Spent the night in the ER - Tests were inconclusive

Bowel obstructions DO NOT always show up on diagnostic testing! I almost died after mine being missed at TWO ERs..and I had my bowels not only twist, but then insert themselves through the wall of my excluded stomach! And until they opened me up and found a mass of black ischemic bowel, they couldn't see a thing. I very nearly lost my life.

Are you passing gas? Stools? Is your urine normal looking? Are you vomiting?

I am passing small amounts of gas.  Little baby farts.  Nothing to write home about.  I am passing stools, but they are very thin and long and I have to strain to get them out.  Not your typical stool.  My urine has been concentrated, but it cleared up once they put me on IV fluids.  I am not vomiting but I am having persistent nausea.  It doesn't matter if I eat or not, drink or not.  It's always there.  I am still having sharp pains in my gut.  Not as bad as Sunday, but they are still there.  Just trying to tough it out til I can see Roslin tomorrow.  Argh.

And can I ask what symptoms were you having?

Bowel Obstruction - Symptoms

 

 

The symptoms of a bowel obstruction depend on whether the blockage is in the small intestine (small-bowel obstruction) or the large intestine (large-bowel obstruction).

Small-bowel obstruction

• Abdominal pain. Most small-bowel obstructions cause waves of cramping abdominal pain. The pain occurs around the belly button (periumbilical area). If an obstruction goes on for a while, the pain may decrease because the bowel stops contracting. Continuous severe pain in one area can mean that the blockage has cut off the bowel's blood supply. This is called a bowel strangulation and requires emergency treatment.
• Vomiting. Small-bowel obstructions usually cause vomiting. The vomit is usually green if the obstruction is in the upper small intestine and brown if it is in the lower small intestine.
• Elimination problems. Constipation and inability to pass gas are common signs of a bowel obstruction. However, when the bowel is partially blocked, you may have diarrhea and pass some gas. If you have a complete obstruction, you may have a bowel movement if there is stool below the obstruction.
• Bloating. Blockages may cause bloating in the lower abdomen. You may also hear gurgling sounds coming from your belly. With a complete obstruction, your doctor may hear high-pitched sounds when listening with a stethoscope. The sounds decrease as movement of the bowel slows.

Large-bowel obstruction

• Abdominal pain. Blockage of the large intestine usually causes abdominal pain below the belly button. The pain may vary in intensity. Severe, constant pain may mean that your intestine's blood supply has been cut off or that you have a hole in your intestine. This is a medical emergency. Call your doctor immediately.
• Bloating. Generalized abdominal bloating usually occurs around the belly button and in the pelvic area.
• Diarrhea or constipation. Either of these symptoms may occur, depending on how complete the obstruction is. Your stools may be thin.
• Vomiting. This symptom is not common with a large-bowel (colonic) obstruction. If vomiting occurs, it usually happens late in the illness.

Blockages caused by cancer may cause symptoms such as blood in the stool, weakness, weight loss, and lack of appetite.

Bowel obstructions in newborns

Key signs of obstruction in newborns are green vomit and failure to pass the first stool, which is made of a thick, greenish black substance called meconium.

Several other conditions can cause similar symptoms



Melody I had a bowel obstruction about 4 years ago.....it was the worst pain I have ever felt....beat even child birth....geez.  The pain was like being severely constipated and at first I was passing gas-just not well and it hurt-I was able at first to have long string like BMs then after a few days of being misdiagnosed as having GAS or being constipated I could no longer do either...I was vomiting clear mucousy stuff and unable to hold down anything not even water.  I spent 9 days in the hospital trying to figure out what was wrong after 3 days of MOM- mag citrate-and what ever else they could get down me.....I had a endo done on the 9th day of being in the hospital and had been on morphene for (my kids and dad told me) 5 days and also in ICU....I lost 28 pounds in these 9 days.  Finally the general surgeon at our local hospital came in and told me he could not figure out what was wrong and was unfamiiar with the medical procedure I had (my DS) and he referred me back out to my DS surgeon.  Upon 15 minutes of seeing my surgeon I was escorted off to surgery.  They said it took 3 1/2 hours to fix and usually only takes 45 minutes tops....I was critical and would have not survived another night.  They kept me 4 days after surgery and released me on Jan.  6, 2004.  An obstruction can easily be misdiagnosed as gas or constipation as in most tests done it appears like gas  or   loose BM.....

Wow, sorry to hear you were ill. I certainly hope its nothing serious, please keep us updated and let us know what your surgeon says.

Charmed

Sounds very alarming to say the least. I'm sorry, Melody. I hope when you see the doc today that he gives you "its gas, take this and be OK."