CONSTIPATION; THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM AFTER OBESITY SURGERY

Our goal is not just to talk about the advantages of the obesity surgeon. We want to address both the advantages and the disadvantages and ensure that you approach the topic in a whole way.

Constipation after bariatric surgery is, unfortunately, one of the most frequently encountered problems.

First of all, let’s take a look at what constipation is and which situation can be called as constipation.

Constipation is a less frequent occurrence of bowel movements, difficulty in excretion, and defecation habits. On the other hand, going to the toilet less than 3 times a week, dry and hard stool can be described as constipation.
After obesity surgery, we are faced with constipation problems due to inadequate nutrient uptake due to shrinking gastric volume and lacking of consuming fibrous food especially for a certain period. Because of the removal of the area secreted by the hormone secreted from the stomach, people sometimes even forget to drink water. Alsp post operative supports (sucg as iron) may cause constipation. For these reasons constipation is sometimes inevitable after bariatric surgery.

How do we deal with this problem?

If we have constipation, we have some specific rules that we need to do first. They are;

* We should include fiber and fiber-rich foods to our daily menü.
* Especially green leafy raw vegetables and dried legumes which we start to consume after a certain time period should be included in our diet.
* We must keep our daily water consumption above 2 liters.
* In this period, we should avoid diuretics such as tea and coffee, that is, beverages that provide water excretion from our bodies.
* Remember, when we increase daily physical activity, bowel movements will increase!
* Supporting food or supplements containing probiotics may be beneficial.
* We need to include dry fruits that increase the bowel movements such as dried apricots and prunes to our menu.

Laxative use may be advised as long as our constipation complaints continue. But the way you use laxatives should be adjusted by your doctor.

Yours,
Bariatric Surgical Nutrition Consultant

Pinar SEYREK