After Rhinoplasty: Constipation Issues

It’s a fairly common complaint after a nose job or almost any other cosmetic plastic surgery procedure. The pain medications you may have taken, anesthesia, not much physical activity and some changes in your diet have all ganged up to result in a case of constipation.

You don’t want to strain too hard while in the bathroom so there are some ways to handle the problem to allow nasal reshaping patients to undergo a more pleasant nose job recovery.

Patients having internal nasal surgery to correct a bent or, deviated septum and turbinate surgery reduction  are also likely to encounter the same woes which, apart from constipation, may also include the following:

• Stomach pain
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Throwing up

Here are the techniques that most cosmetic plastic and nasal surgeons suggest to avoid, or at least reduce, hindrance of bowl movements:

1. Try and limit the amount of narcotic medicines because those substances slow bowel activity. But if constipation strikes anyhow, ask your doctor if you can be changed to a non-narcotic pain reliever like Tylenol.
2. If you have had previous cases of such bowel impediment after rhinoplasty surgery, ask for a mild stool softener or fiber-containing laxative to use post-surgery.
3. Try walking. Getting up and moving around – provided your doctor says it O.K. –helps all the body’s functions — including your digestive track– normalize.
4. Consume lots of plain water and drinks without caffeine to lessen bowel restrictions. Among the “natural” laxatives are apple cider and prune juice (also known as “dried plums” in many places.)
5. Try eating like a bird and not a lion. Some cosmetic surgeons recommend consuming smaller bites of food instead of man-sized, heaping amounts of food to put off or delay constipation symptoms.
6. Also consume more food that is higher in what’s known as fiber.

If you think your stools are hard to pass, eat more dishes containing carrots, lettuce, grapes, whole grains and cereals that have bran.

1. Stay away from foods that help create harder stools. Those eats include servings of most meat, various cheeses and highly processed foods.
   1. If stool color changes, concentrate on eating more of the foods listed above.