Partial Small Bowel Obstruction Pain: Do things get better?

Posted by docm @docmeehan, Feb 18, 2023

I was hospitalized with partial small bowel obstruction six months ago which was cleared non-surgically. I had laparoscopic lysis six weeks ago for multiple adhesions which were from a hemi-colectomy/appendectomy over twenty years ago. I have had no improvement in symptoms since then. I know that things can get worse but what I want to know is do things ever get better?

I'm hoping for a reason to become more optimistic about my situation.

docm

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

@danny5

right. but you can't get them to give you something good for pain. they basically tell you to grin & bear it. or want you to do PT. first off i need something for the pain so i can do the PT. my doctor thinks PT is the cure ALL for everything. sheesh.

Jump to this post

Isn't that the truth,, I have been prescribed percoset ever since my cancer dx , several surgeries and 18 months of chemo from hell.... my primary keeps me on it,, she understands the damage and pain to my bones and my spine a lot thanks to poison. when I was just in the hospital with my blockage, the discharge Dr I don;t even know scratches off the oxycodone from my list and writes stop taking, I thought who are you,, I have a primary.. I tossed those papers and I won;t go back to that shlock hospital.. Find yourself a good DR,, I know it is hard, try lidocaine patches they do help my back a little. but I will take it!!!

REPLY
@jacqueline1961

Isn't that the truth,, I have been prescribed percoset ever since my cancer dx , several surgeries and 18 months of chemo from hell.... my primary keeps me on it,, she understands the damage and pain to my bones and my spine a lot thanks to poison. when I was just in the hospital with my blockage, the discharge Dr I don;t even know scratches off the oxycodone from my list and writes stop taking, I thought who are you,, I have a primary.. I tossed those papers and I won;t go back to that shlock hospital.. Find yourself a good DR,, I know it is hard, try lidocaine patches they do help my back a little. but I will take it!!!

Jump to this post

that dumbass discharge dr had no business to do what he did with the oxycodone. he's the type that says just grin & bear it. who cares. just suffer.

REPLY
@docmeehan

I am so sorry you are having to go through such a horrible time. I don't believe my situation is as bad as yours.

I developed all of the adhesions, scar tissue, as a result of a hemi-colectomy/appendectomy that was done 23 years ago. The adhesions have constricted my intestines and stomach and resulted in a partial blockage of the small intestines.

Lysis is a procedure (mine was done via laparoscopic surgery) by which the adhesive bands are cut through and removed with a laser or a scalpel. This frees up the intestines and hopefully allows for normal function. When I asked my surgeon how long it would be until we knew if the procedure was successful he said at least six months and that it might not be successful. It took a year before I noticed any sign of improvement but now I am experiencing much less pain
and my diet is a little more varied. Still almost no fiber.

I hope that this information is helpful and I wish only good things for you.

Someone on this thread mentioned abdominal massage and I have to say that I have also found abdominal massage to be very helpful in both relieving pain and promoting peristalsis. There are several videos on YouTube demonstrating the correct massage technique.

Jump to this post

Thank you so much for your explanations and well wishes,, This really is a lousy situation to be in but I have been dealing with Colon issues since 2014 , so almost 10 years of every day since I had the cancer surgery in my colon which that followed with 18 months of chemo... I am waking up not knowing how I would feel, Will it be a miserable gut day or will it pass and be ok.. Every year it has gotten worse,. I keep telling, begging, asking Drs to help , what do I do , what can I do, I get more tests , more scans, more ":you have a large malignant tumor and PObstruction in 21 The ER staff all specialists called in to do Emergency surgery, I refused, I didn;t believe them and knew the drill , I wanted my gi dr AND a biopsy ,, that head Dr was mad,, turns out his wife was appointed my new oncologist, I had already dumped the last one and she is dumped now too,, Not there are many choices here but when I have to tell a DR. what to do with me,, I dont need them. This time was in the works for months, maybe longer that it would happen,, But it never showed on a CT or a scope that I had a stricture and the colon had become so narrow,, I still don't fully understand me,,, I see GI DR tomorrow for follow up,, plus new Surgeon is the end of the month,.. Went for tests for small bowel study yesterday 8am.. way too early for me. and after 2 hours girl says I would do better with CTs with contrast, thank you .. Anyhoo I hope you don't mind if I ask you , when you get time to respond,.. what foods do you allow yourself to eat?? I am doing the same with low to no fiber foods.,.. and what do you take for a BM.. still the Miralax. I am finding I can;t seem to get a balance on anything.. I have an addiction to home made sourdough bread and one of my customers keeps baking it, it is his hobby so he brings me a loaf a week...sometimes that is breakfast , lunch and night time snack. i think I gained back most of what I lost prior to and in hospital but I donlt want to gain anymore, I am thin but fine where I am at now,, for me,. I have been taking the creon pills per GI dr, for the pancreas but half the time I forget, whether it works or not I donlt know.. I eat cottage cheese with a banana , Usually chicken breast with steamed baby carrots for dinner, NO carbonated water anymore, I know I should have stopped that a long time ago, Oh well back to regular water which I do drink a lot and tea with real lemon juice and honey,, I donlt want to over load on the carbs so I have kept pasta on the low.. I do love to eat and do however I am afraid to try other things,, I did have some whole peeled steamed tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic and salt last night, I wanted a salad so bad,,.. Do you ever eat a salad, Butter lettuce is so soft I wonder if that would be ok?? Thanks for the reminder on the abdominal massage.. I will you tube it.. I have had a couple drs tell me to do that, I do it but not the right way , I just push mine in and move it around which is bad. but when the gas gets stucks in the same spot nothing breaks it up,,. I drink that mylanta like crazy with simethicone and yet I donlt eat anything gassy. Ive taken enough of your time .. I wish you well days and every day.. Happy valentines!!!

REPLY
@fessenbeck65

My son at the age of 5 had a partial bowl obstruction (Illeus paralized bowel). This lasted a week. He was in so much pain, begging us to kill him. It was awful.!
Had CAT scans every day to see if the bowel was moving. And finally the doctor recommended, we give him milk of magnesia. It irritates the colon from above to get it working so it can move again. And it worked! Had to give him milk of Mag for 2 months every morning. He is 29 now and he’s never had an issue with his colon since that time!!
When I had my second child by C-section, my bowels became paralyzed from the air hitting the intestine. They advised me to use milk of magnesia to get the bowels moving again… And it worked!
I’m not saying you should try this without checking with your physician first or doing your own research.
Good Luck🤞

Jump to this post

I've been managing my chronic paralytic ileus for the past year taking Milk of Magnesia every 4th day (The only one of 4 different laxatives I've tried that works reliably.)

One year ago at age 96 I was discharged from my 4th episode
of a blocked intestinal tract. First episode way back 60 years ago they removed a section of my intestines and spliced it together. Last 3 episodes self-resolved with week of nasal tube draining bile from stomach. Last session (CAT scan confirmed no blockage) but have manifested paralytic ileus ever since and have been managing it over the past year with liquid protein and puree canned vegetables and fruit diet with laxative every 4th day.

REPLY

I have had 3 small bowel obstructions. Had to have all but 2ft of my small intestines removed. I have alot of symptoms with only having 2ft. left.
High protein, high carb.low fiber diet and limited plain water. Is the diet I am on. Some people don't absorb enough fluids with plain water, some people need sodium and glucose (sugar) in their fluids for the body to absorb. I also have IV fluids 5 days a week to keep from getting dehydrated. For a partial small bowel obstruction foods should be easy to digest and foods should be cooked well undercooked foods can cause more problems for the small intestines.
I still suffer every day with my Short gut syndrome and my last surgery was in 2019.

REPLY
@jacqueline1961

Thank you so much for your explanations and well wishes,, This really is a lousy situation to be in but I have been dealing with Colon issues since 2014 , so almost 10 years of every day since I had the cancer surgery in my colon which that followed with 18 months of chemo... I am waking up not knowing how I would feel, Will it be a miserable gut day or will it pass and be ok.. Every year it has gotten worse,. I keep telling, begging, asking Drs to help , what do I do , what can I do, I get more tests , more scans, more ":you have a large malignant tumor and PObstruction in 21 The ER staff all specialists called in to do Emergency surgery, I refused, I didn;t believe them and knew the drill , I wanted my gi dr AND a biopsy ,, that head Dr was mad,, turns out his wife was appointed my new oncologist, I had already dumped the last one and she is dumped now too,, Not there are many choices here but when I have to tell a DR. what to do with me,, I dont need them. This time was in the works for months, maybe longer that it would happen,, But it never showed on a CT or a scope that I had a stricture and the colon had become so narrow,, I still don't fully understand me,,, I see GI DR tomorrow for follow up,, plus new Surgeon is the end of the month,.. Went for tests for small bowel study yesterday 8am.. way too early for me. and after 2 hours girl says I would do better with CTs with contrast, thank you .. Anyhoo I hope you don't mind if I ask you , when you get time to respond,.. what foods do you allow yourself to eat?? I am doing the same with low to no fiber foods.,.. and what do you take for a BM.. still the Miralax. I am finding I can;t seem to get a balance on anything.. I have an addiction to home made sourdough bread and one of my customers keeps baking it, it is his hobby so he brings me a loaf a week...sometimes that is breakfast , lunch and night time snack. i think I gained back most of what I lost prior to and in hospital but I donlt want to gain anymore, I am thin but fine where I am at now,, for me,. I have been taking the creon pills per GI dr, for the pancreas but half the time I forget, whether it works or not I donlt know.. I eat cottage cheese with a banana , Usually chicken breast with steamed baby carrots for dinner, NO carbonated water anymore, I know I should have stopped that a long time ago, Oh well back to regular water which I do drink a lot and tea with real lemon juice and honey,, I donlt want to over load on the carbs so I have kept pasta on the low.. I do love to eat and do however I am afraid to try other things,, I did have some whole peeled steamed tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic and salt last night, I wanted a salad so bad,,.. Do you ever eat a salad, Butter lettuce is so soft I wonder if that would be ok?? Thanks for the reminder on the abdominal massage.. I will you tube it.. I have had a couple drs tell me to do that, I do it but not the right way , I just push mine in and move it around which is bad. but when the gas gets stucks in the same spot nothing breaks it up,,. I drink that mylanta like crazy with simethicone and yet I donlt eat anything gassy. Ive taken enough of your time .. I wish you well days and every day.. Happy valentines!!!

Jump to this post

I have a friend at work who recommended olive oil, I have been using it for weeks now, I take 1-2 teaspoons daily and have not had to use miralax in weeks. I was taking miralax every couple days. Some times a few days in a row. I am on a low to no fiber diet as well after a small bowel obstruction on December due to adhesions. I am attaching a picture of the olive oil she gave me to use. I also researched it and actually found a study that was done on the effects of olive oil on SBO due to adhesions and the results were positive on decreasing the amount of time for it to resolve and time spent in hospital as the studies were done on patients in the hospital. I am in no way a doctor or a nutritionist but what I can say is this has been working for me for weeks now, knock on wood.

REPLY
@danny5

that dumbass discharge dr had no business to do what he did with the oxycodone. he's the type that says just grin & bear it. who cares. just suffer.

Jump to this post

Thanks Danny you are absolutely correct, and that Dr, kept trying to convince me to come over to that "small private hospital" and join their team of Internists, when I already had a Primary Dr, who is affiliated with another large hospital. When I followed up with my primary I never gave her the discharge papers , and went back to my own GI Dr. right away. Good hospital in a pinch other than that I will stay away from the ER and get stuck under someone elses thumb,,
Good luck to you in your health challenges!! J

REPLY
@shaleenv

I have a friend at work who recommended olive oil, I have been using it for weeks now, I take 1-2 teaspoons daily and have not had to use miralax in weeks. I was taking miralax every couple days. Some times a few days in a row. I am on a low to no fiber diet as well after a small bowel obstruction on December due to adhesions. I am attaching a picture of the olive oil she gave me to use. I also researched it and actually found a study that was done on the effects of olive oil on SBO due to adhesions and the results were positive on decreasing the amount of time for it to resolve and time spent in hospital as the studies were done on patients in the hospital. I am in no way a doctor or a nutritionist but what I can say is this has been working for me for weeks now, knock on wood.

Jump to this post

Thank you for the advice!!! One of my oldest friends had told me to do this awhile back, I just couldn't fathom getting it down but it worked for her elderly aunt who had issues,,,. and sounds like it is helping you,... Do you take it in the am or bed time??? I have a small can of specialty olive oil I bought at starbucks awhile back when they introduced it to put it in your coffee,,,, I never even opened it to try, .. I think I will start with that and look on Amazon for this one,,,, someone said castor oil I said I don;t think so,,lol , reminds me of being a child and getting that forced on me... You take care and continue to get better,, I will keep you posted how it works for me... 🙂 J

REPLY
@jacqueline1961

Thank you for the advice!!! One of my oldest friends had told me to do this awhile back, I just couldn't fathom getting it down but it worked for her elderly aunt who had issues,,,. and sounds like it is helping you,... Do you take it in the am or bed time??? I have a small can of specialty olive oil I bought at starbucks awhile back when they introduced it to put it in your coffee,,,, I never even opened it to try, .. I think I will start with that and look on Amazon for this one,,,, someone said castor oil I said I don;t think so,,lol , reminds me of being a child and getting that forced on me... You take care and continue to get better,, I will keep you posted how it works for me... 🙂 J

Jump to this post

This one has no taste and smells sort of sweet. At first I did it with a shot of apple juice to chase it down haha. But now I do it no problem. Every morning. I was taking a teaspoon in the morning and one at night. Now I just take one every morning. I have had a bowel movement everyday accept one since I started using it. That one day I just took an extra teaspoon that night and next morning I went with no struggles. Hope it works for you also.

REPLY
@shaleenv

This one has no taste and smells sort of sweet. At first I did it with a shot of apple juice to chase it down haha. But now I do it no problem. Every morning. I was taking a teaspoon in the morning and one at night. Now I just take one every morning. I have had a bowel movement everyday accept one since I started using it. That one day I just took an extra teaspoon that night and next morning I went with no struggles. Hope it works for you also.

Jump to this post

Lol... I am going to give it a shot literally, I think with a chaser .. Thanks for the tip.... I hope it helps,, at this point I am open to all suggestions, this one seems to be a good one,, Will let you know when I get it down.. 🙂

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.