I had orthiscopic knee surgery Friday. I opted for a spinal instead of general anesthetic . Have been taking oxycodone 5mg , aspirin and dulcolax. Drinking hot tea, water & juice. I ate soup the first & second day and had my first solid meal today. Have had orange juice with ground flax seed and have not had a BM yet. Is this due to having a spinal and what else can I do to speed things along?
Most of our patients who had arthroscopic surgery indeed have a lag in their bowel movements but the usual culprit is their lack of walking and standing activity. When these activities resume their bowel movements get regular again. Hence the usual problem is just postural or positional. We move our bowels better when we stand up once in a while. But apart from that specifically in your case your oxycodone causes the irregularities in your BM :) so stop it. Oxycodone can even cause constipation in severe cases. The mere fact that you are already permitted to eat solid food , the anesthesiologist expects your bowel function to be ok. so the spinal anesthesia at this point in time is not the cause anymore. And besides it's the urination that is affected more than BM. so if you're ok with your urination, most likely your BM is of the hook from spinal anesthesia effects. For your precautions as long as no ligament reconstruction or no cartilage or meniscus repair was done you can walk as tolerated. Typical regimen would be return to regular activities 1 week after surgery (2 weeks max)