Partial Blockage- a little graphic, any thoughts?

JanJan63

So I've been dealing with another partial blockage for the past few days. Which is terrible timing as we have company coming from out of town tomorrow and my husband's retirement party is on Sunday. And I had to miss two days of work. Anyway, this is something like the sixth one. I think I'm finally starting to figure some things out about it. If you've had them, please tell me iff you agree with my ideas.

Every time I get one I go to the hospital. They never know what to do with me and end up just giving me painkillers and an IV with fluids because I'm dehydrated. My symptoms always include severe cramping on the lower left side, cramps from having internal adhesions, high fever, weakness, fatigue, and dehydration due to nausea and not wanting to drink or eat anything.

The last time I spoke to my surgeon about it he suggested that I just drink lots of fluids until it passes rather than spend an evening in emergency. So this is what I did this time and I'm now feeling better at about the same time I would be if I'd gone to the hospital.

I used to think it was an infection because of the fever and the fact that I'd get a lot of drainage from my rectum. Bad smelling stuff that seemed to be the same stuff I had when I had the sbcesses after my surgery. To the point where I can actually soil myself. But when they've done blood tests in the past there's never an indication that I have any kind of infection.

I get so weak that I can wet my pants due to not making it to the bathroom in time and not being able to hold it until I get there. Because of this and the terrible fatigue I end up missing work, which I can ill afford to do. I went to work yesterday and ended up spending my lunch hour huddled in my car with two jackets covering me trying to get warm on a hot day while I shivered so hard my teeth hurt.

I've never been able to figure out the tie between the rectal output and the blockage but I think I may have finally come up with an answer. Is it possible that my colon is recognising that I have a blockage and is creating mucous in an attempt to move things along because it doesn't know it's been cut off? 

I had slight cramps in my lower left abdomen two days before this got bad. In the future this is something I'm going to have to pay attention to and start on a liquid diet immediately. Instead I ate popcorn. So stupid...

I just want to try to not ever have this happen again. I can't afford to miss work and I hate calling in sick. I appreciate that I was hired despite knowing that I had cancer and I don't want to let him down. Also, I work as a receptionist in a dental office and I'm on my own so if I'm not there the assistant ends up doing my job. Not good.

Do any of you have suggestions for avoiding blockages? Thank you!

Jan

John23

#$%%^&*

Jan, jan, jan....

Re:
"spending my lunch hour huddled in my car with two jackets covering me trying to get warm on a hot day while I shivered so hard my teeth hurt."

If anyone needs to know the signs of a major infection, you just did a fine job of it. Your immune system is responding to the infection and that's the indication of that happening.

Food rotting inside your intestine will cause bacteria to grow. There's your infection. BahDahBing-BahDahBoom.

Adhesions do not go away, they get worse. Once they finally manage to totally choke the intestine, you will not be able to drink any liquid, there will be no place for it to go. And yes, it is painful. Expect vomiting and pain, that's the customary and usual event that follows. They stick an NG tube up your nose and down into your throat and into your stomach to relieve the pressure of gas buildup. That reduces the pain.

They can usually locate the obstruction using a sonogram during the time the obstruction is there. A partial obstruction can sometimes be dislodged with massage and warm liquid. Laying on your left side can help also, since it helps the intestine push what's in it, out easier.

The colon, even if it has been resected and no longer connected to the rest of the system (as in my case), will continue to respond to anything you eat or drink. Just thinking about eating can cause mucus to flow. And also... the lack of food passing through the colon can leave that section of resected/left in colon without any nutrition; that causes the section to suffer and it will produce mucus to compensate for the irritation. That too, gets worse over time. The discharge can become bloody eventually.

You can eat anything, you just have to chew everything extremely well. An obstruction will keep the intestine from flexing and expanding properly, and the restriction can be a problem with foods that do not dissolve. Fiber is not kind. It's great to have in a normal diet, because it acts like a Brillo pad to clean the inside of your intestine, but fiber doesn't dissolve and can easily jam up the works. After eating two ears of corn, I had my second operation to remove the obstruction. I was in for over a month and wife was not happy that I was such a pig. I haven't has an ear of corn since. Popcorn never seemed to matter, thankfully.

Avoiding blockages? Chew well. That's about it. Try to eat foods that dissolve easily.

You have to realize, now or later,  that any obstruction, partial or not, usually will result in a total obstruction. No cure except surgery, and if you're prone to obstructions, the surgery can produce more. There are ways during surgery to keep adhesions to a minimum, but you need a well experienced colorectal surgeon for that.

You have very little control over it.

And yeah, I've got more than my share of experience with it; it's not pleasant.

I wish you well. Please locate a GOOD colorectal surgeon?

 

Lovekitties

Suggestions

There are foods which can help cause the problem...bread (particularly toasted), rice, bananas, applesauce, cheese.  You might also want to keep a food diary for a while and see which others can contribute to it.

It also helps to keep track of output...not literally, but just as a "went twice yesterday"..."no output today"...kinda thing.  When I know I have over done the "bad" stuff, I will drink a cup of very hot water.  This works to loosen things up, without the side effects of a laxative.

If you find that you are having frequent issues, perhaps a stool softener on a semi-regular basis.

Of course the liquid input is important, and there are things there to avoid too when you suspect a blockage in the making...avoid anything with caffine...coffee, tea, sodas, as they act as a diauretic and deplete the liquid available to the gut.

Hope you are feeling well enough to enjoy your company and the party.

Marie who loves kitties

JanJan63

Thanks for the responses.

Thanks for the responses. John, every time I get it I never have an infection, they can find no evidence of it. That's the weird thing. But I get a fever every time. It makes no sense. And Marie, I have an illeostomy, I didn't mention that, sorry. Good reminder about caffiene products, thanks.

John23

JanJan63 said:

Thanks for the responses.

Thanks for the responses. John, every time I get it I never have an infection, they can find no evidence of it. That's the weird thing. But I get a fever every time. It makes no sense. And Marie, I have an illeostomy, I didn't mention that, sorry. Good reminder about caffiene products, thanks.

Jan..

Let me give you a short analogy.....

I suffered from chills and shakes so bad I was actually convulsing at times. I too thought my teeth would crack. I sat in our living room in front of an electric space heater and a blanket over me and the heater in an attempt to stop the violent shaking. This happened every time I would begin my IV PICC hydration.

My gastro doc suggested warming the hydration. Didn't work. She suggested starting it, stopping it, and restarting it. Didn't work. Blood tests came back OK, slightly high white count, but otherwise OK. I suffered almost a year like that.

After some reading, I found that bacteremia, a blood infection. Blood tests won't indicate anything, it requires a culture and it takes about a week for the results. The sample has to be taken at the time of suffering.

She ordered the PICC removed and a Culture taken. It came back positive. I refused antibiotics and used TCM instead. The bacteremia was gone in two days. I'm sure the antibiotic would have worked, but I refuse Cipro or Levaquin  and both have new recent FDA warnings applied.

Most bacterial infections require a culture to identify the problem. After the initial immune response (about 45 minutes) you're fine again. Until the next flare up.

Maybe you don't have an intestinal infection, but you're not going to know it without the proper test. From the way you're describing the symptoms, it certainly sounds like an Bacterial infection!

Best hopes,

John

 

JanJan63

Thanks John. When they test

Thanks John. When they test my blood they find that the white blood cells aren't elevated and the cultures grow nothing. That's the weird thing. To me, a high fever indicates an infection. I don't understand it at all. The first time it happened they sent me to the city by ambulance thinking I had a perforated bowel and hit me with some strong IV antibiotics. But the results came back as no infection, nothing. I'd been on antibiotics for a few days by the time they got the results and it didn't make it go away any quicker.

I just want to try to avoid it in the future so as soon as I get those little cramps I'm going to switch to fluids only until it goes away. And I'll go back to being careful about how I chew. I'm vigilant about it and then over time I worry about it less and then this happens. Very frustrating.

John23

Ditto.

I went through the same thing Jan. One negative test after another. The slightly high white count never went away; still high. For me? Normal.

A "flare up" can be very temporary if your immune system is working A+! And the actual problem will be gone as quick as it arrived. Rotting food inside the intestine is common with blockages and bacterial counts can rise rapidly. It is not unusual. It's not that the bacteria stays in the system (as in bacteremia, my case), but it develops from the rotting food. It's there, and gone again.

I won't dwell on it; if your satisfied with the physician's analysis, great! I hate to see people suffer; it's just me..

Obstructions from adhesions are a major problem. They do not go away by themselves and there's really nothing you can do to change that. Limiting diet, chewing well, etc will help, but if the adhesion continues to grow, as they all do, eventually you will have a total obstruction.

IF....<big if>... you start vomiting with the increased pain, and feel very weak, get to the ER and tell them what you feel it's from. A total obstruction is nothing to fool with. You do not want to experience a ruptured intestine!

I wish I could type some encouraging script here, but I can't find anything.

Make a visit to the UOAA Forum. You'll find loads of individuals that can tell you about adhesions and obstructions. You may even find some encouraging words there!

Best hopes,

John

 

 

 

JanJan63

John, I so appreciate your

John, I so appreciate your help and encouragement, thank you so much. Today I'm feeling much better with just some minor cramping. We have company coming later today for the weekend so I need to be in good shape. Last year when she came I was still recovering from the blood clot and the year before was right after my cancer surgery and I had an abcess and ended up back in the hospital before she went home. Plus was in bed and sick to my stomach the few days I was home. I am determined to enjoy her visit this year!

I'll check out that forum, thank you. The previous link you gave me for the TCM. How does that taste? Is it bad? I'm really funny about not eating things that tase at all 'off' to me and I wouldn't keep it up if it tastes yucky. Also, any idea about how much it costs to start it up?

I'll get back to my chewing well. Ironic because I've always been the slowest to eat in our family. I took small bites and chewed well even before all of this cancer crap. I am now finding some chunks of what looks like a fruit or veggie in my bag so that mush be what was stuck. Funny, I'd eaten popcorn and figured it had to be that. But my surgeon said he's found that the number one culprit is oranges.

A couple of things I find odd about having an ostomy. Fruits and veggies do not break down or digest on any way. They all come out looking the way they went in other than chewed. So how do we get nutrition out of them? And, if everything goes through me so fast, why do I have a weight issue? How does my body manage to pluck whatever calories it can out of what I eat while just going through the small intestine? I don't eat as much as I used to and I never eat processed foods or snack foods like chips, I hate dougnuts, I don't eat baked goods, I rarely eat meat, this is ridiculous. My family doctor thinks it's from being malnourished when I was so sick last year with the blood clot and that it's messed up my metabolism. It makes me angry. At least I seem to have levelled off and am not huge but I'm not the weight I'd like to be. Very frustrating when I'm still not able physically to do much for exercise. Okay, rant over. I just felt like out of all the horror of having the blood clot and being paralyzed from it that the one thing I got out of it was being slim. But nope, can't even have that.

Thank you!

Jan

ron50

Hi Jan

  I'm sitting here cringing at what you and John have to go thru. My cancer surgery was the long cut , sternum to groin. I don't think any of us ever get out of it without some form of colon restriction. I have gone thru nearly three years of hell because some well meaning idiot of a doctor decided to subject me to 80mg daily of targin. (80 mg oxycodone and 40 mg naloxone) I have enough trouble staying regular at the best of times and with my damaged plumbing opiate induced constipation was nearly the death of me. I was in serious trouble and called into a chemist one night in desperation. The chemist was a young guy from Florida working in Australia for a few years. He understood my problem straight off having tended to quite a few addicts during his training. He told me never to take a targin without also taking two dulcolax and two coloxyl stool softeners. I asked about laxative dependancy. He said it is a theory not fact, my nephrologist agrees. Eventually the targin started to cause more pain than it stopped (hypo-algesia) . I had to go off it. Took 34 weeks to wean off it. Since then I have had some serious problems with a flare of my auto-immune kidney disease. I take cyclosporine twice a day to control protein loss thru my kidneys ( over seven grams a day untreated). I am now suffering badly from oedeema. My legs have been filling up past my knees and my lungs were starting to fill up. My nephrologist did scans of my heart ,liver ,panceas and kidneys. He could not find a cause so he put me on a litre of fluid a day restrictions and doubled my diuretics. That is now playing merry hell with my constipation. I need more fluid but if I take it I cannot breathe at night when I lay down. I am once again living on dulcolax and coloxyl and always have mini enemas on hand. I know the moment that I am starting to block up and act straight away. I drink extra fluid with the laxatives and take an extra lasik. I don't bother the doctors with it . My Nephrologists knows what I am doing to get by. He told me that the drug he prescribes most often other than kidney drugs are laxatives. Hugs ron.

LivinginNH

Eat eggs.  Eggs are actually

Eat eggs.  Eggs are actually the most digestible food we have. After Rick's first obstruction, I had to make him scrambled eggs every morning. ER docs are often clueless about obstructions, so you may need to stress your own diagnosis. After our third trip for an obstruction, one ER doc we hadn't seen before  thought Rick was exposed to some chemical - umm, yes stupid, it's called chemo!!  He refused to believe that we knew what the problem was. Yeah, right.  Anyway, please don't hesitate to go to the hospital when you have these chills, it's nothing to mess - family visitors or not. I don't get the feeling that you're taking this condition as seriously as you should. John is right, but he's being easy on you. You won't know until you're scanned whether or not the obstruction is a partial or a full one. If it's a full one, and your intestines are already weak, they could burst and cause a very painful and quick death.  And no, I'm not exaggerating the problem. Been there.

John23

JanJan63 said:

John, I so appreciate your

John, I so appreciate your help and encouragement, thank you so much. Today I'm feeling much better with just some minor cramping. We have company coming later today for the weekend so I need to be in good shape. Last year when she came I was still recovering from the blood clot and the year before was right after my cancer surgery and I had an abcess and ended up back in the hospital before she went home. Plus was in bed and sick to my stomach the few days I was home. I am determined to enjoy her visit this year!

I'll check out that forum, thank you. The previous link you gave me for the TCM. How does that taste? Is it bad? I'm really funny about not eating things that tase at all 'off' to me and I wouldn't keep it up if it tastes yucky. Also, any idea about how much it costs to start it up?

I'll get back to my chewing well. Ironic because I've always been the slowest to eat in our family. I took small bites and chewed well even before all of this cancer crap. I am now finding some chunks of what looks like a fruit or veggie in my bag so that mush be what was stuck. Funny, I'd eaten popcorn and figured it had to be that. But my surgeon said he's found that the number one culprit is oranges.

A couple of things I find odd about having an ostomy. Fruits and veggies do not break down or digest on any way. They all come out looking the way they went in other than chewed. So how do we get nutrition out of them? And, if everything goes through me so fast, why do I have a weight issue? How does my body manage to pluck whatever calories it can out of what I eat while just going through the small intestine? I don't eat as much as I used to and I never eat processed foods or snack foods like chips, I hate dougnuts, I don't eat baked goods, I rarely eat meat, this is ridiculous. My family doctor thinks it's from being malnourished when I was so sick last year with the blood clot and that it's messed up my metabolism. It makes me angry. At least I seem to have levelled off and am not huge but I'm not the weight I'd like to be. Very frustrating when I'm still not able physically to do much for exercise. Okay, rant over. I just felt like out of all the horror of having the blood clot and being paralyzed from it that the one thing I got out of it was being slim. But nope, can't even have that.

Thank you!

Jan

TCM and Herbal broths..ugh

The herbal broths can be disgusting, or not-so-bad, it depends on the herbs. But considering the benefits, I preferred to tackle the taste, than the side effects of remedies that don't do anything to solve the actual problem.

That said, since I only have 1/2 of my small intestines and no large intestine, my absorption is limited. I require IV (PICC) hydration at 2~2.5 liters per day. My system will not absorb enough to replace what I displace. Various vitamins and minerals may or may not be absorbed via oral intake (I take IV magnesium, and B12 shots). The oral intake of any medication is tricky at best, since there's no way for any physician to know what chemical in the medicine will be absorbed and what will not. That complicates the entire chemical formula that's compounded for a normal digestive system. And of course, there's no way to predict how much of any medication will be absorbed. They recommend IV administration rather than oral for any medication.

My problem now, is that although the herbal formula I took in 2006~2008 worked well, I had a complete small intestine (missing the large intestine, however) at that time; absorption wasn't a problem. With only 1/2 of the small intestine now, the ingestion of liquids should be limited to 2 cups per day, with more via IV. Liquid intake will flush through very quickly and can actually cause dehydration at a faster rate. It will also flush any food out quickly causing malnutrition. In China, they use the herbal formulas intravenously or inject it directly into the tumor. We don't do that here. So I have no way to know if the formulas will work for me anymore due to the lack of a normal digestive tract.

Instead of the liquid herbal broth that can taste terrible, my TCM doc has been using a powdered, raw version of the formula and putting it into capsules for me. So far the capsule version has worked well. It's resolved my problem of kidney stones, bacteremia, DVT, Liver functioning... more... So apparently the TCM formulas can be used in that manner with success. If you manage to locate a TCM practitioner, you should ask about what I just typed. I am considering having my TCM doc grind the herbs I used and put it into capsules for me. But as I said ( and for anyone with less small intestines that came with the body), what once was absorbed well, may not be absorbed any longer. It's a problem. And most physicians, including gastroenterologists, are not familiar with the "short bowel" syndrome; they do not see that many patients (if any at all) with a short bowel.

Too many operations to resolve adhesions can put you exactly where I am in condition. Each time they resect (remove) a section to resolve the adhesion, it leaves you with less intestine. And a major resection with a relocation of a stoma can leave you with a lot less intestine that's kind to your life.

I hate to hear anyone having to go through this hell, and I wish I had some encouraging words or remedy.... Adhesions are formed by your body doing it's thing to heal a wounded, bruised area. Like a callous on a knuckle or foot, it forms around the intestine, or attaches it to some other organ. It can strangle the intestine, or get it tangled. Any lack of flexibility can cause a blockage. Hey.....too tight clothing can cause an obstruction! We take our bodies for granted!

So if you're worried about the taste of the herbal broths, you can ask/demand it be ground into a flour and put into capsules. If the doc can't put the powder into a capsules (not everyone has the equipment), you can take a tablespoon of the powder mixed with food or drink. I did that until my Doc got the capsule machine. The raw herbs are sold in full, natural form, or in a powder. I bought the full leaves, etc, because I wanted to make sure I was getting what I ordered (compare pictures of the herbs to what's in the bag). Locating a TCM practitioner that uses raw herbs in practice and has the ability to grind, etc. can complicate the use of TCM. Buying in powder form is easier.

Each herbal formula is developed by the TCM practitioner for that specific patient. It's not like western pharmaceuticals that are generic and cannot be reformulated to "tweak" the individual ingredients. A TCM practitioner provides each patient with what that specific patient requires to remedy the specific problem. They do not simply remove a symptom; when the problem is cured, the symptom goes away. It takes longer than a western medicine pill, but it causes your body to fix what's wrong and resolves the problem the correct way.

As far as cost? The herbs are usually very inexpensive. I paid an average of $6 per pound for what I used. A pound can last 1.5 to 6 months, depending on the herb. It had cost me less than $100 per month for all of it. The powdered version can cost more than the raw full plant, but unless you have a grain/flour grinder or know someone that does, you're limited. The cost difference isn't that much anyway. The TCM practitioner is going to charge a lot more than a supplier for the herbs. You have to keep in mind however, that unlike western pharmaceuticals, you do not take the herbal remedy for any great duration of time. Usually a few months, or less than a year is all that's needed to get your body to do the job it was intended to do. Once it's working correctly, you no longer need the herbs. I took herbs to resolve my Atrial Fibrillation in 2001 (or2). It took about 6 months to resolve the AF and I haven't needed to take anything since. The herbs get the body to dissolve kidney or gall stones in around 24~48 hours, and after taking it for a week or so, you may never need to take it again. And yes, it works (did for me).

So the "cost" of using TCM only depends on the practitioner you locate. Some charge less than 1/2 of any western physician's visit, others may charge the same, and what they charge for the herbal remedies can vary greatly. The TCM doc I go to is fantastic, but he -charges- for the herbal mixes and can be expensive. The upside of course, is that the cost is usually only for a short duration. Still, when I see a patient paying over two or three hundred for a week's worth of herbs, it rattles me. I paid around $50 per week for the Bacteremia capsules, but only needed it for one week. I still have the nearly full bottle of capsules and they don't "go bad", so if/when I have any problem with what I think might be due to an infection, I have my remedy. (used it once since, and it worked 100%). I still have the bottles of capsules for Blood clots, kidney stones, etc in the med cabinet for future use. So the initial $$ was well worth the insurance.

Sorry to type so much about it; hate to hog the forum.... TCM has proven itself to me and others that have had a good TCM practitioner treating them. It's an amazing modality! It's not "3 thousand years old", as if it's an archaic practice; it's been practiced, documented, and developed for over three thousand years. That's a lot of studying and developing compared to the less than 200 years of western pharmaceuticals. TCM is used today in the finest Asian hospitals, and it's even used here in the States in many facilities.

Some links for those interested: http://csn.cancer.org/node/200670

I hope that offers some help Jan?

Be well,

John

 

 

Trubrit

John23 said:

TCM and Herbal broths..ugh

The herbal broths can be disgusting, or not-so-bad, it depends on the herbs. But considering the benefits, I preferred to tackle the taste, than the side effects of remedies that don't do anything to solve the actual problem.

That said, since I only have 1/2 of my small intestines and no large intestine, my absorption is limited. I require IV (PICC) hydration at 2~2.5 liters per day. My system will not absorb enough to replace what I displace. Various vitamins and minerals may or may not be absorbed via oral intake (I take IV magnesium, and B12 shots). The oral intake of any medication is tricky at best, since there's no way for any physician to know what chemical in the medicine will be absorbed and what will not. That complicates the entire chemical formula that's compounded for a normal digestive system. And of course, there's no way to predict how much of any medication will be absorbed. They recommend IV administration rather than oral for any medication.

My problem now, is that although the herbal formula I took in 2006~2008 worked well, I had a complete small intestine (missing the large intestine, however) at that time; absorption wasn't a problem. With only 1/2 of the small intestine now, the ingestion of liquids should be limited to 2 cups per day, with more via IV. Liquid intake will flush through very quickly and can actually cause dehydration at a faster rate. It will also flush any food out quickly causing malnutrition. In China, they use the herbal formulas intravenously or inject it directly into the tumor. We don't do that here. So I have no way to know if the formulas will work for me anymore due to the lack of a normal digestive tract.

Instead of the liquid herbal broth that can taste terrible, my TCM doc has been using a powdered, raw version of the formula and putting it into capsules for me. So far the capsule version has worked well. It's resolved my problem of kidney stones, bacteremia, DVT, Liver functioning... more... So apparently the TCM formulas can be used in that manner with success. If you manage to locate a TCM practitioner, you should ask about what I just typed. I am considering having my TCM doc grind the herbs I used and put it into capsules for me. But as I said ( and for anyone with less small intestines that came with the body), what once was absorbed well, may not be absorbed any longer. It's a problem. And most physicians, including gastroenterologists, are not familiar with the "short bowel" syndrome; they do not see that many patients (if any at all) with a short bowel.

Too many operations to resolve adhesions can put you exactly where I am in condition. Each time they resect (remove) a section to resolve the adhesion, it leaves you with less intestine. And a major resection with a relocation of a stoma can leave you with a lot less intestine that's kind to your life.

I hate to hear anyone having to go through this hell, and I wish I had some encouraging words or remedy.... Adhesions are formed by your body doing it's thing to heal a wounded, bruised area. Like a callous on a knuckle or foot, it forms around the intestine, or attaches it to some other organ. It can strangle the intestine, or get it tangled. Any lack of flexibility can cause a blockage. Hey.....too tight clothing can cause an obstruction! We take our bodies for granted!

So if you're worried about the taste of the herbal broths, you can ask/demand it be ground into a flour and put into capsules. If the doc can't put the powder into a capsules (not everyone has the equipment), you can take a tablespoon of the powder mixed with food or drink. I did that until my Doc got the capsule machine. The raw herbs are sold in full, natural form, or in a powder. I bought the full leaves, etc, because I wanted to make sure I was getting what I ordered (compare pictures of the herbs to what's in the bag). Locating a TCM practitioner that uses raw herbs in practice and has the ability to grind, etc. can complicate the use of TCM. Buying in powder form is easier.

Each herbal formula is developed by the TCM practitioner for that specific patient. It's not like western pharmaceuticals that are generic and cannot be reformulated to "tweak" the individual ingredients. A TCM practitioner provides each patient with what that specific patient requires to remedy the specific problem. They do not simply remove a symptom; when the problem is cured, the symptom goes away. It takes longer than a western medicine pill, but it causes your body to fix what's wrong and resolves the problem the correct way.

As far as cost? The herbs are usually very inexpensive. I paid an average of $6 per pound for what I used. A pound can last 1.5 to 6 months, depending on the herb. It had cost me less than $100 per month for all of it. The powdered version can cost more than the raw full plant, but unless you have a grain/flour grinder or know someone that does, you're limited. The cost difference isn't that much anyway. The TCM practitioner is going to charge a lot more than a supplier for the herbs. You have to keep in mind however, that unlike western pharmaceuticals, you do not take the herbal remedy for any great duration of time. Usually a few months, or less than a year is all that's needed to get your body to do the job it was intended to do. Once it's working correctly, you no longer need the herbs. I took herbs to resolve my Atrial Fibrillation in 2001 (or2). It took about 6 months to resolve the AF and I haven't needed to take anything since. The herbs get the body to dissolve kidney or gall stones in around 24~48 hours, and after taking it for a week or so, you may never need to take it again. And yes, it works (did for me).

So the "cost" of using TCM only depends on the practitioner you locate. Some charge less than 1/2 of any western physician's visit, others may charge the same, and what they charge for the herbal remedies can vary greatly. The TCM doc I go to is fantastic, but he -charges- for the herbal mixes and can be expensive. The upside of course, is that the cost is usually only for a short duration. Still, when I see a patient paying over two or three hundred for a week's worth of herbs, it rattles me. I paid around $50 per week for the Bacteremia capsules, but only needed it for one week. I still have the nearly full bottle of capsules and they don't "go bad", so if/when I have any problem with what I think might be due to an infection, I have my remedy. (used it once since, and it worked 100%). I still have the bottles of capsules for Blood clots, kidney stones, etc in the med cabinet for future use. So the initial $$ was well worth the insurance.

Sorry to type so much about it; hate to hog the forum.... TCM has proven itself to me and others that have had a good TCM practitioner treating them. It's an amazing modality! It's not "3 thousand years old", as if it's an archaic practice; it's been practiced, documented, and developed for over three thousand years. That's a lot of studying and developing compared to the less than 200 years of western pharmaceuticals. TCM is used today in the finest Asian hospitals, and it's even used here in the States in many facilities.

Some links for those interested: http://csn.cancer.org/node/200670

I hope that offers some help Jan?

Be well,

John

 

 

Oxaliplatin

Have you ever tasted that?

It lingers in your mouth the longer you have treatments. Plus, it left me with a permanent coating of white on my tongue.  

Yeah, I think I would down a few nasty tasting concoctions and still not have it be as bad as the Oxali. 

Thanks for the info John! Definitely something for all of us to consider. 

JanJan63

ron50 said:

Hi Jan

  I'm sitting here cringing at what you and John have to go thru. My cancer surgery was the long cut , sternum to groin. I don't think any of us ever get out of it without some form of colon restriction. I have gone thru nearly three years of hell because some well meaning idiot of a doctor decided to subject me to 80mg daily of targin. (80 mg oxycodone and 40 mg naloxone) I have enough trouble staying regular at the best of times and with my damaged plumbing opiate induced constipation was nearly the death of me. I was in serious trouble and called into a chemist one night in desperation. The chemist was a young guy from Florida working in Australia for a few years. He understood my problem straight off having tended to quite a few addicts during his training. He told me never to take a targin without also taking two dulcolax and two coloxyl stool softeners. I asked about laxative dependancy. He said it is a theory not fact, my nephrologist agrees. Eventually the targin started to cause more pain than it stopped (hypo-algesia) . I had to go off it. Took 34 weeks to wean off it. Since then I have had some serious problems with a flare of my auto-immune kidney disease. I take cyclosporine twice a day to control protein loss thru my kidneys ( over seven grams a day untreated). I am now suffering badly from oedeema. My legs have been filling up past my knees and my lungs were starting to fill up. My nephrologist did scans of my heart ,liver ,panceas and kidneys. He could not find a cause so he put me on a litre of fluid a day restrictions and doubled my diuretics. That is now playing merry hell with my constipation. I need more fluid but if I take it I cannot breathe at night when I lay down. I am once again living on dulcolax and coloxyl and always have mini enemas on hand. I know the moment that I am starting to block up and act straight away. I drink extra fluid with the laxatives and take an extra lasik. I don't bother the doctors with it . My Nephrologists knows what I am doing to get by. He told me that the drug he prescribes most often other than kidney drugs are laxatives. Hugs ron.

Ron, everyone on here

Ron, everyone on here inspires me with their toughness and their determination. You most of all. You've been through hell and not only are you still here to tell about it but you're comfortable with it. You accept what you've been through and the mistakes that were made and you seem to have come to terms with it. I greatly admire you. I wish I could adopt your attitude. Most days I'm fine but once in a while I rail against it. I feel like it's unfair and I just want to be normal again and not have all the lovely little side effects that come along with it. I'm enraged by it.

Thank you for your support.

JanJan63

LivinginNH said:

Eat eggs.  Eggs are actually

Eat eggs.  Eggs are actually the most digestible food we have. After Rick's first obstruction, I had to make him scrambled eggs every morning. ER docs are often clueless about obstructions, so you may need to stress your own diagnosis. After our third trip for an obstruction, one ER doc we hadn't seen before  thought Rick was exposed to some chemical - umm, yes stupid, it's called chemo!!  He refused to believe that we knew what the problem was. Yeah, right.  Anyway, please don't hesitate to go to the hospital when you have these chills, it's nothing to mess - family visitors or not. I don't get the feeling that you're taking this condition as seriously as you should. John is right, but he's being easy on you. You won't know until you're scanned whether or not the obstruction is a partial or a full one. If it's a full one, and your intestines are already weak, they could burst and cause a very painful and quick death.  And no, I'm not exaggerating the problem. Been there.

Eggs. I'll have to try that.

Eggs. I'll have to try that. It makes sense. One of thenings that I've noticed seems to break down well in the digestive system we're left with is meat. Eggs are also a protein. Thank you for a great idea! When I had IBS for years eggs were not an option for me to eat at all, they were a major trigger. The smell of eggs cooking would set my bowels off. It'll be hard to get past that mental obstacle and try them but I'm going to make myself do it. Thanks!

John23

Do eggs cross the road?

Jan, if you are susceptible to IBS and suffered from IBS, eggs are a known trigger food; you may want to reconsider gobbling them down.

The yolks are high in cholesterol, while the whites contain nearly all the protein without the fat and are said to digest easier. For me, the cooked whites didn't appear to dissolve well at all, but we're all different and your mileage may vary....

The thought of setting off an IBS attack may not be all that desirable, especially with all the other problems you're presently experiencing.

Just a thought here from the peanut gallery..

John

JanJan63

John23 said:

Do eggs cross the road?

Jan, if you are susceptible to IBS and suffered from IBS, eggs are a known trigger food; you may want to reconsider gobbling them down.

The yolks are high in cholesterol, while the whites contain nearly all the protein without the fat and are said to digest easier. For me, the cooked whites didn't appear to dissolve well at all, but we're all different and your mileage may vary....

The thought of setting off an IBS attack may not be all that desirable, especially with all the other problems you're presently experiencing.

Just a thought here from the peanut gallery..

John

No more IBS now that I have

No more IBS now that I have an ostomy. The number one reason why I'm probably going to keep it!

John23

IBS

That's the point Jan! You want to be careful not to "set it off" again.

 

All best hopes,

 

John

 

Bellen

Obstruction

In 2010, I was diagnosed with a small bowel partial obstruction attributed to an area of scarring from pelvic radiation I had in 2005.  I had severe, painful spasms near my belly button that went on for about 7 hrs.  I was booked for surgery, but due to concern for increased scarring, I chose to try to live with it.  Since then, I follow a "low residue diet"- no nuts, skins, seeds, little fiber, fresh vegetables or fruits (juicing of these would be okay), etc. - the diet lists foods to not eat, such as corn or hard to digest foods.  I also take Miralax every day for bm's as I eat so little fiber.  Chewing well, small meals, etc are important.   I also have been taking a 400mg Ibuprofen when the pain first starts - has helped at times.  I have still had about 10 quite painful, long lasting blockages in the past 6 yrs, which wipe me out for several days - pain, headache, can't eat - takes days for stomach to feel my "new normal".  It is a difficult road, but I can manage it the majority of the time.  It definitely changes your eating habits.  If you ever have constant, severe pain you need medical attention right away, as could be total blockage.  I wish you well and hope that some of this info helps.

JanJan63

Bellen said:

Obstruction

In 2010, I was diagnosed with a small bowel partial obstruction attributed to an area of scarring from pelvic radiation I had in 2005.  I had severe, painful spasms near my belly button that went on for about 7 hrs.  I was booked for surgery, but due to concern for increased scarring, I chose to try to live with it.  Since then, I follow a "low residue diet"- no nuts, skins, seeds, little fiber, fresh vegetables or fruits (juicing of these would be okay), etc. - the diet lists foods to not eat, such as corn or hard to digest foods.  I also take Miralax every day for bm's as I eat so little fiber.  Chewing well, small meals, etc are important.   I also have been taking a 400mg Ibuprofen when the pain first starts - has helped at times.  I have still had about 10 quite painful, long lasting blockages in the past 6 yrs, which wipe me out for several days - pain, headache, can't eat - takes days for stomach to feel my "new normal".  It is a difficult road, but I can manage it the majority of the time.  It definitely changes your eating habits.  If you ever have constant, severe pain you need medical attention right away, as could be total blockage.  I wish you well and hope that some of this info helps.

Thank you! I was told when I

Thank you! I was told when I gt the illeostomy that I likely wouldn't be able to eat fruits and vegetables but I do. It took me a few days to figure out what set it off this time and then I remembered that I'd eaten celery that weekend just before it started up. And because it had come out of the fridge and I wasn't chewing it well because it was cold and I have sensitive teeth I'm sure that's how it started. For whatever reason, every time I get it I end up dehydrated. This time I decided to tough it out and just drink lots of fluids and I suspect that's why it went on for several days. I hate getting an IV and sitting in emerg for hours but next time I'll suck it up and do it.

Jan

Bellen

Partial blockage diet

If you go online, you can look up "low residue diet" which lists many foods that are not easily digested and can contribute to a blockage.  It will also list the foods that are safer to eat, that your body more easily digests.  Unfortunately, many of the easily digested are processed foods - not very healthy, but if you juice fruits snd veggies, cook foods well, mash, chew well, etc - there are things that will make it easier on your digestive tract.  Most raw vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, skins, fibrous foods are quite hard to digest.  I actually have an area of stricture in my small intestine, which I have not had much guidance from any dr, but I do see a dietician who has been quite helpful.  Best to you.

John23

A quick note, JanJan..

A quick note, JanJan..

I just spent the last 3 days (Aug 23~26) suffering from a blockage. Total at first, with all the pain you know well..... And finally clearing to what is now a very partial blockage.

Scary to consider it might be another adhesion, since any more loss of intestine will put me on TPN.

Warm clear liquids, massage, and limited walking helps clear things....sometimes....

Just to let you know, none of us are exempt from adhesions after intensive abdominal surgery. Sooner or later, it usually happens.

Be well, willya'?

John