You need to be seen by a C/R surgeon or GI. If there offices are not open today call anyway. The answering service will get hold of your doctor or the doctor that is on call for him/or her. When they call back explain everything to them.

The medication strength you have is what I take but not with so much tylenol. Youneed to make sure you don't take more than 3,000 or 4,000 of it every day. I believe it's 4,000 you might want to google that.

In any event call the doctors and it doesn't hurt to sound scared or cry a little.

Maybe someone else can post on what you can do at home for a blockage - I don't know what to do with a stoma blockage. I know some people have had scopes or whatever through their stomas. Also could they have done an MRI? I have no idea if that would help but it does not use radiation.

I hope you are feeling better soon. Please let us know how you are doing.

Selma, sorry you are going through this. Just throwing this out there. When my daughter had her temp ostomy she had a blockage at the stoma site, caused by an adhesion, that was not seen even, though during that 10 weeks of hell she had 3 ct scans. They didn't see the adhesion behind the stoma until they did her take down. During those 10 weeks she would have episodes of nothing coming out in her bag.

Maybe an adhesion?

I would go with what tough suggested, call the service, someone has to be there.

Best wishes

Selma, I feel for you and something similar happeded to me 3 months after the removal of my colon back in 1993.

Nothing, and I mean nothing was coming out of my stoma either. I am not sure how much pain you are in but mine was so bad, I had to get to the ER ASAP.

After begging for pain meds, they finally gave me a shot of Morphine or Demerol and after that, I began to relax and fell asleep.. While I slept, everthing came out of me. Later, when I was back in my hospital room for observation, I was seen by my surgeon and a doctor who specializes in Infections Disease. They asked me what I ate the day before since this all happened to me first thing in the moring.

I told them I had been to the movies with my brother and I ate two large bags of popcorn. They told me that Corn can cause blockages to the stoma. I wish someone would have told me that before.

Maybe you can ask the doctor for pain meds like I was but I would call your doctor right away to play it safe. Hope you are feeling better soon.
Rocket

selma-
It does sound like you have a partial blockage. I don't believe it would necessarily be seen on an xray. And I agree why do a CAT scan when even if it showed it there isn't much they would do about it.

Try all the blockage tricks: drinking grape juice, moving around A LOT including twisting bending, strecthing, and jumping, taking hot baths, hot showers, put heating pads all over your abdominal area.

If none of that works you really need to be physically seen by a GI doc or colorectal surgeon. Oftentimes walking into the ER is not the best way to make this happen. Can you call your doctors and get in to see one of them? And I agree,... if crying is needed to get help... go for it!

Also one time 24hours after returning home from a surgery, I had a complete blockage, nothing coming out for almost 24hours, vomiting, and unbelievable pain. I ended up in the ER. The colorectal team on call had a resident and fellow put a tube into my stoma and then tons gushed out. It was actually funny when I "sprayed" all over the fellow and resident. Somehow, they had broken the blockage partially free. Then they had the nurses keep doing every hour on the hour all night after they admitted me. I really don't understand it, but I think it pushed through everything and kept it open to get everything out.
hope this gets resolved for you quickly.

I agree. This does sound like a partial obstruction, and I've also been told that such may not necessarily show up on an x-ray. I've had several partial obstructions (all when I had an ileostomy) and yes they can be very, very painful. You may still have residual pain even after the blockage has cleared. Walking, drinking plenty of fluids, warm baths, and gently massaging the abdomen may help. Sometimes you can actually feel where the blockage is--I have been able to--and if you can, just gently try to massage around that area and see if you can't help work it through. In the meantime, do call your doctor. Be careful however of the pain meds--take what you need to feel comfortable, but try to limit if you can, because pain meds can actually slow you down, which you most certainly don't want at this time.

I had a similar experience to Liz when I had a full obstruction after surgery. After several days, the obstruction finally cleared, and I would equate that to a volcano erupting from my stomach. I went through 3 bag changes that night and unfortunately all the nurses in the front row did get wet. :/

Well I went back to the ER on Friday and after a CT was admitted with a partial obstrucion. I have an NG tube to relieve pressure in the bowel and NPO. I feel better. Today I had a small bowel follow through x-ray with barium. It shows a small obstruction in an area close to my stoma and constriction in several places in that area. There is still pain. The internal medicine guy gave us a good explanation and says I may need surgery because the strictures will not go away. He will meet with the surgeon and come up with a plan and get back to us. I dread surgery and had horrible abcesses after two of my 4 past surgeries. I am sure some decision will be made soon. He says adhesions are the cause of the problems. I will post when I know more and any words of wisdom will be appreciated.

Right now I am just doing lots of praying for wisdom and strength to deal with whatever and for wisdom for the doctors.