Bowel Obstruction help - TMI alert
Nice way to spend your 2 year surgiversary, right?
I've been in a lot of pain this week, abdominal and back. I finally broke down yesterday and went to the doctor. I thought I had some food poisoning last week. I had couldn't keep anything down for a day. Then I didn't have a BM for 3 days. The doc did blood & x-rays. Thankfully everything came back good with urine and blood, but my x-rays showed that I'm completely backed up. He said I was about to lose 8 pounds. Gah!
I started the home procedure from the bottom, but I was worried about doing the "above" thing because of my surgery. He told me just to take MOM a few hours after I did my enema. The enema gave me some immediate relief, but nearly enough and I've been running a fever. I don't have a fever now, which is good, but he said if I didn't get rid of everything within 24-48 hours that I need to come right back in. I needed to work today, so I didn't do anything to work on it today, but I'm going to do another enema in the morning and see what happens.
The MOM didn't do anything and he's concerned that I might have scar tissue wrapped around my bowels cause the obstruction. Does anyone have experience with this? What happened? I'm calling my RNY Surgeon in an hour to see if he needs to be involved at all.
Thanks for any advice or experiences you can share!
Amber
I've been in a lot of pain this week, abdominal and back. I finally broke down yesterday and went to the doctor. I thought I had some food poisoning last week. I had couldn't keep anything down for a day. Then I didn't have a BM for 3 days. The doc did blood & x-rays. Thankfully everything came back good with urine and blood, but my x-rays showed that I'm completely backed up. He said I was about to lose 8 pounds. Gah!
I started the home procedure from the bottom, but I was worried about doing the "above" thing because of my surgery. He told me just to take MOM a few hours after I did my enema. The enema gave me some immediate relief, but nearly enough and I've been running a fever. I don't have a fever now, which is good, but he said if I didn't get rid of everything within 24-48 hours that I need to come right back in. I needed to work today, so I didn't do anything to work on it today, but I'm going to do another enema in the morning and see what happens.
The MOM didn't do anything and he's concerned that I might have scar tissue wrapped around my bowels cause the obstruction. Does anyone have experience with this? What happened? I'm calling my RNY Surgeon in an hour to see if he needs to be involved at all.
Thanks for any advice or experiences you can share!
Amber
(deactivated member)
on 7/18/08 2:50 am, edited 7/18/08 3:00 am - Between Richmond and Charlottesville, VA
on 7/18/08 2:50 am, edited 7/18/08 3:00 am - Between Richmond and Charlottesville, VA
Amber: So sorry you are going through this! Although I did not have a lower bowel obstruction, this past March I had adhesions (scar tissue) that had attached themselves to my small bowel and were twisting it around every time peristalsis (the movement of the bowel that pushes food through) began. I had terrible pain every time I would eat about 1/2 hour after I ate anything except slider foods and liquids, and after a while even those were painful. I suffered for three days before calling my surgeon, who scolded me for not calling sooner. Like you, when I presented to the ER on his instruction, all my labs were perfect and an EGD (upper) scope was fine, showing that my pouch was fine and not leaking. The GI doctor did that scope, and then my surgeon took over. He informed me that he'd have to go in an do another lap to see what was going on inside and that is where he found the adhesions. Once he lysed them, I was fine, although I was in the hospital for four days.
Definitely call your RNY surgeon...in my case, until he showed up there was a lot of confusion about what to do with me. I didn't want anyone else to touch me surgical-wise but him, and the ER docs felt the same way...they didn't want to go messing around with the special "plumbing" and cause an even worse problem. So, he came in right after finishing his last surgery and operated on me that evening. I was so upset... he calls me his "poster child"...and I asked him if this negated my "poster child" status and he laughed and said "no; this is a very common complication that often shows up after the first year or so and there's nothing that could have prevented it." Funny moment: when I came out of anesthesia after this surgery: I awoke to see Dr. B standing over me telling me it was time to wake up. I said to him, groggily, " So how did my tummy tuck go? What?? You didn't do one in while you were cutting around down there?" He laughed and laughed.
Keep us posted and I hope all goes well! Prayers going up.
Definitely call your RNY surgeon...in my case, until he showed up there was a lot of confusion about what to do with me. I didn't want anyone else to touch me surgical-wise but him, and the ER docs felt the same way...they didn't want to go messing around with the special "plumbing" and cause an even worse problem. So, he came in right after finishing his last surgery and operated on me that evening. I was so upset... he calls me his "poster child"...and I asked him if this negated my "poster child" status and he laughed and said "no; this is a very common complication that often shows up after the first year or so and there's nothing that could have prevented it." Funny moment: when I came out of anesthesia after this surgery: I awoke to see Dr. B standing over me telling me it was time to wake up. I said to him, groggily, " So how did my tummy tuck go? What?? You didn't do one in while you were cutting around down there?" He laughed and laughed.
Keep us posted and I hope all goes well! Prayers going up.
Amber I have no words of wisdom as I have never experienced that you are experiencing but I am hoping you feel much better soon. It can't be any fun going through this.
Keep your doctor in thr loop if if you feel you are suffering too much go straight to your gastric surgeon as they know how important this can be...
Take care....
Jackie
Keep your doctor in thr loop if if you feel you are suffering too much go straight to your gastric surgeon as they know how important this can be...
Take care....
Jackie
As luck would have it, Dr. Moore is on vacation and they spoke about seeing Dr. Rameriez. The nurse I spoke with at the surgeon's office didnt seem that concerned. She said that I should follow through with another round of the home remedies and if that didn't work, then I should call to make an appt with Dr. Rameriez or have my PCP refer me to get a surgical opinion. I was pretty put off, actually. I feel like calling back and talking to Missy. I don't even know if she's still there, but I like her much better.
My PCP's assistant called me back as well and told me try again and that if I didn't have any luck, that he'd be there all day today and to come back in. I don't have a fever at this moment, which is good. It's just more uncomfortable than anything. I'm gonna give it another go here shortly.
No one seems to be that concerned, so I guess I'm not going to get myself that worked up anymore either. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, keep'em coming. I want rid of this junk!
Wish me luck!
A
My PCP's assistant called me back as well and told me try again and that if I didn't have any luck, that he'd be there all day today and to come back in. I don't have a fever at this moment, which is good. It's just more uncomfortable than anything. I'm gonna give it another go here shortly.
No one seems to be that concerned, so I guess I'm not going to get myself that worked up anymore either. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, keep'em coming. I want rid of this junk!
Wish me luck!
A