Again, thanks for your support! I did not have a BM at my regularly appointed time this morning -- so right now I am over-due
I will avoid the laxatives, heck I don't like the burning either! I have been taking my stool softener + MOM. My anus is still a bit sore so I AM worried about my first regular BM. I'll keep ya'll posted!
Hugh :joker:

Update ahead: If your quesy about scatalogical stuff, you may want to pass.
Yesterday may main problem was having to pee constantly....all day. I assume my body is ridding itself of the GA and other toxins/meds I've accumulated. No BM!!! I bit off a tiny bit of a dulcolax and took a mepergan so I could sleep after midnight.
I made it all the way to 2007 without crappin. When I awoke this morning, yes I had the strong urge to crap and pee. But my body wasn't gonna let me pee until I crapped.
And
I
Just
couldn't
quite
get it oouuuttt
I tried and tried, I could feel the stool wanting to get out. It was right *THERE* but it wouldn't quite fly out the chute. Did I mention how sore my anus was?
Distress.
So called the Dr.s office, the on-call Doc said to take Four (4) count 'em, dulcolax tablets. Sit in hot water to stimulate the bladder....
Ooohh, you can very very gently insert a fleets enema and use it.
This I did :shock: very very gently :shock:
I might have gotten *some* in but most came back out on its owm
I rush to the toliet ....Oh, the DISTRESS.
I gently bear down, but some primal instinct just made me PUSH HARD.
For all you mothers out there, I think I now know what childbirth is like,.
I had to PUSH HARD for each stool, but finally, the worst shit of my entire life was over. I jumped in the tub, took two mepergan, and was peeing a short time later.
Many times this morning I was regretting this damn surgery. I know in the long run I'll be glad I did it, but right now I would take the fissure pain over all this.
Hugh

OH Gawd, sounds awful Hugh...
tell me though - i thought it was v. dangerous to push or strain as it could tear?
Maybe try eating some prunes with your diet - they are a great constipation helper...
oh geeee here's hoping you are better soon...
keep up those salt baths, and rest easy friend... you will get there soon...

hi hugh,
i am sorry you had a very difficult time with having your first stool. i would guess it must have been difficult since you haven't had an elimination since 12/27.
some of it must have been psychological - as i am sure there was some fear component in relieving yourself due to the surgery.
and the other part, well, not eliminating on a daily basis, kinda makes your fecal matter a bit harder because it just sits there and doesn't get the advantage of being moist/hydrated as it comes down fresh from the colon into the rectum.
i am not sure if you meant to imply that your first bowel movement was very painful or simply just super stressful.
anyway, i am happy that you got the stuff out! now try to keep on a schedule, listen to your body when it is ready to eliminate and perhaps you should really try - if you haven't already - to go back to squatting over the toilet. this has done wonders for me actually!!! fistula for me though is still present!!!! but i don't have that horrific fissure discomfort afterwards.
****
like cheryl said, having some scrumptions prunes (you can get them at whole foods or healthy stores as you want them close to organic or with as few preservatives as possible). also, not sure if you are drinking/eating dairy, but i would let that go for now. if you can, try soy milk or rice milk - trust me it's not bad and actually soooo yummy!!!! i no longer drink milk and try to say away from cheese, yogurt, and butter.
the other item that will come in handy for you is Kellogg's All Bran Bran Buds. The bran buds have the highest amount of fiber per 1/3 cup serving - a whopping 13 g....so if you have 1 cup of bran buds with some soy milk in the morning, you get a nice 39 g of fiber for your day.....
keep drinking lots of water to keep hydrated and to keep the stool softners working. however, you'll be at a disadvantage of the stool softner if you are not eliminating on a daily basis as one the stool gets in to the rectum, it dries up as it just sits there.....
lots of fruits and veggies, lentils, hummus, beans......and whole grains.
try to avoid stuff that is refined, filled with preservatives or anything that has partially hydrogenated "fill in" anything...right now the more fresh, more healthy fiber, you can get in, the better for you.
we are all here holding your hand buddy!!!!
keep up the good work....
yes, i remember giving birth one day - that was the day my fissure was born. he was born mid-august 2004!!!!!!
happy new year btw......i'll keep my prayers for your speedy recovery.

oh yes, another helpful tip....
the deeper your breathing in preparing the poop to come out can help in relaxing your sphinter and help ease off on the anxiety.
i notice that when i begin my yogic breathing, squatted on the toilet rim, i am able to relax a bit more and things flow out so much easier. easier than they ever did compared to just sitting on the toilet!!!!

Gareth,
This was my second BM. The first was last friday night using the laxatives. I had the same experience this morning. I'm beginning to believe my sphincter is just too tight, as again this morning I had the same stressfull BM.....I couldn't pee until I had a BM, and I had to FORCE the bm out. But it wasn't a hard bm, it was soft and formed just like it should be. The pain was the worst I ever felt (immediately after the BM) but thankfully went away fairly fast. Then I was able to pee.
I've been watching what I eat carefully and using the softeners. I just think my body's having trouble pooping through this new chute. I'm about to call my CRS when I finish this.
I agree that the yogic techniques work, I have already tried them. But my SCR told me not to squat. I'll ask about that.
Maybe tomorrow will be better.
BTW, I'm no longer sore down there 24/7. Seems like I'm healing. I was able to leave my sickroom and cavort with the kids yesterday...I'm sitting right now typing this and it feels fine. So there is some good news to report!
Hugh

Hugh,
I feel for you!!! You poor soul... I had the same experience over Christmas because I had two glasses of wine and some pizza, and had to push the next day, which hurt SO much. Maybe you and I are just tight-assed people (hahaha).
I've started using magnesium citrate which apparently relaxes your muscles, (including sphincter muscles) to make stool easier to pass. It's working wonders! I take two capsules of 150 mg twice daily. It was recommended by my naturopath. I'm pretty sure muscle tension is my problem too.
Make sure you drink 8 8-oz glasses of water a day, and drink a lot at the same time as you eat fiber... This will prevent stool from becoming hard/dehydrated and also create soft bulk.
Hang in there my friend...
G.

Hi G,
Thanks for your kind words! I was given magnesium citrate to drink as the 1st half of my pre-op prep. I had to drink a whole bottle and the stuff cleaned me out! The other half was a fleets enema an hour before leaving for the OR.
I've had some ups and downs since yesterday, as I drank too much water, which, on top of the MOM, gave me really bad diarreah. At this stage in my recovery, I could not detect liquid...I thought it was gas. It wasn't. The burning :bounce: really set me back because my butt was feeling fairly fine up until then. I finally gave up at 2:30 AM and took a mepergan which is what was prescribed for pain. I was then able to sleep. Another mushy bm this morning caused a bit more burning, but not as bad. :roll:
Ahaaa aaaaah, :D I was able to jump right into a hot, hot tub with great jets...that really cooled me arse off!! I got back into it again at noon. By then my ass was feeling pretty darn good, though not perfect.
So off I go! Today marked the end of my limitation on driving and I took advantage of that! My butt handled it fine. I even went to my worksite for a short while :roll: .
If this keeps up, I hope to work up to a half-days work by friday. We'll see. :rabbit:
Hugh

I had two mushy BMs this morning -- the first one was quite exquisitely painful. OK, it was excrutiating. But The pain only lasted a few minutes (after hitting the hot tub) so I have foregone taking ANY more of the mepergan. But I was especially weak today...at times almost feeling like I was going to pass out. This seems worse in the AM rather than afternoons/evenings. I wonder if it's the lack of pain-killers, as I have been on them now for almost a week and a half!
The soreness was present this morning but has been much better this afternoon.
I feel that if I could just have a normal stool now I'd start improving...
Hugh

Hey Hugh.. sorry its still painful and your BM's arent getting back to the right consistency... you are eating lots of fresh fruits, vegies ect, staying away from red meat?? I know you probably are, just wanted to check.. i had a quite a lot of fish intake, some vegie soups, lots of fruit and water etc in my first 2 weeks after my op...
It seems odd that your BM's arent going soft and fluffy - if your on your MOM, your softener and your diet is good, i have trouble understanding why. I did not take my pain killer they prescribed me because they had codene in them and i was scared of getting constipated from them. I just took regular panadol.
ok i am thinking of you today and sending you good thoughts
Cheryl :bom: