Video Glossary: What is an intestinal blockage or obstruction?
August 20, 2010Question: Have you had a blockage? How did you know and how did you clear it? Reply to this post! It’s easy!
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Blockages are incredibly painful. I’ve had adhesions wrap around my small intestine like a rubberband, totally blocking me and requiring surgery. Then there are the food related blockages that put me in bed for days until somethin finally moves the obstruction through. No good solutions that I’ve found.
I have had two blockages. They were very painful. Both times I went to emergency and was admitted to the hospital. The first time a young eager surgeon almost took out my appendix. The OR was ready. Fortunatly a wiser surgeon said wait and see. So I was in a hospital bed for 4 days with broth and jello to eat. Things cleared up finally. The second time was worse. I kept throwing up but did not know why. It was less painful but I felt awful. After a CT scan they put a tube in my nose so I would stop throwing up and not get anything in my lungs. They were doing a series of scans the next day and the contrast they gave me cleared me up big time. Lots of diarrea which was a big nuisance because I had a fistula at the time. Thank god that closed. Blockages can be very scary and if not taken care of very dangerous.
I guess that’s why they call physicians’ offices practices. Amazing to me how many doctors don’t know what to do with “us”. I once had a terrible blockage and a resident came into my room, pushed really hard on stomach and I lietrally screame dout in pain. My surgeon was so angry he told the resident NEVER to come to my room again. I’ve been so distended that I’ve had nurses ask when my baby was due. It is nuts out there.
I’m definitely no stranger to small bowel obstructions; my first operation, my total colectomy, went smoothly w/ no post-op complications whatsoever. However, when the time came for the second stage of that three stage operation, the j-pouch procedure, was when I had the most complications. I was hospitalized three seperate occasions, for dehydration from my loop ileostomy, nausea and vomiting,and severe abdominal pain, and pouchitis within the j pouch itself. I was diagnosed each time w/ a partial small bowel obstruction, and was treated w/ IV fluids, pain medication, anti nausea meds, and IV antibiotics and 5 days of a clear liquid diet. My first diagnosis was Ulcerative Colitis, but unfortunately, 8 weeks after my j-pouch procedure, I underwent a third operation to remove the j-pouch, loop ileostomy, and my remaining rectal stump where the j pouch was located. After this surgery, my surgeon changed his original diagnosis to Crohn’s Disease. I’m an active member of the CCFA and I plan on becoming a support group facilitator and hopefully am in remission so that I’ll be able to volunteer in Camp Oasis in Georgia next summer. Oh, I was 18 and 19 when I underwent these last two major surgeries. GOD BLESS, Carla