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Benign Pneumatosis?

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Posted 9/12/2009 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone have any PERSONAL experience and or knowledge about what exactly "benign pneumatosis" is?  Yes, I have looked it up on the web and talked to docs about it, but still dont' have a quite good picture about what causes it, how to treat it, how severe it is etc..

I've had 2 CT scans done in the last month that show this and the most recent, showed worsening of it... but yet doesn't require surgery.  Well, what do you do in a case like this?  Does it just "heal" and go away?  sorry for the question, i'm lost again....

Posted 9/12/2009 10:57 PM (GMT 0)
if i want my bowel to bloat all i have to do is eat a bowel of ice cream., so this is not good. This causes all kinds of electric responses triggers which send the bowel churning or worse into a freeze sort of a cramp, to where it doesnt move. This is a combination of the response to the diary and possible the calcium combination (is a guess). In crohns my guess is a electrolyte issue. I understand you wanted a reply for the more serious implications, I just do not know, but to start with if you have a blockade there is potential for the bloating and fluid retention, distention. The treatment is to first avoid the problem food, such as the diary, and of course avoid the bulky foods to which might block the blockage (narrow area). if there is an active area then it needs to be treated. I believe pentasa and the 5ASAs are a first line coating type med. If its bacteria related then metronidazle is used soemtimes with cipro. So there is no way I would know the cause. So the pneumatosis is a result of something else, since you are on this forum I am guessing its from crohns or perhaps celiac related. Pneumatosis intestinalis, defined as gas in the bowel wall. What did your doctor say to do?
Posted 9/12/2009 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
But what does "gas in the bowel wall" actually mean, and is this severe? See, thats where AGAIN i'm confused.. because according to these ER docs, they refuse to let me leave, yet they can't do surgery... so I"m stuck

My GI basically says, if the pain gets that bad again, go to the ER and see if you require emergent surgery. So.. thats my story. I'm ready to explode at any second and then maybe to be operated on by some general ER doc... fun! Thats why I'm lost and confused.

Anyway...thank you for YOUR help!!
Posted 9/13/2009 12:39 AM (GMT 0)
i'm a bit confused...If they refused to let you leave and yet the advice is to go to ER, i assume you are home.
The prognosis of this condition, observed in benign or severe diseases, is based on the outcome of the underlying affection. Since you are benign this is not as bad as severe, but not necessarily ok because the underlying condition is not known. Follow up with blood test to see what this is.
Posted 9/13/2009 12:47 AM (GMT 0)
thank you! oh and by the way, they don't let me leave, as in they always INSIST on admitting me for surgeon consults.. but that just ends up being a dead road because i'm not yet a candidate for surgery, so then i just go home... i'm not sure pneumatosis is caused by infection... at least, i haven't heard that yet. in my head i'm thinking i have a hole in my bowel wall... wouldn't that be more the thought?

anyhow, thanks medchrt!
Posted 9/14/2009 5:20 AM (GMT 0)
Pneumatosis can be caused simply by gas pressure applied to a disrupted gut wall. Are you on an immune suppressor? That seems to be a common way for this to happen. Crohn's can also cause the effect as well as other causes of bowel obstruction. For a somewhat technical article reviewing causes of pneumatosis, see: http://radiology.rsna.org/content/207/1/13.full.pdf+html

There is a summary of causes under the picture labeled "figure1". It does not mention intestinal lupus, but since that seems to cause "chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction", it seems to fit some of the criteria.
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