[GilmoreGirl]

Hi all,

Apologies in advance for the depth of detail here...I'm desperate

I just had a lateral internal sphincteronomy two weeks ago. Initially after the surgery, I had diarrhea for three days or so, so I did not start taking stool softners until about 4-5 days post op. It seems the pain meds did a good job backing up, I only was able to pass some very hard stool two days ago.

Since then it has been a nightmare. I have had to use countless oil enemas and suppositories along with heaps of miralax to get anything out, and that's with lots of straining.

I now I have a rectum full of semi- hard stool in large bits - I was able to manually feel around a little with a gloved finger, but cannot get any put manually. I know it's the end of the solid bits because I'm now having some diarrhea move around it.

Although the surgery was supposed to relax the muscle, things are tighter than ever and I just can't evacuate this stool. It is VERY painful to go at all, and every attempt is a struggle that leaves me in pain for hours.

I just don't know what to do to pass this stool...I've tried every trick, even trying to go in a warm bath. It's extremely irritating to the area, and I am now getting bad stomach cramps, I think from the diarrhea trying to push its way through (all the miralax caught up to me).

Before the surgery I often had to manually remove things - embarrassing, but my bowel just doesn't seem to work properly. There is no momentum to any movement, and I always feel like I'm pushing against a brick wall, now more than ever.

Please please help. This has been three days from hell! I'm thinking I should just go to the hospital - maybe they can sedate me and get it out, the pain is just too bad to do it on my own.

Thanks for taking the time to read

 

[annie7]

oh no--so very sorry to hear this!

have you tried calling your surgeon's office and talking to a nurse about this. they can advise you and/or talk to the surgeon about this and call you back with advice.

or yes, you could go the the ER or an urgent care facility and have them help you. given your situation and all the pain, that might be the best thing to do. and then follow up with the surgeon afterwards to find out what you can do to avoid having this happen again.

i used to do a colonoscopy prep--a bottle of miralax and 3 or 4 dulcolax--when i got really backed up but i think for you right now, especially with all the pain and also because of your recent surgery, going to the ER is probably the best thing to do.

good luck. hope you can get some relief. keep us posted..take care.

 

[GilmoreGirl]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I'm not thinking that more laxative/stool softner will help at this point, as I already feel I have diarrhea trying to get through, if that makes sense. I did speak to the surgeons assistant several times over the past couple days and I'm waiting to get word from the surgeo herself, but the advice so far has just been miralax and mineral oil enemas.

I really appreciate your reply - I'm thinking I may just have to go. My mom keeps saying just to wait it out and that I will go eventually, but it doesn't seem that way, as even with diarrhea the stool that's there isn't budging, the D is just moving around it.

Do you think there is a chance they will give me sedation or put me out to have it done in ER? I don't think I could bear it without, especially considering I think I may have a new fissure from all this.

Thanks again

 

[annie7]

oh yes, i understand what you mean about the D trying to get through. to me, that sounds like you have an impaction.

an impaction is when you go for a while with no bm at and then all of a sudden you get watery diarrhea which is the body doing a sort of "self enema" by using the watery D to unblock things....

symptoms of an impaction include abdominal cramping and bloating, leakage of liquid or sudden episodes of watery D, small, semi formed stools, rectal bleeding, low back pain...

if you totally stop passing any kind of stool at all and stop passing gas, then you may have develop an obstruction. symptoms of obstruction also can include nausea and vomiting and fever. this is an ER situation

an obstruction means the stool cannot move, has completely filled that part of the colon, nothing can get by, not even gas and eventually you will begin to vomit up stool when it needs to get out but it can't due to the obstruction. i've had one, so believe me , i know. not fun.

so anyway--you don't want this impaction to develop into an obstruction. that's why (in my opinion) you really don't want to wait it out, like your mother said.

when you go the the ER, tell them about your surgery, of course, and make it abundantly clear to them that you are having tremendous pain and may have developed a new fissure. and then yes, they may give you sedation (if possible--don't know) or a least an IV to manage your pain...

 

[Tiss]

I'm so sorry for your pain! I agree with Annie to please call your surgeon. They are used to patients having post op problems and you need help from the experts. Good luck and I hope you get relieve very soon.

 

[Soccerlifter]

You are definitely not alone. I'm sure there are alot of folks here like myself who's issues started after surgery. I was constipated once in my entire life where I needed to use something. Since my first surgery in 2012, I've become an expert on Milk of Magnesia, Miralax, manual extraction, food types, etc. It is so annoying and frustrating and defintiely feel where everyone is coming from.

I just had a CT scan yesterday to see if I have some type of issue that is causing my off and on constipation. As others have mentioned, there is being constipated, but then a point where you need to call the doctor. I think you can easily call them and say you have tried the laxatives and not helping. They could maybe put you on a liquid diet or something else to help figure it out.

One thing to just keep in mind. When you have surgery, everything shuts down inside your body. It takes time to clear everything out but also to get back to "typical" bowel movements especially if you are not very active. With that said, if it doesn't improve, definitely get them to help you out.

Again, sorry you are dealing with this. We've all been there, otherwise we would not be members of this forum.