Intestinal Blockage / Obstruction Support Group

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David

David

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As those who have inflammatory bowel disease are at increased for intestinal blockages and intestinal perforations, it has been suggested that we create a thread detailing what a blockage or obstruction feels like. Those of you who have had blockages, please share your experience in as much detail as possible. Did anything feel different in the days leading up to the blockage, once there was a blockage, how did you feel, and any other pertinent information. Personal accounts of partial blockages are welcome as well. Many thank you's to those of you who share.
 
What does an intestinal blockage or obstruction feel like?

Obstruction is absolute agony. Had it happen 3 times & each time it was accompanied by projectile vomiting & literally seeing stars or rather flashing lights when I closed my eyes. The duty Dr who came out had a good listen to my belly & could hear no bowel sounds @ all. He called an ambulance(that never turned up). The next time it happened I called the duty Dr & he told me on the phone to get myself to A&E. The last time I just took myself in without asking.

Pain wise on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest I'd rate it @ 9.5. 10 being the point where I pass out & I was very close to that. The pain is a spasmodic pain that gradually builds to a crescendo & then stops. Only to start again & again etc etc. Curiously with me even though the cause was one stricture the pain occurred in 3 different areas, 1st time central lower belly, 2nd time lower left & finally lower right.

Safe to say that if anyone gets these symptoms don't hesitate, get yourself to hospital. Without being over dramatic your life could depend on it.
Regards
Grant
 
That was the scarey bit David. Knowing I had a stricture never prepared me for an obstruction. It didn't feel any tighter than normal. When it hit me it was right out the blue twice, the third time I started to feel the onset of twinges building & didn't wait. Got myself in & Pain meds in by IV. Because of that it never built up to the crescendo that time. (I'm only 20 mins from a hospital)
 
I felt intense nausea and pain. I vomitted a lot. I never vomit so I knew something was definitely wrong and ended up driving myself to the hospital. I made it safely but that was a bad idea.

Anyway, the pain was horrible. I felt like someones hands were in my abdomen squeezing and twisting my intestines. The pain was in waves, much like Grant mentioned.

Leading up to the obstruction, nothing had happened out of the ordinary. It just happened.
 
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Had several obstructions over the years. With Crohn's the pain comes in waves but it was usually consistent. If it started at a 5 it would hover from 4-6. An obstruction was different in that the pain starts off as a mild cramp but then it builds like labor pains until you can't tolerate it anymore. I'd usually get constipation, then diarrhea, but no gas. Looking back I was usually unable to pass gas at least 24 hrs prior to the pain. The pain was so severe I usually went to the ER begging for pain relief. Hope that helps!
 
I've had several obstructions and partial obstructions over the years. Usually the pain starts out low, and it slowly builds. I usually feel like if I could just pass gas or have a BM, it would go away, but I can't do either. As the pain builds, I end up nauseous and often end up vomiting. The pain gets to be so severe, that I can't think of anything else. It also feels better to bend over than to straighten out. And when I've had obstructions, morphine or dilaudid don't help at all.
 
I have had two obstructions and neither were what are considered a normal experience.

First I had an obstruction caused by an adhesion wrapped around the bowel. I had recently had our daughter, and woke up in the night with waves of pain, unlike I had ever felt before. I remember thinking - "This must be how an obstruction feels!", though I have no idea why I would think that!

The waves of pain continued to worsen, and by morning I was writhing in pain each time. It was like the pain would happen when the peristalsis pushed against the adhesion, so it would start out small, build to excruciating, then slowly go away. Later at the hospital I called my husband to check on the baby. I started vomiting everything I had eaten over the last several days in reverse order. That was super weird. Things were not digested.

When I got to the screaming stage, they finally carted me by ambulance to a different hospital. They thought something had happened to me during delivery. Finally the pain got so intense I passed out and they finally put me on morphine. Days later, and after a million tests they finally decided to do an exploratory surgery. They didn't expect to find the adhesion, but it was an easy fix!

My last one was a partial blockage caused by a stricture. It wasn't particularly painful, but I was very uncomfortable. I had had problems for quite some time, but no one would listen since constipation is not a symptom of Crohn's. I finally went to my GP and said I had tried everything to go to the bathroom and couldn't even pass gas now. So he put me on some kind of high powered laxative. I had to stay home from work for a week to do that.

That helped relieve the pressure, but did not make me go to the bathroom without taking the laxative. So, I finally decided to go to GI, and had to prep for a week to do the scopy. After I finally got cleaned out, I finally realized how much pain I was in, and where the pain was. After the doctor looked at me, the pain was where the stricture was! I was also very ulcerated, but since I couldn't go to the bathroom correctly, the blood didn't show on my stool.

I am still battling the constipation even though the stricture is gone. (yay Humira!) The doctor thinks I may have scar tissue in the other layers of the intestinal wall that is keeping that area from being able to relax as much, and causes things to back up there. That whole area of my intestine is scar tissue, which should cause me to have diarrhea since there would be reduced absorption in that area. But, I am still somewhat blocked up. So, we have to keep our eye on it.

Symptoms can be different depending on where they are in the bowel, and what is causing the obstruction. If things are not normal, it is worth it to get it checked out. And even if they don't see anything the first time, if it is still bothering you - go back. Obstructions are not always clear cut on xray. Neither one of mine showed up right - but they were real.
 
Mine was the most painful experience of my life. It started out as just a little discomfort and cramping type pain which was intense but went away after a minute or so. Later, along with the pain, I started to vomit over and over again. Over a couple of hours, the cramping became constant pain growing so intense I passed out. My wife got me to the ER and I was taken in for emergency surgery.
 
I've had numerous partial obstructions in the past and all were thankfully relieved in just a few hours with pain and muscle relaxer medications. (Dilaudid and Valium)

I've also had one full obstruction which resulted in needing a draining NG tube for 24 hours. Uncomfortable as hell, but it did stop the pain.

As for the pain during an episode, I'd rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 at about 36.
Easily the most intense pain I've ever felt.

For me the pain begins just below the stomach, feeling like cramping sensation which then rapidly scales to an intense squeezing and then it very slowly lets go. Usually I'll hear and feel rumblings while the wave ramps down as well.

These waves of pain last for 10 seconds or so though sometimes up to half a minute and at the height of the most intense waves, they occur about once per minute.
 
Mine was like a volcano building up!
Would get tight sharp pain then have to hold my breath for 5 secs then heard a loud noise like a bomb going off inside then it would ease off and I could breath again!

Wave pain is definately best way to describe it, mine was due to food trying to pass a stricture which was blocked.

Got to point of having 8 Tylex at night to get past pain!
You could feel it also if you put a hand on my stomach, like I had a baby kicking lol

The wind can also be excruciating pain too.

:-(
 
I had a blockage when I was around 13 years old (16 years ago) and I remember feeling sick (flu like symptoms) and then had sudden intense pain in my abdomen and threw up not too long after the pain came. I was placed in the hospital for a week or so and was put on Prednisone, Asacol and 6MP to reduce the inflammation (the cause of my blockage). I really don't remember much more than that. I can't recall how long I felt sick for (my guess is a few days) and the intense pain came on quickly and was less after I vomited.
 
I can't add to any of these post, it is by far the worst pain and my biggest fear of having another one ...after 5-6 of them having a baby natural is a walk in the park, and I ain't foolin"!!!
 
I had a stricture where my colon was smaller than the diameter of a pencil, which my GI described as essentially a blockage. Like other people said, it just hit me one night, with the pain being severe beyond description and coming in waves. It is so intense that there is literally nothing that can be done to alleviate the pain. When the spasms stop for maybe 1 or 2 minutes, there is no better feeling of relief. And just when you think maybe it ends, a new wave hits you. I have never felt worse pain in my life.

Also I noticed that I had trouble breathing, like my whole body was in such distress that my breathing was being neglected. I remember that night too vividly lying in a hotel bed gasping for breath in the fetal position sobbing.
Anyway, I think if this would happen again to me, I would have no doubt in my mind what was going on. There is no way to ignore that kind of pain.

Also, nothing was particularly different in the days leading up to it. Who knows what the trigger is. One minute I was fine, next minute... gosh just remembering how that felt rattles me.
 
Emily said:
Also I noticed that I had trouble breathing, like my whole body was in such distress that my breathing was being neglected.
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Interesting about the breathing issue, when I talked to the nurse at our provincial 1-800 telecare number, her line of questioning led my to think my symptoms were similar to those of heart attack.

Mine came on in the afternoon after a morning colonoscopy (not a lot of the prep camp out - so here was likely something going on before the prep). I was very nauseous and had what started as a dull pain across my abdomen at the bottom of the rib cage then got sharper and then came and went in waves. It was painful even what I was lying down.

When I called our 1-800 health number where you can consult with an RN they told me to go to he hospital and that they would fax a record of the call to emerg.

After going to emerg., I ended up getting an x-ray that the doctor said was spectacular (not a good thing) apparently there was something in the radiology report about the transverse colon being stretched to a width of 10-11cm because of the obstructon.

It took fentanyl to knock the pain down. They seemed really willing to give me pain meds after the x-ray. I was admitted for a couple of days and given steroids via IV.
 
I have had several partial obstructions. The descriptions everyone else has given are very much the same as I what I went through.

It is easily so much pain that you shouldn't have any doubt tht medical attention is required. Now convincing the dr's in ER that you know what is wrong and that you need pain meds and IV fluids ASAP or you'll be in real trouble is quite another story!
 
Let me start by saying I have a very high pain threshold. I delivered two children via natural childbirth and rated the pain for both at a 2. There are other instances where my ability to handle pain was clear.

I was diagnosed with CD when I suffered my first blockage. The first sign that something was wrong, was that I was not hungry after not having eaten for about 7 hours. I forced myself to have dinner anyway. You won't believe what I ate that night. Something called "Living Lasagna" made entirely from raw vegetables - thin strips of zucchini to replicate pasta, spinach leaves, etc. Probably the worst thing a Crohn's patient could eat.

Anyway, things went south pretty quickly and I went to bed early around 8:00 p.m.. Wave after wave of intense pain followed for about 3-4 hours. Vomiting started about this time. By the time my husband came to bed around 1:00 a.m., I was panting with pain. I finally asked him to call an ambulance after suffering another hour or two because I really couldn't walk, or couldn't fathom sitting in a waiting room.

One of the most uncomfortable things was having to drink contrast prior to CT scan. I told the nurses there was no way I could drink it all and they just asked that I do my best. I got through half of it and warned them that one false move on my part would send it right back up. Surprisingly, I made it through the scan and when they moved be back on the gurney, it all came up.

The NG tube followed which I hated, but have to admit, it did provide relief. Hospitalized for 5 days with other tests to confirm CD.
 
Thanks everyone for your insights. I've never had one and pray I never do. It does not sound like an experience anyone should have to endure. Now if it were to ever happen I would at least know some signs and what to tell the doctor.
 
Pen said:
I can't add to any of these post, it is by far the worst pain and my biggest fear of having another one ...after 5-6 of them having a baby natural is a walk in the park, and I ain't foolin"!!!
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I rated natural childbirth (did it twice) a 2 on the pain scale. Intestinal blockage, easily an 8. Give me natural childbirth any day.
 
I had a sticture and blockage in the sigmoid. Unfortunately, it perforated..twice. Once in 2009, again in 2010. The pain doubled me over, simply unable to walk upright. Night sweats, hot flushes, agonizing pain. As it is occuring it is simply uncontrollable pain. It may not be continuous. Sadly I was NOT on the floor as I have a pain tolerance of an OX. I was still working. This is me being STUPID. This is me having a stoma because of that. Dont mess with this stuff people.

Now having the SAME issues in my Transverse colon. This time, the GI's arent taking me seriously. Well DUH. Expect me to report on my total removal of colon soon!
 
I had a stricture that my surgeon confirmed last week had nearly become a complete blockage. The onset of it seemed quite sudden, one day I felt alright, the next I had diarrhoea and gradually worsening stomach pain. Leading right up to the op the pain was like nothing I had ever experienced before, I couldn't tolerate food anymore so was on Modulen drinks. It hurt to move and walking became an excercise of torture it would literally take my breath away. Like Misty I worked up until the day before the op - perhaps not the best of ideas. The pain from the op was much more preferable, this just seemed to sting similar to the pain I had when my ears were pierced - easily tolerable. If I'm lucky I have roughly a 5 year window until my next one - yay!
 
I've had a lot of partial obstructions and one complete obstruction and I agree with everyone else--the pain came in awful waves like childbirth. I will go through the pain at home with two norco and phenergan because I can't go to the hopsital each time--I can't afford the time away from my family and work. I also feel like I can't afford any more radiation from the CT scans. But I will go if it doesn't "break" in 12 hours. Mine usually reach a crescendo (like others have said) of vomiting and passing out. Then, the pain is gone. I feel like crap for a few days afterward. Sometimes I don't vomit--it really depends on what I've had to eat.

The weird thing is, that for me, whenever I feel really, really good, a blockage happens a day or two later. My family pointed this out to me--my sister noticed that when I told her I was feeling really good, that it was a bad sign. Now, when I feel really good, I stop eating. It's better not to add any food to the mix.

And I agree with the others re: NG tubes. I love them! They are horrible going down, but the relief is so sweet. A nurse told me that I'm the first patient she's had in 20 years to beg for an NG tube!
 
I had the "night of the killer pea's" a couple months ago. It was in the middle of my flare this past October. My dad convinced me that I could eat pea's for dinner since it wasn't on my list of foods I couldn't eat, big mistake. I ate around 5 pm. Starting around 10 pm I started having pains in the strictured part of my TI. I have a very high pain tolerance and the first pains were worse then when I snapped my collar bone. I was at a friends house when they started then I went home around 11pm. The pain was so intense I got to a point where I was either gonna go to the hospital or pass out from the pain. Luckily I passed out and woke up and everything was ok again. Looking back I really should have gone to the hospital. But I wish that pain upon no one. That is the day where I began to become scared to eat certain foods because I didn't want to go through that amount of pain again.
 
scl said:
I rated natural childbirth (did it twice) a 2 on the pain scale. Intestinal blockage, easily an 8. Give me natural childbirth any day.
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My Blockage was a 10+...childbirth I didnt even wince and my bp was perfect... Blockage, not enough morphine on the planet!
 
After reading these I wonder if that is what my "episodes" we're/are. I would always get them at the same spot. And usually after not going to the bathroom several days. I would be I labor like pain and in the bathroom for an hour or two. It would start off as hard stool and by the end it was d and I was completely wiped out from the event. Pain would be gone though. The last time it happened it had been 9 days since going to the bathroom and it started off as pencil thin and flat . My old gi gave me an example like a balloon that is just more narrow in certain areas. I don't think normal narrowing would cause me so much pain. Thank you all for your stories.
 
My preforation felt like being stabbed in the stomach in the same spot over and over and over and over again. The vomiting was to the point it was coming out of my nose (sorry so graphic). The pain on a 1 to 10 was a 10. I was in so much pain, breathing so hard I collapsed my lung.
 
I had a blockage once and Grant gave the exact description how I felt like.

Grant said:
Obstruction is absolute agony. Had it happen 3 times & each time it was accompanied by projectile vomiting & literally seeing stars
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Such an awfull situation. :puke_r:

I went to ER. I was given very strong pain killers and there was no relief. They saw the blockage in an X-rays and decided to put me the NG tube...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasogastric_intubation

All of a sudden it was like a volcano. A green liquid come up from my stomach through the tube. The nurse has almost no time to connect the other end of the tube to the plastic bag. The green liquid was spilted around the place. Then, he could connect the tube to the plastic bag and it continued draining. The relief come in a minute.
 
I had two obstructions (possibly only partial as I didn't require surgery) - woke up in the middle of the night with INTENSE pain and cramping the the belly, feeling like I needed to go to the loo but when I tried nothing happened. Lower back pain also accompanied the belly pain. Usually the vomiting would arrive an hour or two after the pain started. When I start vomiting I know I need to go to the hospital. On the first occasion I was given two doses of morphine - this didn't even make a dent in the pain. They also gave me something for the nausea. When the pain wasn't passing they gave me some buscopan via an injection - this has been the only thing that would relieve the pain. On the first occasion I was sent to a bigger hospital, the second time the obstruction passed quite quickly after I was given the buscopan so I was able to convince them to send me home. For a few days after each incident, I felt like I had been punched in the belly. Haven't had one for a few years now - SO thankful for that. It really is the most awful pain.
 
I had pain and vomiting episodes (maybe they were partial obstructions and I did not know) on a fairly regular basis during the 6 months leading up to the obstruction that resulted in my resection and diagnosis. During that time I had been assured that it was how my IBS "presented" what a crock.

Toward the end i had a couple weekends where I would puke over, and over and over for the entire weekend. I would vomit brown liquid that smelled a lot like what little was coming out the other end. Told the docs that and they just nodded gave me more zofran and sent me home. When I finally ended up in the ER and mentioned the color and smell to the ER docs, they immediately suspected it was a blockage. I guess it was the stuff that could not get through the blockage coming back out the only way it can.

Just one more symptom for the list.

The other thing that is important to note is the power of denial. It is easy to talk yourself into believing it is not a big deal or that you are over reacting or imagining things.
 
SailorLuna, was it your GI doctor who would send you home with Zofran?! That's awful! I had an obstruction at the site of my last surgery and the surgeons kept telling me to eat and eat and it was awful. I had a similar experience throwing up what was essentially feces. I used to use a certain type of toothpaste and I can't use that toothpaste anymore because I would use it to clean my teeth at the hospital over and over again. They didn't believe that I had a problem until I said that I could not eat and they couldn't make me (I had to act like a baby in order to get a CT scan that said my surgery site was swollen shut and that I had an abscess.) I then begged for an NG tube, and when they saw what was coming out of it, one doc said, "Hey, you weren't kidding." And this was with an IBD surgeon, not a general surgeon. I hate doctors.
 
I had a blockage that snuck up on me (I should have known better, I wasn't a newbie). It started out as just more pain in my stomach. Then, I was really bloated. Then the poop that came out was REALLY smelly (worse than usual). Then, everything stopped! My stomach started getting bigger to the point I really looked 6 months pregnant. My stomach was hotter on one side then the other. I went to my GI after about two weeks, not because of the pain but do to the bloating and the heat. He gave me some pills, sent me home. I wound up in the ER and my GP admitted me! He said "You got yourself a blockage, kiddo. How long has this been going on?". I thought he was going to throttle me!

The point: it didn't really hurt that badly in the two to three weeks it had been happening. It was just the last 6 hours that it was at a 10+. It was the fact that my stomach was so much hotter on one side then the other that had me seeking medical attention.
 
partial bowel exp..

I'm still in the testing stages... I had a partial obstruction... i thought i had a bug at first... Bad d... then day 2 cramping.... I couldnt stand up straight.. third day my hubby made me go to the er.... I was sick for about 2 weeks...
 
I can honestly that it is definitely the worst pain ever. I basically ended up getting to the point where I could not move without hurting so bad that I nearly screamed. I was throwing up with just the sip of anything, and had diarrhea. When I got to the hospital, my colon and small intestine had perforated as a result. It is definitely not something to mess with. As a result I ended up having to get a temporary ileostomy.
 
I had a full small bowel obstruction and remember waking up at 4 am with the worst pain imaginable. I knew I couldn't drive to the hospital and didn't want to wake my family so early, so I just sucked it up for a few hours. Only had been diagnosed with Crohn's for about 9 months at this stage and was fully recovered from resection surgery 6 months earlier.

It basically feels like the most intense stomach cramps you can get and for me it came in waves, so I'd get a breather for about 5 mins before it all started again. I didn't have any vomiting at this stage yet as I think the blockage was still manifesting itself.

Went to the local hospital, thinking I had a flare up (was not aware of obstructions at this stage), who sent me home saying I had a stomach bug!!

Pain continued and increased at home, and now with major vomiting each time I tried to eat. Realized that I hadn't opened my bowels all days which was strange as I normally go about 7-9 times a day.

Finally, went to a different hospital who decided to keep me in and observe. Unfortunately it was Easter weekend so did not get to see a bowel surgeon until 4 days later, who immediately identified a small bowel obstruction.

I was only in pain on the first day, as the blockage was actually taking place. Once I was blocked, I wasn't in any pain. Although did have a tube up my nose and was nil by mouth for 14 days.

Blockage was caused by adhesions most likely from my previous surgery and not due to active crohn's.

Hope this helps.
 
David said:
As those who have inflammatory bowel disease are at increased for intestinal blockages and obstruction intestinal perforations[/URL], it has been suggested that we create a thread detailing what a blockage or obstruction feels like. Those of you who have had blockages, please share your experience in as much detail as possible. Did anything feel different in the days leading up to the blockage, once there was a blockage, how did you feel, and any other pertinent information. Personal accounts of partial blockages are welcome as well. Many thank you's to those of you who share.
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David, hi, I have an question. How could I tell my intestinal half-obstruction caused by inflammation from scarring? Especially, when my symptom is getting worse, maybe the tissue is going from normal inflammation to scarring, that could make worse, or even need surgery. thanks!
 
My experiences were pretty similiar to those listed. I started noticing it shortly after eating. First feels just like I was gassy and that the night would probably be spent in close proximity to the bathroom. A few hours would pass and what felt like minor abdominal cramps would start and I would indeed spend a few trips to the bathroom. The cramping would gradually get more and more severe. Vomitting would start after about 10-12 hours and continue for a long while, long after everything from my stomach was evacuated and I was just vomitting bile. Eventually the cramping sensation would get so severe I didn't want to move. And knowing I havent had any liquids in 24 hours I would attempt to get some water in my system depiste the idea of drinking being an absolutely repulsive though. And my body would reject everything I tried, even as little as 5-10mL of water. Think the two times I've been to the ER for an obstruction I called the pain 6's on a scale of 10.

But damn do I hate the NG tubes.
 
Good morning all,
I suffer from partial obstructions all the time, due to all surgeries I have had(lots of scare tissu) and they are bad........but I have had to have 2 emergency surgeries due complete obstructions... It is by far the worst pain I have ever been in, you know when it's happenes cause you feel pain in your lower chest, right at the v in your rib cage, also in your lower back, if the obstruction has been building up for awhile,hours even days only liquid will come out as stool, then it will stop and the pain will get worse, then i start to run a fever, and the inevitable vomiting, at this point i go to the hospital, they start an IV, stop all oral intake, start pain meds,then a NG tube to help remove the fluid in my belly and it helps, my doctor will start prednisone, and I wait, maybe the blockage passes or they go in and get it. Don't know if that's how others feel, but it's the worst for me...I'd rather kidney stones!...
 
jonathanzn said:
David, hi, I have an question. How could I tell my intestinal half-obstruction caused by inflammation from scarring? Especially, when my symptom is getting worse, maybe the tissue is going from normal inflammation to scarring, that could make worse, or even need surgery. thanks!
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Unfortunately, you can't tell without testing. The best test that I know of is the Magnetic Resonance Enterography (a MRI where you drink a polyethylene glycol solution) which you can read more about here.
 
@ Fosterfamily2303 - I don't recall how many days I had waves of pain, was just generally unwell and wasn't able to eat much at all. Everything I ate made me feel sick. I eventually started throwing up.
 
Fosterfamily2303 said:
Question...how many days did u have the waves of pain? And did u find with a partial obstruction u were unable to eat as well?
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I don't know how everyone else treats their waves of pain but if it doesn't correct itself in 8 to 12 hours then I go to the ER. When this happens to me, whether it is a full obstruction or partial obstruction there is too much pain to consider eating. It would only worsen and prolong the pain. If fully obstructed, well... there is nothing going down. Anything that is in my stomach is coming back up and I rarely vomit so going to the ER is a no-brainer.

I have been warned by my doctor to not take this lightly. A perforation could occur.
 
My appetite absolutely disappears when I have a partial obstruction. The pain has lasted anywhere from 6 hours during my most recent one to 3 days during my first one. Though the worst one I had I was put on morphine and something 10 times stronger than morphine after 2.5 days so not sure how much longer it would have lasted.
 
Thanks. I am a bet conserned. I was having direhha like every 40 min...then it slowed down to every few hours. It's been 3 days without a bm. I am on nicatotics for pain and have not been eating much. I was able to keep food down but now I can't. I have waves of pain that come and go...:pale:

I am due to prep for a collonscopy Sunday and concerned..also was having bloody bm ...hope I dont loose too much blood with the prep:shifty:
 
That sounds a lot like an obstruction. Especially if the pain is in the center of the stomach like 2 inches or so above the navel. At least that is where mine is like a really bad stomach cramp. When obstructed, the liver continues to fill your stomach with bile so since it can't drain, it has nowhere else to go but out through vomiting. And I usually have a bout of diarrhea right before the pain commences as the last of the excrement that made it though before the blockage leaves.
 
The bile won't be green, it's sort of clear and there isn't much of it. At least in ym experiences. But if you haven't had a BM for 3 days and this pain has been going on for more than a day, I'd seriously consider getting to the ER. MY GI's personal recommendation for me is to consult him when I begin vomiting or go in to the ER if he isn't in when vomiting starts.
 
I guess the only reason I haven't gone is because my hospitals around her are ridiculous! I had no issues until my surgery last Wednesday...Thursday woke up to all of this for the first time. They sent me home bleeding and not even knowing if it was from surgery or not. All they could tell me was it was not hemoroids.

Anyway...went too far into detail. Thanks for your help!!!
 
Not sure how many obstructions Iv had. First few times I didn't know what was wrong, as I'd been told by gp's that I had a tummy bug. The pain of full obstruction is indescribable, though the first reply covered it well. I wouldn't put it at 9.5, because for me, perforated bowel was by far worse, but it's horrible pain none the less. After a few, I'd notice that my upper abdomen would get a sharp pain, every few minutes, before the full obstruction pain, which is over a larger area. When this would begin, I'd tidy up and what not, knowing that the pain would get worse. The vomiting is horrible, and shaking cold sweats, which is the bodies shock reaction. After being diagnosed, I went into hospital with the worst obstructions, but by then there was over 59cm of stricturing, and abcesses, so it was horrible. :/
 
has to be the most painful experience ever.
Stomach swelled , strong smells made me want to vomit- which i did-alot!
bowel noises stopped, violent diarrhea, violent vomiting, felt confused (due to dehydration) was unable to eat or drink as it would come out both ends (still like water)
Eventually vomited bile due to lack of anything going in. Sweating, shaking,exhaustion, bad breath,sunken eyes, sore bones but its the pain i'll never forget, as someone else has mentioned its very much like labour, but your so exhausted it feels like your going to die there and then. oh and you stop passing wind/gas (my doc always says if i stop farting come straight in!:D)

I snapped my Radius bone in January- was extremly painful but still comes nowhere near obstruction pain!
 
I had an obstruction it really painful they told me too stop the buscopan they werent sure whether it was that. It never made much difference. I was still going 20-30 times a day even when I had an obstruction. My stomach swelled up like i was 9 months pregnant and my stomach was in agony. I had to have an emergency total colectomy very nearly perforated:O
 
My obstruction was a result of not getting medication and after a long time inflammation got so bad that it caused blockage. (I never experienced vomiting for some reason)

The blockage feels like constipation, you feel bloated. The day that I did manage to go to the bathroom resulted in a rupture of the intestine, followed by blood loss an fainting a few seconds afterwards.

Next I was put on remicade, I still have slight stricturing here and there and plaque (which is a bit of adhesion in one place), most of my symptoms are better now.
 
Thanks everyone for contributing your stories and experiences. After reading through this thread, I suspect I may be developing an obstruction. I have a section of narrowing in my small intestine and have been in a strong flare for over 2 months. Recent symptoms which lead me to believe obstruction is developing are: feeling very full after eating only a little, bloating and distension of belly and abdomen, nausea, a feeling of inflammation and very tight squeezing in my intestines which almost feels like gas pain, strong sharp clear pains and pain that is like a lasting tight ache, nausea (but no vomiting), gurgling noises - sometimes like water glugging down a drain that's recently unplugged, sometimes like a tight wheezing.

Right now, I'm still having regular bowel movements and have not vomited at all. Is there a timeframe after which obstruction occurs that I will experience a stoppage of BM's and/or commencement of vomiting? Basically, is there any way I can predict when an obstruction has occurred so that I can head to the ER before it gets truly horrible?
 
Hi there,

Sorry you are struggling right now. I have not had an obstruction, but everything I have read up on it says that with an obstruction, you can feel A LOT of pain. I also know bloating and nausea are other symptoms as well. But those symptoms can happen even with no obstruction. I also get that gurglings in my intestines where it sounds like water gurgling down the drain. Not sure, I just assumed it was that my gut was upset. I guess the only way to know is to go to your GI doc and have them check. How are your bowel movements? Are they regular formed or diarhea?

I have motlity issues of my upper gut and I would get that tight squeezong feelings as well as feeling full after only one bite of food. There was a point I could only eat baby food. This was like 6 years ago and I was dx with the motility issue. I guess if I were you, I would go to the doctor and have them check you out. I mean that is the only real way to know what is happening. Hope you feel better soon....











scoutfinch said:
Thanks everyone for contributing your stories and experiences. After reading through this thread, I suspect I may be developing an obstruction. I have a section of narrowing in my small intestine and have been in a strong flare for over 2 months. Recent symptoms which lead me to believe obstruction is developing are: feeling very full after eating only a little, bloating and distension of belly and abdomen, nausea, a feeling of inflammation and very tight squeezing in my intestines which almost feels like gas pain, strong sharp clear pains and pain that is like a lasting tight ache, nausea (but no vomiting), gurgling noises - sometimes like water glugging down a drain that's recently unplugged, sometimes like a tight wheezing.

Right now, I'm still having regular bowel movements and have not vomited at all. Is there a timeframe after which obstruction occurs that I will experience a stoppage of BM's and/or commencement of vomiting? Basically, is there any way I can predict when an obstruction has occurred so that I can head to the ER before it gets truly horrible?
Click to expand...
 
Hi Scoutfinch! I agree, you would definitely feel really sharp awful waves of pain and wouldn't be able to go to the bathroom and would most like throw up anything you ate. I've had partial small bowel obstructions where a tiny bit is open but it hurts like hell. I've usually thrown up and had pain severe enough that I know it's time to go to the hospital. I would definitely call your GI, though. It could be you're forming a stricture. I know exactly what you mean about that tight bloated feeling and inability to eat much. It does sound like you're working towards something, so I would have the GI check you out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it passes quickly!



scoutfinch said:
Thanks everyone for contributing your stories and experiences. After reading through this thread, I suspect I may be developing an obstruction. I have a section of narrowing in my small intestine and have been in a strong flare for over 2 months. Recent symptoms which lead me to believe obstruction is developing are: feeling very full after eating only a little, bloating and distension of belly and abdomen, nausea, a feeling of inflammation and very tight squeezing in my intestines which almost feels like gas pain, strong sharp clear pains and pain that is like a lasting tight ache, nausea (but no vomiting), gurgling noises - sometimes like water glugging down a drain that's recently unplugged, sometimes like a tight wheezing.

Right now, I'm still having regular bowel movements and have not vomited at all. Is there a timeframe after which obstruction occurs that I will experience a stoppage of BM's and/or commencement of vomiting? Basically, is there any way I can predict when an obstruction has occurred so that I can head to the ER before it gets truly horrible?
Click to expand...
 
I had surgery over the summer with an aweful surgeon. Had 60cm of my illium and my IC valve removed. The surgeon used a "unconventional" way to connect the intestines and they ended up healing accross the intestine creating a very effective intestinal blockage (partial). I also had C-Diff (again) so I had no trouble with BMs. In Fact I was in the bathroom about every hour on the hour. In consultation with the doctor I was told I could eat limited amounts of food. After a week I gave up on that. Every time I ate even a little bit I would be throwing it up 20 minutes later with extreme abdominal pain. I ended up going into the emergency room every 3-5 days (usually late evening or early morning) for pain. By the time I went in for a second surgery to fix the problems made by the first surgery I had gone about 2 months without eating more than a hersey's kiss at a friends birthday (I was getting nutrition through my picc line).
So, for me an intestinal obstruction was many short bursts of pain, vomiting, and being hungry. Along with many trips to the ER.
 
I had a intestinal Blockage, did not know what it was from later on I did, Crohns. I went to bed that night and didn't feel right, the next day, I just felt bad, I had eaten, but it didn't feel right and like other said, I tried to pass gas but couldn't, also to have a BM.

So I thought if I would empty my stomach, I would feel better. Wrong move, I started throwing up and I could not stop. I took Phernagen didn't do a thing.

So I went to the hospital, right when I was talking to the nurse, I started to throw up. I could not stop literally.

They got me in a room and gave me Zofran and morphine. I finally felt better and the throwing up stopped. They wanted to do a Cat scan on me, so I had to drink the stuff for it. They did the cat scan, which showed I had a blockage.

I got back to the room and was bloated and felt, I didn't need to feel this way anymore after the cat scan and threw up. I felt a lot better.

Well the nurse saw this and decided to ambush me with 2 other nurses and put a NG tube in my stomach. That hurt like crap and I was mad as hell, I took it out. The nurses and doctors were mad at me. But I was like look, you filled my stomach with his crap and because I have a blocked intestine and I want to feel better, I throw up.

In the end, we made a deal if I started throwing up again, they would put the NG tube again. Well I didn't throw up again.

I was admitted to the hospital and stayed 2 days. The blockage passed. Later on the surgeon thought I had Gall stones because I had a lot of Gallstones pain.

I picked probably the worst GI doctor I could get, the guy did a colonoscopy and I'm sorry to me even it didn't look right. He was like I'm going to ask at a conference.

I was in pain had diarrhea all the time, thought I had dumping syndrome from the gallstones. Which they thought, I passed a gallstone and it caused the blockage.

The GI doctor wanted to do another colonoscopy. I thought this guy was either double dipping or was just dumb, I had enough. I fired him.

I talked to my friends that had intestine problems, and I went to the one of the best GI surgeons in Atlanta, he took one look at my colonoscopy and was like you got Crohns and its bad, it was at the ileum. I asked him, like the other GI doctor had said, do I need another colonoscopy. He was like do you want to go thru another colonoscopy? I was like No, he was like Ive been doing this for 20 years, you got Crohns.

I had the surgery because he said, meds would not help, it was so far gone. I was 42, I'm 43 now, I never knew I had Crohns.

The surgery, I had complications with it, where I had to go back because there was a leak after he did the surgery.

Then I had a fistula at my operating site. In the end he had to do another surgery. In the end, I have lost. about a 14 inches of my small and large intestine and I was in the hospital a total of 27 days. I got to know the nurses there well. lol

Today I am passing gas and its hurting bad. I am going to my new GI doctor who has been doing it for 30 years. He just did a colonoscopy on me and said everything looked good. What's scaring me today. The sharp pain I get from passing gas and all. The colonoscopy, revealed, it looked great, but the polyps that were near my ileum said I have Crohns again.

I am going to see him today, because, he already called me and said, I was going to have to go on asacol.

The past 2 years have been hell. I have had 4 surgeries. It all started after I had surgery on my back and I was taking Celebrex and then I had the obstruction and it started it all. :(
 
Buggers Kellix...sounds awful! I have to say, you probably need more than Asacol. Sounds like your crohns is ratcheting up a bit. They'll need the inflammation to go down, and a maintenance med like Azathioprine to keep you from flaring and do more damage down the road.
:hug:
 
Misty:

Yep its been awful, I saw him today and hes putting me on asacol and Bentyl for the pain. But I am also getting a Cat Scan done, to make sure, I'm not perforating anywhere, I passed gas today and I was happy has heck, some people would think I was nuts, but people don't realize that its like your body saying i'm working. He might be putting me on something else, the reason why the asacol, was all he said, he said on when he did the colonoscopy. he said visually the crohns was gone, but from the biopsy, he said, Microscopically he said I still have it. That's why he wanted to be proactive about it. But lately I had bronchitis a bunch and had to take a ton of anti-biotics, well that caused a bunch of the big D. And so. he recommended me take questran, I hated questran, but I had some whelcol, and I was taking it. But I have been about straining to go to the bathroom. Which may have been causing my latest problem why my doc was like quit taking that stuff and take thr asacol and bentyl, deal with the D if it happens, till my body gets back to the way it was before the anti-biotics. I got pneumonia and then had bronchitis, like about 6 times, What I meant, Its been hell.

Thanks

Kellix
 
Oh my gosh Kellix, that sounds awful what you went through. It is really scary. I worry about myself being is so much pain all the time. I still have not had a diagnosis, but I suffer everyday. I just had a test (MRE) to see my small bowel. I dont have have the results yet. I am afraid that I am going to end up with damage. I know I am all inflammed througout my intestines, I can feel it!

How does a doctor know if you need surgery or not?? I mean I myself would not have any surgeon cut me up unless it was like an absolute last resort. But how do you know when surgery is the only thing that will help? I am terrified of surgery as my last Gastro doc told me some horrible stories about having any type of gastric surgery. I remember I was contemplating having a lap done to see why I was having upper gut issues a few years back and he said you never want to have any abdominal surgery unless you are dying. So I will admit, it is a huge fear for me. I hope I can get answers to what is wrong with me soon...

And yes, there are A lot of crappy doctors out there, that is for sure. Sorry you went through that with your First GI doc. That is crazy. He should have his med license pulled!
 
IHURT, I just had back surgery done then 3 months later I had the obstruction, they thought, I had gallstones, also you have to remember this was from the crappy GI doc. on the 4th month. I had my gallbladder removed. Which in hindsite if I fired him and got that Gastro surgeon. I probably still would have my gallbladder. But he made me wait 6 months, also I had back pain and the big D multi times of the day. You could just tell looking at my colonoscopy, it was not right.

I had the surgeon that removed my gallbladder look at it and he said too, you have Crohns, that and if had known would have done the surgery then. But he said, my GI surgeon was the best in the business. You just have to be at the point I don't want to keep living like this. Trust me the first GI doctor, I thought about sueing I had put multi bad reviews about him all over the place. The guy just seemed like, his father was a doctor and his father was a doctor, like he HAD to become a doctor, but you could tell he didn't like doing it.

I mean, I had the talk about Humira, and the other new drugs, but my surgeon was like its not going to help you, and also you probably have had crohns for 20 years and just didn't know about it. I read this thing, that basically said most people find out they have crohns, in their teens to twenties, but sometimes if they have their appendix removed, that it doesn't show up till their 40s. I had my appendix removed when I was 21.

I have other friends that have Crohns and I hear ya, I at times wonder if it was the right idea, and just trying the drugs to see, if it would have helped. because I have gone thru the ringer because of it.

But you have to make that decision and get multi-doctors to look at it, why I wanted the 2nd opinion. And so far I have felt better, but I have had a ton of health problems since. My friend said it perfectly, you have to do it, when you can't stand it anymore. But just make sure you have the best doctor you can get. Like look at reviews. Take care
 
Yes Kellix, I too get inflammation from certain antibiotics. Catch 22 when you get sick isnt it? I try to inform my GP which ones do a number on me.

Hope you feel better very soon!
 
Hey Kellix,

Geez, I am sorry you had to deal with an idiot doctor like that. Unfortunately, there are a lot of idiot doctors out there, I have seen my own fair share!

That is so odd about your gallbladder surgery and getting dx with crohns afterwards. My regular primary care doctor, well her sister has crohns. She said her sister got it right after she had gallbladder surgery. I wonder if there is a connection to that..

This is such a scary disease. I also have other health issues as well that complicate things drastically for me. I have IC ( interstitial cystitis) which is a debilitating bladder disease. It makes me very prone to getting UTI's. I also am allergic or have really bad side effects to ALL antibitoics. Right now I have been on one (kefelx) low dose for over 5 years to prevent the UTI's I was getting. It was a life saver for me, but I am 100% certain that this antibiotic is what has caused all my gut issues. I had an MRE of my small bowel last week and am suffering for it now. I got a UTI due to the diarhea that the test caused( drinking that crap). Now I have had to up my antibiotic that I am on and it is doing a nasty number on my gut...

Anyhow, I am sorry you went through all that, nobody should have to endure all that :(
 
I had surgery to remove my colon in 1994 and starting getting bowel obstructions in roughly 2001 from scar tissue (adhesions). At first they were just really bad cramps lasting a couple of hours but progresses quickly. They often lasted 12-16 hours and were extremely painful. Sometimes I would ride it out at home but often ended up in emerge for help, mainly for the pain. Buscopan and gravol was like a magic switch. I only had an NG tube inserted once in 2009 and that seemed pretty effective too.

How painful were they? I adjust my pain scale many times over the years until my final obstruction in 2009. Prior to having UC I ripped off my big toe nail completely once. I thought that hurt pretty bad at the time. Now that wouldn't hit 1 on my scale.

At their worst I would pass out between bouts of extreme pain, only to wake up again when the next wave came.

I sometimes get cluster headaches and really bad tension headaches. Neither come close to bowel obstructions, for me at least.

I had surgery in 2009 to remove adhesions and haven't had a blockage since then. I know they will likely start again some day but for now I am pain free.
 
I had a blockage so bad that the biggest thing that could fit through my small intestine had to have the diameter of a straw.
As described above, one day, an excruciating amount of pain just hit me. It came in waves, but the moments where it wasn't at its peak of pain were still extremely intolerable.
It feels as if a knife is inside your intestine, moving around and cutting everything up inside. It is easily the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. On a scale of 1-10, easily a 10, some days an 11.
 
sunshinelover said:
I had a blockage so bad that the biggest thing that could fit through my small intestine had to have the diameter of a straw.
As described above, one day, an excruciating amount of pain just hit me. It came in waves, but the moments where it wasn't at its peak of pain were still extremely intolerable.
It feels as if a knife is inside your intestine, moving around and cutting everything up inside. It is easily the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. On a scale of 1-10, easily a 10, some days an 11.
Click to expand...

That is pretty much exactly my description. I have adjusted my pain scale down so many times ripping off my big toenail (which I have done twice) would be less than 1. It's not just about peak pain though. My last one was 42 hours at 10-8-10-8........
 
I'm bumping this thread up as the issue seems to be popping up a lot on the forum lately.
 
I've had 3 blockages and I agree with all the comments above. I've had a LOT of abdominal surgery so I've got adhesions all over the place. They say That I have an adhesion working it's way into the ileum( I have an Ileostomy)so the smallest thing can cause a partial obstruction.I've been told there will be no further surgery because of the adhesions, so I cope as well as I can if things start to slow down. I try to compress the point on my stomach that has gone rock hard but I'm not sure this is a good idea. I find that following a blockage I pass a lot of anal mucus which is usually an indication that it's all over.
Don't leave it too long, is my advice. If the pains come like contractions, get to A&E. In my experience (and I've been advised to do this), call an ambulance. They can get a line in and give you pain relief which won't be available if you present yourself at hospital. Time is of the essence in my experience.Once they have a line in they can give you morphine followed by IV paracetomol which is surprisingly helpful.
 
I've had two obstructions, the second in July 2011 led to the investigations that ultimately resulted in me having a right hemi-colectomy. The obstruction occurred while I was on holiday in Portugal, but I had been unwell for a number of weeks in the run up to the holiday. I had been suffering with the usual symptoms of a flare; fatigue, relentless diarrhoea, headaches and was concerned that things were getting worse.

On the day the obstruction started, I had been out on a bike ride and felt very hot, sick and weak. It was a very hot day, about 32C and I nearly fainted. I lay down in an a cool air conditioned bedroom, drank some water and then the gripping pain began. For the next 48 hours, I managed to eat nothing and vomited repeatedly. Sleeping was a struggle as I was constantly tossing and turning with the pain. On a scale from 1 to 10, I would say it was a 6 or 7, because I could get out of bed and walk to the bathroom to be sick when needed (coming round after surgery was a 9 by comparison, I shouted out in pain uncontrollably). I was also aware that there was a major problem because all bowel noise (gurgling, etc.) stopped and despite the crampy pain, I could not pass wind.

I think the first thing I managed to eat and hold down was a banana. The pain gradually eased off and things started moving through me again. The following day, I flew home to London and the day after I went to the hospital and was immediately referred for an emergency MRI scan. I never really felt right again after that until months later when I had the surgery in March 2012.
 
Hi to all! I'm new, just posted my story. I can relate to the pain coming in waves, building then lessening to do it over and over again. Its the same way with ulcers.
Does anyone have problems passing wind? It seems when I am hurting that I have to really force the wind to pass which takes a lot strength. I don't know how else to word this appropriately. lol.

Thanks to everyone for helping others with your stories. I finally feel like I can actually ask these questions and talk to those who understand.
 
I've had trouble passing wind when I got blocked in the butt which I guess was the scar tissue simply shrunk to where I couldn't go anymore. But the blockages up higher, maybe the anastomosis site, were different and far mare painful.

I just had my butt end dilated in January and can eat more or less normally again. For a while it was chicken soup.


Sent from my Android
 
canuckscouter,

Thanks for your reply. You must be the type that is plagued by scar tissue, just as I am. When I had my gall bladder out and hysterectomy, the ovaries and gall bladder were collapsed and encased with scar tissue. I'm glad you got it taken care of and can now eat normally. I had the barium test today and am waiting for the results. It took much longer than I ever thought, 4 hrs, and was painful as it made its way through the small and large intestines. It took quite sometime to go from the end of the small into the large. My guess...scar tissue.
I've already had a section of my large bowel removed along with my appendix cause it was attached to that section. The bowel was necrotic.
I'm wishing you the best and thanks again for the reply!
Lynn
 
LynnMarie,

I wish your all the best as well.

You are right that scar tissue from surgery was the problem. For me though it was a total blockage when it happened. I remember once when I went to emergency for relief they tried to do a barium follow through. It came up faster than it went down.

For now at least I'm free from that problem but it is predicted to return.

Sent from my Android
 
It was the worst pain of my life by far. The pain was at a10. I had 6 ER trips in 2 months. I was afraid to eat. I don't remember having the vomiting at that time, but later I had incidents where I threw up whatever I just ate.

Pain came in waves. It was relentless.
 
This is info I will NOT be sharing with my son. I feel for all of you! I actually thought natural childbirth hurt A LOT. MUCH more than my c-sections, including recovery.
 
After reading this thread I am convinced that I've had at least one partial blockage a few weeks ago, intense cramping pain that was definitely worse than labour a and I was in labour for five weeks (labour started at twenty-five weeks but delivery was held off until thirty weeks), I couldn't stop shaking and had cold sweats and couldn't stop running to the loo but it took a lot of effort to have a bowel movement. The pain did pass and then I was left feeling really drained for the or four days. Still haven't got over it though. Since then I have been having random stabbing pains in my LRQ, I never know when to expect them but when they come they take the legs from under me, I ended up on the floor the other morning cos of it.
 
I've been having blockages for over a year now, but it's only very recently that I discovered that I had Crohn's disease and a pretty severe stricture due to this. I thought I was just having severe flus at first, but they started coming more and more frequently (every two weeks or so at the peak, before I started on medication). It starts out as pain right below the V in my ribcage, then moves lower, and I begin to have very severe pressure and pain for about 10 seconds or so, followed by a large gurgle and then partial relief. This cycle starts back up after about a minute and this culminates in vomiting that can last up to a day and a half and turns green once I have thrown up everything I have ever eaten ;). During this time I can't even drink water, and on the rare occasions I can take medication without throwing it up right away, there is no cure for the pain and vomiting.
Once I have diarrhea I know that this cycle is starting to wind down. Never thought I'd be looking forward to diarrhea.

I started Prednisone (30 mg at first tapering off) which does not seem to have helped my stricture, I had an MRI recently and my doctor says that it is 4 cm long but almost completely closed, I am back on a higher dose of Prednisone (40 mg) as well as Imuran... If this doesn't work then ballon dillation will be the next step, and if that fails, resection which I am trying to avoid at all costs.

I'ver never been to the ER but I think that maybe next time I have a blockage I will.

Anyone found anything to take away (or even dull) the pain?
 
Hi Monkeyhugger. :) When I dealt with mine I went to the ER and was given pain meds there along with much needed fluids. Other than that you could try a heating pad and warm baths (assuming you don't want actual pain medication) along with eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day (soft foods and avoid fiber) and you could also try a liquid diet as well. Let your doctor know that you're going to go on a liquid diet if you do and make sure that you get plenty of nutrients. There are supplement drinks out there yet you can also make your own soups and drink the broth.
 
For me I was blocked up a lot. Very constipated. I could go over a month at a time without going to the toilet and it just made me miserable because I felt bloated a lot. The worst part of it all was the pain for sure. It was agony and this is what I remember most vividly before I had surgery. I was admitted to hospital on a few occasions just to be given weak laxatives and morphine for the pain. I had fevers a lot during the time I had obstruction, constantly pooled in sweat at night which also made me miserable because it smelled sickly.
 
I was wondering if anyone that had the partial obstructions, had blood test done. If so, did they show that you were having an obstruction. For the past yr and a half, I have been hurting so bad, I've lost weight and I cant eat anything because as soon as I have a couple of bites, my stomach is killing me. I talked to my GI and he told me that since my blood test is showing NO signs that my crohns is active, then he just can sugest gas x, to help me pass gas. My stomach is bloated and it hurts so much. I am so weak because I'm not eating....any help would be great
Thanks
Edna
 
When I had a partial obstruction. My white count was high
And some other minor things just barely out of range.
The pain was so bad I couldn't stand up straight and everything went through me. I don't recall if I was bloated. Just the pain and my blood pressure was low.
If you feel that bad go to the er. That's what I had
To do . I felt like I was gonna pass out and was home alone
With my kids. Hubby made me go. Feel better listen to your body
 
I hate to say but I've had about 30 of them. Off the chart pain. I don't mess around anymore. Off to the ER for didaudid and a potent antinausea medication. Most cleared but a number have required surgery.
 
emichels said:
I was wondering if anyone that had the partial obstructions, had blood test done. If so, did they show that you were having an obstruction. For the past yr and a half, I have been hurting so bad, I've lost weight and I cant eat anything because as soon as I have a couple of bites, my stomach is killing me. I talked to my GI and he told me that since my blood test is showing NO signs that my crohns is active, then he just can sugest gas x, to help me pass gas. My stomach is bloated and it hurts so much. I am so weak because I'm not eating....any help would be great
Thanks
Edna
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My blood work doesn't indicate an obstruction, not sure how it would do that to be honest. The only abnormality in my blood has been some potassium imbalances if I recall correctly.

All of my obstructions have been identified by CT scan. Some with, most without contrast. The symptoms I have are pretty consistent: reduced bowel movements / constipation, bloating, pain that has a steady undertone but also comes in waves of increasing severity - at the worst, it leaves me literally in a fetal position trying to find a way to relieve the pain spikes. I'm often dehydrated as I can't drink anything and keep it down. Plenty of nausea, often dry heaves and vomiting. The pain generally radiates out around the entire abdomen as things get worse, and into the back. Finally, hypoactive bowel sounds.

That's a complete obstruction. I've had that four times, all have cleared with bowel rest, pain and nausea control, zero food intake, and bed rest.

I've also had what I and the GI suspect is numerous and to an extent ongoing partial obstructions. Similar symptoms but less severe (though still quite high) pain levels. These last for a few hours and then suddenly, I will hear and feel a loud gurgling and literally in minutes I feel the pain start to subside as things start moving again.

I'm in the same place as a previous poster - when the pain reaches a certain level I just head to the ER. I just know what pain I can manage to either bear until it subsides or manage with Percocet, and if it's getting beyond that, I head to the hospital for them to get ahead of the pain curve. It's not worth the suffering to me. Luckily (?) at this point my history is well established and I don't get treated like an addict when I show up with general abdominal pain as my Main symptom.
 
Thank you everyone for replying....I've had crohn's for 8 yrs and 5 of those yrs has been in remssion. These last few yrs has been very painful, and my doctor and my family just isn't taking me serious, when I am telling them " I am hurting". Blood test through these last 3 yrs has been up and down. One time my liver enzymes are off the chart, get that taken care of, then my wbc is high, then to low....then everything is ok, but I'm still losing weight, I'm down to 95 pounds. If I eat, I pay the consequences for it. I have been drinking ensure but that gets exspensive and that is also causing me pain. I have been on Remicade for the past 8 yrs but it seems like it's just not working anymore. My gi suggested that I think about Humira, but when I finally decided on switching, he said it was just a lateral drug from Remicade and it probably wont work either. Why get my hopes up, just to knock them down? I've had to cut my hrs in half at work because of this pain. Now I am going to try and get disability cause the job that I do is just too much for my stomach. I do alot of twisting, bending, lifting, and climbing. I don't want to because I really like my job, and I don't, nor have I ever wanted to be dependent on any kind of assistance, but I don't know what else to do. Just getting so frustrated with this Crohn's crap....sorry.
 
let me ask you guys something. i was in extreme pain this entire week (pain around my entire waist line). i admit, i ate like a pig last weekend. ate like two entire gallons of ice cream, some burger king, etc. i finally was able to get two nice #2's in this morning and now i feel great. does this sound like the blockage/obstruction you speak of?
 
With a full obstruction you would not be able to pass stool. You can pass some stool with a partial obstruction though. If you didn't have a bowel movement until recently then you may have had constipation and at most a partial blockage but I'm not sure. Constipation can be very painful as well. If possible I'd suggest avoiding all of those items in excess.
 
If you didn't vomit everything down to your toenails it wasn't like what I experienced. But for sure constipation can be painful. Take Jennifer's advice and avoid some of that pain.
 
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GsUpCrohn'sDown said:
let me ask you guys something. i was in extreme pain this entire week (pain around my entire waist line). i admit, i ate like a pig last weekend. ate like two entire gallons of ice cream, some burger king, etc. i finally was able to get two nice #2's in this morning and now i feel great. does this sound like the blockage/obstruction you speak of?
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If just had the experience of extreme constipation (although didn't know it at the time) I spent a night in casualty having it diagnosed. What I don't really understand about it though is that I was still having a few bms a day, admittedly firmer than normal for me. The pain was intense!! I'm on mst for pain and co-codamol for break through pain and I was still in agony, I was sure it was something more than constipation. I can understand how sore you must have been and glad it has improved for you :).
 
Pain built gradually all afternoon until I passed out when I got home. Woke up called telehealth and they basically asked wtf I'm doing. Go to the hospital!
 
Will a liquid diet help with obstructions? or am I clueless? providing its not scar tissue causing the blockage. How long does it take to have scar tissue weeks. months, years at what rate does it develop to the point it could cause a blockage?
 
cleuger said:
Will a liquid diet help with obstructions? or am I clueless? providing its not scar tissue causing the blockage. How long does it take to have scar tissue weeks. months, years at what rate does it develop to the point it could cause a blockage?
Click to expand...

I've had six SBOs in the past eighteen months, each resulting in a hospital stay. The most recent was about five weeks ago.

Treatment in each case was simply pain control and resting the bowel until the obstruction cleared. In two cases this involved total bowel rest that started with an NG tube for a few days. On the other four, I was simply NPO for a few days treated with IV fluids supplemented with glucose via the drip. The first couple of times I also got flagyl and cipro as an infection was initially suspected.

From no eating you graduate to clear liquids, then full liquids, then solids. Assuming you tolerate the shifts, you discharge and go home.

My GI has had me off and on low residue diets. The idea here is you're putting less strain on the bowel and it reduces the chances of additional obstruction. You might be well served to ask about that approach.

To be clear, though, if you're having pain that is severe enough to suspect an obstruction, any vomiting or dry heaves, lack of BMs, you shouldn't be trying a liquid diet and hoping for the best. Obstructions can be serious business, and even life threatening, so be sure to seek appropriate medical attention.

As I say, I've had them multiple times, and they've become frighteningly routine for me at this point, but if I get to the point where I suspect one, I'm immediately on the phone to my GI or failing that, off to the ER. Don't take a chance.
 
Ribo said:
I've had six SBOs in the past eighteen months, each resulting in a hospital stay. The most recent was about five weeks ago.

Treatment in each case was simply pain control and resting the bowel until the obstruction cleared. In two cases this involved total bowel rest that started with an NG tube for a few days. On the other four, I was simply NPO for a few days treated with IV fluids supplemented with glucose via the drip. The first couple of times I also got flagyl and cipro as an infection was initially suspected.

From no eating you graduate to clear liquids, then full liquids, then solids. Assuming you tolerate the shifts, you discharge and go home.

My GI has had me off and on low residue diets. The idea here is you're putting less strain on the bowel and it reduces the chances of additional obstruction. You might be well served to ask about that approach.

To be clear, though, if you're having pain that is severe enough to suspect an obstruction, any vomiting or dry heaves, lack of BMs, you shouldn't be trying a liquid diet and hoping for the best. Obstructions can be serious business, and even life threatening, so be sure to seek appropriate medical attention.

As I say, I've had them multiple times, and they've become frighteningly routine for me at this point, but if I get to the point where I suspect one, I'm immediately on the phone to my GI or failing that, off to the ER. Don't take a chance.
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I don't think I have an obstruction by reading this thread. I have a very low pain tolerance I would most definitely know. I'm trying to educate myself Doctors don't really explain things in layman terms. I know I have scar tissue I have no idea if its blocking anything, according to what I'm reading I would know if it was. I do have pain on my left side not like what this thread describes by any means mostly discomfort then goes away I don't always have it, like now I have no pain. By late this afternoon I may experience discomfort on my left side its a hit or miss. I just want to know what I'm in store for. I'm am literately scarred out of my wits over this crap finding I worry myself senseless.
I also do have 2 small strictures not sure if they were inflammation for scar tissue.

Thanks for you response wasn't trying to thread hijack. Sorry to the original poster
 
Wow.....from reading all these posts I feel like I'm not alone...finally. :). I think I must have a partial obstruction. Pressure like an elephant is standing below my breasts, diarrheah, vomiting, back pain, hard bloated stomach that is so tender you can't even touch it, sweating, aches and pains all over my whole body. I can't even rate the pain on the scale because it is higher than 10. Can't eat a grain of rice, or keep down a sip of water.
I have finally been dx with Crohn's last week, but my follow up appt isn't until October so I don't know how bad it is. I was in remission when I had my colonoscopy.
Question.....would a stricture or obstruction (not sure if it is the same thing)
show up in my colonoscopy? Or would I need a cat scan or an MRI to see that kind of thing? And do they go away completely when you are not having a flare up?
 
Rebreb said:
Wow.....from reading all these posts I feel like I'm not alone...finally. :). I think I must have a partial obstruction. Pressure like an elephant is standing below my breasts, diarrheah, vomiting, back pain, hard bloated stomach that is so tender you can't even touch it, sweating, aches and pains all over my whole body. I can't even rate the pain on the scale because it is higher than 10. Can't eat a grain of rice, or keep down a sip of water.
I have finally been dx with Crohn's last week, but my follow up appt isn't until October so I don't know how bad it is. I was in remission when I had my colonoscopy.
Question.....would a stricture or obstruction (not sure if it is the same thing)
show up in my colonoscopy? Or would I need a cat scan or an MRI to see that kind of thing? And do they go away completely when you are not having a flare up?
Click to expand...

With those symptoms I would suggest getting more immediate medical treatment. At a minimum I would call your GI/GP for advice.
 
Rebreb said:
Wow.....from reading all these posts I feel like I'm not alone...finally. :). I think I must have a partial obstruction. Pressure like an elephant is standing below my breasts, diarrheah, vomiting, back pain, hard bloated stomach that is so tender you can't even touch it, sweating, aches and pains all over my whole body. I can't even rate the pain on the scale because it is higher than 10. Can't eat a grain of rice, or keep down a sip of water.
I have finally been dx with Crohn's last week, but my follow up appt isn't until October so I don't know how bad it is. I was in remission when I had my colonoscopy.
Question.....would a stricture or obstruction (not sure if it is the same thing)
show up in my colonoscopy? Or would I need a cat scan or an MRI to see that kind of thing? And do they go away completely when you are not having a flare up?
Click to expand...
That sounds like a full, not a partial, obstruction. I'd be at the ER already if it were me.
 
I'm not having a flare up right now, thank god :)
When l do flare up, 3 weeks of prednisone and pain medication will put me in remission. Every time I have a flare, the prednisone is less effective and I need to be on it longer.
After my colonoscopy last week I was prescribed asacol, 1600mg twice a day
I've had flare ups off and on since 2005. The symptoms I described previously used to last 2-3 hours and then they would go away for an hour. But the last flare up was continuous torture that would never let up. So it is getting worse each time. One day I was keeping track of how many times I went to the bathroom and I stopped at 36. And after a day of vomiting, because the pressure is so bad, I would throw up bile all the time. And the taste in my mouth was so disgusting and I couldn't get rid of it no matter how much I brushed my teeth. And the body aches and pains were a new thing with the last flare up. I couldn't even stand up I was so weak and sore. I ended up putting a blanket in the bathroom and just stayed there. My boyfriend had to actually bathe me because I couldn't even get the bit of energy to do that. My mom came came over and took me directly to the hospital. I cant believe I waited 3 days to go. It's was frustrating all the time because my previous scope was only down the throat and I had been dx with acid reflux. So when I would go to the hospital they would look at my records and treat me for that and they did not give me pain meds until I actually got to the point where I couldn't breathe. They said I was having a panic attack. I hate hospitals. All the drug seekers ruin it for people that actually need help with real pain. But now that I have a dx, next time I have to go, at least I will be taken more seriously. Sorry to ramble on again. I get all worked up when I think about that visit to the hospital.
 
Rebreb said:
Wow.....from reading all these posts I feel like I'm not alone...finally. :). I think I must have a partial obstruction. Pressure like an elephant is standing below my breasts, diarrheah, vomiting, back pain, hard bloated stomach that is so tender you can't even touch it, sweating, aches and pains all over my whole body. I can't even rate the pain on the scale because it is higher than 10. Can't eat a grain of rice, or keep down a sip of water.
I have finally been dx with Crohn's last week, but my follow up appt isn't until October so I don't know how bad it is. I was in remission when I had my colonoscopy.
Question.....would a stricture or obstruction (not sure if it is the same thing)
show up in my colonoscopy? Or would I need a cat scan or an MRI to see that kind of thing? And do they go away completely when you are not having a flare up?
Click to expand...


GO TO THE HOSPITAL!!! You sound like my full obstruction.:eek2:
 

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