I had emergency surgery in Nov. '09 because of a strangulated hernia and bowel obstruction. The hernia was repaired and about 10cm of my small intestine had to be removed.
My hernia repair has since failed and the surgeon wants me to lose more weight before attempting another repair. I had a partial obstruction last summer because of adhesions. I've been suffering from Irritable bowel syndrome for years, and my gut hasn't been the same since surgery.
I've had all kinds of tests before and after the surgery. The most recent ct scan done in August 2010 (when I had the partial obstruction) didn't show anything abnormal except the partial obstruction which was caused by adhesions.
For the past couple of months I've been having an average of at least one day a week of excruciating pain and/or bloating and feeling uncomfortable,unable to go to the bathroom until later in the day, when it usually gets resolved. At times my constipation doesn't resolve and I have to resort to drinking alot of prune juice to get things cleared up.
I can't remember the last time I had a normal bowel movement. I read not long ago that a normal one (pardon me for being graphic) should be banana-shaped, tapering off at the end. Lately mine have been on the flat side. Not paper-thin flat, but just flat like the thickness of an eraser. Oftentimes, when I use the bathroom it feels like I'm passing a single stool, only to find it was actually many pieces of varying sizes.
I'm trying to eat more vegetables and rice to firm things up. This morning I had a decent bowel movement in that I wasn't constipated, but it still came out in pieces. Some were thicker than others. What I'm trying to ask is this: could my recent bowel problems mean that my adhesions are getting worse? I know that change in bowel habits can indicate colon cancer, but like I said, the most recent ct scan I had in August didn't show any tumors....just the partial obsruction and adhesions.