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Hi Catrin
Your IBS symptoms will certainly react to surgery, medication and any change to your normal routine. A lot of painkillers given during and following orthopaedic surgery can lead to constipation and increased bloating. Trying to regulate your pattern again may take some time. There are some supplements that you can add into your diet to help slow down or speed up your bowel habit as appropriate. Golden linseed is readily and cheaply available from most supermarkets and health food outlets. In its seed format it is an insoluble fibre and therefore can speed up bowel activity, in its powder format it does the opposite and slows down the gut motility. drinking adequate amounts of fluids (@ 1.5 litres in 24 hours) and avoiding any of the trigger foods that you will have previously identified should also help to regain some consistency and control

Hi there, I quite agree with Sharon that stress, trauma and pain-killers can all have an effect on the bowel, and all can make symptoms such as IBS worse. However, any change in bowel habit should be taken seriously and I suggest you have a chat with your GP to make sure he or she is happy that it is all to do with the IBS. Dr Webberley