Hi,
I had my knee surgery on Monday, and I haven't passed a stool since that morning before I went to the hospital. I was on percacet but that made me vomit up everything I would try to eat, so now I am on tramacet. I have been taking stool softeners and benefiber three times a day (I started the stool softeners several days before the surgery) and eating lightly, (fruits and vegetables supplemented with tofu and kefir.) I am afraid for when I will need to pass a stool because my whole leg is in an immobilizer and all bandaged up inside, it is hard to find a way to perch on the toilet even for urinating. Yesterday I eased off on the pain killers but that has made the swelling really bad around my ankle and thigh (I can't really see my knee as it is all bandaged) so I am taking just one tramacet when I need it to spell the over-the-counter Aleve that I am taking otherwise. I am sure the constipation is from the painkillers (and perhaps the anesthesia still?). Plus, I haven't been eating all that much since my appetite is low and I'm just lying in bed instead of being active. I haven't been constipated before, is all this time going to make the stool much harder to pass? Is there anything I can do to get my bowels moving? Any tips for how to make passing it not horrible? I haven't been using the nitropaste because I haven't figured out how to maneuver myself to apply it without causing severe pain in my knee. Any ideas would be super helpful.

Thanks,
Susie