bowel obstruction

lawleete

hello to all. i hope everything is going o.k. for everyone.i just got out of the hospital after 3 days with a bowel obstruction.this is my 2nd hospital stay with it.i also was in the hospital last sept.for 6 days (at least i cut the stay in half this time) the surgeon said that it could be from scar tissue from my surgery in 2001 or it could be from all of the medications i'm taking.i've got a follow-up appointment and may have to have surgery to clean out some scar tissue.i'm wondering if anyone on the board has had any experience with bowel obstructions.after having 2 of them all i know is i don't want any more.thanks for any replies and may god bless all cancer patients and their caregivers!

neon356

I was plagued with vowel obstruction for almost four years after my initial surgery. The surgeon was reluctant to do further surgery because he felt that additional surgery might just cause more adhesions or scar tissue to form, but it got to the point where I had to be in the hospital so often that there was no alternative but to open me up to see what was going on. The surgeon found that the radiation had caused a few sections of intestine to have practiclly no peristalsis, and that was what was causing the blockages to occur. He removed those few sections and I've had absolutely no problem after that. Your doctor won't know for sure what the problem is 'til he opens you up, but if you feel that the quality of life due to your blockages is being seriously affected it's definitely time to have something done about it. Hope this helps,..... Carl

FRANTIC

I had surgery for colon cancer in August of 2003.
I was left with an illesostomy on the right side,the rectum with a Hartmann pouch and the rest of the transverse colon and part of the descending colon which is still disconnected. 2 days after coming home from that surgery I could not keep anything down. I had much pain in the stomach and abdomen and was then admitted back into hospital for a possible bowel obstruction. I was dehydrated as well. I was having continuous X-ray series and Iv's to keep hydrated. After 2 weeks of being in the hospital I was told the obstruction resolved itself. After coming home again, 2 days later I was re-admitted this time the pain was worse. I was then re-operated on in Sept.10,2003 for lysis of adhesions and multiple blockages. I came home from that and then was re-admitted for pulmonary embolisms. I have to say it has been almost 2 years since those surgeries.
I had chemo and radiation. The DR.told me it is possible to do a double re-connection. I am holding off right now. AS they will not know of the extent of radiation damage. Just the thought of being opened up scares me right now.

drmrgirl47

Hi,
I too, have suffered and continue to suffer from bowel obstructions or kinks in the small bowel. My doctor says this problem is from radiation damage. No one knows why this happens. These pains are sometimes so excruciating that I do go into the hospital for xrays and cat scans. Otherwise, I stay at home and take pain killers until these episodes pass. They usually last 8 to 12 hours and then go completely away as if nothing happened. But the other times, they are so very bad I have to go to the hospital. Especially if I am vomiting. I have been hospitalized twice for this and one time I did have the surgery. They found scar tissue and adhesions and the operation helped. I have only had 3 episodes of the pain since then. The last hospitalization was a few weeks ago. The put in an NG tube and I was released the next morning (thank God). I was told to expect these pains every now and then. It is hard to live with this as you always wonder when the pain will come (if at all). I do believe the operation is helpful. I guess it could be worse. I have no evidence of cancer so I deal with these episodes and really can't complain. But I do have to vent and say they are really, really annoying and painful. I rather have 5 babies natural childbirth!!!! hahaha There are so many of us that suffer this. Take care....