Obstruction, pain, hospital

unknown said:

I can relate to that

About a week after my release from the hosp for my colon resection and liver biopsy, I started having upper abd pain.  I couldn't eat or drink even small amounts without it coming back up.  After two days of trying to deal with it at home the pain got so bad (now I know what a 10 is) I called my surgeon and went into the ER.  A small bowell obstruction. 7 mg of morphine took most of the edge off and when the ER doc came in to see me (I knew him from my many years of experience as a paramedic bringing patients into the ED) I only asked one thing of him: pain control.  Within minutes a nurse brought dilaudid in and put it in my IV. Complete relief.  My surgeon said he thought it was just inflammation from the resection surgery and suggested we wait a few days to see if it resolved itself, or we could go on to surgery and open me up.  Naturally I opted for the wait and see as long as the pain was controled.  Well after 11 days of NPO and no resolution, I told the doc to go ahead with the surgery.  I didn't think he would have waited that long, but he claimed it had been my decision to wait "a few days".  A loop of the small bowell had becomed trapped in one of the trocar incisions in my peritoneal lining and all he had to do was open me up, push it back through, and suture the peritoneam up, close the surgical wound, and we were done. I know what being hungry is now. I thought I knew what a 10 was when I had a bicycle wreck and broke my hip, but I wasn't even close to knowing a ten until the SBO.

I sure hope your resolution is easier and quicker than mine. Prayers are on their way up.  Dan

Hi Dan,

thanks for the info.  Did they do Cat scans on you?  Could they not tell it was twisted?  Things seemed to be moving and then seem to have stopped again.   Did you have any gas and any passage of diarrhea during the 11 days or no movement at all? 

Thanks!

Aloha,

Kathleen