I try to limit myself to liquids, to stay well hydrated and not make things any worse. If you’re still pooping and tolerating food then it isn’t much of an obstruction, thank goodness, but do be careful. The safest foods are those without solid chunks or fibrous material.

Hi Scott,

Thanks for your reply.  When you say you limit yourself to liquids, until when?  Until it dislodges?  Should I expect this blockages to breakup on its own?

I am thinking it was caused by undercooked carrots and I am concerned that they are just sitting there. Would they decompose and start to shrink in size?

Peggy

The best way to understand most of these partial obstructions is to realize that they aren’t simple plugs of solid matter in a rigid tube, like a waste pipe. The first thing that happens is that the opening in the tube (intestine) gets smaller, usually because the intestine moves (kinks or twists) around an anchor point caused by an adhesion. When the opening gets smaller things (especially solids) can back up and make you miserable by stretching a gut that’s trying to push things along. The ultimate resolution is generally when the intestine shifts again and the tube opens back up. There is some digestion and softening of the plug of solid food, but you’re really hoping for a (prompt) reopening. This almost always happens on its own in a matter of days, and the key is to stay hydrated (and to notice if things get very bad and you need to go to the ER). The two possible bad things (beyond an uncomfortable day or three) are dehydration and bowel rupture - you’d need a hospital to deal with either of those. You’d be in a *lot* of pain, and likely vomiting if bowel rupture were a consideration.

One usually has more pain with a partial obstruction. It's good that you're seeing your doc today. I had similar symptoms  and had a CT scan which showed nothing.  Was diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Any updates? Let us know how it goes at the doctor's.

Maverick,

Thanks for your reply. Your suspician is correct-doctor does not think it's a partial obstruction.  He also didn't think my symptoms aligned with a blockage. He used a stethoscope to lisen to abdomen and he said there's too much noise going on in there for a bloackage-things are moving. He is fairly certain it's my gallbladder.  I am having an ultrasound of abdomen on Wednesday and that will look at liver, gallbladder, stomach and pancreas.  If nothing looks "broken" lol, in there (such as my gallbladder), they will do a CT to look for blockage.  It could be the gallbladder.  Pain is on the right side, sometimes it's high up where the gallbladder is but other times it's lower down. We shall see. I don't want to lose my gallbladder.  After my mom had hers out she had issue with diarrhea.  I had my colon taken out so I didn't have to deal with urgency anymore. I dread living that life again .  I am hoping for the best and for now doc has me on a low-fat, quasi-BRAT diest with no dairy.

Best regards,

Peggy

Hi Peggy, I'm sorry you have to go through all of this. I sympathize.  I hope you don't have to have another surgery.  I wish you the best. Keep us posted. As many people have similar issues,  your posts could help people who might be going through the same thing. I wish you well.

I’m glad you probably aren’t obstructed, Peggy. I hope it gets figured out quickly and it’s straightforward to address.

Thank you both, Maverick and Scott, for the advice!  It's very helpful to have expert advice.  Life with a jpouch is unusual and it's very comforting to know that there's help here from folks who get it.

@msh98991I am glad to learn it is not a bowel obstruction but really hope it's not your gall bladder, either. Let us know how your ultra sound goes. I appreciated your asking your initial question and for @Scott F 's  great explanation of a small bowel obstruction. I have been babying my GI system for the past two weeks post small bowel obstruction hospital stay, and my diet has alternated between clear liquids, full liquids, Miralax, and blended foods. I agree with you - this site is a huge gift and wealth of supportive, helpful information. I don't feel alone here!

I’ve been in the hospital a number of times for obstructions and they are very painful.  I had another surgery in 2017 to redo the j pouch and I haven’t had another blockage since then.  I can’t eat corn, carrots , broccoli and any vegetables unless they are very soft.

Hi,

I'm glad it's been a while since you've had a blockage. I am still undergoing testing to see what is the cause of my issues but they have ruled out what I iitially thought was a partial blockage.  Hopefully, you'll never have toi endure that pain again!

Peggy

Peggy, Am I correct in assuming that your gallbladder wasn't the problem?  Still more tests? As I said earlier, I had similar symptoms, and all of my tests  were negative,  so the doc suspected SIBO. I think he was right because the doxycycline is working wonders. Has your doc ruled that out?

Hi Maverick,

Thanks for checking in! I’m glad your meds are helping you! It sounds like you got an accurate diagnosis and are on the mend. They are still running tests on me. I had an MRI of abdomen yesterday. First test they ran was an ultrasound and for whatever reason they couldn’t get a good look at my gallbladder (it was blocked) so we’re hoping the MRI tells us more. From what the doctor could see on the ultrasound  though he didn’t think it was my gallbladder. I tend to think it does have something to do with my gallbladder though because dull ache is on my right side mostly and my right shoulder can ache as well as my back behind the gallbladder. I’m eating low fat now, but when the smallest amount of fat accidentally sneaks into my diet, I get that the dull ache  over on the right.

Can you share what your SIBO symptoms were?

Peggy

Thanks for letting us know what is going on with you. Sorry to hear you have no relief yet. OK, my symptoms were constant bloating (very uncomfortable), watery and somewhat explosive diarrhea, and pain on my lower left when palpated. I hope you get some answers soon.