Severe abdominal pain, no obstruction...what is it?

@Bubba1028 posted:

If, and I’m thinking ahead here, but “if” the pain got worse and I had to go back, I think it would be best to go back to the hospital he has admitting privileges to, so that I would see someone in his practice so we can figure out what is going on, don’t you think?

Bubba I do think the above would be a prudent course of action. I don't know what else to say except I hope it gets better. If it's gas it should pass, but if it returns I would suggest what you have posted above. I wish you the best of luck.

I did have a situation like this once right after takedown but the pain was in my side, like in my kidneys. It was excruciating, I was doubled over in pain, couldn't drive, and my father took me to ER. It was a sodium overdose after foolishly eating an anchovy pizza and washing it down with V8 juice and potato chips. My GI told me to eat high sodium diet after TD and I took it to an extreme. I was young and stupid at the time. The ER doc said it was the highest sodium level he had ever seen when my tests came back. They gave me liquids and an IV and I was discharged. Your situation sounds different, my pain was in my lower sides where my kidneys are. I think my kidneys went into some kind of shock.

Partial obstructions frequently don’t show up on imaging. Is stuff getting into your pouch (and then into the toilet)? Are you vomiting? Are you able to consume fluids? Are you eating solid food?

Ugh that sounds horrible! I’m glad they caught it and you’re okay.

Actually, I think we have the same doc in New Haven, CT. Anyway, at least I have an action plan for next time.

I wonder if maybe it was an obstruction and it cleared and now this is just the calm after the storm- getting back to normal? In my experience it always takes a day or two for the stomach to feel better.

If it's Dr. Brand, we do.

I had some obstructions and they have a very distinctive type pain, like you are knotted up, and the pain becomes worse and worse until the obstruction clears whether from vomiting, NG tube or on its own, and I experienced all 3.

If it's an obstruction that cleared on it's own, I would take it easy diet-wise until you speak to Dr. Brand or whomever your GI is.

I’m vomiting and very nauseous. I have not been eating much - I did just eat a few saltines. The CT contrast usually does make me sick and that’s about when that lovely side effect kicked in.

I should clarify that the obstructions I’ve had in the past have been partial ones and have cleared on their own, thankfully- no NG tube. I am passing liquid when I go to the bathroom. Trying to drink but not much luck there. Going to just try to eat a bit more. Took some zophran I had leftover from the last time and that helped for a bit- had to take more though.

Hopefully the Zofran kicks in and stops the vomiting from the contrast.  I remember when I had the MRI Enterography and they injected me with a drug they said around 50% of patients get sick from. They brought out a vomit bucket, which really warmed the cockles of my heart.  The drug was called glucaphen, or something like that.  It slows down the bowels and they take another set of images after it kicks in. I was a little freaked out by it especially because when you are inserted in the MRI tube there is no access to the vomit bucket, so that if there is a sudden wave of nausea there is a good chance of vomiting on one's self as there is no place to go inside the MRI tube.  Fortunately this did not happen, as I actually did not get sick from the contrasts on the CT or the MRI.

Oh yes the dreaded bucket. If it’s the one I’m thinking of, it’s the size of those chicken buckets from Kentucky Fried Chicken. It’s like, I’m sick, but idk how much you expect me to throw up!

I did throw up inside on of those rotating CAT machines. The lady said if I was going to be sick mid-scan, just turn my head, which I did. Ugh, I felt so bad. I’m sure I’ve not been the first to do that though!

Bubba, this sounds like the problem I was having. I kept having severe abdominal pain, couldn't eat much, because it only made it worse. After a while I would start to vomit. Away to the hospital we would go. They'd make me drink the contrast, I would throw it up, they'd do CT anyway. They would find nothing. This went on for months. Finally one ER visit, the CT came back that my small intestine was so, to put it mildly, so swollen and full of shit that they wanted to do emergency surgery. After talking to my surgeon, I was admitted, out came the GI tube, and enemas. My surgeon after much back and forth with my GI decided they would take this route first. After a week, they finally did a scope and found a stricture at the pouch outlet. They said it was only open about the size of a pin head. The GI tried balloon dilation. That didn't work very well, but did open the stricture enough for liquid to pass. Long story short. After weeks of miralax a couple of times a day and enemas the surgeon finally did dilation with hegar dilators. That also only went so far, but a lot better than the balloon. I hope this isn't your problem, but that stricture did not show up on the CT scan or abdominal x-ray. Something to look into anyway.

Aimee

Oh that sounds so painful. Did the structure go away?

I think mine was a partial obstruction that might have cleared before they did the CT. I was very sore all weekend- similar to before when I had an obstruction and it had cleared. I just know that’s what it was.

The nausea subsided after I stopped the meds. Rest was super helpful too. I’m at 100% now.

thank you for your story. I’m so sorry you went through that.

So glad you are feeling better. No the stricture didn't go away. It's an ongoing thing for me. At least it's been dilated. I'm sure it will always be an ongoing thing for me. But hey, could be worse.

Aimee

Are you doing better Bubba? Did everything clear up?

Oh yes thank you. I feel 100% better. I have a follow up appt with my GI next week.

@Bubba1028 posted:

Oh yes thank you. I feel 100% better. I have a follow up appt with my GI next week.

So happy you are at peace