Anyone had blockages?

Been awhile since I've posted was doing great am 2yrs out as of this month. I got a blockage right before Christmas came home right before Christmas after surgery and went back 3 days later because it apparently wasn't still fixed! So had two abdominal surgeries in 10 days and almost died from the second one. Guess I bleed too much. Now what I don't get is I could eat fine before, I mean really, I was maintaining my weight, and even trying to lose some more and keep it where I was down too alot of the time. I had no problems whatsoever and never did. Now I can't eat or dink much and am like when I was first out of bypass surgery. I don't get it, my stomach didn't change it should be the same as before with the exception of I didn't get to eat for a long time but my stomach should be streched being 2yrs post op anyway and nothing should have changed in that area or it should remedy quicker than what it is. I mean my doc gave me a 3oz pouch in the first place so I'm bigger than most anyway right off! Can anyone shed any light on this???? The doctor says it will just be kinda like after surgery again but how can it be? Help here please guys???? Thanks in advance.... Marti

Marti.....I had something similar; mine wasn't a blockage, but a weird type of hernia where the intestines bulged thru their protective covering (called the mesentary). It acted like an "on-again/off again" blockage and was very painful. After the exploratory surgery that discovered and fixed it, I too was able to eat very little initially. I actually dropped MORE weight! But it didn't last long. That was October, I was back to eating normally by Christmas. Good luck and keep us posted. Marilyn

I had a BL/BA on Jan 2, and ended up with an Ileus (where the bowels become paralyzed). I didn't have surgery, but ended up on NPO (nothing by mouth) for 5 days. When it was time to start eating again, I had a very hard time. It has been 3 weeks, and I am just now getting back to being able to eat somewhat normal again. I am 15 months postop from my original WLS/DS. I think our rearranged anatomys are just much more finicky when something goes wrong. I actually got a prescription for Reglan which has helped a lot with getting back to eating. You might want to ask your doctor if he will prescribe something to help you get back in the swing.

Hi Marti, My name is Beth and I am just wondering what a blockage is and what causes this to happen ? I had a baby in DEC of 05 at that time I was almost 18 mo post op RNY/LAP and well with my son I gained almost 60 pounds and OMG I am having the hardest time losing any weight...all my fault though...no excerise ..fast food and well I gotta get back to like it was before and reading some of the post mabey I need to just get back to some liquids for a few days and give my pouch time to shrink..OH and I drink diet soda alot and I am wondering if the carbatioin has stretched my lil baby pouch...anyway. So what do you think ? and anyone else ? Thank you ,Beth

Marti, I read your post this afternoon and I have yet to figure out how to answer you! So, I decided just to start typing and try to make a very long story short. I have never been able to make a long story short -- well -- unless you've heard a long story by me then you can't appreciate a short one!!! Of course, all the details are on my profile (in some weird way b/c I've never had time to really document what happened). I was 19 months post op and had a partial bowel obstruction caused by an internal hernia. The hernia was repaired and, in addition, adhesions were removed in June of 2006 after several months of increasing and often severe pain, tests, and finally exploratory surgery. My original WLS did the exploratory surgery after no doctors were able to help me in my new home city and/or were not willing to touch me b/c I was post gastric bypass. In September of 2006, I felt bad enough to have an ER visit which proved nothing. In November of 2006, I felt bad enough to get on a plane and go see my original WLS (again). He diagnosed a partial obstruction and didn't want me to leave away from him for fear the obstruction would become complete and I wouldn't have any help in my home city. He did surgery the following day on Friday, November 10, 2006. As he suspected, I had a partial obstruction caused by adhesions wrapped around a portion of the small intestine. I went home that afternoon. Sunday morning I woke up in horrible pain and severely nauseaus and gagging. He readmitted me to the hospital and a CT Scan showed that I had a FULL obstruction caused by a "kink." I'm not now now will I ever be certain if this kink was part of the original problem that finally became such a huge problem that it was fixed or if was a complication to the surgery that I had on Friday. I suppose it doesn't matter. I, too, almost died from the 2nd surgery. I had lost a significant amount of blood between September's blood tests and my pre-op blood test for the 1st surgery on Friday. We still do not know why and/or where I was bleeding or even if I was bleeding. It's possible that my body just ran out of stores and began screaming that something was indeed very wrong. After the 2nd surgery on Sunday, I was in ICU critical condition and required two blood transfusions to pull me through and save my life. Since, I've been battling severe anemia and B-12 deficiency. My difference was that I was in pain -- sometimes horribly debilitating, severe pain well -- I'm still in pain if the truth be told! Ugh! Anyway, I was having pain and difficulty eating which is another reason other than the pain that caused me to believe and press that something was "wrong." After the surgery in June, I thought I'd clearn up and get a chance to eat again but that didn't happen probably because the next obstruction developed so quickly behind. It took me several weeks to eat anything truly solid after the 2 November surgeries. I don't know why this is other than I had gone a very long time NOT eating and I was accustomed to that way and there was a definite psychological factor in being "afraid." After you try to eat 100 times and experience severe pain, you just stop doing it! When I did finally begin to eat, I started GAINING!!! I was eating! YAY! After a few pounds came on (which my doctors actually wanted me to keep), I straightened up and lost it immeidately. Gosh, I have all those beautiful clothes I have to fit in! Things have seemingly leveled off now. I'm eating better on some days than others but that is a normal pattern for me. So, after being exactly where you are, it took nearly 2 months to return to a more normal looking food schedule. I, too, had some medication to help. If you are having any "feelings" and/or nausea, your doctor can prescribe something to help. If you are losing too much weight, there are also enzymes that can be prescribed to slow things down a bit so that you don't lose too much weight. I hope this helped you somehow -- to know that you are not alone and that things WILL get get better!! Please feel free to email me at [email protected] and/or PM me from OH if you have any questions or just want to chat! Best, Vanessa PS I tried to warn you that I can't make a long story short!

Hi Vanessa, You must be a great typer if that was a short story...I am Beth and after reading your story ...well glad that they got you all fixed up..I do have a question ...does your doc know what cause the kink or the obstruction and what you can do so that it does not happen again. Take care and God Bless ! Beth...

I was suseptible to developing adhesions prior to WLS so I new surgeries causing inflammation could mean adhesions for me. The internal hernia happened from the loss of so much weight. Things shift around and some of it finds odd places to hang out which then have to be stitched closed. The partial obstruction was caused by adhesions (scar tissue) wrapping around a portion of the bowel causing it to be partially closed and/or obstructed. He removed the scar tissue which repaired / removed the obstruction. As far as the emergency surgery that occurred 2 days later, it may have simply been a complication of the abdominal surgery. One risk of ANY abdominal surgery is a kinked bowel. My bowel kinked. It happens. There isn't anything that I can do to prevent an obstruction. Some physicians believe in ARD - Adhesions Related Disease were people are suseptible to developing adhesions and will require more than 1 lysis of adhesions in there life. I had been told a surgery every three - five years. It had been 5 years since my last removal of adhesions so it was "time." Anyone can have a partial bowel obstruction and / or adhesions. I have more information and websites regarding adhesions and blockages on my profile you may find an interesting read. I hope this answers your question! Vanessa

Hi Marti, I can completely sympathize with you. WLS Surg. 9/6/01. On 2/03 I had symptoms of bowel obstruction (horrible 9+ pain, nauseous, etc) - went to ER - drugged me, tested me, hospitalized me & kept me for 5 days to tell me they "didn't know". Released 1 month to the day I was readmitted with pain toppin 10 for over 10 hours. Surgeon performed emergency surg at 11:00 p.m. at night - told me I had a 28% mortality rate and the sooner the better. I had 2 blockages caused by adhesions - he completely evacuated all intestines - which caused Ileus (paralized bowel) for over 2 months. I took meds to "wake up" the bowel enough to have a stool ever so often. It was hell. He had very clearly told me that because he TOUCHED all my intestines - they were in "shock" and would "wake up" in their own time. After the obstruction was removed & sent home - I couldn't eat, barely drink for days upon days - weeks upon weeks. I grew weaker & weaker. My family purchased clear Isopure (I could handle the taste & texture) - it kept me alive. I wondered why I couldn't eat solids...My theory was that my bowels were so sore they needed a break from solid foods for a *****mmm, made sense to me!) I struggled more in recovery from the bowel obstruction than the WLS. Please note the mortality rate = 28% --- WLS was 2%. Bowel obstruction is far more serious than our surgery was! I cried for almost 6 months everytime my healing/sore bowels needed to "work". So much pain & cramping. To this day (3 years after the blockage) I thank God every time I go to the bathroom. (and with no pain) no kidding - I'm deadly serious. Listen to your body - if you can't handle solids right now, try as many high nutrition beverages as you can. You're little body has had a major, major blow. It needs to recover. Don't fear. You will mend.

I first got a self-resolving partial blockage 3 says after my discharge from WLS surgery and immediately went back to my WLS doctor. Of course, before I got to the office, the pain resolved Still, I told him about the terrible pain and the inability to have a BM -- he told me that I was fine, go home. So I did. For over two years, I would have sudden, unpredictable abdominal pain that would double me over -- sometimes for HOURS! My WLS doctor never listened when I told him so I finally stopped going to my follow-up appointments. The nurses in the WLS clinic stopped returning my calls so I stopped leaving messages. My family doctor hinted that I was either cheating on my diet or suffering from a guilty conscious over choosing an 'unnatural' way to lose weight -- so I stopped going to see him. On my own, I went to a gastroenteralogist and he shrugged my pain off as gallstones . . but, at least HE sent me to a surgeon. Minus one gallbladder, I thought my problem was solved -- until it happened again just a few days after discharge! I laid on the floor in a puddle of cold sweat, too weak to stand and called all 4 doctors but none of them returned my call. As I was feeling myself pass out, I dialed 9-1-1. Thank goodness, they came even though I could only moan. The next few days are a blur. I had two major abdominal surgeries in 24 hours and almost died from the first one -- septic shock from all the dead bowel. The only way to save my life [or so they tell me] was to remove all my dead jejunum, reconnect my stomach/pouch and sew the attached portion of duodenum to the small amount of ileum that I still had. I spent 8 days in ICU and another 7 days in the step-down unit. I have a total of 90 cm of small intestine now. In all that time, I never ate a solid piece of food -- all my nutrition came in an IV [TPN] or in a gastric tube yet I was discharged with 'no restrictions' in diet or exercise. No one at the hospital cared - the nurses saw 'gastric bypass' and immediately made judgements. [Talk about HIIPA violations -- I could hear their hurtful comments in the hall! Did they think I was dead?] The doctor ordered for me to walk the halls but I couldn't even walk to the bathroom. If I asked for any help, MAYBE an aide would come -- if I waited long enough. Finally, I just asked for a bedside commode which I got almost immediately! Not even my own unsupportive husband cared -- he knew I was on life support for nearly a week yet he never missed a day of work, never called my family and never told the kids! I came home emaciated, depressed and totally unprepared to face my future but there was no here to help me at all -- no one seemed to think I might need any help. But I heard about the cost of that ambulance, though! He actually had the nerve to say that next time [NEXT TIME!?!?!], I should call him at work so he could come home and get me. Did I mention that we live 30 miles from the nearest hospital and 35 miles from his job? How many of you think that makes any kind of sense? Six months later, I am physically healthier now but I still have the emotion scars. For two years I told people that I was feeling pain and not going to the bathroom. For two years I took 5 or more Colace a day plus fiber -- and the doctors KNEW IT! I told anyone and everyone that I was having trouble . . . not one of them listened. Oh, I got plenty of pain killers [Vicodin anyone? how about an Oxycodin party?] -- not one kind word. If I thought people were cruel when I was fat -- well, they are just as cruel if they don't like how you lose the weight! Oh, did I mention that all the doctors now want to know who I am going to sue? Yep, I could have died but they won't see me without a legal waiver! I love it. i have to take care of THEIR emotion well-being before they will talk to me about mine! After promising not to sue any of them, I can, at least, make appointments again. Gee, makes you feel safe with them, doesn't it? My advise to anyone that will listen -- DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! IF YOU ARE IN PAIN, SOMETHING ISN'T WORKING RIGHT -- TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS! I knew there was something terribly wrong but I let them talk me into waiting. I should never have had to apologize or make excuses for taking the proactive step to have WLS yet I let people's prejudices jeopardize my health! [Sorry about getting all emotional and long-winded -- I just hadn't put all this in writing before and it just seemed to need venting.] Ruthann

OMG Ruthann, your story has me in tears. No one should have to go through that kind of pain. I am so sorry. I had a bowel obstruction in Oct. the first hospital I went to they acted like I was a leper. Even tho they do RNY, shoot, the doc in the emergency room has even done them. I was in the emergency room for 6 hours. When they finally discovered I had an obstruction and were going to keep me it was 3AM and I told my daughter and fiancee to go home. I was soo drugged up( I was singing Woodstock songs) As soon as they left the doctors started in on me, didn't I want to go to another hospital?? Wouldn't I feel more comfortable with the doctor who did my WLS. After all he knew my anatomy better. I knew they didnt want to bother with me, and that made me scared, would you want someone opening you up who didnt want to? I was drugged and scared. Finally I agreed to be transfered. I didnt go in the first place because this was the hospital of my pcp. And my surgeon at the other hospital no longer took my insurance. They called an ambulance, the ambulance drivers had me all ready to go, going down an empty hall, they stopped. Then they said you know your insurance probally wont pay for this as it isnt an emergency. I kept saying where is my family, no one would answer me. I said what will you do he said I will just drop you off here. again all I could think was . I dont want someone operating on me who doesnt want to. So I told them to go ahead( by th eway the ambulance bill was almost $700 for 4 miles, and after only 4 weeks they threatened collections) When I got to the second hospital my surgeon met me at the door and said why did they bring you here? you know we wont take your insurance. I just cried and cried. My surgeon did the surgery and he was a doll.I was in the hospital for 5 days. When I went to him for a follow up I asked him what happened, he said I had a kink, the bowel was folded over itself and died. I asked him why they had sent me to his hospital.. He said, they were very busy that night and only had one surgeon. I said they didnt want to bothe rwith me did they? He said exactlly. He is the one who told me the ER surgeon had done WLS and bowl obstruction was a basic surgery, they should have done it. I really haven't had too many problems afterwards, yes a couple of weeks of not being able to eat and for some reason now I am milk intolerant. But I have lost faith in my body, now I am scared. I did nothing to cause that, nothing I can do to prevent it and it can happen again. It's a terrible thing to feel betrayed like that . My support system has been pretty good. BUT my fiancee after 8 days told me to "toughen up" he dragged me out shopping and I cried from th eroad bumps and all the walking. Here we are 3 months later and he ended up with a double hernia it has been 7 weeks and he wont drive yet and I still have to put on his socks.I am starting to get really pissed at him!! I hope you get to feeling better my dear..Jeanb