trt,
If you're talking about liquids like Boost, Ensure or Carnation Instant Breakfast, I can assure you, from very personal experience that they do NOT get absorbed.

When you are curled up in a fetal position on the bathroom floor and throwing up, you'll know that you're probably constipated.

Milk of magnesia is not recommended for "maintenance" and are recommended only "to get things going" and will typically cause diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration.

If you are on opioids, Senna and stool softeners are what are recommended.

Colace is good - don't exceed 3 tablets per day, you can get it in liquid form. Colace is mainly a stool softener and not effective, by itself, for management of constipation.

Source: "Living Well With Cancer", Katen Moore and Libby Schmais (Katen is an oncology nurse and Libby is a researcher)

Preparation H suppositories may come in handy as well.

The constipation issues were the worst part of my post Tx experience. I felt that the doctors could have done a better job managing it.

This is an issue that was never even discussed with me. I was taking Lortab pre-surgery and developed a severe case of constipation and had no idea why. One of our friends, who is a nurse, suggested stool softeners and they worked well. It amazes me these Dr.s ignore this issue. The pain was excruciating.

Try stool softeners, Senokot, enemas, (or the bum bullet as we call them) supporitories...then...try prune juice after the condition gets better. So people take Milk of Mag if only slightly constipated....Dont wait pass 3 days to start some type of regime. Bowel movements are very important.

we were obviously lucky in that the minute they started Rob on the meds they automatically prescribed a laxative .Prior to his PEG insertion Rob hadnt been to the toilet for 8 days ,but then he wasnt eating anything just taking water.Robs feed has fibre added so this helps as well as the lactulose.

Liz in the UK

Lamont,

We are both Emory patients and I see that you had the same experience in the "constipation" arena. If I had to be critical in any way at all regarding my overall treatment it would be that the constipation issue was not presented to me with enough emphasis. This was, at least to me, a serious issued during my treatment and caused much misery. It was briefly mentioned to me somewhat in passing but not highlighted nearly enough. Perhaps everyone's plumbing reacts a bit different to outside influences but from months of reading on this site I think this is a major issue to patients.

Bill D.

Constipation turned out to be my worst side affect of the whole procedure and was never even mentioned to me, much less, emphasized.

ok, I have not been here since my last post.

By fluids I did not mean Boost, Ensure, etc. I stopped those as I kept getting diarrhea.

I drink things like soy milk with protein powder,
soups, gatorade. I recently tried some instant oatmeal.

Today I had some of these and then had milk of magnesia.
!@#$@#$#

In about half hour I started throwing up and cramping while sitting on the toilet. This lasted for hours with pauses. This is definitely the worst ever.

The thing is I am not uncomfortable at all even though I have no bowel movements.

I stopped taking most drugs like zofran, vicodin (except today I took 2 after a long pause).

In the past the RO recommended metamucil. Did that work for anyone?

2nd week:

Today shortly after waking up at night (circadian rhythms a little messed up) I started being quite nauseated and dizzy. This time I took nothing for constipation just before. I quikly applied the patch, took zofran and ativan and did not actually vomit.

I am having trouble figuring out

Am I constipated?

What's causing the nausea. Is it constipation? or effects of radiation.

Should I continue taking zofran and other meds or try to stop asap.

Has anyone been dizzy or have intermittent burping during the day due to constipation or...

Lack of bowel movements can do strange things, eg. anxiety attacks, fainting, pain etc. Check with your doctor and see what he/she saids. Bowel movements should be a concern, just like eating is a concern. From size to texture to frequency. Take care, hope it helps.

oh yeah, anxiety attacks! Definitely have those or staring into the ground for long periods of time.

The Docs have not been very useful. RO is not really interested and feels everything is not radiation related. Surgeon is similar, she is sending me to palliative care dept; I don't know what kind of Doc that'll be. Appointments are weeks later.