Re: How do I know if it's obstructed?

From: Tina Shelby (tshelby@usit.net)
Mon Nov 8 17:24:28 1999


Hi Gina,

I just wanted to take a minute and respond to your questions about bowel obstructions and the length of time between your BMs.

Normally if someone is obstructed - there is a definite pattern on x-ray to indicate that an obstruction is present. I must also add - that no test is 100% accurate and obstructions can be missed. From what I have gathered with talking to GI surgeons - a patient may have a partial obstruction as evidenced by the patients symptoms - ie vomiting, sudden onset severe abdominal pain, fever, elevated white blood count, dirrhea at first and then nothing - but x-ray may not show the partial obstruction.

I don't remember if you have GI specialist - but if you are having >4days between BMs fairly consistantly - you need to have a colonic transit test. This consists of taking a capsule a day for several days. These capsules contain rings that are seen with x-ray. You get follow up x-rays each day to track the rings movement. If they do not pass in a specific lenght of time - you are also dealing with an atonic colon.

I am sorry to say - but the treatment for this is having the colon removed.

Hope this helps some

Tina

At 07:01 AM 11/1/99 -0600, you wrote: >Hi everyone,
>I am 7 weeks post-op from my 2nd surgery. I was Dx with
>adhesions a few weeks after the surgery (just from my
>symptoms, and adhesion-prone history). The pain I had
>associated with the adhesions is bearable actually, and
>not as bad as it was when it was Dx'd. I know I have them
>in my pelvic area and also some reformed adhesions on my
>upper right abdomen/intestine area (I can feel the pulling
>and pain in there more than anywhere else, and that's where they removed
>the adhesions on my last OP).
>
>I have had severe bowel problems since this 2nd surgery.
>I have been in the ER twice because of no BM, yet alot of pain. Both
>times I was told I was constipated/impacted and sent home with enema and
>laxative instructions. Eventually
>things would move again, but never back to normal and only for a day or
>2, then I'd go another week to 10 days with no BM and the pain increased
>with time.
>
>I don't vomit, but do feel nausea and lessening of appetite as time goes
>on. I don't get fevers. I just get alot of pain which makes me sweat
>almost constantly. I do pass gas, sometimes painfully sometimes not.
>
>Am I being a hypochondriac thinking I might have a bowel
>obstruction high in my upper intestines? I mean this long after surgery
>my bowels should be working normally again, barring any problems
>correct? The last time I was in the ER I had an xray done. I hadn't
>moved bowels in 6 days. The xrays showed stool only in the upper
>intestines and nothing at all in the lower intestines. Why wasn't it
>moving down into the lowers? Why didn't they think it was obstructed?
>
>I get alot of pain when I eat, my stomach and chest hurts bad. I have
>no heartburn yet they think I might have an ulcer because of the pain
>and nausea with all meals. Every time I eat, it's a struggle not to
>throw up, for hours after. The pepcid (40 mg a day) seems to help with
>that, but not always.
>
>Just curious what your opinions are on this?
>Gina
>


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