A MUST READ- More about Small Bowel Obstruction! IMPORTANT!

Jupiter6
on 6/12/08 7:20 am, edited 6/12/08 9:00 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ

Mortality and morbidity are dependent on the early recognition and correct diagnosis of obstruction. If untreated, strangulated obstructions cause death in 100% of patients. If surgery is performed within 36 hours, the mortality rate decreases to 8%. The mortality rate is 25% if the surgery is postponed beyond 36 hours in these patients. ---------------------------------------------- Again-- if you are vomiting, or have extreme pain, or if you cannot pass gas or move your bowels, contact your surgeon and go IMMEDIATELY to your local emergency room-- tell them you are at high risk for a deadly small bowel obstruction and that every minute you waste could literally KILL you. Print out a page about it off the 'net and take it with you if you need to. Do NOT allow them to delay treatment. If you are too ill to state your case forcefully, take a friend. GET TREATED! GET A CAT SCAN! (It was at least 120 hours before my own surgery. I can't effin' believe I am here.) EDITED TO ADD: ANY of the ABOVE SYMPTOMS can be dangerous-- you need not have them all to be in danger!

"Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--
     Emergency Bowel Repair 6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.   Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift
     12/08
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA Mastopexy/Massive
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty (plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
     6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
     Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300 Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2 BMI: 24.7

hedy67
on 6/12/08 7:22 am - Horsham, PA

DS on 11/26/07

Wow! That is astonishing! Thank you againbn for posting this- I have bookmarked it Get better SOON!.

Hedy

Angelette to CathyO,
Angel to Levitown_Loser, Tom and Mommyto2gr8kids, Heather!

(deactivated member)
on 6/12/08 7:39 am

Hold on folks, I think it is important to note that with a DS, you can have a small bowel obstruction and continue to pass gas AND have bowel movements, both. This would apply whether the obstruction was caused by strangulation or not.

(deactivated member)
on 6/12/08 8:09 am - Bellevue, WA

DS on 12/26/06

What would your symptoms be? Anything other than pain?

Elizabeth N.
on 6/12/08 8:52 am - Burlington County, NJ

DS on 12/04/06

Unremitting pain is the biggie. When you have the DS, you can no longer afford to explain away a severe, lasting bellyache--even with pain that's intermittent, you need to have a constantly elevated "suspcion level," so to speak, that something worse could be wrong. It will always be better to call the doc too often rather than not often enough. Other more medically knowledgable folks will be along who know more than this, I'm sure :-). My surgeon always harps on the pain factor, though, and emphasizes that even you can still eat, drink and poop, but have pain, you MUST get checked out. I have it pretty easy. If I get something like that and I'm not passing out or going septic or something, my family has instructions to put me in the car and take me to Scranton, even though it's three hours away. But if your surgeon is further away, it can be awfully annoying to have to try to talk to docs who don't know DS stuff. This is why being proactive is SO important.

Mary_J
on 6/12/08 10:17 am

Revision on 10/19/07

Isn't 'ghost' poop sometimes a indicator? I think I read that on here somewhere. The limb bringing in the enzymes blocks and the poop ends up somewhat colorless. Again, someone more knowledgeable?

5' 5" - 317.5 / 132 / 134 SW / CW / GW

Jupiter6
on 6/12/08 10:23 am - Near Media, Pa- South of Philly, NJ

RNY on 07/16/07

My ghost poop was a galldbladder symptom. YMMV.

"Oh sweet and sour Jesus, that is GOOD!" - Stephen Colbert Lap RNY 7/07-- Lap Gallbladder 5/08--
     Emergency Bowel Repair 6/08 -Dr. Meilahn, Temple U.   Upper and Lower Bleph/Lower Face Lift
     12/08
     Fraxel Repair 2/09-- Lower Bleph Re-Do 5/09  -Dr. Pontell, Media PA Mastopexy/Massive
     Brachioplasty/ Extended Abdominoplasty (plus Mons Lift and Upper Leg lift) / Hernia Repair
     6/24/09 ---Butt Lift and Lateral Thighplasty Scheduled 7/6/10 - Dr. Ivor Kaplan VA Beach
     Total Cost: $33,500   Start wt: 368   RNY wt: 300 Goal wt: 150   Current wt: 148.2 BMI: 24.7

Elizabeth N.
on 6/12/08 12:55 pm - Burlington County, NJ

DS on 12/04/06

I dunno about that one. I've only heard about ghost poop as a signal of possible gall bladder stuff. But we'll keep the thread up nice and high so someone who has a clue will notice and give a real response eh? ;-)