after my colonoscopy but no trauma was done to my bowel.

I had endo implants removed from my colon and adhesions connecting my sigmoid colon to my left wall and my colon to my right ovary that were removed. Could this be why it's taking longer to go?

deleted_user 08/29/2013

Try a glass of Miralax and a glass of prune juice in addition to the stool softeners-- got me moving pretty fast. That post-lap constipation, I was told, is pretty normal. Hard to strain with incisions and internal post-surgical trauma!

Hope this helps and that the rest of your recovery goes well!

kDeezy 08/30/2013

That happened to me both times, and both times prune juice was my miracle cure. The first time I didn't go for five days, so I drank about 4 ounces of prune juice...nothing. Thirty minutes later I had another 4 ounces and HOLY CRAP...no pun intended. I felt a zillion times better after I finally went! The second time I only waited three days for the prune juice and a tiny bit got the ball rolling.

I'm just going to warn you: since you've been taking stool softeners and nothing has happened, when it does come out it's going to basically be straight liquid. Sorry to be graphic but I kinda wish someone had prepared me!

SoMuchHoping 08/30/2013

I've had three laps. And have always been very constipated afterwards. Sometimes not able to go to the bathroom until a whole week later.

Since you had to have an empty bowel for the surgery (I have not done this)....it would explain all the more why you're not going to the bathroom. Sort of like when you have a stomach virus and everything empties out of you. Then there's nothing to come out for a while.

I'm wondering if the discomfort is more from gas like you're mentioning.

I do know that if you are passing gas it is a good sign that your bowel is active. They often check for that after a surgery.

When I had a C-section, every day in the hospital they would listen to my abdomen and make sure there were "sounds" and ask if I was passing gas. Apparently that was all a good sign. And it took 4 days later until I actually went to the bathroom.

But when in doubt you could always contact your dr.

I have found that after laps....that sometimes riding in the car helps move the gas through me. And before my last one, I'd read that rocking in a rocking chair can help move the gas out. That helped me as well.

Hope you feel better soon.

JenC13 08/30/2013

Everything started working again. Ugh.

Perseveres 09/10/2013

I had surgery last July and am still having intestinal problems. It's quite normal after Endo surgery to have that. Contact your doctor's nurse and let them know you're having problems. They might recommend taking stool softeners daily, and miralax every other day (you shouldn't take it every day!). Also, avoid things you know will bother your intestines as well as other things in general that can cause inflammation: caffeine, alcohol, large amounts of sugar, extremely spicy foods, dairy.
Pain medications cause constipation. If you can avoid taking them till bedtime, that might help too. That's what Ive been doing. Keeps me home in pain, but my constipation is less severe.

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