My gosh yes! I began having what I call "intestinal blockages" only several years after having radiation (with brachytherapy too) and chemo treatments for endometrial papillary serous carcinoma --- almost 33 years ago. It is absolutely essential that I avoid certain foods (e.g., raw carrots, most vegies in a crudite platter, lentils that are not cooked enough, certain grains, certain meats, etc), chew my food extremely well and absolutely NOT overeat. In the early years of this problem, I was hospitalized a couple of times where I would be given pain killers plus IV liquids (with magnesium and salt added) to "rest my bowel". My initial bad episode in which I was hospitalized required my staying 5 days until I could pass stool. Since that scary time, I've learned how to manage my diet to avoid pain lasting more than 24 hours and avoiding the need for hospitalization. I did this largely on my own.
For me, I think my blockage starts in the ileum although the pain first starts just below my belly button. One gastro doctor told me it is felt by my belly button because of how the nerves transmit from the lower intestine, When I start to feel any discomfort coming on, I find it is best to immediately stop eating and after several hours if the pain continues, I start very small sips of water with a little salt and lhoney added to prevent dehydration. Sometimes, I just hunker down with a heating pad or massaging in a circular motion to my left to prompt intestinal movement until it passes. Other times, I find going for a walk helps or even going about alot of chores that require movement and keeping my mind off the pain results in "working it through". If I feel more pain, I try to tell myself that my intestines are trying to work through the blockage. If the pain passes, I make certain not to return to eating as usual and instead, eat only easily digestible foods and go even further initially by putting my food through a food processor to make it soupy.
Initially, I lost alot of weight and was depressed too. I was almost afraid of eating. Small frequent meals work best for me.
I've had this for many years since I too was told any operation would be too risky --- Regretably, I was not referred by my doctors to get more advance medical help from a top hospital such as Mayo so I have lived with this problem for many, many years. But I've turned this bad situation that I've had to live with to a far more healthy lifestyle in regards to my diet, exercise, meditation and my spiritual life. I am now 76 and grateful for getting this far and hopeful for the future.
I hope we'll see some more comments that are helpful! In the meantime, perhaps you can share more information when you are up to it such as:
Do you have any warnings before the pain begins?
How frequently does this happen?
Are there certain foods that trigger discomfort and pain?
Do you keep a food diary so you can track if there are specific foods that you must avoid?
🙂