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

I've not had a bowel obstruction, but I have had a hernia that would intermittently strangulate my small intestine. You have probably NEVER felt a pain like a strangulated bowel causes. Believe me, it will TELL you to get your ass to the ER.

Edited to explain myself better. My pain would only last for ten minutes at the MOST, then the bowel would slip free of the hernia. If you have an actual obstruction, the pain just goes on and on and on...

But even if you're having intermittent pain, FIND OUT WHAT'S WRONG. It might be something that can kill you.

About once every 3 months or so I get PAIN and can't breathe. It lasts 5 minutes or less and is so severe I have to pull over if driving, can't talk. WAY worse thatn kidney stone pain. Then it is gone for another several months. I mentioned it to my doc and we're doing a "wait and see". Wonder if it's blockage or hernia?
This pain is always upper right quadrant... hmmm

When I was having trouble with this, the pain was located near my hernia (which I didn't know I had, or I would have figured it out sooner.) It would start with nausea, the urge to vomit, although I couldn't, and would double me over. The first time it happened, I was in the kitchen and didn't think I would walk the 25 feet to the bathroom, so I was hanging my head out the back door TRYING to barf. Then I staggered to the bedroom and lay down, only to wonder if I was going to die right there, because I couldn't reach the phone to call for help. But after about ten minutes, it was like someone flipped a switch---you know that GLORIOUS feeling you get when a really bad pain just stops? (*grin*)

It happened a total of, I think, 5 times---the last two after I'd been dx'd with the hernia and was waiting for a surgery date. My mom had just been dx'd with COPD, and she didn't want me to have surgery until she was 'feeling better', but after the last time, there was no more stalling---I wanted that baby fixed, and RIGHT THEN!

I also had a case of food poisoning between the dx and the repair, and I was scared to death it was the hernia and I was going to have to have emergency surgery. I was puking my guts out, had diarrhea, etc. The doc in the ER said he'd never before have someone be GLAD to hear they had food poisoning. (*grin*)

I've had 5 since roux-y , 10 years ago. The first one, I had waited way to long, was strangulated. Was sent hospital by ambulance. They said if I would have waited an hour longer I'd have died. 2 obstructions didn't need surgery. This past 2 months I've lost 30#, very weak, couldn't eat . just a few bites made me feel very stuffed. In ER twice malnutrition and dehydration. Dr did surgery this past Tues, just to look inside. Scar tissue wrapped around bowels, several partial obstructions. Every doc says there is nothing that can b done to prevent this. And everytime they go in, it can cause more scar tissue. Also protein helps tissue to grow.  

Yikes!
Yes, I know well the flipped switch - it's like it never happened!
I'm glad you got yours taken care of. And now I have another possible to throw in the basket for consideration for mine. Thanks so much! Info is power!
I'm still thinking mine is partial obstruction or twist more than hernia, because it seems to happen if I'm more gassy or have recently taken a narcotic pain med - which slows stuff down, of course.
But since this only happens five minutes once every three months, and not accelerating, I'm hoping I can continue to be an ostrich. I've already had two other (totally unrelated) surgeries in the past 6 months, lol.