I have to strain to pass any stool, I think an area of my intestine is, well, crapping out..

I'm not concerned with how long I take in the bathroom but I would sit there all day if I didn't push. I have to strain hard even when I get that 'gotta go RIGHT NOW or change your pants' feeling. I have to strain just as hard when I go on a liquid diet and for gas, which comes out with a big loud pop now. I get everything out, it's just very difficult.

I had a adhesion related kink, right before my pouch, which was 'untied' surgically 2 months ago. It had been kinked for at least 4 or 5 months. Thats where everything gets stuck. My surgeon was going to remove it but then decided, when he went in, that it should heal fine.

Now, I feel, again, like the spot BEFORE my pouch is the 'holding area' and I really think that piece of small intestine is going to need to come out.

I'm starting to think part of the reason for the right side pain I'm having is from straining so much to poop. And maybe gas as well though I still want them to check out my kidneys.. Heat helps so I walk around with disposable heat pads taped to my side 24/7.

I just had an upper endoscopy to see why I am having acid reflux and the pain on my right side. I think the reflux is from minor blockages..

I am trying to schedule a colonoscopy, surgeon wants to do it in the office but the area just inside of my pouch and my anus is SO irritated from constant bathroom trips theres no way he's scoping me without at least hitting me on the head with a frying pan first.

The last 2 times doctors have tried to scope me like that they had to stop because I couldn't tolerate it.. I think it would be better to just knock me out rather than make a second trip inside.

For now he had me stop taking pain meds, I think he is trying to make sure they aren't blocking me up. It's been over a week and I'm the same so that's not it..

Anyone deal with anything similar?
If I do have to have a small intestine section removed, what kind of recovery would it be? Since it's RIGHT before my pouch, does that mean I need a temp bag again?

Thanks!!!

- Sarah

I didn't have a bag. I lost 6" of small intestine from a small bowel obstruction that ruptured . I was really sick. It took 5 days to figure out what it was. I knew, but no one would believe me. Spent 15 days in the hospital, but I had every complication under the sun. I'm sure you will have better luck, knowing what it is going in.

I'm no expert, but it may depend on your surgeon. I was hoping a revision would mean no temp ileo, but here it is, sitting on my side. I had a few inches removed from the efferent limb(part going from pouch to rectum) which had stretched. And now I'm about halfway through my three months with my ileo.

Then again another surgeon may be fine without the healing period. It may also depend on the section of bowel they have to work on and your history of healing or complications.

It sounds more like a narrowing...Has that been ruled out?
I am having some of the same problems, it doesn't matter if it's plain liquid or applesauce(which I rarely get anyway)
The thing is that there could be a number of different things causing this...Keep youself optimistic!
I know, easier said than done
Julie

Well. I went in on Thursday because I felt I had a blockage and the pain on my side was also awful. I had no blockage but my surgeon decided to do an exploratory laparoscopic surgery to see why I have to bare down so much, if any adhesions had grown back, and see if he could figure out why I am having that bad pain in my right side.

He did a colonoscopy first, right in the OR and then made the cuts and found only a few adhesions. He found no reason for my right side pain and told me he thinks It's going to be a chronic muscular thing.

He said he thinks theres a chance it could be from prior surgery, maybe the gallbladder one from my other doctor, but theres not really any way of knowing. He said I should definatly try a bigger university hospital, like in Philadelphia, some kind of muscular specialist or something. He said if they figured out exactly what and where it was, some physical therapy might be able to help.

He warned me that he really thinks it's something I'm just going to be stuck with, forever. He also wants me to find a pain care specialist and see if we can find something that works good for me while they try and figure it out. Maybe a muscle relaxant would be best instead of these narcotics that mess with my bowels.

He doesn't know why I'm still having to bare down so much and took a sample from my scope to check for pouchitis even though he didn't see any symptoms. We will see if those few adhesions caused my problems when I heal a bit more, the surgery was just 3 days ago.

I told him I have been thinking a lot about going back to the bag and he said I should find a good GI first and make exhaust some more possibilities, but that may be something I'll have to consider for the future.

I was so glad he was willing to check me out though, and that only a few adhesions had come back since my last surgery 2 months ago. He filled me up with adhesion killing goop again.

So now I just have to figure out what kind of doctor to go see for the muscular problem!!

- Sarah