Having new problem

Sounds like a blockage to me. I have had a couple partial blockages right underneath my old stoma site. Nausea, bloating, and watery stool is also everything I experienced when I had the blockages. I usually revert back to the good old liquid diet that we all were familiar with in the UC days. Drink lots of fluids and try and move around a lot to loosen things up. I also massage my stomach to help things break up a little but dont press too hard it could be painful. Ive noticed this happen to me mainly when I have a big meal at night and must have laid down to go to sleep before everything digested correctly. What have you been eating these last couple days?

I didn't really eat anything out of the ordinary, although the second one happened after I ate out, and perhaps ate a little more than usual.

In your opinion, is this worth seeing my GI guy about, or wait and see if it becomes a chronic problem?

Thank you!

Most obstructions have little or nothing to do with what you have eaten. They are usually due to adhesions (internal bands of scar tissue that form in the first few weeks after surgery). These adhesions can be trouble free for decades, then suddenly cause a kink, and voila!, you have an obstruction. The obstruction usually subsides as suddenly as it started when the kink relaxes.

If you had a serious obstruction, the intestines can be a bit swollen for a while, so you may be more susceptible to a relapse. Generally, if you avoid solid food and drink liquids only, things move along in a day or two (with residual soreness). Sometimes you will see evidence of backed up food that does not digest well (like mushrooms or other fibrous foods) after things break loose. But, they generally are not the cause, just evidence that there was an obstruction.

As long as things resolved on their own, no need for a visit to your GI, at least not yet. You probably should call or email him, just to let him know what is going on and he can put it into your record. He can decide if further investigation is warranted. He wouldn't do anything at this point though, since you are fine now. If this becomes a recurring thing, then yes, time to be seen. And of course, if the pain becomes constant and escalates in severity, you need to go to the ER. Like a strangulated hernia, it can become a surgical emergency if not treated. Vomiting is usually a sign of a more serious obstruction, so pay attention if this keeps happening.

I know it seems counter intuitive that there really isn't much you can do about these occurrences, but for the most part, they are random. Anybody who has had abdominal surgery is at risk.

Jan

Thank you both - I think it's passed, and likely was an obstruction. I've stuck to a liquid diet for a few days. I'll slowly introduce solid foods and see where it goes.

Jan....when my small intestine kinked and caused a full on obstruction with pain which made childbirth labor seem like a breeze, my surgeon used his hands to "press" on my abdomen causing excruciating pain. He did this several times and I thought (at the time) he was feeling for something. Now, I wonder if he was trying to manipulate things so that the kink would "unkink". I guess it worked because after four days it unkinked and he didn't need to operate! What do you think?

MrVernon, please keep us posted on what happens when you introduce solid foods. I'm going through a very similar situation, and have already been to the ER once, almost twice with terrible cramping pain and vomiting. I've had an abdominal x-ray and CT scan, which showed no obvious obstruction. I'm now waiting for the results of an MRI. On a liquid diet, and afraid to try solids, since the last time I did (after 3 days of liquids) it almost sent me back to the ER.