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32 replies

Full blown obstruction

skn69skn69Member
Sunday noon I had a sudden pain that had me writhing on the floor and screaming (felt like a horse kicked me in the gut) in pain. It lasted about 10mins and then slowly abated only to come back 5 minutes later...waves of pain. It lasted an hour and then subsided enough for me to be able to lay down...then the vomitting started. Couldn't keep a pill down or swallow a drop of anything without throwing it up immediately.
It lasted 24hrs.
Hubby wanted to call an ambulance but I refused. The SOS housecall service refused to come to my suburb and I knew that the ambulance would take me to the closest hospital (really, really bad) and they would scan, find the occlusion and opperate without my consent as soon as they knocked me out with meds. Hubby tends to listen to anything any medical professional says and believes strongly that they are God.
I think that I was more terrified of the hospital than the occlusion.
By 4am I was pretty sure that I would have to go by morning (the advantage of waiting til Monday would be that I could get my own doc to admit me into his service).
At 10am I finally had some gas output from my pouch and was able to drink a few sips of water.
I am still very, very sore today, back pain and I feel like a heard of cattle ran through my intestinal tract. I have a Cat Scan on Monday (earliest possible date that they can take me)...my doc confirmed the occlusion but thinks that there may be either pancreatitis of some other underlying pathology...I think that it is just adhesions or scar tissue. While he was at it he noticed that my thyroid was swollen and my lymph glands are balistic.
Bad week all round but I am happy that the occlusion has passed (mostly).
Sharon
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skn69skn69Member
Thanks guys,
Still really sore when I eat (or breath or move...) but I already worked 2 days this week...I was terrified to miss work and end up getting fired after only 1 week...so I bit the bullit...I am still having occasional cramps after eatting (had to lay down after lunch) but this evening I am fine...
Bondoni,
It could very well be a partial obstruction or a nerve that is twitching in there or a dozen other things but you are better off getting it looked at than ignoring it.
Let us know what happens.
Sharon
skn69skn69Member
Thank you guys,
I keep thinking back on the causes of the occlusion and I have come up with only one possibility...Last Weds, at work, the electric company cut the power to the company I was working in from 9am on...the bathrooms are in a central block with absolutely no lights. I couldn't empty my pouch. Last empty was at 7am, next at 6pm once I got home...I had eaten lunch at work that day (I never eat lunch there) and by 2pm I was 'backing up', by 3 I was in real pain and obviously I couldn't do a thing about it til I got home...I am wondering if that didn't either cause it or at least contribulte to it? With a kpouch you cannot let the gas out without intubating and I couldn't intubate in the full dark. Could the build-up have caused a twist?
Just wondering. (and I like to know why things happen, it reassures me...makes me think that I can have some measure of control)
Sharon
skn69skn69Member
Thanks TE,
You are so sweet but I am neither brave nor couragous...just stubborn...not ready to give up or give in yet...for now I am still a bit concerned though...the pain is still there and every time that I eat I feel very uncomfortable...I have the Scan on Monday so I will know more then...here's hoping that it is nothing but leftover pain from the occlusion.
Sharon
skn69skn69Member
And I pray that you never have to TE...
I am terrified of the scan tomorrow...scared of what they will find because the pain is not going away and after a week it really should have...I feel like there is a huge fist in there and it is pushing at me from the inside out...it is hard to breath deeply and I have absolutely no energy...I usually work out every single day...it has been a week and I can not even walk around the block (other than going to work)....I really no not want to have to deal with another problem.
For now I need to be patient, wait to see if there is anything wrong and pray for the best.
Thanks for caring
Sharon
CTBarristerCTBarristerMember
I am not really sure of the resolution of K Pouch obstructions vs. J Pouch obstructions but the symptoms are the same from your description - pain coming in waves (which actually coincide with the peristalsis) and intensifying. With a J Pouch obstruction it is pretty simple, either it passes or you get an NG tube stuck down your nose. With the K Pouch I don't know what they do. I had about 4 obstructions post takedown and they were all due to adhesions/scar tissue in the aftermath of surgery. Other than a partial obstruction I feel was caused by taking too much imodium and getting constipated about 8-9 years ago (which resolved after walking), I have not had a full blown obstruction in 20 years. Although in July 2012 I was told I was at risk for one because the MRI Enterography showed that my small bowel is narrowed due to inflammation at the junction with the J Pouch. Since then dietary changes I made seem to have things headed in the right direction.

Sharon good luck with the test.
skn69skn69Member
CT,
They are pretty much the same as far as I know...the only difference between the two pouches is really their exit strategy and where they are situated in the body...I have had post op obstructions before and the occasional partial obstruction but never a full blown for no apparent reason...that said, we are getting older and our bodies are changing...so that could be part of the problem...I just cannot remember having this much discomfort for so long afterwards...it is not like I am starving myself, I am eating but it hurts. I am not used to stomach pain either but I guess I will have my answers tomorrow once they finish the scan. Not looking forward to it and a bit anxious about it too...
What is the worst thing that they could find?
Sharon
CTBarristerCTBarristerMember
Full blown obstructions usually happen right after surgery when there is swelling, adhesions and scar tissue. None of those things get worse over time. However, it is possible that the bowel is narrowed or strictured at some place, due to inflammation. This is what they found when they did the MRI Enterography on me. It's the most obvious culprit. I should note that right around the time I had that MRI Enterography, I had gone off antibiotics for 10 days and felt like I was having a blockage. I was not right for an entire weekend. Since then I made some changes and things have gotten better although they are keeping an eye on that strictured area. As to what may be causing swelling or inflammation, they first have to see if there is any and where it is. In my case the hypothesis is that the stricture was due to fecal matter pooling at the junction to the J Pouch. As it swelled the fecal matter pooled even more - a vicious cycle of cause and effect. My doctor warned me there was a serious risk of obstruction or "twisted bowel", but neither has happened. I was eating very badly between 2010-2012 and made significant changes to my diet in large part motivated by fear of blockages and twisted bowel.
Last edited by CTBarrister
skn69skn69Member
Big Grin Big Grin Big Grin TE,
Ok, had the scan done this evening and all is well, he sees nothing and says that It was probably a loop that twisted on itself and has since untwisted (duh!)...am still very sore but relieved with the results...was scared to death that they were going to announce something horrid like a tumor...haven't slept in days...so used to bad news. Finally something good to celebrate.
Sharon
CTBarristerCTBarristerMember
quote:
probably a loop that twisted on itself and has since untwisted (duh!).


This is what I was warned about, twisted bowel. What caused the twisting, and what caused the untwisting?????? I was under the impression that a fecal buildup in an area where the bowel is narrowed, could itself cause the bowel to twist, from what my doctors told me in relation to my own situation.

Maurice Gibb of the 1970s super musical group the Bee Gees died as a result of twisted bowel (went into cardiac arrest while in the hospital awaiting surgery to address the twisted bowel).
TE MarieTE MarieMember
Fantastic news Sharon!

I didn't realize that was the back story on Maruice Gibbs CTBarrister. How do they ever really know for sure anyway? It's almost as bad as Microsoft telling us to re-boot our computers in the 90's. We wanted to know what we did wrong and they couldn't tell us! I'm in abdominal pain all the time as it is and they can't tell me exactly why. IPS, adhesions, sometimes it's contributed to by cuffitis and pouchitis when they are active. It's all a catch-22 and I've been tested for pelvic floor etc. Personally I think some of us get our nerves messed up during surgeries too and people like me, that have fibromyalgia just feel pain worse to begin with. Sorry for the rant Sharon.

This is scary Sharon. If there is a next time please consider going to the hospital.

I think should I ever come into such horrible pain I won't be as brave as you were and will go to the ER. Could your husband have driven you to the good hospital, or is it too far away for that to be feasible?
skn69skn69Member
The hospitals are not that far, yes we could go but if you walk into ER they don't take you just like that...they make you wait around for hours, even if you are screaming in pain (been there, done that!)...you need to be taken in by ambulance but if the ambulance comes here to pick me up in a suburb then they will take me to the suburban hospital which is worse...like you said, Catch 22...same as when hubby had his heart attack...the ambulance came here, would not take him into Paris to a 'real hospital' (being synical here) but only to a really bad suburban one...thay wouldn't accept him because they didn't have room...so we sat around for 1/2hr while they called all the suburbs and there was room in all of the Paris hospitals...it is scandalous but that is life here...I prefer taking my chances at home, thanks! (or waiting for my surgeon to admit me into ER).
Yes, my sister-in-laws keep warning me that occlusions can be fatal (one of hubby's brothers died from one when he was a kid)...so they all go into screaming hysterics whenever anyone has a stomach ache...just greatful that they weren't around when it happened.
Hoping that it does not happen again
Sharon
CTBarristerCTBarristerMember
When I had my post-takedown blockages (in 1992), my parents drove me 1.5 hours to Mount Sinai Medical Center, in New York City, as I writhed in pain in the back seat of their car. I elected to bypass local hospitals in Connecticut, more because of what I knew about Mount Sinai than what I didn't know about the local hospitals. Now that I deal with some of the local hospitals in my business, I think it was a wise decision to go to New York City at that time.

However, I now live near New Haven, and if it ever happened again I would go to Yale New Haven Hospital ER, for insurance and proximity reasons. NYC is now too long a drive- I live further away than I did back in 1992. Also, Yale is actually better than all of the Fairfield County hospitals for digestive diseases, in my opinion. I have very high confidence in my GI who works out of Yale.

I kind of agree with Sharon that the best strategy is you just hope it does not happen again.
Last edited by CTBarrister
skn69skn69Member
Had another short-live 'kick-in-the-gut' again today....not the same spot (lower and to the left of the abdomen, over my old colostomy scar)...I was at work, downtown, going back to school from my lunch break (2 yoghurts)...it hit me like a bullit...I doubled over and stopped in my tracks...waited for it to pass then limped back to work...didn't eat or drink anything for most of the afternoon (was too nauseous anyway) and terrified to find myself with a blockage at work.
The pain eased and disappeared within an hour but it scared me. Drats...What is this? Aftershocks?
Sharon
L liz11Member
yes it can definitely be aftershocks. Your intestine is still swollen from the initial traumatic episode. Oftentimes docs will give you a short course of entocort or something like that to get the inflammation down after a bad partial blockage. Might help if you stick on liquid diet for a few days too. Your intestines were beaten up and they need to heal.
CTBarristerCTBarristerMember
There are ways to make soft, tender matzoh balls. If you use too much egg they can become very hard. They key is do not use too much egg and cook hell out of the balls before putting them in the soup. If you are using a sparing amount of egg, and boil it for about 20 minutes, it should be nice and soft.

Put one soft matzoh ball in the soup on the 3rd day, 2 on the 4th day, and so on and see how it goes.
Last edited by CTBarrister
skn69skn69Member
Had the scan done and they found nothing of any interest but I am still having 'aftershocks'...occasional sudden, sharp abdomenal pain that just takes my breath away and stops me in my tracks...
My GP wants to do a gastroscopy but I can't see how that will help me (only goes down to the stomach)...I suspect that I would be better off with an ultrasound. Wondering if I didn't somehow give myself another hernia? Pain is in the same spot every time, usually when I am active (walking uphill to work, after working out...) Could I done something to myself with all of the climbing up hill with bookbag etc?
Not used to it being a permanent fixture...usually things come and go in my life so this sucks.
Back pain is also raging out of control...Are they related or is it just that I am too old and sick to be running around as much as I do for work? Will be pushed up to full time in January...will I be able to do it?
I feel 90yrs old right now.
Sharon

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