What are the signs of a bowel obstruction?
I will add my voice to say "ditto" to what has been said before, and emphasize the following points:
1) Ischemic bowel (cut off from receiving oxygen because it is herniated) can die in just a few hours -- don't just "wait until morning" or "wait until X comes home from work (at the regular time because you don't tell them you are in pain) if the pain is bad.
2) If it is an internal hernia, as was mentioned above, they need to scan it WHILE it is happening -- so waiting is counterproductive anyway.
3) A ruptured appendix will cause peritonitis, a potentially life-threatening condition, and one which will require a week on IV antibiotics -- whereas fixing a non-ruptured appendix laparoscopically could mean just a single day in the hospital.
4) A gall bladder with stones that is ignored can result in a stone slipping into the pancreatic duct. This can result in life-threatening pancreatitis. Anyone remember Castaway Ray, the patient who died about 3 weeks after his DS in 2006? He didn't die from anything directly related to his DS. He died because NJ Medicaid would not help him get to a surgeon who could treat a patient his size (500+ lbs), and he suffered with gall stones for 3 years before his DS. During his DS surgery, his stone-engorged gall bladder was removed, but a stone slipped into his bile duct and shredded it and he died from complications of THAT -- which should never have happened, and wouldn't have, if it had been removed earlier.
5) You know your body, but YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR. They are paid to make the difficult differential diagnosis between a stuck fart and a life-threatening intussusception.
6) EVERY ONE OF US NEEDS TO BE PREPARED FOR A RUN TO THE ER WITH ABDOMINAL PAIN, AND TO BE ABLE TO (OR TO HAVE SOMEONE IN OUR FAMILY BE ABLE TO) EXPLAIN WHAT YOUR GUTS LOOK LIKE TO A SNOTTY 27 YEAR OLD ER RESIDENT WHO HAS NO CLUE WHAT A DS IS, AND A MAJOR EGO PROBLEM LISTENING TO A PATIENT TRYING TO SCHOOL HIM ON HIS IGNORANCE.
Here's a story for you all --
I had a face lift and brachioplasty on Nov. 1st in Newport Beach. DH and I were staying in a hotel in Irvine while I healed enough to be released to come home. I was taking demerol, and doing pretty well for 5 days. On the 5th day, I started not feeling well -- I was getting nauseous. I tried deep breathing to calm my queasiness. I was getting more and more queasy, so I tried breathing more deeply -- that has worked in the past. But instead of getting better, it started getting harder to breathe -- so tried to breathe even more deeply. I was almost panting and feeling REALLY awful and then my fingers and toes started tingling and I got REALLY scared -- I though maybe I had thrown a blood clot. I tried to calm down, but I couldn't and I was scaring myself and scaring my husband and then REALLY getting scared and I told DH to call 911.
When the paramedics came (I know those of you with ANY medical education already know what happened -- but I didn't!), of course I was immediately diagnosed with having hyperventilated. I slowed down my breathing, took a Reglan for the nausea and everything was hunky dory. I was VERY embarrassed and kept apologizing to the paramedics and to my husband.
My point is, however, that for a while I was more willing to risk DYING of a blood clot rather than risk looking foolish. And that is something NONE of us can afford to do. If you go to the ER because of a fart once or twice, that is STILL better than not going and dying of an intestinal blockage.
1) Ischemic bowel (cut off from receiving oxygen because it is herniated) can die in just a few hours -- don't just "wait until morning" or "wait until X comes home from work (at the regular time because you don't tell them you are in pain) if the pain is bad.
2) If it is an internal hernia, as was mentioned above, they need to scan it WHILE it is happening -- so waiting is counterproductive anyway.
3) A ruptured appendix will cause peritonitis, a potentially life-threatening condition, and one which will require a week on IV antibiotics -- whereas fixing a non-ruptured appendix laparoscopically could mean just a single day in the hospital.
4) A gall bladder with stones that is ignored can result in a stone slipping into the pancreatic duct. This can result in life-threatening pancreatitis. Anyone remember Castaway Ray, the patient who died about 3 weeks after his DS in 2006? He didn't die from anything directly related to his DS. He died because NJ Medicaid would not help him get to a surgeon who could treat a patient his size (500+ lbs), and he suffered with gall stones for 3 years before his DS. During his DS surgery, his stone-engorged gall bladder was removed, but a stone slipped into his bile duct and shredded it and he died from complications of THAT -- which should never have happened, and wouldn't have, if it had been removed earlier.
5) You know your body, but YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR. They are paid to make the difficult differential diagnosis between a stuck fart and a life-threatening intussusception.
6) EVERY ONE OF US NEEDS TO BE PREPARED FOR A RUN TO THE ER WITH ABDOMINAL PAIN, AND TO BE ABLE TO (OR TO HAVE SOMEONE IN OUR FAMILY BE ABLE TO) EXPLAIN WHAT YOUR GUTS LOOK LIKE TO A SNOTTY 27 YEAR OLD ER RESIDENT WHO HAS NO CLUE WHAT A DS IS, AND A MAJOR EGO PROBLEM LISTENING TO A PATIENT TRYING TO SCHOOL HIM ON HIS IGNORANCE.
Here's a story for you all --
I had a face lift and brachioplasty on Nov. 1st in Newport Beach. DH and I were staying in a hotel in Irvine while I healed enough to be released to come home. I was taking demerol, and doing pretty well for 5 days. On the 5th day, I started not feeling well -- I was getting nauseous. I tried deep breathing to calm my queasiness. I was getting more and more queasy, so I tried breathing more deeply -- that has worked in the past. But instead of getting better, it started getting harder to breathe -- so tried to breathe even more deeply. I was almost panting and feeling REALLY awful and then my fingers and toes started tingling and I got REALLY scared -- I though maybe I had thrown a blood clot. I tried to calm down, but I couldn't and I was scaring myself and scaring my husband and then REALLY getting scared and I told DH to call 911.
When the paramedics came (I know those of you with ANY medical education already know what happened -- but I didn't!), of course I was immediately diagnosed with having hyperventilated. I slowed down my breathing, took a Reglan for the nausea and everything was hunky dory. I was VERY embarrassed and kept apologizing to the paramedics and to my husband.
My point is, however, that for a while I was more willing to risk DYING of a blood clot rather than risk looking foolish. And that is something NONE of us can afford to do. If you go to the ER because of a fart once or twice, that is STILL better than not going and dying of an intestinal blockage.
Just wanted to share my saga....(I'm glad you posted this, because I'm a little worried!)
I've been having pain, under my navel, straight down toward the pubes. Doesn't hurt just sitting, but if my 5 lbs dog, stands on my belly, it hurts. And during sex, it hurts pretty bad.
I had an (internal) sonogram done last Thurs, they saw a very small cyst on my right ovary, but apparently that's pretty normal (as small as it was). However.......they saw "very thick walls" of bowel. There was a couple of spots that she touch (internally) that I about come up off the table, she said she wa****ting bowel through my...innards.
Doc suggested that I go to a Gastro doctor. She said she didn't see an emergency situation, but thought I should go get it checked out.
Of course I called 10 different places today (that have many doctors at the same location) and the soonest I can get in is Dec 7th.
To be honest...I'm a little scared. But I am a worry wart. I've got this vision of my guts getting tangled up in my girl parts!
I've got a envelope in my bag that my BF knows, if something happens to me....get me to the ER and tell them they can hurt me badly if they don't read/look at the paperwork in that envelope.
It contains my surgery notes, the DS card w/Dr. Husted's info, and a print out of the post that was referenced here by Colene.
I'm at the mercy of the docs and appointment people.
Hope everything turns out ok for you! It will make you feel better if you just go get some answers (although waiting for the answers will make you nucking futs!)
Good luck!
I've been having pain, under my navel, straight down toward the pubes. Doesn't hurt just sitting, but if my 5 lbs dog, stands on my belly, it hurts. And during sex, it hurts pretty bad.
I had an (internal) sonogram done last Thurs, they saw a very small cyst on my right ovary, but apparently that's pretty normal (as small as it was). However.......they saw "very thick walls" of bowel. There was a couple of spots that she touch (internally) that I about come up off the table, she said she wa****ting bowel through my...innards.
Doc suggested that I go to a Gastro doctor. She said she didn't see an emergency situation, but thought I should go get it checked out.
Of course I called 10 different places today (that have many doctors at the same location) and the soonest I can get in is Dec 7th.
To be honest...I'm a little scared. But I am a worry wart. I've got this vision of my guts getting tangled up in my girl parts!
I've got a envelope in my bag that my BF knows, if something happens to me....get me to the ER and tell them they can hurt me badly if they don't read/look at the paperwork in that envelope.
It contains my surgery notes, the DS card w/Dr. Husted's info, and a print out of the post that was referenced here by Colene.
I'm at the mercy of the docs and appointment people.
Hope everything turns out ok for you! It will make you feel better if you just go get some answers (although waiting for the answers will make you nucking futs!)
Good luck!
Diana DS Revision from '99 RNY
UHC Denied Jan'09/APPROVED Feb'09
DS-SW287; CW/190 GW/152
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