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Posted 10/17/2011 6:43 PM (GMT 0)

I just spent the weekend in the hospital for an obstructed bowel, I had a partial obstructed bowel a little over a month ago, and went to my PCP for it. She put me on a liquid diet and bed rest for a few days, and the last x-ray showed that it was “resolving”.

 Thursday night I again had middle abdominal pain and by Friday morning I was in a fetal position (from the pain) in bed for the day. Both my PCP and my GI were unavailable, so I went to the ER (I HATE the ER), and they gave me morphine, and inserted a nasal-gastric tube in my nose and suctioned out the pressure above the block, they called that “decompression”, and slapped me in the hospital on a nothing diet and IV feeding.

 So here it is, Monday morning and I’m back at work, feeling a little wimpy but otherwise OK. But the question remains, why did I have two OBs in a couple of months? The Surgeon agrees that it is either the first one hadn’t truly resolved, or there is an underlying cause.

 It doesn’t seem to be related to my UC, but the UC complicates the treatment. The surgeon wants me on a low fiber diet, and to stop my Metamucil for a few weeks, then a reduced dosage (three capsules per day instead of six). Experience shows that without my Metamucil. I resemble a fire hose with watery D. Oh well, I guess fire hose mode is better than in bed in the fetal position.

Posted 10/17/2011 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, how awful for this to have happened, but good you went to the ER and things are improving.

Are you on any meds?

Where exactly was the blockage?

Have you had a scan or ultrasound of that area done?

Maybe that area of your colon has ceased to function properly regarding peristalsis.

I hope you feel better soon and that more tests will be done to figure out the why.

q
Posted 10/17/2011 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
No, the obstruction is in the small bowel and my UC is technically Proctosigmoiditis, so as I said, it's not related to my UC. Bowel Obstructions happen when the small intestine get kinked, like kinking off a garden hose to stop the water flow. This can happen if you have a hernia, and a bowel loop gets caught in puka, or from an adhesion from a previous surgery. I had an appendectomy nearly sixty years ago, so that could be the cause; but at this point we're not sure.

They discussed a CT scan, but the x-ray was sufficient for a diagnosis, so they felt the increased radiation dose from a CT was not indicated. I'm not sure if an ultrasound is usefull for this, but they didn't discuss it.

Posted 10/17/2011 11:59 PM (GMT 0)
Ah, clear now. and not related to UC.

But kinked parts of the small intestine could possibly become atrophied, no?

So, the docs think it's unkinked itself? would surgery not be in order?

I would personally possibly push for a small bowel follow-through or at the very least a barium swallow that would show the small intestine pattern and possibly if there's a decrease in flow. or is that what you had done with the x-ray?

Is yours more of a narrowing from pressure on it caused by obstruction?

I know a lady who had adhesion-related intestine pain, but not necessarily causing obstruction. She had to have them removed and her colon back into better working condition....and no pain. Wow.

Actually, my cat Quincy's was in a twisted ball probably from her spaying. Nothing could be done and we had her put to sleep.

I hope this doesn't return....maybe something like an antispasmodic could work to help your diarrhea?

q
Posted 10/18/2011 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, Thank you Q, I do too.

What they did, and as I understand is fairly routine, was put in an N-G tube to relieve ("decompress") the pressure above the block, and just as when you turn off the water on a kinked garden hose, the kink relaxes and allows flow. Since everything is very slippery, once the kink is relaxed, natural movement allows it to straighten out. That is unless a bowel loop is caught in a hernia, then they have to operate.

If the pressure is not relieved, and the block remains, the stomach can no longer pass food into the small intestine, and ends up expelling it through the only rout available; vomiting. And if that continues the body can’t get any nutrition and ends up starving after a couple of weeks. From the pain I experienced for just one day, I can’t imagine a more excruciating way to go. Happy for modern medicin!
Posted 10/18/2011 8:17 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the description of what they did for you.

Hope you regain normal routine quickly.

q
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