Re: Short Bowel

From: Janice Simpson (sybylsmom@msn.com)
Sun Aug 11 14:42:25 2002


Dear Traci Oh my God have you been to hell and Back. I haven't gone through anything like you. As far as my diet goes like you it is mild stuff. And due to the adhesions it has to be a mushy consistency. So my biggest want in life is to have a giant salad with croutons and just sit there and crunch away. But if I ever ate that just call the ambulance. I can't believe the troubles you have had. Today is my birthday and mmy guys are taking me out to eat (mushy stuff) so I'll talk to you later. Your friend, Jan

>----- Original Message -----
From: tracigenz@yahoo.com Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2002 11:36 AM To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS Subject: Re: Short Bowel

At Wed, 7 Aug 2002, Janice Simpson wrote: >

Hi Jan, I'm glad to hear from you! Your short bowel sound like mine! I had a partial hysteromcy in '93 (lapscopy surgery) then I developed a bowel obstructin. It was only a nick at that time. I have noticed some foods were hard to digest but I felt fine again. Then in Jan of 99 I had an emerency surgery to remove a ruptured tumor on my ovary. They saw alot of adhesions when they were doing surgery and hoped it would dissolved by the NG tube (familiar w/that?)It didn't and had 5 resections of my small intestine and surgery was 9 hours long. I was hospitalized for 6 weeks and still couldn't digest food like they were getting stuck in my stomach. I went home w/the suction machine for a month (I had a NG inserted in my stomach). When the baker tube (supposely to keep the adhesions away) and NG tube, I was able to eat food again. But during that time and up to the summer of '00, I still wasn't feeling good, had pain, vomited at times and felt weak. The surgeontold me there isn't anything wrong and to eat clear liquid. I was hospitalized alot in the year of 99. In the summer of '00, I have had enough of pain, vomiting and weakness, I went back to my internal medicine doctor and I had the upper GI test (drink barium) and it was partially obstructed so I saw a different surgeon. SHe is SO WONDERFUl and I wish I had her w/my previous surgery. She did the surgery and it was a nightmare, 11 hours long and she told my family I wasn't expected to survive. If I did, I would have long term complications. Well, after a week in ICU, I was moved to a differnt nursing ward for another 5-6 weeks. I had tube feeding, TPN, etc...I went home w/those as well. I had to follow a special diet (no sugar, no dairy products and very low fat). AFter 5 months, I was able to be disconnected from the tube feeding and TPN. I thought my problems were gone even though I hate my loose bowels and the diet. It took a year before I actually felt good. I have now been diagnoised with CELIA disease (gluten sensivity) and I will have to follow a gluten free diet. It is bad enough of the foods I can eat now and this? I know the feeling of you having to cancel some events because of the diarreha. Sometimes I feel like it controlling my life. I used to be so active and socially. I used to run but I have trouble w/my bowels so I'm just walking 2 miles a day. Eating out is no fun either. I used to live on cheesburgers, fries, pizza, beer and you name it! Now, I eat chicken breast w/o the heavy sauces and no french fries...I'm have gotten used to it but now I have to follow a gluten free diet as well....Good grief...Have i suffered enough??? Did you go to the Nutrition Center in MA to help w/your SBS diet? When I came out of surgery, my dietician & surgeon obtain a copy of their diet and that is what I'm eating now. Are you on antibotics for the common side effect of overgrown bacteria in the colon? Well, I think I have typed enough...Hope to hear from you again.

Hi Tracy, > I didn't get your e-mail sorry but here goes. I have had short bowel s nce 96. I have tried all the meds the Dr's put me on and I can't really remember the names of them but none of them work. The only thing that h s helped me at all has been paregoric (an opium product). I take this o ly when I knew I would not have access to a bathroom. If I know I am go ng on a trip (1 hour or more) a few days before I just have liquids. Du to the adhesion I can't eat anything with any substance so I normally e t mushy type foods anyway. This way my bowel is pretty empty and I take the paregoric the night before. This slows down the intestine a bit (no much) but enough to have a little control of when you have to go to the bathroom> I know where every bathroom is in every store and at many tim s have needed to use them. So in a nutshell I have to plan everything I do. It's funny I was talking to Nancy and Millie last night and told th m that I was ecstatic with my new meds !
and not just because of the pain ontrol. One side effect of Percocet and Trazadone is constipation. Wel guess what! For the first time in 6 years I am having normal BM's, I m not constipated but now have more control of the need to go. I am like a kid at Christmas. I live near Boston and the 18 of August we are goin to Nova Scotia to celebrate our 30th anniversary with a couple of frien s that understand my adhesions and the short bowel syndrome. I was real y scared to go on the trip because of the adhesions and short bowel but ow I feel at least the short bowel will not cause me as much trouble as efore. I had bought a box of depends to wear and I was mortified and cr ed and cried because I could not believe that I was going to wear them b t with not knowing where the bathrooms would be on the trip I didn't wan to take the chance(you know how panicky we get when we get the urge and we have to go NOW!!! This has been such a blessing and I plan to enjoy he sid! e effects for as long >as I need the meds. What my Dr. said was wh n I have the emergency surgery in 96 when the ob-gyn screwed up a d&c an then did a lap she cut up my intestes and I had 18 inches removed (that s not much) but the part they had to remove takes the water out of your tool. He said each part of your intestines has a job and the part of my intestine they removed just left too much of the water in my stool and t ere you go diarrhea 24/7. It has been so frustrating and demeaning. I h ve had to cancel many things in the past 6 years and now I feel like I c n try stuff as long as the adhesions behave. E-mail me back and tell me about your problems with short bowel and maybe we can work something out to help you. There are alot of trick I use. Like fasting and then the orning of going somewhere I would get up about 4 hours before and have a small bowl of cereal and sort of push out anything else that was there a d be empty for the trip. by a trip I mean only about an hour but !
due t the traffic around here I was terrified to get caught in a traffic jam no where to go). I don't know why but this helped somewhat. I am so so ry you have this condition because it is so frustrating and it really re tricts what you can do. Mail me back and we'll talk >Your friend,
>Jan
>

>>>----- Original Message -----
>From: tracigenz@yahoo.com
>Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 7:25 AM
>To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS
>Subject: Short Bowel
>
>Hi ye all. I have had short bowel since 8/00 and would like to talk to
>someone that also has it. Janice Simpson, I hope you would respond to
>this. Helen Dyna told me about you. I sent an email to you and did not
>hear from you. Hope to hear from you soon.


Enter keywords:
Returns per screen: Require all keywords: