The circadian rhythm comes to mind. I eat three meals a day, but I generally only sit on the toilet once a day; the size of my movement may vary with diet, but it’s a rare occasion (and seemingly unconnected with my diet) when I skip a day or sit on the toilet more than once per day.
If the OP is anything like me, (s)he may find that his/her GI tract delivers one bolus to his/her rectum every day, concurrent with the usual evacutory urge, regardless of whether it’s a little smaller or larger than average.
In any event, the best advice has already been given upthread: OP really should talk this over with his/her doctor.
Some of the suggestions are full of un-digestible fiber which sounds like it’d be uncomfortable to have hanging around.
Some of the suggestions are said to work by irritating the digestive tract. Again, maybe not.
I expect to be on some sort of pain meds. I am currently as well.
Being slowed down is indeed a thing.
It sounds nicer to be slowed down without so much ‘traffic’.
Mostly, I’d just like for pooping to be as close to optional as is pragmatic for a few days.
idk if pooping is on my discharge list or not.
Iirc, being able to sit on the pot and get back off it are on that list.
So, I’ll be able to go through the process of pooping before I’m home.
Basically.
The pain meds may play a role in reducing the processing rate.
I think the stimulants & alcohol were proposed to ward off the desire to eat.
But the only thing on the list I like is the coffee.
The pain meds may do the job of making me immune to hunger. But I suspect my body could use some nutrition. So, I don’t want to fast.
I think the point was made about coffee and cigarettes which are said to fast track the process — sometimes putting unfinished business marked ‘URGENT’ in the outbox so to speak.
When the Apollo astronauts went to the moon, they pooped as little as possible for more than a week.
The entire ordeal often took 45 minutes to an hour to complete in the Apollo spacecraft, Roberts said. To minimize their bowel movements, astronauts had a high-protein, low-residue diet — think steak and eggs and other foods that are don’t make a lot of waste after they are absorbed by the body. cite.
The way they did it was: step 1, get an enema; step 2, eat protein and sugar with very little carbs and no fiber. In the movie Apollo 13, we see one of them about to eat a hot dog with no bun. Therefore, you’d want to avoid bread, potatoes, fruits, and veggies. Eat deli meats and maybe some cheese. Bread and pastries are okay in small amounts if you get white flour instead of whole grain. But don’t forget step 1. If you’re just trying to plan a 16-hour road trip, then starting the day with a big poop might suffice instead of a real enema.
FWIW, at the start of the Gulf War, Wayne and Garth of Wayne’s World claimed to have gone more than 24 hours on nothing but Domino’s Pizza and Jolt cola, peeing into the laundry room sink and (implied) no pooping. Of course, these are fictional characters. But it sounds plausible. The pizza is made with white flour and the cheese would tend to have a constipating effect.
I think the bacteria in yogurt help your gut stay “regular” — not necessarily that yogurt works like coffee.
I think if you are experiencing constipation “regular-izing” your gut means alleviating constipation. But iwithout constipation, I don’t think the yogurt would make you have to go.
It’d be nice of a Doper nutritionist type person would pipe up about it for some more informed input.
Yogurt’s listed as something which can cause constipation in babies because of it’s low fiber content.
Interesting thread, and a serious question. I love the info on the astronauts! I think you’d want to ask your doctor for advice, and/or a rocket scientist (since this must be a serious question for space travel).
I know what gets me going every morning. A couple of apples the day before and then coffee in the morning.
Stopping the action is a whole different matter. I would have guessed white rice sprinkled with cheese, but based on the more knowledgeable people here it sounds like it’s protein and not starch.
In any event, let us know how your surgery goes and what diet you ended up using. Good luck!
I could see how certain diets would cut down on the 30% that is indigestible food matter, but the other 70% is still going to be there no matter what you eat I would assume.
I’ll talk to the docs about cautions, precautions, and guidelines.
But, I think the internet is a better place to come for a list of foods, dishes, and meals as there’re more people to do the thinking. I mean I think the Dr. would give me a guideline — like “avoid fibrous foods” — but he’s not gonna help me make out a list or help me with choosing among the various foods to find palatable meals. That’s just not really his thing or her thing. (I have one Dr of each)
If I were not concerned about healing or comfort, I’d think about just fasting. But, fortunately I am concerned about healing and comfort.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/07/24/3549931.htm
Back in June of 1965, a Scotsman weighing 207 kilograms, described as “grossly obese” and hereafter known only as Mr A B, turned up at the Department of Medicine at the Royal Infirmary in Dundee.
He was sick of being fat and wanted to lose weight by eating nothing and living off his body fat. He told the hospital staff he was going to fast flat out, whatever they said, so they may as well monitor him along the way.
He ended up fasting for one year and 17 days — that’s right, he ate no food at all for over a year. He lived entirely off his copious body fat, in the end losing about 125 kilograms of weight.
I don’t intend to stop everything. I just want to have some more leeway in “when”.
I expect that the pain will slow everything. And I want to have a corresponding decrease in volume.
That way, hopefully, I can wait a bit for a new round of meds to kick in if necessary, or for someone to come home to help me if necessary, etc.
I hope that I am over prepped for this part of the adventure. We’ll see.
I have some thoughts about what I’d like to eat.
I’m further limited by counting on my kids to cook for me. While their skill sets are sufficient for their age, sometimes it’d be inaccurate to describe them as highly motivated when it comes to housework like cooking and cleaning.
I’ll see what prep I actually get done.
After surgery, I’ll be laid up with not much better to do. So I may post more details about my diet.
