embarrassing question, but I have to ask

 This is an embarrassing question, but I have to ask.  After surgery is it hard to wipe your butt, or is it really painful with stitches in your belly?  With a twisting motion, wouldn’t it pull on them?

For some it is, and yes, I was one of them.  I'm right handed and my drain was on my right side.  There are aids or some have used tongs or longer wooden spoons with tissue wrapped around the bowl of the spoon.  I suffered through it, but not without a lot of fussing and cussing.  You can get a wipe buddy thing at a place that sells things for obese people to help with the reach or just suffer through it.  It's your call.  Fortunately, I didn't poop a lot in the post-op period and things got much better when the drain was pulled.  Let's just hope you don't have problems, but if you do, they are short lived and not at all embarrassing to anyone here.

 I don;'t know what surgery you are having, but I can tell you that I had a lap (not open) lapband procedure and had really no problems with that. Achy, perhaps, a little tugging feeling, but nothing major.

I didn't have any problems after any of my surgeries, except for the drain getting in my way post-plastics and post-revision.  I kept plenty of baby wipes on hand.

I didn't really have any problems; although I was extra careful for fear that I would cause my incisions to open. 

Usually not a problem with laproscopic surgery.

To my everlasting wonder it was EASIER to reach my butt postop! I guess by the time I finally pooped, maybe five days out, I'd dropped a bit of water weight or something, enough to notice a difference in the reach. Or maybe it was because I was in a handicapped-appropriate hotel suite and so the toilet height, bar distance, etc. were different than at home? I dunno. And I had a HUGE open incision, some 14 inches long.

Flushable wet wipes are your friend :-). A wooden spoon can be a handy extension tool if needed.

I found it very difficult. But---I had an open procedure, and I had a BMI of 75. Frankly, wiping my butt wasn't all that easy PRE-OP, either. (*grin*) But by about ten days post-op things were MUCH better.