Shocked by a blockage

I did not know you could have a blockage with a j-pouch. I was on my way to a dance class when all of a sudden I was doubled over in pain. It felt like broken glass was moving around inside my abdomen. It has resolved now but for eight hours it was worse than when my intestine burst. Dr. said I also have pouchitis. I am constantly amazed by how many things can go wrong with our bodies.

Wow you poor thing. That sounds agony and scary. If you have pouchitis, are you now on antibiotics? hope that clears it up. Take care.

Whoa, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. Does your doctor have any idea what may have caused the blockage? I hope you are feeling better soon and are not too shaken up by this.

Sorry to hear this. SO much can go wrong with all these body alterations. NOT that we would have them if we didn't need them but needing them is bad enough without all we are going through. HOpe this resolves. Rosemary

Nice. Suebear and ByeByeUC never seem to have a problem with anything. :D

They must have had top gun surgeons lol

lol

Well, at least you two are around...because it seems that everyone else that has the surgery has some problems. B'Dereh with slght incontinence problem, tennesse guy with weird pain issues, and here mambo...etc.

New tests showed negative signs of any infection. Surgeon found two possible strictures with a scope. He thinks they are the type that will soften up over time. He is a great surgeon but my bs meter is definitely on alert. How could he see strictures from a scope? Both of us can feel a stricture in the left side of my abdomen. It connects to my pelvic bone and feels like a narrow silicone rope. I walked five miles today on the beach with a cane. It was really tough. The pain was horrendous. I am afraid that if I don't fight my way through this I will end up turning into a couch potato. Am I nuts for fighting so hard to get some muscles? any information or resources on strictures would be greatly appreciated.

Before my collectomy, I had strictures in the colon and they were definitely detectable from a scope. And of course you are not nuts, you are working from your end as a patient with highest consciousness. If your bs alert is sounding, seek a second opinion from a university hospital.

Blueglass, Ju330, and B'Dereh,

I went back over my post-meeting notes. The part that felt wrong to me was my thinking he was calling the ropey thing on the left side of my abdomen a stricture. I suspect he meant to say adhesion so I will call him tomorrow to clear that up. I could not figure out why he was telling me it would soften up over time. If it was the adhesion he was referring to, then his comment makes a lot of sense. The stricture above the cuff continues to be a problem. I am back to a liquid diet until the inflammation has been quiet for at least five days. I apologize for saying my bs meter was up. I do respect my surgeon and do not want to imply that I do not trust him. He trained the leading colorectal surgeons at our local med school. When other surgeons talk about him, their eyes light up and they tell a personal story that shows how he made a difference in their medical careers or personal life. All but one of my neighbors are surgeons at the medical school. I still feel very lucky to have him in my life. He also set up a back-up plan so that I will get personal attention by doctors I know even after business hours not just one of the many on-call doctors.

It feels a little weird to be getting all of this special attention. I know he is still angry at the doctors who missed diagnosing my perforated colon. I suspect he is trying to make up for it and bending over backwards to rebuild my trust.

that's ok cynthia. my bs meter should have gone up in 2006 when i was told i had a sigmoidocele when i didn't (who knew) and i would not be in o'land with all these strictured stomas and stomas redone wrong etc. bs meters are great. i think they should be handed out in kindergarten!

jeeze good luck with all of this. from one person on liquids to another! we all drink a lot of grape juice and walk our feet off. lucky are the ostomates and internal pouchers who can lead a normal life. i was lucky to have those 4 years 2007-2011. hope i get some more. my hair is severely thinning from malnutrition. Rosemary

Yes, we can get blockages but I'm sorry you had to experience one. Hopefully it is something that can resolve on its own and won't need additional interventions.

SZM, I take that "BS meter is up" comment to mean that something felt off to you, and when you went over your notes you realized it was. He might have used the wrong word once, you might have heard it wrong, whatever.... it's very easy to get confused after medical appointments, and good to clear up.

As a teacher I am often struck by how bad the communication is in medical appts. I know that if I want to know if a student understands something, I need to ask him or her to explain it to me.... it's not enough to say, "Do you understand?" and get a yes answer.

We often go into an appt scared, in pain, and not knowing all the medical stuff and then the doc runs through a whole bunch of stuff very quickly, and there's not always enough time to even think of the questions that come up from what the doc said.....

I wonder what it would be like at the end of the appt to have the doc ask the patient to describe the most important points in his/her own words.... certainly would slow things down..... in the short run.

And it sounds to me like you are getting this special attention because you need it (and deserve it!). You've been through a lot, and your "case" is more complicated than many.

Hope you feel better soon.

B'Dereh,
Dr. does not want to put me on any antibiotics because it does not look like an infection. I do not have a fever or any other related symptoms. "The ropey thing" connects my small intestine to my pelvic bone. You can feel it by pushing into the abdomen and feeling around. It is harder than organ tissue. The pain and lack of clear diagnosis and treatment is frustrating. I hope the surgeon is right and this will just soften up with time. Meanwhile....I think I need a day of self-pampering to lift my spirits. A good book, a bubble bath and a beautiful sunset would be wonderful.