Rushed To Emergency With A Bowel Blockage! Need Advise From Other Sleeve Patients!

[PJ713 1]

Ok so this may also be TMI and I am sorry for being graphic but I am at my wit's end here. I am 6 months post op, and Thursday night I woke up to by far the worse pain I have ever felt, it was under my breasts, rib area and spreading to my chest and back, on top of it I even blacked out. Taken to closest emergency room which by the way was the worst experience ever besides the hot male nurse who saw me at my worst... let me just say this real quick ...huge peach pajamas..no bra and black socks......no make up..zit cream on my face ...oh yeah embarrassing but what is more embarrassing for the hospital..they never heard of the SLEEVE...yes I said it...no clue. They looked at me like I was nuts! I told them "call my surgeon" at least 100 times..did they call NO!!! They gave me morphine, Fluid, did a cat scan, said I abdominal pain and sent me home...yes sent me home..could have a tear...how would they know right.. they wouldnt even call my surgeon! Can you believe it? My bill will be probably thousands...for what??? Needless to say I called my surgeon in the morning and went right in to be advised I had a bowel blockage, partial but 14 about 12 pounds worth and what do you know right up under my ribs... top of bowel...could they have told me that at the hospital ..NO. Sorry for ranting, I am just so bothered by it! Ok so here is where I need help, my surgeon said no NG tubes so they cannot flush the block and he wants me to clear it on my own by taking citrate magnesium and Miralax combo. I did it but my bowel never ran clear like he said. I have since tried a second time and nothing. I have gone jogging, ran up and down the steps...ate applesauce, drank apple juice, ate prunes, drank prune juice, drank a ton of Water, warm water, metamucil (alot), ate hot food, ate everything whole grain I could find and I cannnot clear this block. It will not work...i clears my bottom bowel but never runs clear like he said. I need to clear it, or it could turn to a total obstruction and I will be hospitalized. I want to avoid that at all costs. Has anyone had a similar issue and please tell me any home remedies you have, I am desperate and will try anything. I bought an enema but am thinking will also just clear lower bowel. I can't go through that pain again ever. This is affecting my job. Last day off today! HELP!!

PS.. I have suffered with Constipation the entire time and I drink 3 glasses a day of a Fiber drink and take stool softners daily. Thanks for any ideas On a brighter note I have lost 96 lbs since being sleeved, Ijust want to be healthy

[Lilee84 648]

Try 32 Oz of lukewarm Water with 2 teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt (iodized salt will not work) Drink when you get up and on an empty stomach, otherwise the salt will be competing with undigested food. Around 1 hour later eliminations should commence. It's best to set aside 2 hours before you go out, to prevent any accidents.

[deltadawn817 106]

I had a friend that this would happen to and they would take a really hot bath and massage where the blockage was. They would do this almost ever day when it was really bad they would do this a few times a day but if you do a hot bath a few times a day make sure you moisturize your skin as it will dry out.

[PJ713 1]

Great thank you, I havent eaten yet today but I have drank metamucil and coffee, do you think it will still work?

[Pookeyism 1,143]

If the hospital did nothing, and your doc diagnosed you witout seeing you also, you may need to go get a second opinion - just dont wait till you have to go to the ER, and incur a ridiculous bill. Go to a regular doctor, ask for a white blood cell count, and xray. You need to be sure it is a blockage due to foods and not a twist or impaction that is showing serious problems.

[PJ713 1]

I havent tried the hot bath, sounds like a good idea and relaxing too. I am definitely gonna try it. Thank you

[Lilee84 648]

I'm sure the coffee and metamucil won't hurt. It can't hurt to try right? Be fore warned though, the salt Water mix tastes horrible! I personally just put the 2tsp in about 4oz of warm water and take a "shot" at a time, then chug (as much as we can chug) 32oz after

[Lilee84 648]

If the hospital did nothing, and your doc diagnosed you witout seeing you also, you may need to go get a second opinion - just dont wait till you have to go to the ER, and incur a ridiculous bill. Go to a regular doctor, ask for a white blood cell count, and xray. You need to be sure it is a blockage due to foods and not a twist or impaction that is showing serious problems.

She went into her surgeon the next morning

[PJ713 1]

No my doctor saw me, I went in and he read the cat scan. Here is the problem, the hospital I had my surgery at is the only one trained in the area but it is 45 minutes away, I couldnt make it there. He was so mad they didn't call him. Trust me

[Julie76 251]

Tea. It helps me every time. and fast!

[Wheetsin 714]

BM 101... There are four basic types of laxatives. Be careful which you're taking because without extra precaution, some can do a LOT more harm than good.

1. "Bulking agents" - your fibers, natural or supplement. They bulk up your poop, which helps trigger your body to start contracting it down the bowels. These can do more harm than good, fairly easily. You need to really, really ensure that you are getting more than enough fluids when taking fiber-based laxatives. I've seen people who have taken Fiber without enough fluids basically pooping out... chalk. I'm not sure how else to describe it. There was so much Fiber present, and so little Water, that it basically dried the poop up. Think dog poop that has been sitting out in the sun for a week or two, and that's exactly what it was like.

2. Osmotic laxatives - work by pulling Fluid into the bowel via osmosis. Need to make sure you intake extra fluids here, too, but they won't dry you out the way fibers will. They're pulling Water from other parts of your body so you want to make sure you put extra water back in to replace it. When they work you basically have "osmotic diarrhea" which is the same kind of diarrhea people have during sumping syndrome. (The behind-the-scenes of dumping is the bowel signaling the body to send extra water its way). Miralax is one of the best osmotic laxatives, IMO. I actually started taking some this morning. Epsom salt is a really common homeopathic osmotic laxative. Magnesium hydroxide (e.g. Milk of Magnesia), etc. Osmotic laxatives also pull water in, period, so they shouldn't have the same "reach" issues that something like an enema would. Sorbitol and a few other artifical sweetners are also osmotic laxatives... that's why SF candies give so many people the runs.

3. Stimulant-based laxatives - basically is to pooping what pitocin is to childbirth. They chemically stimulate your bowel to contract much harder than normal.

4. Stool softeners - agents that generally just add Fluid content to your poop. My daughter had horrible Constipation when she was younger, so bad she would tear and bleed when she could finally poop. The best thing we found for her was flax oil added to her drinks and stirred into some Cereal. Worked quickly, and sometimes too well.

What to take dependson what your problem is. E.g. stool to dry to pass, or soft poops that you're having a hard time getting out, or...

So what else to try: I generally recommend the flax oil, or a bit of something sugary (in your case I'd skip the sugary, I think you might be a bit beyond that stage). I have seen flax oils working nothing short of miracles for the BM-impaired.

Here are some typical treatments:

Sorbitol (70% concentration): 15-60 ml PO daily

Magnesium salts:

(Milk of Magnesia) 15-60 ml PO qd prn

(Manesium Citrate) 8 ounces PO daily prn

Oral sodium laxatives: Phopho soda (Oso-prep, Visicol) 2 tablespoons in 4 ounces water orally

Polyethelene glycol 3350 (Miralax): 17gm dissolved in 240ml/9oz water or fluid (hot, cold or lukewarm)

PO = by mouth

QD = every day

PRN = as needed

A lot more info than you're looking for, I know, but hopefully it can help.

[PJ713 1]

Wow that was awesome and so informative! THANK YOU

[Capt Derel 287]

Talk about full of Sh@t huh. Gotta love american doctors and hospitals. I always felt like a guinea pig when I went to er's. I tend to be the one telling them whats wrong rather than vice versa

I know that you were panicking cause I would have also. I hope this is a one time occurance

[gr8fun 9]

Stop the Metamucil it will harden in your gut and make your blockage worse. Keep up with the mag citrate until you **** clear. Sometimes it takes awhile to get 12pds of stool moving. It can be like pushing out a boulder through a straw. It takes time to break up. We use this a lot on our hospice patients and have great success. Sometimes it just takes awhile. Remember to drink lots of Water. Good Luck!

[newbie99 4]

PJ713- I'm in this situation now. What worked?