hospital stay for obstructions

Just to add, doctors just came in and guess I'm on for an MRI on the morning. They want to make sure it's adhesion related and not narrowing due to Crohn's. Really? Not a topic I thought I'd have to discuss. So, come on adhesions?

Two years ago I had two blockages. I was able to go home the same day. Now I drink lots of water. If that does not work, I drink apple juice and eat dark chocolates to get things moving.

Have had four hospital stays from blockages this year last one only last week usually I stay in until every thing starts moving and I am going to the toilet, they give me food like jelly custard and yogurt, they seem to think mine is involving adhesions have had ct scans and ex rays each time I go in to the point the doctor has said not to have any more ct scans.i have an appointment in January to discuss what to do if anything usually I go up to 20 times a day so he is wanting to put me on low does of flagyl antibiotic will worry about this when the times comes

Back in August, I went in on a Wednesday evening and left that next Saturday afternoon.

Last 2 full blown obstructions I stayed home for 24hrs...waited for them to pass...I give myself 26hrs after which time I estimate it is time to hit the ER...I have been lucky that they has blown over within that time limit...the others I needed to be hospitalised and they kept me until it passed +12hrs.
Sharon
ps. For me a full blown obstruction is 'nothing goes in, nothing comes out' other than the obvious vomitting...can't keep down a pill let alone fluids...once they pass I push hot liquids and any other type of fluids I can for 48 hrs before starting solids.

johnjthompson, thanks for the dark chocolates tip! I'm going to get some to have on hand for the next time I have one of my partial blockages I haven't had a full blown one yet, thank God.

Seriously, I feel for you all as I get partial blockages periodically and they are painful and scary so I know what you are going through must be horrible

Anywhere from a week to overnight. I hope u get put soon? Adhesions suck

For me, six days. Around Day #4 my kinked small intestine unkinked! Now that I think about it, I think my surgeon's "massaging" my abdomen helped. At the time I thought he was trying to kill me. All of this happened about 10 years ago and was the only complete obstruction I've ever had. Thank God! It was more painful than childbirth!

A couple of weeks ago I had what I thought was a blockage. The symptoms were extreme pain (as much as I have ever experienced), and vomiting. Turns out it was a kidney stone (or stones). Hard to believe such a small object can be the source of such a large pain. Anyway, I was curious if it is possible to distinguish an intestinal blockage from one in your urinary system? Do the symptoms differ?

Emotionally falling apart...after days of tests, just told I have
Crohns.

I am so sorry,
Whatever happens, we are with you...
Hugs
Sharon

So sorry to hear about your Chron's diagnosis. I had 1 obstruction (1st time in 13 years) that landed me in the hospital overnight. I've had 2 since then that resolved on their own by drinking very warm tea & believe it or not, placing 2 bay leaves in boiled water, adding a touch of honey & drinking it like tea. (A dear friend of mine who is 77 now told me about this...she's from Italy & it's one of those "old school" remedies.) I have some narrowing & that's what's caused the obstructions. The other items to keep on hand are white grape juice, Gatorade (b/c chances are you'll become dehydrated) & clear broth. Do you take probiotics? They help keep things moving along too.
Wishing you all the best!

So Sorry to hear your diagnosis. Maybe they are thinking crohns because you have narrowing? Is the narrowing at a old surgical site? Such as inlet to j pouch or where your old ostomy site was? My daughter's drs have gone back and forth on this issue and basically her narrowing/ stricturing has always been at a previous surgical site. Right or wrong, for now the drs, and this is 4 drs from NY, CC and Chicago, all feel it's not crohns and she heals with scar tissue at surgical sites.

Maybe that is why they are thinking crohns?

To answer your first question, she has had many blockages and has only gone to the ER twice and the most she stayed was a 2 days.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Hi Beckysmom,

So I do not have biopy results back yet, but the diagnosis was based on the following from all I remember: narrowing at several areas throughout the small bowel seen on the CTs (one being at my old ostomy site), ulceration/bleeding in my stomach seen during the endoscopy, inflammation in small bowel during endoscopy, chronic pouchitis, having had UC for 15 years with hardly any problems aside from the first year, iron-deficiency anemia, the pain I experienced during the scopes, perhaps the fact my colon was out due to dysplasia (can't remember), questionable biopsies from previous scopes, and her expertise on seeing patients with Crohn's disease for 15 years. She did say that it was possible it could be some other rare problem, but in her opinion, it seemed fairly obvious. Either way, for now, treatment would be the same. Prednisone to start, and we will wait for biopsies to come back before determining if other medications are needed. I have a follow up in a week to discuss everything once biopsy results come back.

Are you home from hospital yet? If not, I hope you get to go home soon.

Sounds like you have a thorough dr and a plan to feel better.

You are in my prayers.

I can see why there might be causes for all of those other things from some of my own experiences so I'm hoping your doctor is wrong. I guess the biopsies will tell the story. I hope you are feeling better.

Thanks TE Marie...that would be great if they were wrong of course. Guess we will just wait and see.

Clz81, so sorry to hear about the possible Crohn's diagnosis. I'm saying 'possible' because I truly hope the diagnosis is wrong! Obstructions are such a pain to deal with. I continue to have them every few months, but luckily they seem to pass on there own after 2-8 hours or so. Still I know how scary it can be during each one. I'm always praying it's not Crohn's and that it won't require surgery or an ER trip. It's so hard to continually live in fear. For me, I feel like it could happen after any meal and many foods can cause it, which is also why it's scary.

But hang in there! Hope things are moving now and that you're starting to feel better if still in the hospital or back home. Good luck with the diagnosis. I really hope you can get a second opinion and that the biopsies are negative!

Yes, I did make it home Wed. night. I'm still on much smaller meals, but relatively back to eating again. Mhg26, I've never really had any issues before so never have been too worried about blockages. I feel like I'm going to constantly live in fear every time I eat now :-(

I hope you have a good weekend and feel better the further out you are from your obstruction.

Glad to hear you're home. Don't live in fear of eating, just be smart about what you eat. Avoid the obvious foods you know are difficult to digest, eat smaller meals, add some healthy snacks, and be sure to chew thoroughly. For a great snack of fruit, peel some apples & pears & steam them (separately as the timing for them is different) w/ a little water & cinnamon. They get very soft & incredibly sweet. Go to sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes...you can peel those, cut them up, toss w/ olive oil & some spices (and a touch of cinnamon) & roast them. They don't take long to cook & of course have way more nutrients than white potatoes.

I know it's scary waiting to hear the outcome of your biopsies, & I truly hope it's not Chron's. Hang in there!

Clz,
Congratulations on making it home...good news. I am always weary of eating immediately post blockage but you can start out with soups and work your way up...after a little while you are going to forget the trauma and move past it...And be back to eating normally in no time...
Here's hoping that it is soon.
Sharon

I agree in terms of taking it slow with food early on...I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I just think that you can't be afraid to introduce "real" food slowly.

I agree with the last few comments. Just be careful what you do eat. Soup is always a good choice to start for small dinners, and I find things like oatmeal or cereal with milk to be innocuous enough for breakfast or brunch. Bananas are good for your potassium levels and quick energy. A lot of times I'll drink ensure nutrition shakes since it's very light and has all the necessary vitamins, minerals, sugars, fats, etc.

Once you're feeling confident enough to take on some veggies, I would try things that can be roasted or really cooked well to the point where they melt in your mouth. Some examples of good veggies like that are cauliflower, spinach, and even broccoli if you cook it the right way. It can be scary at first eating those foods, but they are good sources of fiber that help thicken up your stools and push things along. The sweet potatoes are another good idea.

If you're a meat eater like me and can't stand the soup and crackers diet etc., then you can always try some light kind of bland fish like tilapia. Salmon, halibut, and things like chilean sea bass are all generally other good options. I've experimented with them all and they're all relatively easy to digest. Also a good sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Just be careful not to eat fish all the time because of the possible mercury levels. As you ascend up the food chain into predatory fish like tuna , the mercury content rises in a process known as biological magnification. This just means that toxins get concentrated within a food web. You needn't worry about it much as long as you keep switching it up with the fish and don't eat things like tuna or the sea bass more than once every week or so.

Good luck with the reacclimatization to a diet that works for you.

How are you feeling?