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Coke helping prevent blockages?

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Posted 3/28/2015 6:46 PM (GMT 0)
Kind of interesting article about how coke can help your body digest fruit/vegetable fiber!? Cool..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2258404/How-doctors-using-Coca-Cola-treat-painful-stomach-blockages.html

Maybe I'll have a coke next time I eat my veggies.
Posted 3/29/2015 3:24 AM (GMT 0)
Perhaps it's the acidity or high sugar? I know that after I consume a drink with high sugar, I tend to get a lot of output soon after. I also read that coffee and tea help too so it may also be attributed to the caffeine.
Posted 3/29/2015 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
Omg. I'm gonna try this if I ever have issues. I suffered a partial, very painful blockage, from watermelon. Yikes. I would have tried the coke if I had known it might work.
Posted 4/3/2015 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
Coke helped me many times early on when I got total blockages. Regardless of the time, day or night I would drink a full can of coke as quickly as possible and jump into a very warm shower letting the stream of water flow on the tummy and gently press around the stoma area with my hands to put pressure on the tummy. Within minutes it is released. I think it is the carbonation buildup that helps brake the darn.
Posted 4/4/2015 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
Ohh wow!!!!!! I REALLY wish I'd read this before!!! I am in the hospital with what seems to be a blockage. But it's like my whole small intestine is swollen up, not like you can see specifically where it is (like a dam). And not only my small intestine but my whole abdomen! I have been in agony since Wednesday. They are going to do an irrigation later today. I'd NEVER wish this on anyone!!!
Posted 4/6/2015 12:38 PM (GMT 0)
Still in the hospital after almost 5 days... Still getting irrigations...it's getting better slowly. I'm so impatient!!! Wondered if any of you have ended up in the hospital from a blockage... How long has it taken to get rid of this? I'm so upset that this is taking so long cry has your whole abdomen swollen up with this also??? cry
Posted 4/6/2015 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
Swordswoman your stomach is probably filled w bile that can't get out. I had an ileus where my bowel stopped working and I looked 7 months pregnant. Are you nauseous? Have you had an NG tube? That's really uncomfortable but it pumps out the fluid and relieves nausea.

There are lots of causes of blockages besides food. The coke idea sounds great for a food blockage but it won't work for everything. I'm In the hospital now after surgery from a blockage caused by a small hernia w a lot of bowel sticking out.

Hope you feel better soon.
Posted 4/7/2015 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
blueglass, I had hernia surgery in November. Sounds very similar to yours.

Mine was a small break in the muscle right around/behind my stoma and a bunch of intestine pushed through. Surgeon said I was at risk for strangulation if I left it go too long.

So far, so good, but I have been having some issues with trapped gas and am hoping it is not another hernia. I was off carbonated sodas, but have begun drinking them again in moderation.

How was it finally determined that the hernia was the cause of your blockages? I remember last reading that you had tests and nothing really showed what was causing them.

Here's to a speedy recovery and no more surgeries . . . for both of us !!! Any of us !!!!!!!!!

Good to see you posting :-)
Posted 4/7/2015 2:52 AM (GMT 0)
Thx CJ. The hernia was determined because I had a ct while the intestine was sticking out. I mostly have refused ct's because I've had so many and they are so much radiation and the blockages have always cleared on their own. It really couldn't be detected either in surgery or imaging when the intestine was back in.

Hope whatever is going on for you isn't serious. Is going to be scary knowing this happened -- only so much belly space to put a stoma. But my gi said today that these are pretty rare and having one does not put you at higher risk for another. So hopefully done.

Did they move your stoma?

Good to hear from you.
Posted 4/7/2015 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
No, they did not move my stoma...thank goodness.

Yeah, the cat scans concern me. I don't think I have had an overwhelming number and at 60 years old, not sure it is too much of a worry since I am older....but still.

My surgeon said I shouldn't have any more issues, either, but I am still concerned with this trapped gas thingy. It is not like the semi-blockages I had before my hernia surgery, so I am hopeful that it is just gas. I purchased a hernia belt, but it is uncomfortable. I do try to limit lifting and hold my stoma area when coughing or sneezing which is frequently for me.
Posted 4/7/2015 10:57 AM (GMT 0)
Blueglass, yes as it's turned out I do have an ileus! This is one of the most awful things ever!!! I have bloated up like you said and I think I'm over the worst. The swelling seems to have gone down some this morning. But I'm so depressed in the hospital!!!! I'm like you, last week I was doing my thing, working, my normal life, and now this. I'm getting irrigations twice a day and yesterday I was allowed 2 cups of regular fluids for the first time, tea and chicken broth. But I ended up very gassy and miserable last evening. This morning, not gassy but kind of nauseated. And I missed one chemo session and maybe two. But the docs said they can work with that, but it still bothers me, you know? How long does it take to get over this?
Posted 4/7/2015 11:07 AM (GMT 0)
Oh, forgot to mention they didn't do an NG tube. But it's still Awful! I hope you get better soon too!
Posted 4/7/2015 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
So sorry swordswoman. An ileus was on of the worst medical experiences I've had (and there is competition).

I had an NG tube for two days w mine. I think what cleared it was when they gave me gastrografin (contrast) through the tube. Felt a it better when it cleared but then I had output pouring out for a few days. Got it slowed w Metamucil. I was in the hospital a week. Few weeks to recover cause I was so worn out but when I got rested and worked back to regular foods I was fine. No lingering effects.

Hang in. They do end

Oh chewing gum is supposed to help stimulate gastric juices and get things moving. I tried it and just made me vomit but there's actual research on it and everything
Posted 4/7/2015 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
Blueglass, I've been in the hospital a week and when I asked the nurse about the gastrograph, she said they give it to a lot of people and that she would ask my doctor about it. I probably could have had this days ago and could have been home by now too! I have had nothing but ice chips the whole time (well, yesterday and today I could have 2 c. Of liquid) and now the doc wants to give me nutrition via IV but they don't want to do a pick line but now the pharmacist is going to talk to the doc about peripheral nutrition but I already have an IV which they're using for the other stuff, which I might have to get a second IV.... Well, you get the picture. Sounds like nobody knows what to do... This is driving me crazy!!!

So... How long did you have this? A lot shorter than I am, I bet!!!
Posted 4/7/2015 8:31 PM (GMT 0)
Where are you swordswoman? Sounds like a whole different approach than my Drs had. Mine lasted five or six days-- less than yours but a long time. Also only a fee ice chips til it cleared

Hang in.
Posted 4/7/2015 8:39 PM (GMT 0)
I was once in the hospital for 3 weeks with complications and the ileus was by far the absolute worst thing. I was nauseas, stomach was humongous and bloated, I couldn't lay down and sleep because I'd get these terrible hiccups that wouldn't stop, and I threw up.

They gave me an ng tube twice, but both times I demanded that remove it because I threw up anyway, despite having the uncomfortable tube. Omg, the ng tube was my living nightmare.

I did get a picc line and was fed that way because my body got too low on protein and I got dehydrated because my body wouldn't accept anymore fluids and my body just swelled up like a balloon.

Good luck with the ileus. I hope it resolves soon. I'm not sure what helped mine.
Posted 4/7/2015 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
Answers4me2, I'm not getting an NG tube; it sounds like you were in terrible agony with this and just as frustrated. They might end up giving me a picc line but at this point we're waiting for the supervisor to hear back from the doc with the questions that the pharmacist and I have. The nurse had been trying to contact the doc and she never heard back from her so that's why the nurse called the supervisor. Sorry, too many political details but when I and the pharmacist have valid questions, something has got to happen!

Blueglass, I'm in Virginia. My whole stomach did not start swelling up until after I got here. I've been here since Wednesday afternoon.
Posted 4/7/2015 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hang in there swordswoman. Are you having any output?/
Posted 4/8/2015 11:40 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, a little, but I wonder if it's just the water that goes into me from the lavage which I get twice a day. I can't imagine that there's much left in me, blockage or not. I am getting a picc line today for nutrition. Hopefully I'll feel a little better with some nutrition. When do they determine when the ileus is gone and you can go home? When the swelling is gone? Do you have to build back up to regular food? When does the pressure/cramps, (not painful anymore) rumbling go away? Sorry so many questions but it kinda feels like they keep me in the dark. sad
Posted 4/8/2015 12:10 PM (GMT 0)
Mine just blew all at once and I went from no output to way too much. They had to get it slowed down so I could go home. Seems a different situation.
Posted 4/9/2015 11:38 AM (GMT 0)
Well I just got an un-contrast CT scan (without the dye) and then I'll get one with gastrograph! Finally! I am feeling better, still have swelling and lots of rumbling and a little pressure and pain, but not nearly as bad as I was when I got here. And the doc stopped the lavage; the last one I had was yesterday morning. I dumped what little I had last evening but I do have a bit of output this morning. I'm mad that they didn't think to do that in the first place!
Posted 4/9/2015 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
I went from no output to lots of output also. They put a tube in my stoma to try to get some output out, but it didn't work. Noises are very good. I had a very distended tummy that was silent. I had to have 4 surgeries and it was very scary. I'm very glad to hear that you are having output today. Yay :)

Are you walking? Walking is good for getting things moving. Keep us posted.
Posted 4/9/2015 9:59 PM (GMT 0)
The fluoroscope procedure with the catheters and gastrograph didn't do much of anything; no removal of blockage, no rinsing out of output, just some confusing pix of the gastrograph not going anywhere in a couple different spots! No more output today; what I had this morning might have been just stuff from the last lavage I had yesterday morning. Still distension, rumbling, pressure. They're still considering surgery, not only to check out the possible blockage but to see if my colon has healed and just do the reversal surgery. But, that would mean too big a break in my chemo which I'm about halfway done with. Doc said before that I could go home when I have output. (more than what I've had) but how can I have output when I'm not eating anything? Ugh, so confusing and frustrating!!!!!
Posted 4/9/2015 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
You can definitely have output when you're not eating anything -- lots and lots of bile. Everything that makes you bloated would ordinarily come out of your stoma.

I'm confused though whether you have an ileus or a blockage. They are very different. With an ileus your gut is paralyzed and not trying to push anything through. With a blockage the intestine is pushing like crazy but can't get anything through. Sounds like you have a blockage because w an ileus you can't eat or drink anything and I don't see how flushing would cause peristalsis to start at all. I

I've had both (lucky me) and for me they mostly have all cleared all at once, but th ileus was way more dramatic.

Hang in
Posted 4/10/2015 10:41 AM (GMT 0)
Well, since my whole gut swelled up the doc called it an ileus but she still thinks there might be a blockage. I don't get it either as to exactly what's going on. I haven't been allowed to eat or drink anything, except the last few days she's let me have 2 cups of clear liquid (tea, broth) but this morning I am miserable (lots of gas & rumbling, bloated more, some pain) - I wonder if I should not have had any clear liquids. I've never heard the doc say anything about trying to start peristalsis either.
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