Part 2 - bowel obstruction surgery - the nervous breakdown

I don’t know if I’m being paranoid or what. I just have no idea what is normal after this type of event and surgery. I have only had a few hours of pain relief since getting out of surgery. It’s when they added an extra dose of pain meds on top of my pain pump. I guess because I had almost no pain in my stomach during my DS that I’m concerned. I think I may have just gotten lucky and stayed ahead of the pain during that laparoscopic, virgin procedure where this one was open. My back hurt with both surgeries since I am a stomach sleeper and hours on the table do a number on me. I told them in the hospital that I was in pain but they treated me as if it was normal. It has decreased, albeit slightly, over time.

I don’t know how sensitive the repairs are. Getting up and down was quite a battle in the hospital. Of course I needed to engage my core muscles, which is right where my surgery was. Could one push too hard undo everything? Everyone looked at my stomach and no one seemed to think anything was wrong. I feel like I have swelling in that area and a small bubble at the top of my incision. This began in the hospital. It isn’t worse or better since getting home.

I didn’t progress to soft foods until I came home. I was instructed not to eat anything that you need a knife to cut. If I can eat/cut it with a fork or spoon it was ok. Surprisingly I have had an appetite and no problem finding things to eat. I was told to avoid nausea and vomiting and not to eat everything at once. Liquids and foods have not given me any troubles. I had very small amounts of scrambled eggs, fake crab with mayo, a few protein shakes, and yogurt until last night. I had some wonton soup. It was so good so I ate about 4-5 wontons and broth. A few minutes later I started having the same pain in my stomach that I had prior to surgery in the exact same spot.

Of course the very thought of having another surgery gives me absolute panic attack (NYB – not sure HOW you did 2 surgeries in 2 days – OMG!!!). Could the pain just be from being swollen/sore inside where the repairs are? I was instructed to follow up with my PCP in 2 weeks and Dr. Rabkin in 4 weeks.

I still have a lot of gas coasting around my insides and FINALLY had my first bowel movement last night before I ate the wonton soup.

As I write this I guess my pain is getting better. I just had a burning bowel movement but I’m sure all the stuff pumped into me will make it abnormal for at least a little while.   I am afraid to eat anything with texture now. I’ll probably stick to the yogurt and protein shakes again today.

I keep trying to remind myself that I just had major surgery 5 days ago and that all of this is normal pain and healing. I’m so traumatized by it though that the thought of another surgery or complication scares the crap out of me. I worried about no gas or bowel movements in the hospital and Dr. Rabkin would just smile and me and tell me not to worry. Since then those have resolved. Will the pain after eating resolve, too?!

I would love to hear in detail how everyone who had a bowel obstruction healed. I know I need to call Rabkin’s office but I think it’s also important to hear from people who experienced this surgery and how they recovered. If I could say exactly what is going on inside my head it would sound like this (don’t judge) “I’m a big baby, I hate pain, I hate that I had to have surgery, I want someone to hold my hand and do medical tests to make sure I’m normal. I want guarantees. I want my pain to go away. I want another CT scan to make sure I’m fixed inside. I want to be in denial. I never want to go to a hospital ever again so if that CT scan can come to my house and be done I’d feel better. I don’t want Dr Rabkin or people on the board to think I’m crazy, over exaggerating, yell at me or tell me to go to the hospital. I will absolutely hate myself and hate my life if I f&^%ed up this surgery by something I did. Did I %&^% up my last one and that’s why I’m in this situation? I wish my mom didn’t die 3 years ago because I can’t imagine going thru this or anything else without her wisdom, guidance, phone calls and her soothing voice. I want to cry but I’m afraid I won’t stop.”

Thanks again for listening.

Prayers and a gentle hug Cathy.  I have a low pain tolerance my DS was painful.  So, I can only imagine what your guts must be going through.  I'm sure Dr Rabkin was thorough in his exploration and fixing everything that needed fixing. 

Maybe staying with very soft foods for a week or would help your guts get back to a more normal feeling.  Soft boiled eggs, very creamy (read lots of mayo) with your tuna or crab/shrimp if it's like mush, even going back to mash potatoes and gravy. 

If the pain returns, either PCP or ER.  I'd also contact Rabkin and get his take on it. 

Tried to send you a PM, but your profile is private.  Hang tough sweetie.

Hi Cathy,

I read both of your posts and will share my experience from my small bowel obstruction and ventral hernia surgery this past May 2014. I was in the hospital for a week.  I am now about 6 months post op. I will give you my experience answering your questions.  I hope sharing my experience helps you.  It really will get better.

1.  How long did it take for you to have a bowel movement? 

It took over a week for a BM.  It was very difficult and I kept going to the bathroom and straining.  Sometimes I would be in there off and on for almost 2 hours at a time.  I had to do several fleet enemas to get things started.  It was difficult and irregular for almost a month after that.  My surgeon said it would take some time before my bowels become regular.  When I got out of the hospital I have very decreased bowel sounds.  Now six months later, I am very regular and everything ok. 

2.  How long did the tough pain last?  I'm 4 days out and I'm still at a 7 or so on the pain scale.  Is this normal?

The pain is totally normal.  I was in significant pain prior to the surgery and after for at least 2 weeks.  This surgery was much worse regarding pain for me than my original DS surgery.  After a couple of weeks you should start feeling much better.

3.  How long until you could to back to work?

I went back to work after 2 weeks.  I was still very weak and did half days for about 2 more weeks after that.  I felt like the only way to get my strength back was to get up and get moving.  I felt extremely weak for about 5 weeks.

4.  How long before you felt 100% back to normal?

I felt 100% back to normal after 6 weeks.

5.  Did anything change after your surgery (medical, weight, appetite, bowel movements)?

Medical - doing ok, weight - I lost 20lbs in 2 weeks after I got home from surgery and have gained 10lbs back after my appetite returned, bowel movements are good now.

6.  Any advice you can recommend?

Be patient and try not to worry.  I felt the same way and I was always worried about getting another obstruction right away.  This experience really scared me and I was worried for several months afterward.  I feel good now and don't worry as much.  I have to say it was the worse experience I have ever endured and pray it never happens again.

Thank you so much!  What a relief to hear.  I am having no problem now with bowel movements.  It's a flowing!!!  I'm down several pounds already too and looking forward to eating my way back up to my fighting weight.  I ran out of pain pills today.  I kept thinking that I would take 2 until it got better.  I don't like being on pain meds and this is the first time I've ever run out of a script.  I usually don't need them all the way thru.  I put in a call to my surgeon's office and I'm just waiting for them to call back.  I just feel like with all the options out there why can't we have 100% pain relief?!  Is that so much to ask for?  Even in the hospital my pain was never under control. 

Up until today I had a very good appetite. I'm both sick of soft foods and also it does make me sick sometimes after I eat so I'm getting anxious over it.  I've also had some aching where my catheter was.  I don't think I have an infection but more like bruising.  I also keep having small coughing fits.  Ouch!!!!!

I'm trying to focus on the positives but it's hard:

• I'm able to sleep in my own bed instead of in just the recliner
• I have an awesome husband and pets keeping me company constantly
• the bloating and pain have gone down a bit which helps with moving around

 

 

Mine was April seventh of this year. I was eating some Red Liccorish, and about fifteen minuts latter I had really bad pain in the middle of my gut, I thought it was my ulcer so I started eating peanut butter to coat my stomach, I also started drinking protein drinks to do the same. Well the pain kept up and then I started throwing up... I kept trying to coat my stomach to take away the pain and I kept throwing everything back up. The pain got worse and worse, finally after about four or five hours of this, "I cant believe I was able to wait that long" I told my husband take me to the hospital. I wasn't impressed they thought I had kidney stones, I said No I have had those before and that wasn't it. They were looking at me very suspiciously like I was a pain pill seeking person is what I was thinking. Were very huffy to me and kept asking me why I was breathing the way I was. I told them I was breathing through the pain, and I had been doing it for hours and It was tiring me out and I couldn't do it much longer. She basically rolled her eyes at me and said my dr. s office opened in a couple of hours and I should go home and wait to see my dr. CAn you imagine???? I said Im not leaving, and I am a bariatric patient and I want a CT scan right now. UHG, I really hated that woman, not much of a Dr. if you ask me. They gave me this stuff to drink for the CT scan and I kept throwing it back up. Finally they took me for the scan, after I got back to my room, two male Dr. showed up with really concerned looks on their faces and I said Do you know whats wrong? and they said yes you have a bowel ubstruction and we need to send you in an ambulance to a different hospital. Everyone after that treated me like a queen... thank god. I never saw that horrible first woman Dr., to be honest I don't think she had the guts to come back in my room. I found out latter from the internet that the way I was breathing was a classic sign of a bowel ubstruction, I guess her expertise missed that.... They inserted a big hose down my nose and into my stomach, and said that sometimes when you take the pressure off of the obstruction by emptying the stomach the obstruction will undo itself, if not they will have to operate. They took my vitals every fifteen minutes. Well thank god that is exactly what happened. By the next day the pain was gone, when I let the pain medication wear off. Everything was fine again. I was able to pass gas. I stayed in the hospital for three days to make sure everything was working ok. First day juice, and jello, and the next day soft foods. Pudding mashed potatoes, and the third day I had an omelet. I was so scared to eat for such a long time. To this day I will ;never eat licquorish again, or anything like it. I think that it piled up in there like Lincoln logs, and caused a dam. They didn't say that, I just think that. I had a bowel movment on the third day with laxatives... It was so horrible of an experience,, I never want it to happen again.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me.  I am so glad that I had excellent, thoughtful care right from the start.  I have seen so many people have to fight for a CT scan w/contrast that I was prepared for battle.  My doctor said "That is exactly what I was thinking we should do" and my signs weren't nearly as obvious as yours.  I'm so glad you were able to fight for what you needed even during such a painful time.  Wow! 

I, too, am so scared about going thru this again that I don't blame you for never wanting to eat licorice again.  It's great that it was able to resolve without surgery.  I can't imagine that licorice breaks down very well in the gut.  I have read over and over that the mental part of this is very difficult on people.  Although we never want others to experience anything negative it's good to know that I'm not alone in feeling traumatized.  It normalizes things for me. 

Yes, traumatic experiances effect everyone differently. I myself can be a little on the paranoid side. I know it sounds silly but even the show that I was watching on tv when the whole thing happened I don't even want to watch again. And it was one of my favorite shows. It just brings back to many memories of that night....uhg. Im such a weirdo, I know but that is just how it is for me.... Know that you are not alone with your fear.... We are probably suffering from Post traumatic stress disorder and don't even know it.....lol

It actually doesn't sound crazy to me at all.  I am a paranoia case also.  I don't want to eat at Benihana ever again because that was the last meal I had prior to going to the ER.  That is my favorite restaurant.  I'm home all alone and my mind is all over the place.  I think it is PTSD! I'm afraid to have any medical problems ever again.  I wish you were here to enjoy a very liquidy drink that could be easily passed thru all bowels without pain with me!

Awww, your sweet. Don't worry, it does get better, but we can both say we will never forget. Maybe that's a good thing, I shouldn't have been eating licorish in the first place, and now I pay such better attention to textures of food and what I put into my body, that has to be a good thing. Its funny you say that about Benihana, because I also vow not to eat Chinese food anymore. Everytime I do it reeks havoc in my gut. Its like it wont pass through and causes pain. Its real torture for me. I think its weird that I can eat steak just fine, but stir fried veggies,,, uhg. Not for me. You should send me a friend request.....