Lessons from the ER at 22 months postop

Yesterday was a very interesting day for me. I started off the day with a strong cup of coffee before my run, basically so I could ensure I wouldn't be pooping myself mid-run. I've been known to have that happen... Well, apparently the espresso was quite strong and I actually had diarreah! Quite surprised but didn't give it much thought. Felt good after 14.3 miles, save the pooting - which after 4 GasX chewables, I thought I'd had under wraps.

I ate a few new things later on in the evening - one of which were Emerald Nuts glazed walnuts - and around 5p, started to feel like I was filling up with a massive amount of gas, then had abdominal pain & distention. I started to feel nauseated from the pain & bloating and thought maybe there was some food stuck. It didn't take much encouragement for food to come out but I started to get alarmed when the pain & puking didn't stop. Normally, if something's stuck, I've had almost immediate relief when it came out. This time, I'd been on & off the toilet for an hour, threw up several times unassisted, and couldn't straighten into anything other than fetal position without intense pain. At that point, I knew the ER was going to be a must. Then came the exorcist-like vomiting, with a bitter/bile taste, and I had my husband call 911. 

The EMTs came pretty quickly, but by then the vomiting stopped - maybe because I couldn't possibly have anything else in my system - and the pain was abating. They did my vitals & took my history and told me we were going to the ER. By the time I got to the ER, all I had was some gas & tenderness and nausea. No more urges to vomit, no more pain. Nevertheless, I got some zofran and the ER dr told me he wanted to do an abdominal CT scan that night. So I drank the contrast - which surprisingly isn't as disgusting as I remembered - and an hour or so later did the scan. I guess the ER was pretty busy b/c we were there a total of 5 hrs, all of which I had no more symptoms, but finally the dr came back and said the scan was normal. No obstructions, no abnormalities except for quite a bit of poo in the colon and some mild edema in the abdominal wall on one side. All labs were normal and symptoms were gone. So finally headed home at 2:30a......

I have an appointment with my surgeon tomorrow, I guess to discuss the symptoms and what could have possibly caused it. My best guess is that my system just doesn't like small nuts/seeds and apple peels. The past few pukes have been due to popcorn, apple peels & sesame seeds. So, even at nearly 2 years postop, I still have a learning curve. i took most of the day off of solids but still have a bit of gas. It's crack out the Miralax time to get things moving out and start anew.....

OMGah I could have written this post myself... Its happened quite a few times for me too... I have been to the ER twice and its been nothing more than gas (my hubby refers to it as the $3,000 fart lol)... its the most painful experience I have ever been through including c-sections, gall bladder, rny, hysterectomy... none of those were comparable to the pain I have with my "gas attacks"... I have been keeping record of my intake when these happen but theres really no rhyme or reason for mine... please post what your surgeon says I would love to have some ideas what it could possibly be... Glad you're feeling better and hope it isn't a reoccurring thing for you :)

Yeah, I felt a bit sheepish for going in the ambulance to the ER for what amounted to gas & poo. But was relieved to know there were no obstructions! Better safe than sorry....

happens to me too. seems more frequently now then it used to. also with no rhyme or reason, and usually wakes me out of a deep sleep around 3 am. i haven't seen a dr for it though despite my parents trying to get me to go 

oh my gosh - that sounds horrible.  So glad it is nothing serious and better safe than sorry, huh?

I can handle all but three foods at 5.5 years out... Even a single onion ring, more than just a couple of citrus fruit segments with the membrane still attached, and MOST apple peels.  Only the onion rings cause vomiting, but the other two cause intense upper intestinal distress and gas and/or diarrhea.  I keep trying the apples and tangerines again, but every time I discover that I am better off eating mandarin oranges from a can and peeling the apples.  After 5 years, I think I am finally done trying.

I hope you don't have a recurrence!

Lora

Glad you're okay and feeling better!!!

Almost reminds me of food poisoning!!

Best Wishes for better days!!!

Thank you for sharing your experience. I Have had some really rough bouts of gas but not to this extent.  I agree about letting us know what your surgeon has to say about it. 

I've had this happen 3 times now. The latest was just a few nights ago.

I'm glad to hear that it happens to other people. It was about the worst pain I've been in. I would have thought that something had ruptured if I hadn't had it before!