In the hospital with bowel obstruction - help SCD?

Yes, I did. But I didn't have an obstruction. I was on the brink of surgery and went on the scd for 6 months. I only quit because I ended up pregnant and was getting too hungry to not include carbs. Pregnancy also put me into a remission of sorts. BUT... it was the SCD that helped me avoid surgery. You could definitely give it a try.

I've been hospitalized 3 times with obstructions. Bowel rest has always been enough to avoid surgery, hopefully it will be the same for you. I was put on pred the first 2 times, but not the last time. And I am yet to change to SCD.

My 2nd resection was due to scar tissue. I was in the hospital for about 3 weeks of IV steroids and complete bowel rest to see if it could resolve the issue. The end result was that the steroids didn't help, so the blockage was scar tissue and had to come out. If you get no relief from the steroids, then scar tissue may be your problem and no diet will help you. If the steroids do help then the diet is worth trying. BUT, I am a strong proponent of maintenance meds in conjunction with diet to achieve and maintain remission. I went 10 years without medication and spent the next decade paying for my foolishness. I hope you are home soon and feeling better.

I feel pretty clueless, but I cannot figure out what SCD means?  Twice I've been hospitalized with partial obstructions, but with rest and antibiotics and steroids I was able to avoid surgery both times.  Good luck to you.

For those of you whos obstruction resolved itself via steroids and anitbiotics, how long did it take? I have been on them for two days now and only showing some minor improvement. Still no bowel movements or gas. They put a ng tube in and that doesnt seem to help either. Least not yet.

Stef17 said...
Yes, I did. But I didn't have an obstruction. I was on the brink of surgery and went on the scd for 6 months. I only quit because I ended up pregnant and was getting too hungry to not include carbs. Pregnancy also put me into a remission of sorts. BUT... it was the SCD that helped me avoid surgery. You could definitely give it a try.

Just so you know, SCD limits the types of carbs you can eat, not the amount of carbs. You can eat all the simple carbs you want (or can tolerate). Some people say they do better when following a low carb version of SCD. As for me, I'd say I eat an average number of carbs on the diet. Some higher carb SCD foods are butternut squash, carrots, bananas, apples, and of course, honey.

I've been following SCD for 9 months. It's done wonders for me, but unfortunately, it won't save me from surgery. I have major scar tissue at the ileocecal valve, and there's just no healing that. Once I have that small area cut out, I'm confident that SCD will keep me from needing further surgery. With the exception of that scar tissue, my colonoscopy in May showed a healthy looking colon (although biopsies showed I still have microscopic inflammation). They say that Crohn's people usually need 2 years on the diet to heal, so I'd say I'm making good progress towards it.

Jay, I hope that you "only" have inflammation instead of scar tissue, because SCD can most certainly help you avoid surgery then!

Well I almost had a bowel movement this morning. Just too much pain to really push it out. Stomach still so fat. Did have some burping though that relieved some pressure. They plan to do a ultrasound of my tummy today. Thanks for all your help.

Jay25CA said...
pimfram how quickly did your symptoms resolved with bowel rest?

It usually took around 2 days in the hospital on bowel rest until everything was passed through. Then clear fluids, full fluids, and then a soft diet before I was discharged. Then, at home, I was told to pretty much use common sense and not have a huge steak the next day, just keep things on the soft side and eat cautiously.

The main reason I have gone in is because I was unable to keep anything down, be it food or fluids. I sure as heck don't want to get really dehydrated.

Post Edited By Moderator (Nanners) : 8/23/2009 7:48:18 AM (GMT-6)

Personally, I've never had a bowel obstruction last that long. I remember my last full obstruction (I've since had 2 partials that didn't require hospitalization), began building on a Wednesday, and I was hospitalized by that evening. They tried to put an ng tube in, but without success (it was also the first time I'd ever had one attempted on me). Thursday was nothing by mouth, and Friday was stuff like jello. On Saturday morning, they gave me regular food for breakfast and sent me home.

I think that time line has always been pretty typical for my obstructions.

i am going for surgery tomorrow. think i will finally be well again.

God Bless. My prayers are with you! Cleo

First, Jay, I just want to say good luck and hope it all goes well!

Second, I am curious, Nanners and Zane, about the the no medication route. If you don't mind sharing, I'm curious what happened after the remission with no medication that lead to such problems. I know obviously you came out of remission, but during your non-medication time, did you not have any symptoms until it was too late? And did you follow a specific diet through all your years of remission?

I've been going back and forth between trying to get off meds, because I would like to try and get pregnant next year. I've read a lot of success with diet and then none at all, so I'm confused. I hope I'm not pressing too much about sharing, so if it's too personal, I understand.