Thanks for the visual. At least it made me kind of laugh. I wasn't expecting that kind of answer. I needed that. Anyway, I thought answers might vary a little. I know I have had partial obstructions. I just kind of wondered .... well.... I don't know! I'll see what the doc says.
Thanks for the laugh! Not that it is funny when it happens to you, but you know what I mean!
Bear hugs, Jenny
>From: "Kate Murphy" <katemm@mindspring.com>
>Reply-To: adhesions@adhesions.org
>To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS
><adhesions@mail.medispecialty.com>
>Subject: Re: When do you know personally...
>Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 10:58:08 -0600
>
>On 30 Jan 2001, at 2:20, jenny low wrote:
>
> >
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > This may sound really stupid, but when do you know personally that you
>have
> > a bowel obstruction? I believe I have had partial obstructions in the
>past
> > that take car of themselves, but never a complete obstruction.
>
>Jenny,
>
>I think it would be pretty difficult not to know that you had a
>complete bowel obstruction. Just imagine what happens when you
>get a clog in a drainpipe: first the water may drain slowly when
>some fluid can get by. Then your kids dump the potato peelings in
>the sink and try to wash them down the drain. You accidently
>flush down half a chewed up orange.
>
>Pretty soon, the drain fills up and when you try to put anything else
>in, everything gurgles or splashes back up. Meanwhile, if you
>could see the end of the pipe, nothing would be coming out!
>
>For me partial obstruction causes pain, some vomiting when I eat a
>large meal, and alternating constipation and diarrhea. When I had
>a complete obstruction the pain was much worse and became
>crampy, I vomited buckets without being able to control it. It was
>an emergency, and I knew it.
>
>Kate
>Kate Murphy
>katemm@mindspring.com
>