Can I get your opinion??

[OzarksgalCNA]

I don't know if I can even ask this on here, but I'm going to anyway. If you can't answer me I will understand.

In Dec. my PCP physician put me on Protonix for acid reflux.

Jan. 20th I did a colon prep with Ducalax and that Magnesium stuff for a colonscopy on the the 21st. I also had an endoscopy done at the same time. I was put totally out. Found out I have diverticulosis and a gastric ulcer.

Jan. 22 my oby-gyn put me on a strong antibiotic (Lev something) for a UTI.

Jan. 28 I had surgery to put a sling under my bladder and to put my rectum back in place (they had both prolapsed into my lady parts after my hysterectomy 15 years ago). I wore a catheter for a week and was on Darvocet and Ibuprophen for pain but I didn't take them very often, and I was also still taking the antibiotic. I had been passing very little fecal matter but was passing some bloody mucus (I don't eat that much so wasn't really too concerned about the lack of a bowel movement).

Feb. 5 the catheter came out and then I had constipation (caused by the meds) and hemorrhoids. So my Dr. told me to take the Duculax and eat Metamucel wafers.

Yesterday I had severe abdominal cramps, very little passage of stool but a lot of bloody mucus. Went back to the Dr. and she said "Suppostory, Milk of Magensia, and enough water until I floated." I was up most of the night last night with sever cramps (actually slept with a heating pad on my stomach).

Today I cut out all foods, eating popsicles only. The cramps have lessened and after passing mostly mucus all day I just passed some fecal matter.

My question is.....could all these medications, the colonscopy, the surgery, have contributed to making me have the severe cramps??? And will not eating help them to go away???

Thank you for any information you can give me. I was supposed to work today (2-10) but had to call in...would like to be able to go to work tomorrow. I'm on light duty for the next 6 weeks.

[MaryPush]

Wow, sorry you're going through all of that.

However, according to the TOS of this site, this is not a medical advice board.

You need to call your doc.

Hope you feel better.

[feralnostalgia]

(I'm not a nurse yet, this is just my personal experience talking)

I had surgery for an anal fissure back in august, (which didn't help...oh well, there are worse problems to have) and a bit post-surgery (I'd avoided eating solid food for a while) I woke up in the middle of the night with cramps so horrible I ended up lying face down on the bathroom floor crying. I don't know what exactly caused them, but I've never had worse physical pain in my life. it hurt more than the original problem ever did...

it only happened to me once though, and I think after I started eating it got better. I think once there was more fecal matter moving through there it pushed out the gas causing the awful cramps, and once I had my first real bowel movement post-surgery I didn't have cramps at all. maybe air got caught in there from them being empty for surgery.

my totally non-medical opinion is that you should eat normally (my doctor told me I was good to eat solid food as soon as I got home, though I didn't for several days because I was worried) and that once your intestines are back to having their normal amount of waste in there the cramps will go away. again, I'm just doing nursing pre-reqs now, but that's what helped me post-surgery. my surgery and plumbing is set up differently from yours, though. it's probably safest to get a professional opinion.

good luck, cramps are no fun, feel better!