1. < Digestive Health

Tips for managing chronic Small Bowel Obstructions

Posted by jljacoby @jljacoby, Dec 10, 2018

Hey everybody!
I joined this group hoping to find tips for managing recurrent/chronic SBOs. I had a Ladd's procedure at 4 days old which left me with scar tissue.
I started having partial SBOs at 25 but they went misdiagnosed as biliary colic because my anatomy is weird so I presented with RUQ pain mimicking gallbladder issues.
Last year in March I was diagnosed with a closed loop bowel obstruction and had emergency surgery. They found that my intestines were adhered to my liver and gallbladder and the surgeon removed my gallbladder an resected a small portion of my small intestine. That resulted in a 21 day stay in the hospital due to post op complications.
This year in June I had yet another SBO that ultimately resulted in another surgery. My surgeon said it looked like someone had dumped super glue in my abdomen the adhesions were so bad. That surgery resulted in a 26 day hospital stay ( my bowels don't like to wake up post surgery).
I am now following a low fiber/no fiber diet, work out regularly, and drink 124 oz of water daily. I have had at least 2 SBOs since being released which were both managed with an NG. I find that eating any food sets me off and have had to stick to mostly liquids.
Any tips for how to manage this thing??
Jennifer

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

tigreyes2004 | @tigreyes2004 | Aug 16, 2019

I had surgery at the Mayo Clinic last year for excision of adhesion's but mine are so bad. They are thick & dense & plastered in all different directions on different organs. as careful as the dr. was there was tear in the small bowel & I had to have 2 stitches. I'm worse now than I ever was & now I have feet & leg neuropathy on top of it. Surgery only causes more scar tissue & I have had plenty in my life time bc I also have a history of endometriosis.

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tigreyes2004 | @tigreyes2004 | Aug 17, 2019
In reply to @jljacoby "Hi! I am so sorry that you are dealing with this as well. It is not..." + (show)
@jljacoby

Hi! I am so sorry that you are dealing with this as well. It is not fun. I've had two open bowel resections with removal of adhesions. My last surgery was in June of 2018. They spent 6 hrs removing every adhesion they could find. I have had 7 SBO's since that surgery. I have seen 2 GI docs, a motility specialist, and 4 surgeons. All of them have told me that surgery to remove the adhesions will only make the problem worse because it will simply cause more adhesions to form. I will be traveling to Mayo in a couple of months to see a battery of specialists there who, I am hoping, will help me figure out how to live with the condition I have and hopefully prevent more surgery. Ask lots of questions! And fight for yourself and your care! I have had to push to get as far as I have and I WORK in the medical field. Good luck and keep us posted.

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Your right. I don't want any more surgery. Thanks for the info. Best of luck to you & keep me posted.

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lorirenee1 | @lorirenee1 | Sep 15, 2019
In reply to @stuckonu "Hello pain sufferers. I'm brand new to the mayo connect groups. I joined after accidentally finding..." + (show)
@stuckonu

Hello pain sufferers. I'm brand new to the mayo connect groups. I joined after accidentally finding the " SBO " discussion while doing my own research. When I clicked on " join a group " and typed in " SBO " and small bowel obstruction, I discovered this group and I'm looming forward to reading about your experiences and thoughts about " PAIN " and pain management.
Now I'm going to continue to search for the SBO group but I'll be back.

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You have no idea how kind and helpful people are here. You can learn more from us, than your doctors. Good luck with your pain. Feel free to share anything you want. I have neuropathy in my feet, and live with pain, day in, day out. Looking forward to your posts. Lori Renee

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stuckonu | @stuckonu | Sep 15, 2019

Hello pain sufferers. I'm brand new to the mayo connect groups. I joined after accidentally finding the " SBO " discussion while doing my own research. When I clicked on " join a group " and typed in " SBO " and small bowel obstruction, I discovered this group and I'm looming forward to reading about your experiences and thoughts about " PAIN " and pain management.
Now I'm going to continue to search for the SBO group but I'll be back.

REPLY
1 reply
Ethan McConkey, Moderator | @ethanmcconkey | Sep 15, 2019

Hi @stuckonu you may have noticed I moved your post to this existing discussion on small bowel obstruction so that you can learn and connect with others who have similar experiences. Simply click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to get to your post.

I'd like to thank @lorirenee1 and also tag fellow Connect members @tigreyes2004 @jljacoby and @nancybev as they have experience with small bowel obstructions and may be able to offer you support and share their experiences.

Back to you @stuckonu are you comfortable sharing more on your experience with small bowel obstruction?

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1 reply
stuckonu | @stuckonu | Sep 16, 2019
In reply to @ethanmcconkey "Hi @stuckonu you may have noticed I moved your post to this existing discussion on small..." + (show)
@ethanmcconkey

Hi @stuckonu you may have noticed I moved your post to this existing discussion on small bowel obstruction so that you can learn and connect with others who have similar experiences. Simply click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to get to your post.

I'd like to thank @lorirenee1 and also tag fellow Connect members @tigreyes2004 @jljacoby and @nancybev as they have experience with small bowel obstructions and may be able to offer you support and share their experiences.

Back to you @stuckonu are you comfortable sharing more on your experience with small bowel obstruction?

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Hello once again Ethan and TY for moving my post to the correct place. I responded to your reply on hypnosis.
Before I posted anything I sent a “ private message “ to Theresa’s email ( I’m speculating that “ private messages “ go to ones email but at this time I’m not sure how things work here, hence posting in the wrong place. I’m sure with time I’ll learn the ropes. And yes I have had my own experiences with SBO that I’d really like to share here. As I replied to one lady who’s posted several times there: “ I don’t want to hijack some else’s post to talk about my own experiences and thoughts. As of yet I haven’t figured out how to do that since there is no “ group “ here called “ SBO “ for me THAT would make it easier to figure out. Does that make sense? I hope so
Thanks once again

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meggy123 | @meggy123 | May 11, 2020

Hi everyone. Im new to the groups. I came across the Mayo clinic name from another page. I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 2007 and in 2008 i had surgery. About 30cm of my small intestine was removed it was so inflamed. Since then i have had no active crohns inflammation but i do have a stricture where my surgery was. That started probably 6 or 7 years ago. I have the balloon treatment to open it every time i have terrible flare ups with it. I've been told that there isn't much that can be done for strictures. My last colonoscopy in June 2019 my GI opened the stricture up. 3 weeks ago i had the worst night of my life. I was throwing up the entire night and in terrible stomach pain. I was so dehydrated and dizzy. It wasn't until the morning when i could finally go to the bathroom i felt better. That day i had chunky carrots and other vegetables. I have been told that veggies and fruit raw or not soft enough and can trigger strictures to flare. Ive stayed away from fruit and veg because im terrified of that night happening again. I just don't know what to eat anymore and so afraid of that night happening again. Is there anything other than surgery that can help?

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2 replies
Ellen | @helenfrances | May 12, 2020
In reply to @meggy123 "Hi everyone. Im new to the groups. I came across the Mayo clinic name from another..." + (show)
@meggy123

Hi everyone. Im new to the groups. I came across the Mayo clinic name from another page. I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 2007 and in 2008 i had surgery. About 30cm of my small intestine was removed it was so inflamed. Since then i have had no active crohns inflammation but i do have a stricture where my surgery was. That started probably 6 or 7 years ago. I have the balloon treatment to open it every time i have terrible flare ups with it. I've been told that there isn't much that can be done for strictures. My last colonoscopy in June 2019 my GI opened the stricture up. 3 weeks ago i had the worst night of my life. I was throwing up the entire night and in terrible stomach pain. I was so dehydrated and dizzy. It wasn't until the morning when i could finally go to the bathroom i felt better. That day i had chunky carrots and other vegetables. I have been told that veggies and fruit raw or not soft enough and can trigger strictures to flare. Ive stayed away from fruit and veg because im terrified of that night happening again. I just don't know what to eat anymore and so afraid of that night happening again. Is there anything other than surgery that can help?

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Does your doctor have a registered dietitian in the practice? I ask this because my R.D. daughter worked with a university hospital to provide Dietary information to patients with Crohn’s, Celiac disease, and.....

I hope you find help soon. I cannot eat anything with wheat! Wheat equals pain (and diarrhea)for me!
I have Celiac Disease.
Please consult you doctor. 🙏
Hope to hear from you soon.

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meggy123 | @meggy123 | May 12, 2020

Hello thank you for replying to me. Im in Canada but nutritionists are seperate places and i think we have to pay. Most GI here don't have nutritionists but ill ask. He has talked about surgeon or balloon opening in a colonoscopy. He also mentioned it could be gastroenterist infection. I just have been staying away from veggies and fruit right now. Thank you so much. Im just hoping theres another option for strictures

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Amanda Burnett | @amandaa | May 12, 2020

Hi @meggy123 and welcome to Connect. It is tough when dealing with strictures from Crohn's. I did find some information on Mayo's website about diet after the diagnoses of Crohn's that may help reduce the days you have with terrible pain. If you scroll to the middle of the page where it says Lifestyle and Home Remedies there is a fair amount of information. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353309

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