Question:
How common are bowel obstructions????
I am ANGRY today.. I have this cousin who is a RN and she insists on sending me horror stories about people getting bowel obstructions etc and then dying or having terrible complications from then on.. What cause bowel obstructions.. does it matter which surgery?? She also has managed to find every person on this planet that wished they didn't have the surgery and told me all about their pain, suffering etc etc... Please give me so ammo to fire back.. I know that this surgery isn't a peice of cake.. but I need to lose 200 pounds and I have learned I can't do it by myself.. I just need a little support today I guess...Thanks — Allie A. (posted on January 28, 2002)
January 28, 2002
Smile sweetly and thank her for sharing that information with you and
dont...I repeat dont try to convince her of anything. Save your energy for
something you enjoy. You are never going to have the statistics to prove
her wrong so why try. Make up for mind about this surgery on your own and
forget this I'm-going-to-prove-you-wrong business right now. It's beneath
you.
— Mary G.
January 28, 2002
I agree with the last poster, and also when you are a few years Post op you
can rub it in her face all you want.
— sbinkerd1
January 28, 2002
I totally agree that you shouldn't even try to change her mind. No sense
in trying to convince her and getting all worked up about it. She's not
going to change. Just remind yourself, that all surgery carries risks,
bowel obstructions can happen to anyone, and you are doing this for your
own health. I personally know that if I even live another 5 or 10 years
without the surgery, they won't be happy, productive years for me. I would
rather take the chance on surgery, which I think is very much an acceptable
risk, than to continue to live the way I am now.
— garw
January 28, 2002
A bowel obstruction occurs when scar tissue called adhesions form to twist
the bowel or narrow the opening and therefore cause an obstruction. There
is nothing you can do to prevent a bowel obstruction. It's a roll of the
dice, either you get one or you don't. However, ANYONE who has any type of
abdominal surgery (c-section, appendectomy, gall bladder, etc) is at the
same risk. Educate yourself, learn the signs and symptoms and keep all
your follow up appointments.
As for your RN cousin, you might remind her that ALL of the stories of
people she sees are going to be bad because of her profession. She has a
skewed perception. How do I know? Because I also am a critical care RN.
It is VERY scary seeing people with complications from any surgery that end
up in the ICU. I also think it's healthy to know and understand that WLS
IS a major surgery and therefore is dangerous. However, so is obesity. I
will have life threatening illnesses as a morbidly obese person. Ask your
RN cousin what's been wrong with the morbidly obese people she has taken
care of... heart disease leading to a major heart attack.. hypertension
leading to a stroke with drool rolling from your mouth... or maybe obesity
related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease leading to life on a
ventilator... my point is this - there ARE real risk with having the
surgery but there are MUCH higher risks involved if you do not lose
weight.
One last thang, remember your RN cousin cares about you and cut her some
slack. Be calm. Listen. Educate yourself. Then make an informed
decision. Good luck.
(P.S. I have my consultation with the surgeon tomorrow and i'm scared
spitless <smile>)
— Noddie W.
January 28, 2002
I asked my surgeon how many obstructions he's had and he said ZERO! That
was out of 100 RNY's.
— elifritz
January 28, 2002
I don't know if this will be ammo but I researched WLS for a year in
addition to that I was denied by my insurance company and went through
another year doing the process all over again. I had my LAP RNY Nov 5th
2001, and went home on the 9th. I was re-hospitalized on the 13th with a
bowel obstruction, that couls never have been forseen, it was painful, I
vomitted for 5 days straight before they had to go in and fix my
obstruction. I was released Thanksgiving day. On Dec 13th I was back in
for a scricture/adhesion also vomitting and stabbing pain. This problem
was fixed endoscopically with pretty little ease. I went a total of 11
days on nothing but I.V. fluids and gaing almost 12 lbs when I had been
releases from the hospital with just water weight. Even through all of
this I would do the surgery over! My health was deteriorating rapidly with
the extra 130 lbs I was carrying around and would only have gone down hill.
I take my vitamins and I eat properly and use my "tool" for what
is was made for, so despite the pain I went through it was still the best
decision I ever made. I will say the surgery is not for everyone but it
was the answer for me. I hope this helps. Krista
— Krista B.
January 28, 2002
Subscribe to hotmail and get an address like: [email protected];
[email protected]... whatever you want... and have her send all
her emails to that address. Then don't check it. It's about the
equivalent of giving a guy a fake phone number. Good luck!
— Goldilauxx B.
January 28, 2002
She loves you, that's obvious. Just keep that in mind. You don't have to
read the information if it scares you or makes you nervous. There ARE
risks, but there's risks to everything. Talk to your doctor, or several
doctors about the risks to ease your mind. It's true, something bad could
happen. Just look at the memorial page to confirm that. But there are
many, many more positive outcomes than negative and the likelihood that
something serious would happen is small. Just know, that if she's
researching the subject, cutting out articles and mailing them to you, it's
because she really, truly loves you and wants you alive. Do what you need
to do for your life, and just thank her for caring so much about you. When
it's over and she sees you're going to be just fine, she'll say a prayer of
gratitude!
— Laurie A.
January 28, 2002
Hi there! I wanted to share my story with you. I had surgery on Nov. 26,
2001. I am 22 and weighed 476 at the time. The surgery went well and two
days later i was rushed into emergency surgery because I had a bowel
obstruction. I was in ICU for 5 days and in the hospital for 2 weeks. I
ended up having two tubes in for two months and also developed two wound
infections that had to be opened and taken care of. I was told that it's
not too terribly common but common enough not to worry. There was a lot of
pain and sometimes I thought i wouldn't make it. It is now 2 months later
and I am still healing from it. But my point is that I would do it all
again in a second.. all the pain...all the tears...IN A SECOND! I have lost
70 lbs already and have started to notice things about myself that are so
good. Food no longer rules my life. i no longer get depressed when i
eat...i can walk further. I still have a long way to go but I know I'll get
there and i'm so much happier now than i was before. I also lost my best
friend of 6 years because she didn't agree with the surgery. If you want
this surgery, don't let ANYONE talk you out of it. its' your decision, it's
your body, it's your life! I hope everything goes well. I will pray for
you. Good luck to you!
Love and God Bless!
— Lisa W.
January 28, 2002
I had a bowel kink after my first baby. Normal delivery, no abdominal
surgeries had been done and I was young (OK, 20). Bowel obstructions can
happen to anyone at any time for any reason, regardless of having had
hystie, gall bladder, WLS or NO surgery at all. Yes, people have them and
yes, they are fixable. What are the chances of your having diabetes, sleep
apnea or other co-morbs if you do NOT do surgery? Better than 1%?
— vitalady
January 30, 2002
I never had a bowel obstruction, but I had almost everything else. I was
supposed to have the surgery LAP and they knicked my Spleen, Pancreas, Main
Artery, and I had a leak in my small stomach as well as a leak in the
abdominal wall of my big stomach. So I can really say that I had a hard
time. I was on I'V's for 3 months, nothing by mouth except for ice chips
sparingly. So I went through the mill, then when I thought everything was
healing at last, my last drain they took out got infected and had to be
packed from the inside out for 2 months. Would I do it again. Yes, I have
lost 142 lbs in 9 months, surgery was 04/12/01. I am even looking into a
Mammaplasty and abdomnioplasty. So all my problems still has not broken my
spirit. Go gor it, if it is what YOU want. I researched for 2 years.
Just know all the complications. If you educate yourself, that will be
your fire power. GOOD LUCK. e-mail me if you want to talk.
— lynbaby B.
January 30, 2002
I read you question and read the posted responses. Every response has so
many wonderful points for you to consider. I too am an RN, I don't work in
ICU or even at a hospital, I work for a great Hospice program. I deal with
death and dying everyday. I can attest to the fact that life is way too
short for us to not cherish everyday God has given us. I had an open RNY in
April,2001, I have lost 100 lbs. My story is, if I had not had the surgery
or been blessed with a very gifted surgeon, I may not be alive today to
write my response for you. My doctor found all of my internal organs were
kind of "mesched" together due to previous surgery that I had
had. My liver was "growing" to the back of my stomach, the
omentum (the protective lining that covers your internal organs) was
"growing" to the abdominal wall, my colon (lg & sm) were all
twisted and covered with the webbing of adhesions, some of the intestines
were grown together and had to be separated. My doc told me I had had a
"Chronic Bowel Obstruction" for many years and that he was
surprised that I was not having intolerable pain all the time. Now, I know
this is why I woke up every morning in pain, so bad I could hardly put one
foot in front of the other. I was to the point I could not function in
daily life. I know this all sound VERY bad, but the truth of the matter is,
If I had not had this surgery, I would have found myself with a massive
infection and close to death. The RNY surgery actually saved my life!!! So,
if YOU feel this surgery is right for YOU, you go for it.
— Betty C.
July 3, 2004
I am having my third bowel obstruction surgery this week. It is rare to
have this happen. But some people just reproduce adhesions. I guess I am
one of those people. Nothing I could have done could have prevented this.
Feel free to contact me anytime at [email protected].
Sandy Pierce
Cincinnati, Ohio
— Sandy P.
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