Shannon,

Have you been scoped recently or at anytime since your surgery in 2010? For how long have you had this issue described in your post?

Scoped in the past 6 mos everything looked good! This pain has been present for about 2 days, progressively getting worse.

Could be pouchitis, but these symptoms seem rather severe, and pouchitis generally has increased frequency and urgency as the primary symptoms. Do you have a fever?

To me, this sounds more like an obstruction. Try eliminating solids, increase fluids and see if things don't improve over the weekend. But if this gets worse, you probably would need urgent care and not wait until Monday.

If you are concerned, you should call your doctor today before we get into the weekend.

Jan

Jan, I am moving my bowels, just having to strain, which is unusual.

That is how I feel with a partial obstruction. I get them once or twice a year. Sometimes it takes a week to resolve. Partial obstructions are not an emergency, that was why I thought you could wait this out, unless it became complete.

Jan

Could it be a stricture?

kathy

Jan I think you may be on to something. I just went to the bathroom and oh my gosh! won't be too graphic but wow do I feel a major difference! And now that I think of it I had a similar feeling last year only higher in the abdomen. Now I just need to figure out what I ate that caused this. Last year it was corn on the cob I guess I'll have to look back at my foods for this week, another thing to scratch off my diet.

Thanks!

I would be careful eating corn on the cob, or large quantities of any of the very fibrous foods, like nuts, spinach, mushrooms.

I would also be careful with taking too many anti-diarrheals. I take antibiotics which naturally thicken the stool, but one time I took too many imodiums and I had a partial obstruction after eating a large serving of banana pancakes, which are otherwise a harmless food. I did not have a bowel movement all day and then started feeling knotted up and I was eventually able to walk off that obstruction.

Sometimes when you feel really good you get adventurous and binge or eat a lot of something that can be a problem (like corn on the cob) and you get a reality check. I think this episode is just a little reality check. Just be careful with these foods.

Generally, it is not a specific food, unless you ate crazy amounts of high fiber food. Usually, it is just your gut kinking from adhesions, and if you have overdone the bowel slowers and/or fiber supplements, that can add insult to injury. In my case, when it occurs, it is out of the blue and I have done or eaten nothing unusual.

Fickle finger of fate. I just don't want you to get the idea that "if only I avoid "X" food, I will prevent this from happening." it is more random than that.

Jan

I totally agree with you on that one, Jan. Mine have come out of the blue . . . . as my last surgeon said, "it is inevitable". Sorry for the sour words!