@thudson1965
My pre-op meeting with a young hospital worker,(I don't know what her expertise is),8 days prior to my surgery was the beginning of what I was very much concerned about. I have had chronic constipation my entire life, and it is not because I don't eat tons of fibrous food. Not too long ago, I discovered that taking Psyllium husks 30 minutes before a meal will keep me regular, something that is life altering to me. When I was in the pre-op meeting I was asked what substances I was currently taking, which were mainly vitamins and some omega-three capsules for maintaining good blood pressure. The only other thing was Psyllium husks. She said that she did not know what that was but that I must stop taking it as well.... and this for the whole week before my surgery. I told her what the psyllium was for and how much I depended on it to keep my system flowing. I even asked her to check with the doctors to get confirmation that what she was demanding was necessary. She wouldn't. When the ordeal was over, it was found that her requirement for me to stop taking psyllium before meals was unnecessary. I am 67 years old, I have fought the fight against constipation and it's awful side effects for a long long time. I have gone on diets that consist of only fibrous materials that are known to combat constipation. Even laxatives, stool softeners, enemas, magnesium citrate, and senna, and every other thing that is useful to people like me, do nothing for me, even when taken for days. The last meal I had had was 8 days before my surgery, I fasted the day before, and then was not able to eat anything save a nibble of a piece of fruit or a spoon full of cereal each day, plus the previously mentioned constipation pills and stool softeners, which I took every four hours around the clock. After a count of two, I even stopped taking the oxycocone pills that were prescribed, because I know that they amplify my problem. The upshot is I went for seventeen days without a single BM but the day after I had my catheter removed,(which was two weeks after the surgery), I began having a pain that knocked me to the ground every time I stopped urinating. The first event lasted 45 minutes, and was twice the pain level of the kidney stone that I had had removed last July. As I lay on the floor, the pain sent me into violent tremors, thankfully none of the others lasted as long as the first one did. This occurred seven times that day. Anyway, after I got the attention of the doctor, he realized that what I was trying to tell him was that there was a serious blockage in my lower abdomen and I needed some drastic help, which I orchestrated myself once at home. Once the evacuation began it took 8 hours to conclude, with much of the matter being black, as blood does when it comes from the colon. Of course the alternate of the blackening can the 2 1/2 weeks that that material remained inside of me. Then it was presumed that the pain was not only from the bowel but that it probably instigated bladder spasms to join into the symphony of pains, this due to the fact that the colon and bladder are normally in contact with one another.
I know mine may be an extreme case, but I do think that this potential should be a big part of the pre-op consideration, especially when the powerful pain killers are in the mix. Sorry it is so long, but I do believe that had I not been in generally good health, what I went through could well have killed me. If that is even possible, I write this so that it may even save a life. take care
