Partial small bowel obstruction

I'm typing this from the hospital from 2 days of hell.  Let this be a warning to all the newbies (or vets who just like to "tough" things out.)

On several occasions since my DS, I have had severe abdominal pain occurring in the umbilical region.  The pain ran horizontally across my belly, below my sleeve, and came in sharp waves of spasms.  It is toe curling, gut wrenching, god awful pain.  It starts out feeling somewhat like gas pains, but as things progress, it becomes quite easy to tell that there is something else going on.  (You can read more about my symptoms here: www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4035635/Which-hospital-ER-in-S an-Francisco-would-I-go-to/)


I had just been lucky in the past, being able to take a pain pill and sleep it off.  Tuesday night about 7 pm the pain reappeared, and grew increasingly severe.  Took a pain pill...slight relief, but the pain came right back.  Took another one...this time, nothing.  Then at 4 AM I started vomiting.  I knew that wasn't normal, so I begrudgingly went to the ER thinking maybe I had food poisoning.  They did a CT with contrast and found a partial small bowel obstruction.  Apparently my guts got kinked somehow (they can do that after abdominal surgery and weight loss.)  I guess, in the past, they unkinked with the narcotics and rest... but it wasn't the case this time.  They monitored me very closely and were considering surgery, but luckily things straightened out by Thursday evening on their own.  Uhm, LUCKY MUCH?!  But because I was partially obstructed, I have been on clear liquids for 3 days, and I am still dealing with some wretched constipation and bloating.

I say all that to say this:  I see people post all the time with similar pains to the ones I described above, thinking that it may be gas.  Well, maybe, but OTC simethicone should produce relief pretty soon after.  If that doesn't work, get your ass to the hospital or you could wind up dead.  An untreated bowel obstruction has a 100% rate of mortality.  And to think I was dumb enough in the past to just lay there and try to deal with it hoping it would "go away."  I just happened to get lucky that I was only partially obstructed and my gut decided to straighten out.  

Don't be stupid like me.  If it hurts that bad, it ain't normal.  That's all.

Glad to hear thigs resolved on there own..take care and get some rest feel better melody

Oh, you poor thing. Thanks for the very good lesson for us all. The risk does not go down over time, so we are all at risk.

I'm glad it resolved, but what are they saying about the future? 

Hope you are off the liquids soon. Take care.

No indication about anything in the future.  Just have to pay attention to my body if there is a next time. The liquids aren't so bad.  Should help me lose more weight.  hahaha. :-p

Melody,
First of all, I'm glad you are okay!  Secondly, thank you for sending this much needed warning to everyone!  I know a lot of us have been taught that putting everyone else first is our top priority.  Your experience just reiterates that we must not be stoics when it comes to pain!
Big hugs, you lucky devil!

Melody...I am so glad to hear that you are on the way to healing!  I know the fear of this happening as I have suffered a bowel obstruction (complete obstruction) and undergone surgery to repair it.  Yes, they are painful, I describe it as worse than child birth!  The pain doesnt go away.  You take care now and heal heal heal!

Also to anyone, even those who have never had abdominal surgeries, bowel obstructions can and do happen and untreated are life threatening!  If you no longer have your gall bladder or appendix and suffer this type of abdominal pain....get it checked out!  Better to be safe and have gone to get checked out for nothing than to not get checked out and have it be something. 

This is a symptoms check list that I have posted many times and will continue to post as it is so important for us to remember....

Bowel Obstruction - Symptoms

 

 

The symptoms of a bowel obstruction depend on whether the blockage is in the small intestine (small-bowel obstruction) or the large intestine (large-bowel obstruction).

Small-bowel obstruction

• Abdominal pain. Most small-bowel obstructions cause waves of cramping abdominal pain. The pain occurs around the belly button (periumbilical area). If an obstruction goes on for a while, the pain may decrease because the bowel stops contracting. Continuous severe pain in one area can mean that the blockage has cut off the bowel's blood supply. This is a medical emergency. Call your doctor immediately.
• Vomiting. Small-bowel obstructions usually cause vomiting. The vomit is usually green if the obstruction is in the upper small intestine and brown if it is in the lower small intestine.
• Elimination problems. Constipation and inability to pass gas are common signs of a bowel obstruction. But when the bowel is partially blocked, you may have diarrhea and pass some gas. If you have a complete obstruction, you may have a bowel movement if there is stool below the obstruction.
• Bloating. Blockages may cause bloating in the lower abdomen. You may also hear gurgling sounds coming from your belly. With a complete obstruction, your doctor may hear high-pitched sounds when listening with a stethoscope. The sounds decrease as movement of the bowel slows.

Large-bowel obstruction

• Abdominal pain. Blockage of the large intestine usually causes abdominal pain below the belly button. The pain may vary in intensity. Severe, constant pain may mean that your intestine's blood supply has been cut off or that you have a hole in your intestine. This is a medical emergency. Call your doctor immediately.
• Bloating. Generalized abdominal bloating usually occurs around the belly button and in the pelvic area.
• Diarrhea or constipation. Either of these symptoms may occur, depending on how complete the obstruction is. Your stools may be thin.
• Vomiting. This symptom is not common with a large-bowel (colonic) obstruction. If vomiting occurs, it usually happens late in the illness.

Blockages caused by cancer may cause symptoms such as blood in the stool, weakness, weight loss, and lack of appetite.

Bowel obstructions in newborns

Key signs of obstruction in newborns are green vomit and failure to pass the first stool, which is made of a thick, greenish black substance called meconium.

Several other conditions can cause similar symptoms

Just curious, what was your diet/intake like after your obstruction?  For how long?

Hi Melody...soo glad to see you posting again!  My diet was much more high in fats....I hadnt been very good about getting enough fats in my diet, though right after having my obstruction surgically corrected I was  back on the soft foods for about 6 weeks.  I pay soo mucy more attention to what I eat and how it is prepared now.  I still enjoy all my normal DS friendly foods with the exception of fruits.  For some reason I have not been able to eat much fruit since my DS.  Just doesnt sit well.  Strawberries or other berries are okay but no apples or the such or if I do very limited.  I do add much more fat than most people do via butter or evoo to my foods and lots of sauces...definately wanna keep things moving.  I dont think my obstruction was due to solely having had abdominal surgery...I had been in a serious car accident and had some head trauma as well as some abdominal trauma that had gone undiagnosed up until the obstruction occured.  There was a large tear that they felt was due to the tightening of the seat belt around my abdomen....the tear was somewhere in the biliary....thus leaving alot of further scar tissue and adhesions.  I know that this was an experience that will not easily if ever be forgotten as I do honeslty feel that the pain was worse than child birth!  Glad you are okay and yours didnt go as far as mine did. 

ETA;  It took 3 hours and 45 minutes to repair the damage done to me and I was told usually these procedures take 45 minutes to at the longest an hour to repair.  I know I definately pay attention to any abdominal pains especially not having a gall bladder or appendix....abdominal pain is a huge red flag especially when you can already rule these 2 things out....

OMG, Colene!  I was in that car accident in November.  It was a 60 mph collision and they did not do any tests on my abdomen, even though I begged them to do a CT with contrast to be safe.  I wonder if it could be related???

I'm so glad you pulled through that all right.  I figure I'll be transitioning for a couple weeks back to a more normal diet.  The liquids were awful for a couple of days but they don't seem so bad now.  They are much easier on my system.