Partial Obstruction of the Small Intestine due to Surgery Adhesions - have you had this? How did yo

lovesanimals

I've been in the hospital twice in less than a month because of a partial obstruction of my small intestine due to surgery adhesions (scarring). The main reason why I ended up in the hospital both times was because the abdominal pain would not stop (a crampy pain that came in waves every couple of minutes) and the pain and queasiness were preventing me from being able to eat or drink anything at all. I felt I was getting dehydrated and I was so afraid that the pain was going to last for days or even weeks. Before the last episode, I had prescription pain pills which I took at the first sign of cramps but they didn't help at all. I now have a different and hopefully more effective pain pill from my doctor which I will keep with me at all times. I'm doing better now and watching what I eat - nothing really greasy and I'm still afraid to eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, although I have to be careful to not get constipated. The last episode occurred right after I had a bowel movement which was on the constipated-side.

I appreciate any suggestions on how to deal with partial obstructions, since it's sure to happen again to me. Thank you!

Kelly

kayandok

Kelly,
so sorry you are going through this. I have had several partial bowel obstructions - very painful. They have all resolved themselves eventually. Pain pills don't touch the pain, but a tranq, bowel softners and sleeping pills work wonders for me. I just sleep for a couple days and try to stay calm.

Last August I had surgery, for 3rd debulk. My doc removed quite a bit of cancer, including a part of my bowel that was twisted. THat would explain the obstruction! I have had a couple incidents, even since surgery, so I am assuming it is a simlar thing occurring again, and/or adhesions. It doesn't really show up on a CT or Xray.

I have cut out anything that is high in fiber, or takes a lot of work for the bowels, like meat. I do eat tiny salads and still eat chicken and fish. Soft food like applesauce and yogurt are my friends. It has been 4 months since my last bad incident, so I am crossing my fingers.

Take care,
kathleen

lovesanimals

kayandok said:

Kelly,
so sorry you are going through this. I have had several partial bowel obstructions - very painful. They have all resolved themselves eventually. Pain pills don't touch the pain, but a tranq, bowel softners and sleeping pills work wonders for me. I just sleep for a couple days and try to stay calm.

Last August I had surgery, for 3rd debulk. My doc removed quite a bit of cancer, including a part of my bowel that was twisted. THat would explain the obstruction! I have had a couple incidents, even since surgery, so I am assuming it is a simlar thing occurring again, and/or adhesions. It doesn't really show up on a CT or Xray.

I have cut out anything that is high in fiber, or takes a lot of work for the bowels, like meat. I do eat tiny salads and still eat chicken and fish. Soft food like applesauce and yogurt are my friends. It has been 4 months since my last bad incident, so I am crossing my fingers.

Take care,
kathleen

Kathleen
Thank you so much for the helpful information. I especially appreciated the fact that you "try to stay calm" during your episodes. I'm going to repeat that to myself and tell myself that the pain will eventually stop. I'm taking one or two stool softners everyday and cutting out a lot of high fiber, like you.

I'm glad that you gone four months without a bad incident. I hope and pray that you stay incident-free and that you are doing well with your battle against cancer.

Best regards,
Kelly