Chronic small bowel obstruction from adhesions

I feel for you both, and can relate!
I think I've finally realized that the problem is more mechanical than anything else, and that it matters less WHAT I eat than what form it's in. I hardly eat during the day, and when I do eat I try to stick with things that could get through a small straw. So I've become the Smoothie Queen!
You can buy good pre-made smoothies, but they're expensive. So I have a bunch of ingredients on hand to run through the blender. I'm going to list them here if it helps; pretty much any combination tastes good and is healthy:
--milk (cow, soy, oat, almond, etc.--they all have different nutrients)

--protein powder--I prefer whey, because it makes things creamier

--Greek yogurt

--bananas!

--frozen berries of all kinds

--peanut butter

--kale and or spinach (you hardly taste them when they're blended with the other stuff)

--canned coconut cream (yummy!)

--rolled oats and flax meal

--firm tofu

--carrot, prune, and other juices

That's all I can think of for now. I'm a vegetarian (not vegan), so that helps. And, not to be gross (but I think the people here will understand!), I keep in mind how various things would taste coming back up again...so meat and seafood would be out anyway. 😱😱

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Hello, I’ve written on here about some of the other problems... Gastroparesis, Crohn’s disease, EOE, slow moving colon, bloating, bruising on my stomach, im sure there is more. My bloating has not gone down in over 6 months. My GI doctor knows that I have a massive amount of scar tissue that could be causing my blockages or obstructions. But no one will do surgery due to the high risk. Basically my inside are cemented together by all the scar tissue. I’ve been going to PT, and acupuncture , to try and get relief. It’s been close to month and not really gotten that far. Does anyone know anything about scar tissue or if the Mayo Clinic has any doctors that deal with it or any studies going on a Mayo Clinic? The pain that comes with all my other issues and the pain and damage my scar tissue is causing along with this bloating is really frustrating. I’ve been looking everywhere to find something or someone and have come up with nothing. Any suggestions???? Thank you

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http://www.laparoscopicsurgeons.com/our-surgeons/mark-reiner.html

I don't know where you live.
I am in NJ. I suffered for 5 years with small bowel obstruction. First, it took nearly 3 years and many doctors to even find out what was happening to me. I finally got a cat scan during an attack that showed small intestinal obstruction.
I don't have to explain the violent pain and long aftermath of the attacks. The fifth-year I was getting them every 3 weeks to a month.
Everyone was telling me surgery would make things worse. I had several hospital stays with NG tubes. I thought this was my life.
Then I found Dr. Reiner and he saved my life. He doesn't take insurance but you can put in the bill (if you have a PPO) and you'll get a decent amount back. To me, it was worth all of the money in the world for my sanity and well being.
I had 4 1/2 feet of intestine taken out on 7/31/17. It was radiation enteritis. I had over 30 abdominal radiation treatments in 2003 for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The attacks started 10 years after my radiation!
I'm passing this on hoping that you find help too.

Wishing you peace, health, and freedom from this nightmare,
Lori

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I feel for you both, and can relate!
I think I've finally realized that the problem is more mechanical than anything else, and that it matters less WHAT I eat than what form it's in. I hardly eat during the day, and when I do eat I try to stick with things that could get through a small straw. So I've become the Smoothie Queen!
You can buy good pre-made smoothies, but they're expensive. So I have a bunch of ingredients on hand to run through the blender. I'm going to list them here if it helps; pretty much any combination tastes good and is healthy:
--milk (cow, soy, oat, almond, etc.--they all have different nutrients)

--protein powder--I prefer whey, because it makes things creamier

--Greek yogurt

--bananas!

--frozen berries of all kinds

--peanut butter

--kale and or spinach (you hardly taste them when they're blended with the other stuff)

--canned coconut cream (yummy!)

--rolled oats and flax meal

--firm tofu

--carrot, prune, and other juices

That's all I can think of for now. I'm a vegetarian (not vegan), so that helps. And, not to be gross (but I think the people here will understand!), I keep in mind how various things would taste coming back up again...so meat and seafood would be out anyway. 😱😱

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In my case they were able to pinpoint on the CT scan where my obstructions are taking place. They say that there is a thickening in my small bowel but don’t know the cause. So, at this point, I feel comfortable having an amazing surgeon with tons of experience taking that part out. Then it will be analyzed and hopefully, I’ll know the cause.

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I feel for you both, and can relate!
I think I've finally realized that the problem is more mechanical than anything else, and that it matters less WHAT I eat than what form it's in. I hardly eat during the day, and when I do eat I try to stick with things that could get through a small straw. So I've become the Smoothie Queen!
You can buy good pre-made smoothies, but they're expensive. So I have a bunch of ingredients on hand to run through the blender. I'm going to list them here if it helps; pretty much any combination tastes good and is healthy:
--milk (cow, soy, oat, almond, etc.--they all have different nutrients)

--protein powder--I prefer whey, because it makes things creamier

--Greek yogurt

--bananas!

--frozen berries of all kinds

--peanut butter

--kale and or spinach (you hardly taste them when they're blended with the other stuff)

--canned coconut cream (yummy!)

--rolled oats and flax meal

--firm tofu

--carrot, prune, and other juices

That's all I can think of for now. I'm a vegetarian (not vegan), so that helps. And, not to be gross (but I think the people here will understand!), I keep in mind how various things would taste coming back up again...so meat and seafood would be out anyway. 😱😱

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How do you find out if you have a small bowel obstruction?

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For total obstruction Waves of pain. It subsides and starts again Sometimes it starts by saliva uncontrollably
Than dry heaving than the waves of pain.
A partial can be anytime up to three hours after you eat. You may have bloating
Your loose pants become very tight and stomach pains. Usually subsides after a couple hours
Does not go away by itself. It only gets worse so it needs to be addressed.
As you can tell, I've had many

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http://www.laparoscopicsurgeons.com/our-surgeons/mark-reiner.html

I don't know where you live.
I am in NJ. I suffered for 5 years with small bowel obstruction. First, it took nearly 3 years and many doctors to even find out what was happening to me. I finally got a cat scan during an attack that showed small intestinal obstruction.
I don't have to explain the violent pain and long aftermath of the attacks. The fifth-year I was getting them every 3 weeks to a month.
Everyone was telling me surgery would make things worse. I had several hospital stays with NG tubes. I thought this was my life.
Then I found Dr. Reiner and he saved my life. He doesn't take insurance but you can put in the bill (if you have a PPO) and you'll get a decent amount back. To me, it was worth all of the money in the world for my sanity and well being.
I had 4 1/2 feet of intestine taken out on 7/31/17. It was radiation enteritis. I had over 30 abdominal radiation treatments in 2003 for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The attacks started 10 years after my radiation!
I'm passing this on hoping that you find help too.

Wishing you peace, health, and freedom from this nightmare,
Lori

Jump to this post