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Hi.

I am in major pain right now. I concluded I have a partial blockage. I started feeling pain in my back 2 days ago, but blamed it on shoveling snow (30+ inches this weekend). Realized I wasn't going to the bathroom much and the pain started to move to the stomach. Started high (near breast bone) and has been moving slowly down. Woke up this morning with majorly sore lower abs. (I had my reversal 4.5 years ago). I have had minor blockages but nothing this painful. I am pooping a little so it's not a total blockage. I've been trying to walk around but the pain is really bad (and I have a high pain tolerance). I have been drinking seltzer (water gives me heartburn!), gatorade, soup to stay hydrated.
Csll into the GI doctor. Was supposed to call back in a few minutes....an hour ago.

I'm exhausted (even though I have kind of been sleeping), I'm cranky, and I'm kind of hungry (that hunger tummy ache) but I'm scared to really eat anything. I've been laying on my left side.

Any other tips? I'm gassy feeling which I guess is kind of good. probably a result of the seltzer...

Help?

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Are you having bowel movements? You mentioned pooping a little do you feel like you are not going as much as you should be?

I got a severely sore back shovelling snow this past weekend (31 inches where I live in CT). Shovelling uses a lot of muscle groups, but since this is a migrating pain, a blockage of some kind is a good guess.

My experience for developing blockages is that walking/movement will help to resolve it whereas laying in bed will not help, even if that is all you feel like doing.

Good luck.
CTBarrister
Last edited by CTBarrister
UPDATE

I just came home from the hospital. I spent almost another day and a half trying to push through the pain before I went.

Friday morning I was even more miserable than before. Put a call into my GI doctor when the office opened at 9. Around 11:30 he finally called back. Because of where the pain was (upper right quadrant), he was worried it could have been my gallbladder. He sent me to the ER to meet up with one of his partners.

Got to the ER by 2pm Friday. I had a heart rate around 150, so I was promptly put on fluids because it was obvious to them that I was dehydrated, even though I was drinking as much as I possibly could have. Met with the ER doctor who did a sonogram. He didn't see any gallstones or anything but ordered a CT scan. After forcing myself to drink the liquid for the CT scan (at that point the pain was horrible and it hurt to even have liquids), I had a CT scan around 7pm. CT scan showed a partial blockage. I met with a surgeon from the hospital (different hospital from where my surgeon is), who said he didn't think I had adhesions and didn't think I would need surgery but was in the background just in case (Luckily, I didn't need his services!). Around 8 I also finally took up the offer for pain medication. Morphine is a lovely drug! It took major edge of the pain and I was finally able to relax. I was technically admitted to spend the night around 8pm when I finally met with my GI's partner, who just confirmed everything all the other doctors were saying.

Even though I was technically admitted at 8pm, I spent another 4 hours in the triage area waiting for a bed. At midnight a bed opened up in another area. I'm not quite sure what the area was. To me, it was basically an upgraded ER setting. I spent the night there (at least this spot had a TV!). I was definitely using the bathroom more which was good (but also a pain with the IV).

I don't know if the morphine just totally numbed everything for a while and by the time it was out of my system the blockage passed more, or what, but after that one dose of morphine, I didn't need anymore pain meds.
I did have to have potassium IVs twice. I cringed when I heard that because they burn, but the nurses were awesome and lidocane was mixed into the IV to numb it.

After spending 18ish hours in the 'fancy' ER, a bed in a room opened up and around 8pm on Saturday I was moved up to a room. At that point I was feel so much better. I had been reintroduced to a liquid diet (the first night I wasn't allowed anything by mouth, which was painfully hard because I was thirsty). This morning(Sunday) I was given regular breakfast. I ate what I could, slowly and carefully. I did a lot of walking and by the time the doctors came by I was told I would be discharged. I was around for lunch and tried to eat a little more to make sure I was really ready to leave. By 3pm I was finally discharged.

I'm doing much better now. Still have some soreness/discomfort but not horrible. Taking it easy.

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions on how to move the blockage.
B
It sucks to get a blockage so far out from takedown. Is this your first? If there were no adhesions I wonder what brought this on?

The dehydration and low potassium was due to insufficient fluids and nutrients getting through, in all likelihood. Good thing you went to the ER when you did! Check that tough guy Bruce Willis thing at the door. I realize most 21 year olds think they are indestructible, but I got a news flash for ya, you're not.

Glad to hear you made it through OK bratcat.
CTBarrister

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