Had the mucosectomy done last wed..I have been passing stool. Watery D/urinating fine but can't seem to get this gas out of me! I feel it moving around in big bubbles, eventually hitting a Wal where it feels like it grows a but which hurts (usually by old stoma site. It will then suddenly and then Idk I can't feel it till it makes its next round. I was supposed to go home today (wed 28) but I'm afraid this will stop them. Though when I brought it up to my surgeon she doesn't seem phased by it nor nurses, only one other doctor so far.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Still not passing gas. My surgeon came in and ordered a CT scan. I'm not passing as much stool anymore either.
I would suspect this is a delayed paralytic ileus. Not common, but it happens. Hopefully, there is nothing structural going on in there. Have your potassium levels been checked? Low potassium can be a cause.
Jan
Jan
Jan, I just actually just received a bag of potassium due to low levels. How does this coincide with not being able to pass gas? Just curios. They also found a 7cm x 2 cm pocket of fluid in/near my pelvis where they were working. I asked about treatment for that but they don't have one yet. Jan your a wealth of information and I enjoy have you on here.
Potassium is important for muscle function. Low serum levels can occur post op as fluids that shift into tissues during surgery return to the blood stream. They can't give you potassium in advance, or you can wind up with heart arrhythmias. Diarrhea also leads to potassium loss.
Anyway, low potassium=reduced bowel activity (paralyzed smooth muscle). The trapped gas is the sign that things are not moving from mouth to anus. You can pass a lot of liquid stool, yet still not be functioning right. That is why they have a party when you fart!
More than likely, it was a combination of intestinal surgery and the low potassium. The pelvic fluid collection is probably a red herring, and not clinically significant (at least not at this point). Everything they find on imaging is not always a concern. They probably will just watch it and see if it resolves over time. If you had a significant fever, they might look at it more closely.
Jan
Anyway, low potassium=reduced bowel activity (paralyzed smooth muscle). The trapped gas is the sign that things are not moving from mouth to anus. You can pass a lot of liquid stool, yet still not be functioning right. That is why they have a party when you fart!
More than likely, it was a combination of intestinal surgery and the low potassium. The pelvic fluid collection is probably a red herring, and not clinically significant (at least not at this point). Everything they find on imaging is not always a concern. They probably will just watch it and see if it resolves over time. If you had a significant fever, they might look at it more closely.
Jan
Definitely check with your doctor. If the mucosectomy led to a surgically related leak in that area, your anus may be stricturing . As a result, nothing can pass. This happened to me and the next step is more surgery. I hope I am completely off base here
I think the potassium ended up being the trick. Things improved and I was sent home. Currently home and doing good minus all this soreness