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Tips for managing chronic Small Bowel Obstructions
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
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HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.
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What helpful information may you have for someone who is experiencing this problem? Doctors who specialize in this?
I have always suffered from IBS but it worsened around menopause. Five years ago I was hospitalized for 9 days with a total bowel obstruction. They removed my appendix, a foot of my colon and a bunch of small intestine. I chronically feel blocked although I have had all the tests. I’m in and out of urgent care and always feel miserable. Any suggestions?
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2 ReactionsI'm new to this group, but not to digestive issues, sigh. Twice, in 2012 and 2013, I was hospitalized with an obstructed bowel. It was unpleasant (NG tube), 12 on the pain scale, and frightening. Fortunately, with conservative hospital treatment, I avoided surgery and recovered. The reason for my obstructions was massive adhesions due to 7 abdominal surgeries. This was after a couple of years of all kinds of bloating, diarrhea, bowel incontinence, etc. After much testing and many trips to the ER, I went to the Cleveland Clinic. More tests - but nothing definitive. My GP was my best resource, and we finally decided that I should not eat any fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, or fiber. I have an interesting diet! But it's okay. He also put me on Miralax every day to keep everything moving. This was 5 years ago, and I have been without any obstructions during that time. I follow my diet. The Miralax does keep things moving - boy, how I love to hear those peristalsis sounds! I have read several studies that indicate that this is not a healthy habit; however, it works for me, and I suspect the researchers have never suffered with an obstructed bowel! Has anyone else been using Miralax in this matter? I appreciate your comments. Regards, Sue
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2 ReactionsMy wife takes daily fiber supplements and miralax on orders from her GI Doc. It works for her and he said it's safe. I don't put much value on studies. A lot of them are from companies trying to sell things.
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1 ReactionI have had my gut opened three times. I also have had the tube on 4 occasions. I'm getting ready for laparoscopic surgery to remove scar tissue/ adhesions which they feel is causing the restriction in small bowel. Previously all large colon was removed leaving only 14 inches. So, my question to you is should I put off this additional surgery as long as possible since I'm assuming is going to grow even more scar tissue.?
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1 ReactionHello @heid
We have had a number of members (myself included) who have had adhesions related to digestive tract surgeries. I would like to invite @thull to this conversation. During the past year, she had a specialized surgery at Mayo and I hope she will relate her experience to you.
@heid, when was your last surgery?
I had Deloyer's procedure Jan 7th, 2019. I had bad diverticulitis in 2018, had to have part of sigmoid removed, temp colostomy for 6 months, reversal in July 2018, then a small bowel blockage due to adhesions, another surgery 10 days later to fix blockage that didn't work. Had to go home on PICC line on TPN. Blockage finally cleared, then diverticulitis came back in Nov, reversal site failed then the Deloyers procedure. I am doing really good now, things move pretty quickly, and if I do feel like things slowing down, my surgeon has me take some Senekot. I have only had to take it a few times. There are a few things that do bother me so I avoid them, i.e.: nuts, seeds, lots of roughage and really spicy, greasy stuff.
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1 ReactionHello @heid
I'm glad that @thull responded about the Deloyer's procedure she had earlier this year. There are also some other discussion groups that you might find interesting on this topic of adhesions and all the problems associated with them.
Just click on the links,
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chronic-small-bowel-obstruction-from-adhesions/ and
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tips-for-managing-chronic-small-bowel-obstructions/
You will find many Members here on Connect who deal with the same problems.
Will you post again?
This response is mostly for Ashby1947, and my heart goes out to Thull. Difficult! But my note to Ashby is quite relevent since she described me to a tee. What I am doing is working well and guided by my GI and team at Mayo. I take linzess along with miralax daily. I titrate the miralax from 0 up to 2 doses. If things go wrongly, i put myself on liquid diet. I also am diligent on the positioning and quiet time with coffee in the morning to achieve relaxation of the pelvic floor and autonomic calm. In addition, i always have chicken broth and brothy soup in the cupboard if I run into a slow down or a pain cycle. I am very well versed on what an imminent obstruction feels like. There are various foods I have to look out for, and others I try to infuse into my days. This part is likely an individual thing. I hope this helps.
I just had an exploratory laparoscopic surgery for intestinal adhesions and bowel obstruction. Had never had any surgery in my 84 years. This was a complete shock.