You may also experience other stool changes after your procedure.
Most of these changes are not serious.
If you have had surgery, you may have made major changes to your diet.
Verywell / Hilary Allison
Surgery can also affect your stress level and your medication routines.These changes can lead to a different bathroom pattern.
Usually, these changes resolve as you recover.
This article will discuss some common stool changes that can happen after surgery.
diff)is a jot down of bacteria that live in the digestive tract.
If you have taken or are still taking antibiotics, these bacteria could build up in your body.
diffcan lead to foul-smelling stools and painful cramping.If left untreated, it can lead to serious health issues.
To check for bacteria, your doctor may want to perform astool culture.
Chronic diarrhea can also result from abdominal surgery.
Depending on what’s causing your diarrhea, treatment may include antibiotics or other types of medications.
Constipation
Going to the bathroom less often doesn’t necessarily mean you are constipated.
Constipation means you’re having fewer than three bowel movements in a week.
You may also be constipated if your stools are dry or hard.
Some pain medicationscan cause constipation, such as the opioids hydrocodone,oxycodone, morphine, and fentanyl.
You could also become constipated if you eat less or eat different things than you normally eat.
When your eating habits return to normal, your bathroom habits should, too.
If prevention doesn’t work, a gentle laxative may help.
If you have severe constipation, you may need more than one medication to treat the problem.
Call your surgeon if you have not had a bowel movement orpassed gasfor more than five days.
(Passing gas is a sign that your bowel movements are starting to return to normal.)
Black or Tarry Stool
Stool that is black or looks like tar may have blood in it.
Most of the time, stools of this color are not considered normal after surgery.
Dark stool can be brought on by medications such as iron supplements, charcoal, andPepto-Bismol.
Black foods, such as licorice, can also make stools black.
To find out what’s causing black stool, your healthcare provider can perform afecal occult blood test.
Stool that is very dark green (almost black) is still considered normal.
Red Stool
Red stool is most often the result of diet.
Beets, cranberries, tomatoes, and brightly colored foods such as candy and Jell-O can cause red stool.
If you’ve eaten something bright red, a red stool is normal.
This bleeding may show up on toilet paper rather than on the stool itself.
Other Stool Colors
Most changes in stool color are not medical issues.
Food dyes or brightly colored fruits and vegetables can change the color of your stool.
“Rapid transit time” is also a common culprit.
Rapid transit time means food moves through the body quickly and may not be fully digested.
Diarrhea can cause rapid transit times andvisible color changes in stool.
Summary
Surgery can change how often you go to the bathroom.
Most of the time, your body will return to its usual patterns in several days.
Surgery can also change the color of your stool.
After surgery, the most important stool colors to notice are black, red, and white.
Frequently Asked Questions
Constipation after surgery can be because of certain pain medications, such as opioids.
It can also be brought on by a change in eating habits, physical inactivity, and anesthesia.
You should contact your surgeon or healthcare provider, even if there are no other symptoms.
Yes, anesthesia can cause constipation after surgery.
When under anesthesia, muscles are paralyzed and intestinal tract movement stops.
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