bowl obstruction

18 mos ago I lost a good friend (48 yo and 4years post rny)to a sudden bowel obstruction.  Now another close friend  (58 yo and 5 years post rny)has been in icu for 2 weeks after a bowel obstruction...we do not know if she will be with us much longer. Neither had much warning or other health problems. For the record I only know a few people who had gastric bypass, not the majority of my friends and collegues. I am upset and freaked.  I wasn't really warned about this complication pre op, and then told this is a very rare occurance....but is seems to be much more common and serious than 2% figure my surgeon is giving me. Anyone else noticing a lot of these occuring?    Please if you have any stomach pains that last more than 30 minutes GO TO THE ER!

I am so very sorry about your friends!   I can't agree more about going to the hospital when there is any abdominal pain.   I have had five (5) obstructions.  I was also once in ICU and am fortunate to be alive.  The first obstruction took over 7 months to diagnose and one bariatric surgeon that agreed to see me in my new home city failed to diagnose me insisting that there was nothing wrong with me.  If it weren't for the compassion and listening skills of my WLS, I'd certainly be dead as not just the first but three others were found exploratory and did not show on ANY scans, XRays, blood testing, etc.   Abdominal pain is the most difficult "illness / disease" to diagnose.  As a WLS patient, one should be especially aware as time can be critical.  Know your body.  Know it well.  Press forward if you're being dismissed.  My own advocacy saved my life.  

Thanks for your thoughts Vanessa. I really wonder what the real rat of e occurance is

Two out of one hundred doesn't sound like much unless you or someone you love is one of the two or two of the two!! :-(  I think the rate of occurence is accurate for "now" but these things are adjusted as reported and for the public,  it usually is a year or two behind in the data / stats. It will be interesting to see if it is adjusted.  I have read as high as 5% for internal hernias now which is considered a bowel obstruction so those rates may already be showing / rising in the data.

When you have a bowel obstruction, you can't have a bowel movement, correct? Evelyn

No...what you are describing is an impaction, easily fixed (cleared out or high colonic)  An obstruction is a twisting or hernia of intestines and/or colon that can cause the tissue to die and/or burst and stomach acids, contents or bowel contents can contaminate the peritoneal space.  You can die if not treated quickly.   Very very serious and life threatening

When I had a bowel obstruction, following my hysterectomy, it was because an intestine became kinked and I could not have a bowel movement or pass gas, and I had SEVERE pain and needed to vomit, but couldn't due to the surgery. They diagnosed it on an xray. So, the answer is yes, you could have the symptom of no bowel movement or an inability to pass gas, but it's not the only symptom or a mandatory symptom.

You are absolutely correct.  It is a symptom.  I didn't want people who are just "impacted" to panic.

gotcha LOL, I kinda squirmed at the word "impacted" just seeing that brings back horrid memories, know what I mean?

and impacted is the correct medical term..........bad memories here too.