Wondering if any of you have these on a regular basis? Pouch installed a year ago, everything going fine until May. Then one a month until this month when I've had three. Takes 8-12 hours for it to pass. Very painful. First one put me in the er.

Research suggests it is fairly common.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1422415

Scar tissue or kink in bowel. Any helpful hints would be appreciated. I'm guessing they will be along the lines of diet and chewing and what not to eat. I hate common sense. :>(

Happy bowel movements to all of you!

If they are intermittent, then there isn't much of anything you can do to prevent them. This is because the intestines are moving all the time and regardless of what you eat or don't eat, you either will or will not obstruct at any particular point in time. It all depends on whether your gut is zigging or zagging against those adhesions (scar tissue). The scar tissue causes the bowel to kink at times.

We would like to think we have more control over this, but we really don't. So there really is no point in depriving yourself of foods you like in a pointless attempt to prevent obstructions.

However, that does not mean you can eat huge quantities of fibrous foods without chewing them!! Also, if you have a stricture, where the bowel itself is actually narrowed (common in Crohn's), diet can make a difference because the passageway is permanently narrowed.

Generally, obstructions become less and less likely as time goes on. Your gut seems to learn to deal with the adhesions. But for some people, it is a chronic issue and eventually requires surgical release of the adhesions.

Jan

Hi Steve,
Well, Jan's got the cat's meow on this. I too suffer from intermittent SBO's. Earlier this year I had three in a row. Last year the same. The real killer for me in this case is that my insurance Co. now charges $100 a day for the first 3 days of hospitilization so I have already spent $900 in hospital alone...Not including the doctor visits when out, pain meds etc... I have almost reached my cap...I think I have another $300 left to reach my $2,000 yearly cap. If that happens I hope if anything major comes along it will be over and done with and I won't have to fork out anymore money
It's really important to do as much walking as possible when these obstructions happen...
My usual thing that happens when I get a SBO is ER and admission to the hospital. The dreaded NG tube(I'm going to argue next time!)pain meds and walking...I tell my docs you keep my pain managed and I'll walk, that's the deal...
One thing to keep in mind...You don't have to be throwing up or have no BM's to have a SBO...
Obstructions that are high up lend themselves to vomiting. You can have a decrease or even increase in BM's but if they are clear/yellow with no material then that can be a sign as well. For me, the big thing is SBO pain is different than gas pain, or any other pain for that matter..
Julie

Quote from the article: Although adhesions do have beneficial effects, they are also the primary cause of small bowel obstructions (SBOs) after abdominal surgery. Not only do they cause a considerable number of complications and deaths, but the healthcare costs required to deal with these issues are also considerable. 4,5

Beneficial effects? What am I missing here? I really don't think having 4 surgeries for adhesions, many er visits, constant pain from them and not being able to eat most of the time benefical, unless you count the weight management system they are enforcing on me as a benefit.
Shannon

Thanks for the feedback.

I deserved two of the six sbo's. I had Tai for lunch. I love Tai. Yes, HUGE quantity of fiber and might not have chewed sufficiently.

I will try the walking. I walk alot anyway. The only problem is that they always hit at night. Wake at 1am in excruciating pain. Twice I have vomited between 4am and 6am, the output being the dinner from 8-10 hours earlier undigested. I do immediately notice that the frequent bm's stop as well. Once the sbo ends, I go several times in an hour, as all the backed up waste heads out to sea.

I feel your pain Julie. Yes, SBO pain is uniquely painful. I must admit that by the sixth one, I at least know what to expect. Don't like it, but know it will pass. Need to get some more Vicodin.

Thanks pouchers!

quote:

SBO pain is uniquely painful

Amen to that!

I agree....worse than labor in childbirth! For me, anyway! Fortunately, I've only experienced one obstruction....a twisted small intestine rather early after takedown. My surgeon continues to remind me of that "event"! It has been six years since and no problems! Knock on whatever!

Thai food contributed to your SBO??? Wow, I eat that stuff all the time. Maybe it's something specific in the food...I dunno.
I love Thai...My favorites are larb gai(chicken with mint) Chicken Satay(sp?)and one that you don't see too often is Mee Krop. Of course there is also phad thai.....O please! I'm making myself hungry!! LOL
What have you eaten that you thought caused you a probem?? Also have you ever noticed how it seems more painful AFTER the thing has passed? I think a lot of people believe that once you get out of the hospital that you are completely fine...Of course those of us who have been thru these things know better...
Julie