Question:
What are the symptoms of an obstructed bowel after WLS?

   — white2003toyota (posted on February 6, 2007)

February 6, 2007
If you have a slight feeling as your bowels are blocked such as not passing gas or stool, GET TO YOUR DOCTOR IMMEADIATELY!! Is it just constipation? It's better to be safer than sorry as 5 days after receiving my RNY they found I had a blockage and went back in to fix it, telling me the next day that they thought I was going to die! But my Surgeon fixed everything.
   — Michael Eak

February 6, 2007
Hi Pat: I was just treated for an obstruction, and I was 15 months out from RNY. For me, there was intense pain after eating. Some people don't experience pain to that degree, but rather a bloated feeling. Vomiting, on the inability to void could be another indication. If you think any of this may be happening, it is important to get to the emergency room immediately. I ignored symptoms for three days and almost paid dearly. Surgery resolved the issue for me, but ignoring it can turn a small problem into a much bigger one. Pain or discomfort of any kind MUST be investigated immediately. I hope you are doing well, and keep us posted, okay? -Fondly, Pam
   — pjwilsen

February 7, 2007
It really, REALLY HURTS. An adhesion/obstruction can develop very quickly. In my case, I went from feeling fine to pure agony in a period of about three hours. I should have gone to the ER sooner than I did because, as I found out later, this condition can be LIFE THREATENING. I lived but I could have lost a portion of my bowel. It was like having a tourniquet applied to a two-foot loop of my small intestine. The abdominal pain was extermely intense and lasted for several hours prior to going under anesthesia for emergency surgery. As a result, when I finally got into the OR for emergency surgery, the doctors discovered that I was having a stress induced heart attack with a loss of 50% of function in my left ventricle. I was lucky and my heart recovered after several days in ICU. I was told by an ICU nurse when I left ICU they thought for a while that I might not live. ---- The bottom line. ***If you experience abdominal pain after any kind of bowel surgery, e.g. Roux-en-Y, (and this could be days to years post-surgery) get in IMMEDIATELY to get it checked out. Be sure to tell whomever is trying to figure out what the source of your pain is (e.g., an attending physician in the ER who does not know your medical history) that you previously had bowel surgery and that you are now at heightened risk for bowel adhesions and obstructions.
   — [Deactivated Member]