To have any surgery booked in the UK, it’s something your GP may have suggested.
In most cases, your doctor will have referred you to a specialist at your chosen hospital. And one thing which comes with procedures is the long road to recovery, as well as a long period being cared by specialists.
For women planning a C-section, it’s likely you would spend around one or two days recovering in the ward, but you’ll need to take things easy for several weeks. And with certain surgeries, including a caesarean, it’s likely your bowels will change.
It’s quite common to experience constipation after one of these procedures due to the pain from stitches or even dehydration. Now one NHS doctor revealed how you can relieve this problem in a post on TikTok.
In the video, Dr Karan Raj, who works for the NHS, showed a woman recovering after a C-section and above the footage shows the words: “Surgeon explains… The first thing my gastroenterologist husband did when I came out of my C-section.
“Chew gum starting two hours after surgery. During the daytime, chew gum for 30 minutes and every two hours to avoid constipation.” Now the doctor backed up the advice as he claimed this could happen after certain procedures.
Speaking about the video, Dr Karan told his 5.3million followers: “If you’ve had any adnominal or gynaecological surgery or you’re just disgustingly constipated, then chewing gum could help you in your quest to churn out fresh colon sausage.
“Sometimes after surgery or if you’ve been in hospital for a really long time, your intestines go on strike leaving you bloated and constipated, this is known as paralytic ileus.
“The reason chewing gum can get your gut back on track is because chewing gum tricks your body into thinking it’s eating. It triggers the gastrocolic reflex where a bunch of gut hormones are released and the vagus nerve is stimulated.
“This results in more stomach and intestinal contractions and more movement for an even better outcome, try sugar-free gum. This usually contains a common artificial sweetener like sorbitol which works as an osmotic laxative.”
The NHS doctor continued: “It draws water into the large intestine and increases gut motility for an even greater chance of dropping a trouser biscuit, drink black coffee.
“Not only does the combination of polyphenols fibre and caffeine have a prokinetic effect and shorten intestinal transit time, just the smell of a strong brew will activate the cephalo vagal reflex.
“This glitch means just the sight or smell of food causes the release of digestive juices and hormones. Happy human plumbing.” The video has since racked up 15,100 likes and 120 comments.
One said: “This was so cool and a great explanation,” while another chimed in: “Thank you for sharing.” According to the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), constipation can be common after surgeries, including child birth.
It’s important to eat fibre-rich foods and drink plenty of water to prevent uncomfortable constipation, but it is believed chewing gum could encourage faster bowel recovery following a C-section. It’s especially helpful if you don’t feel like eating straight after.