Chronic small bowel obstruction from adhesions

Thank you

Thank you for your suggestions. I don't think she feels as alone as she did when this all began. She thought the doctors were just not wanting to do surgery because of her age and medical history, but I told her how many people are dealing with the same issue and how much great information I have found on this discussion and she seems to have some renewed hope. I just pray for everyone on here who is going through this.

I@lorie I too have adhesions from past surgeries but also have IBS irritable bowel syndrome, and Colitis. Gone through the attacks since age 35. Now at 84, I am experiencing what they call Leaky Gut. I am very worried at this point.

I am new to this group but not to this condition,...and desperately need to figure out how to manage it better. I had my worst nightmare and got an attack on a transcontinental flight.. barely made it home, being sick in just about every airport bathroom along the way. What a,m I doing wrong? I avoid scary food , which is a list of every food that could have triggered an attack. I don’t eat meat or dairy. I avoid all raw veg and fruit except those I can peel. It sometimes something I’ve always eaten with no trouble seems to trigger an attack. I have been vegan for more than a year, but stay away from fibrous beans and try not to eat many whole grains. Should I just stick to a liquid diet?

@marciakeren , welcome. I actually gasped out loud when I read that you got an obstruction on a transcontinental flight...I'm almost afraid to travel any more, for fear that that could happen (and I used to be a travel writer!).
How long have you been having the obstructions, and do you know what causes them? Do you have a gastroenterologist? My obstructions are caused by adhesions from several abdominal surgeries (I also think that gluten MIGHT aggravate the situation by causing inflammation, so I've been gluten-free for years). I finally figured out that the problem is really a mechanical one--my sbo's are NOT triggered by what I eat (I still get them even though I'm gluten-free)...it's just that sometimes the adhesions get stuck together or something so that nothing can pass through. So far I have not been able to get answers about what makes this suddenly happen, but the bottom line is that, for me at least, the priority is eating healthy food that will be digested quickly and easily--reducing the chances of anything getting stuck behind the place of obstruction. I've posted a lot here about how and what I eat these days to try to avoid trouble, or at least make obstructions SOMEWHAT more manageable. I think I've had some success. I really don't think it matters if you're vegan or anything else--if there is food in your digestive tract--especially larger, harder to digest pieces--it's going to cause problems if you get an obstruction.
But, again, you need to know what's causing your obstructions. I strongly suggest that you go to an ER if you have one again (if you don't already do that--I know it would be hard if you're traveling!). They can be very dangerous, and a CT scan or something might help determine where the problem is.

I have had a half dozen surgeries related to infertility including surgeries to take care of three ectopic pregnancies and a hysterectomy... the adhesions have been an issue for 20+ years but they are now getting more frequentl... three eepisodes in the last three or four months. I need to find a gi doctor who has some answers. My doctor just keeps telling me there’s nothing to do and I should just eat slowly, drink water and yadda yadda... alll the stuff I’ve heard before. After this last episode I’ve had enough.

@marciakeren , I totally get the "Yadda yadda" thing--I've found it so frustrating that I've never found a single doctor who can offer any useful advice or information.
At this point, I don't think anyone has discovered a way to keep them from happening, and it's therefore an issue of damage control (especially if you're now having them so often--I'm sorry about that!). You may want to consider doing what I've been doing--sticking as much as possible to really healthy smoothies (I've posted some recipes somewhere in here), juices, and soups. For now, I'm just going to repost something I wrote recently, to another member here, to make it easier for you to read. I hope it helps:

"For myself lately, though, I TRY to imagine that everything I eat will need to pass as quickly as possible through a tube the size of a straw or smaller, as quickly as possible, and yet still be nutritious.
Obviously, if I get caught with an actual obstruction and food behind it in my digestive tract, I'm probably in trouble. But by at least reducing the chances of something big getting stuck, I feel a lot less anxious–and because of this new strategy–I think–I was able to make it through my last obstruction without going to the ER (although in general one should probably go, to be safest), and vomiting only once instead of 5-15 times!
I've also started to stretch and move around/take walks after each meal, especially reaching upwards over my head, arching back, and moving side-to-side. It just seems that this MIGHT have a chance of "ungluing" adhesions when they start to stick together. I'm not sure about that, but it's worth trying (and stretching feels good anyway)!
I also chew everything–even juices–like crazy to get the digestive process going."
That last part about stretching is just a guess based on visualizing the adhesions starting to stick together again for whatever reason--it just seems like moving and stretching might encourage them to open up again. I'll try anything that makes sense!

The last blockage I had was in December while in the hospital, while they were getting the diverticulitis infection under control and seeing if the sigmoid stricture would open up more. I can't say for certain where it occurred, if it was just backing all the way up from the stricture, or someplace in my small intestine, but it was real obvious to me that I had the dreaded NG tube in my immediate future! Started feeling nauseous, burping, then vomiting up that delightful green bile. They did the X-ray with contrast and within the hour the surgeon was walking in my room. I knew exactly what he was going to say. Sometimes I don't think they can exactly pinpoint where you are blocked, although it is probably obvious sometimes. I made them give me a dose anti anxiety med beforehand because the last time I had to have one it was a horrible experience. They tried 11 times in the hospital room (I was NOT at Mayo), before they sent me to radiology to get it done. The floor nurse at Mayo came in and they got it done the first time out. As horrible as it is, it does work and then also caused the back end to start working as well and I was able to go home over the holidays and wait for surgery.
As well as things are going now, I am with you as being nervous about traveling, especially out of the country! Which is a bummer, because one of my daughters works for an airline and we get her flight benefits. Starting with a short anniversary trip in May and as long as things go ok, maybe I will get braver!
I hope you get some answers and the blockages are few and far between!

Hello @marciakeren and welcome to Connect's discussion on adhesions and obstructions. I see that Members @thull and @nancybev have already responded to you with their thoughts. As you can tell, these two have unfortunately had a lot of experience with obstructions due to adhesions. You couldn't want for better thoughts than theirs.

It sounds like your previous surgeries have set you up for these adhesions and you are trying to deal with it as best you can. From my experience some of the best ideas have already been stated by @thull and @nancybev. I would just add bed rest when the pain starts and you begin to feel uncomfortable.

@nancybev's idea of doing mild stretching exercises after meals is also good. Many of us have also tried massaging the abdomen to get things moving along. It does seem to be a constant problem and one that is always on your mind. Like @nancybev said we all try to keep our meals as nutritious and as easy to digest as possible. When I feel an attack coming on, I resort to liquid nutrition drinks, juices (as clear as possible) and a lot of bed rest until the discomfort begins to subside (along with the abdominal massage and gentle stretching).

I also avoid binding clothes. Tight waist bands, belts, etc. Keeping clothing as loose as possible around the waist and abdomen are also helpful to me.

Feel free to ask any other questions. Will you post again and let us know how you are doing?

I really believe the massaging of my belly area during the small bowel obstruction helped. I would lay in bed and do gentle circular massage on the bloated area where the surgeon thought the blockage was. And some deep cleansing breaths