Hi everyone, I was just wondering how you know if you have a blockage stricture etc as I usually go to the toilet frequently with diarrhoea but since my first remicade infusion I have been constipated for days now and am hardly going at all. From going to the toilet all the time to not going at all is a bit worrying and all sorts of things are going through my head. Is it anything to worry about or is it just a side effect of the treatment and also should I take anything for it? Thank you
Blockage, stricture, constipation?
- Thread starter Boozie
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Apparently symptoms are a good clue, do you get pains after eating and are they in one specific place? I had these symptoms and an MRI scan revealed a 12cm stricture but I dunno if it might be to do with the regicide? Sorry
If you start feeling sick or vomiting I would go to your GI as that could mean your blocked but I think if your worried get a scan done? Sorry I'm not very helpful lol
If you start feeling sick or vomiting I would go to your GI as that could mean your blocked but I think if your worried get a scan done? Sorry I'm not very helpful lol
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Hi boozie
Do you have any new pain that has only started since you had the constipation? If so, is this pain sharp or stabbing? Have you got any nausea or vomiting or a high temperature? Each time I had a blockage, I would get very intense abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting .
If you are concerned then call your doctor and tell them what's happening. If you get severe pain, start to vomit or stop passing stool and gas completly then you should go and get it checked out. Don't take any new medications without talking to a doctor first.
Do you have any new pain that has only started since you had the constipation? If so, is this pain sharp or stabbing? Have you got any nausea or vomiting or a high temperature? Each time I had a blockage, I would get very intense abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting .
If you are concerned then call your doctor and tell them what's happening. If you get severe pain, start to vomit or stop passing stool and gas completly then you should go and get it checked out. Don't take any new medications without talking to a doctor first.
I can speak from my experience and that of one of my friends as we are both going through this right now (both of us in and out of the hospital for small bowel obstructions).
For me, my first sign was VERY loud stomach grumbles that may or may not be associated with pain, usually mild. Next, I would notice that I have stopped using the bathroom, and then the pain would get worse over a few days (as the sounds got louder). I would usually feel the pain in the "center" of my body right at the base of my rib cage even though my 15cm stricture was in my terminal ileum. The pain would come in waves and be relieved by the loud grumbles. For some reason, the pain was no better or worse when I ate and I only vomited once the first time completely voluntarily (trigger) because I didn't know it was an obstruction and thought if I threw up it would relieve the pain.
Now my friend. He has had three blockages in the past few months and he feels it a bit differently. He said first comes pain, then a lack of appetite, and then severe vomiting (8 times in 2 hours).
I have been VERY VERY paranoid since my recent incidents and think that everything is a sign of obstruction only to find out a week later that I am still ok. One thing I can tell you for sure is that at SOME point there will pain and at that point, unfortunately, you need to worry. Some people can wait it out and the obstruction will clear, but sometimes you need to go to the hospital. If you don't go to the hospital and be monitored, there is a chance you can perforate and then it only gets worse from there...
I am not advocating NOT going to the hospital but since you just started Remicade it could just be taking time for meds to work. If you do wind up having an inflammation-caused blockage (as opposed to scar tissue) and the Remicade starts working, it should "open" you back up again.
Any questions feel free to reach out.
For me, my first sign was VERY loud stomach grumbles that may or may not be associated with pain, usually mild. Next, I would notice that I have stopped using the bathroom, and then the pain would get worse over a few days (as the sounds got louder). I would usually feel the pain in the "center" of my body right at the base of my rib cage even though my 15cm stricture was in my terminal ileum. The pain would come in waves and be relieved by the loud grumbles. For some reason, the pain was no better or worse when I ate and I only vomited once the first time completely voluntarily (trigger) because I didn't know it was an obstruction and thought if I threw up it would relieve the pain.
Now my friend. He has had three blockages in the past few months and he feels it a bit differently. He said first comes pain, then a lack of appetite, and then severe vomiting (8 times in 2 hours).
I have been VERY VERY paranoid since my recent incidents and think that everything is a sign of obstruction only to find out a week later that I am still ok. One thing I can tell you for sure is that at SOME point there will pain and at that point, unfortunately, you need to worry. Some people can wait it out and the obstruction will clear, but sometimes you need to go to the hospital. If you don't go to the hospital and be monitored, there is a chance you can perforate and then it only gets worse from there...
I am not advocating NOT going to the hospital but since you just started Remicade it could just be taking time for meds to work. If you do wind up having an inflammation-caused blockage (as opposed to scar tissue) and the Remicade starts working, it should "open" you back up again.
Any questions feel free to reach out.
