Intestinal Blockage / Obstruction Support Group

Crohn's Disease Forum

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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?
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Hi Rebreb, a stricture is a narrowing of the bowel that can cause an obstruction, a stricture can be seen during a Colonoscopy & an Obstruction sometimes even a simple x ray can show it up.
Please get yourself checked out as others have said, obstructions can be life threatening.
Rgds
Grant
 
For me it feels like agony after eating. Followed by your stomach doing somersaults and then enviably throwing up. Might i add, no amount of vomit EVER feels like its enough. Or even sometimes hitting the nausea lottery and having it come out both ends. now that youre exhausted, you sleep for a long time to which you wake up in excruciating pain. i also ran fevers at night time. my bf at the time said it was like sleeping next to a furnace.
my pain was due to obstruction AND perforated appendix and of course inflammation. All you can do upon waking is cry. good luck getting out of bed for the next two hours. i would feel fine for several hours after this routine and then it would all kick in again around 8 or 9pm. (sometimes i would pass the foulest of gas, EVER) i was a smoker and dramatically decreased because smoking made me feel sick. i also enjoyed drinking and when i drank i felt sick. Quality of life drastically diminishes.

wlep i hope this helps someone who feels the same way i did. youre defiantly not alone. just sucks that sometimes it gets worse before it gets better
 
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?
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I know what your going through,I feel 'battY" quite often. I have had blockage for almost 4 years,not total blockage (obviously) but I have to use several enemas to remove my stool. I have refused to get a colostomy bag (but I probably should ). I also wondered if one could live on just liquids ,but never do that,getting surgery would beat starving slowly to death. my father died from starvation. Insure clear is good for a few days,but not more than 3 ,we must eat something.Your in my prayers . Keep trying food elimination (Start with one food ,see how it goes,add another and so on,that way you can tell which food disagrees .I have suffered off and on for most of my life with bowel problems (but had a 10 yr remission ,thank God ). But back on the roll-a-coaster now ! You may be one of the lucky ones and your bowel problem will go in remission and never return .:hug:
 
windy said:
I know what your going through,I feel 'battY" quite often. I have had blockage for almost 4 years,not total blockage (obviously) but I have to use several enemas to remove my stool. I have refused to get a colostomy bag (but I probably should ). I also wondered if one could live on just liquids ,but never do that,getting surgery would beat starving slowly to death. my father died from starvation. Insure clear is good for a few days,but not more than 3 ,we must eat something.Your in my prayers . Keep trying food elimination (Start with one food ,see how it goes,add another and so on,that way you can tell which food disagrees .I have suffered off and on for most of my life with bowel problems (but had a 10 yr remission ,thank God ). But back on the roll-a-coaster now ! You may be one of the lucky ones and your bowel problem will go in remission and never return .:hug:
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Thank you.No I will probably never know true remission Ive never felt just right. It seems there is always something off with me. Its bizarre when I took my Cimzia shot last week the cramp pain went away after a day but will probably return in a another week. I'm also taking 20 mg of pred which I'm slowly coming off of. Now I'm eating normal have a little bit of an appetite but still drinking the ensure for extra nutrition as I do not absorb what I need. I'm not having trouble going to the bathroom at all as a matter of fact Ive noticed when its gets time for my shot my bathroom trips increase. Can I just say I am so frgin sick of this as I am sure all of you are. I don't know what keeps you going.
Thanks for your response
 
@ Rebreb - With symptoms like that you should go to the hospital as others have mentioned. Once there they'll likely do a CT scan and see if you have an obstruction or partial. If you do chances are they will keep you there and decide if you need emergency surgery or if it will clear up on its own.

I had an obstruction in June this year at my resection site. Both scar tissue from the resection and active inflammation caused the obstruction. My symptoms were the same as the ones you described. I tried to sleep through the night and hope it would go away but I hardly slept and was still in pain in the morning so I told my mom about it and she took me to the ER where I was hospitalized for 3 days. Each day they did a regular x-ray after the CT scan to make sure there wasn't a mass (a regular x-ray will show if there's a mass yet a CT scan will show more detail).

Less than two months prior to this I had a small bowel follow through that showed nothing at all (scopes done in January showed nothing). I started having minor symptoms one week prior to the obstruction. Point being that all of this can happen rather quickly so no matter what tests you've had done or when, if you have extreme symptoms like the ones you described then you need to take immediate action and go to the hospital.
 
Hi everyone,

I had a small bowel obstruction leading to a resection of my TI/cecum on 8/10. I was readmitted 4 days after discharge with an ileus. I am out now and am having a very difficult time with fatigue. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and how long i should expect it to last.



thanks,
Mel
 
Mel78 said:
Hi everyone,

I had a small bowel obstruction leading to a resection of my TI/cecum on 8/10. I was readmitted 4 days after discharge with an ileus. I am out now and am having a very difficult time with fatigue. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and how long i should expect it to last.



thanks,
Mel
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It's taken me two- three weeks in general to get back to feeling mostly normal after even a short hospital stay with any obstructions. After my last stay, a week in the hospital, it feels like it's taking forever t get my energy back, but I'm taking such a huge mix of meds it's possible that is a factor as well.

I think it's the norm. You just have to give the body time to heal while at the same time working in some activity to build up muscle again. You lose some muscle mass just laying around, not t mention the lack of nutritional intake when obstructed and resting the bowel.
 
Hi Mel. If I'm lucky enough to have mine clear up in the ER (8-10 hr) I'm laid out for 7-10 days. It takes time to recover.
 
All you need to know is it SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pain, Vomit,no eats and iv. Had twice sucks feels like someone has a hold of your insides.
 
I'm a 57 year old guy. I experience 3-4 episodes a year of vomiting. This has been going on for about 10 years. I finally went to a GI and had a colonoscopy that revealed crohn's at the ileocecal valve. Never had problems with diarrhea, just the vomiting.

My last episode, about two months ago, I went to the emergency room. The ER did a CT of my abdomen and concluded small bowel obstruction. The CT showed a small bowel fecal sign, dilation of ileum and jejunum loops and wall thickening in the terminal ileum.

No resections yet, knock on wood. Suppose to start Humira soon to hopefully get under control.

My vomit episodes are 6-12 hour ordeals. Starts off with nausea, progresses to vomiting and sometimes dry heaving. Finally I fall asleep and wake up the next morning feeling better. I gather all the vomit episodes I've experienced over the years were small bowel obstructions.
 
Has anyone's obstruction began as more air filled discomfort!? And I guess what do you do at that stage?. I had stomach pain last night pretty bad at times, am able to pass gas, but stool only in small increments and rarely. I feel full to the point of discomfort but hungry bec I haven't eaten much. I'm relatively ok but feel full of air like pains up into my chest cavity. It also feel like when I'm on the toilet that I'm having contractions and my stomach has a dropping sensation ?
:( it's no fun. I guess I just don't know when to seek care and also I saw my GI two days ago and was fine. Go figure. I guess I feel stupid having just felt ok and now not.
The thing is I'm functioning currently just very uncomfortable an trying to be at work.
:(
Oh and I've been nauseated off and on for two days now. But no throwing up.
 
Hi. I had a partial blockage last summer. Lots of gas, no appetite, not much pain, and a bit of vomiting. Keep an eye on it. Mine went bad fast. Thankfully I was in hospital when it perforated. Still required emergency surgery.
 
I'm currently in the hospital. I came in because of an obstruction. I had no BMs Sunday, a BM Monday morning @ 5:30am, felt fine. Had a bagel and tea for breakfast, and started getting mild stomach pains @7:00am. I figured I just needed to poo more. By 9:30am I told my boss I needed to go home. I toughed it out till 10:15am then I left work and on the 20 minute drive home the pain was so bad that I called my Dad and asked him to come pick me up and take me to the hospital. I never committed this time but the pain made me extremely nauseous.
 
It's amazing how we all experience such different symptoms with strictures/obstructions. I have such horrible pain with mine. The really frustrating part for me is when I have an obstruction and I can't think of anything I've eaten that might have caused it. Usually, I can think back and know the culprit.
Also, for me, I need to pay more attention to some of the early warning signs. I think often if I catch it early and go on a VERY low residue diet and restrict intake overall for a few days I can prevent a really bad episode.
 
Ckoenig, isn't that always the way? You just saw the doctor and felt fine then all hell breaks loose. Best thing to do is call your doctor and let them be aware of your current situation and as mentioned go to the ER/hospital if symptoms get too severe.
 
I think I'm dealing with a partial one tonight. In some pain but not a lot. Having a lot of bloating and feeling full. When I have a bowel movement there's not much stool and while I'm going I feel extremely nauseous and even started getting light headed. If things get worse then I'll go to the ER but I'm hoping this will pass before it gets to that. I'm so drained and just not feeling well tonight.
 
My abdomen started burning last night like it did before the last time I went in for an obstruction but this morning all the symptoms I was having have gone away thankfully. I'm going to try and get my blood work done today. Strictures suck.
 
Jennifer said:
My abdomen started burning last night like it did before the last time I went in for an obstruction but this morning all the symptoms I was having have gone away thankfully. I'm going to try and get my blood work done today. Strictures suck.
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Hang in there, but if you're not having nausea/vomiting/extreme pain, maybe it was a partial. My GI has speculated that I was basically getting partially obstructed repeatedly but that they would sort of dynamically clear after three or four hours, only to repeat the process anywhere from a few hours to a few days / weeks later. Maybe it's something like that?

The good news is it sounds like it cleared, so that's great to hear!
 
Yep that's pretty much what it is Ribo. I had a full one back in June but it cleared up with IV steroids while in the hospital for a few days. Its inflammation at my resection site (resection from 14 years ago) so I've got scar tissue and inflammation in the same spot. Fun.

After I do my blood work today I'll call my GI and let him know about it at least so he can also keep track of how often this is happening.
 
Jennifer said:
I think I'm dealing with a partial one tonight. In some pain but not a lot. Having a lot of bloating and feeling full. When I have a bowel movement there's not much stool and while I'm going I feel extremely nauseous and even started getting light headed. If things get worse then I'll go to the ER but I'm hoping this will pass before it gets to that. I'm so drained and just not feeling well tonight.
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Have this sensation for over a week now. Pretty tired of it and I know it will probably calm down eventually . Waking up with pain and feeling very sick in the night . Seeing stars so i must be low in blood or something like that .
Never ending story sometimes .
Hope you feel better soon and dont leave it too long to get help .
Peter.:rof:
 
PVail said:
Have this sensation for over a week now. Pretty tired of it and I know it will probably calm down eventually . Waking up with pain and feeling very sick in the night . Seeing stars so i must be low in blood or something like that .
Never ending story sometimes .
Hope you feel better soon and dont leave it too long to get help .
Peter.:rof:
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I hope you get yours sorted as well. *HUGS*

I had an MRE on Wednesday so I'll be going over the results with my GI soon to see what the next step is.
 
Has anyone ever felt like they were having a SBO only to be told it's 'just' constipation? This has happened to me now on a number of occasions plus my GI is now saying I don't have IBD but instead it's IBS. I feel a bit confused?
 
lizbeth said:
Has anyone ever felt like they were having a SBO only to be told it's 'just' constipation? This has happened to me now on a number of occasions plus my GI is now saying I don't have IBD but instead it's IBS. I feel a bit confused?
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No wonder you're confused. When were you originally diagnosed with IBD & was it after a colonoscopy if so I'd be throwing that straight back @ him,
As for comparing an obstruction with constipation-well words fail me. Do people with constipation suffer from projectile vomiting & pain so bad its off the scale.

lizbeth I think you should think about changing Specialists tbh, especially if it was him/her who originally diagnosed you with IBD.
Grant
 
I agree with Grant lizbeth. May be time for a new doctor. Have you had any tests done recently that look at your small bowel?
 
Lizbeth - my daughter has had so many diagnosis too. She has chronic pain, projectile vomiting. she has been admitted to hospital on the plus side of 15 times over the last year. Her latest diagnosis is IBS and constipation!

I don't buy it either. Keep fighting!
 
Thanks for the replies.

Grant it was 10 months ago and it was indeed after colonoscopy, a ct scan and also with my symptoms, it was also a different Dr than my GI, unfortunately I don't have much option about who I see with it being NHS, I have an appointment on the 7th so am compiling a list of questions etc. and am going to try to resolve this. Like Niks said I'm going to keep fighting :).

Jen I had a pill cam done that came back clear, that's why they've changed diagnosis. I'm convinced if is most definitely not IBS, I mean I've just had to get up for a painful bm at 1am and am still up with cramps especially in the LRQ, I don't think that sounds like IBS.
 
Inflammation can come on so fast though lizbeth. I had a small bowel follow through this year that was completely clear and less than two months later I was in the hospital with a blockage (showed in a CT scan).

Are you on meds currently? By taking away the diagnosis they'll change the treatment and you could get worse. D:
 
I'm just on pentasa and omeprazole plus multivitamin and calcium and serious pain relief, before the pill cam they had been considering immunosuppressants or surgery, now I fear I will get nothing and continue to get worse, I'm finding it difficult enough to manage as it is :(.
 
lizbeth, you can go to any hospital within the NHS. It certainly doesn't have to be the one you visit now. You'd have to explain to your GP so he can refer you to a different Hospital. Obviously I dont know what the situation is where you are but you have options to change.
The thing is that to be diagnosed with CD or UC I assumed, maybe wrongly, that they took biopsys that confirmed the condition. If thats the case & thats what they did originally then there is no way they can suddenly say no its IBS. Sadly although we may get remissions that in some cases last for years Crohns as it stands is for life.
Rgds
Grant
 
Grant said:
lizbeth, you can go to any hospital within the NHS. It certainly doesn't have to be the one you visit now. You'd have to explain to your GP so he can refer you to a different Hospital. Obviously I dont know what the situation is where you are but you have options to change.
The thing is that to be diagnosed with CD or UC I assumed, maybe wrongly, that they took biopsys that confirmed the condition. If thats the case & thats what they did originally then there is no way they can suddenly say no its IBS. Sadly although we may get remissions that in some cases last for years Crohns as it stands is for life.
Rgds
Grant
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Thanks Grant, I have considered moving to a hospital where the GI has an interest in diabetes and was looking after me at my local diabetic clinic before he moved to gastro fulltime, I'm going to wait and see what happens at the appointment next week and then think about it.

I did have biopsies taken but they came back as non-specific :(, they did see inflammation and ulceration too and the ct showed a thickening of the terminal ileum. I just don't understand the sudden change when my symptoms never go away and have been getting worse these last couple of months.
 
Hey I had pains in my upper abdoman so bad a few weeks ago that I had to go to the er and get several shots of pain meds to dull it every 10mins!!! I was in agony!!!!! After several test the ct scan showed inflamation and gas from my Crohn's of course with no stricture or obstruction just inflamation I couldn't imagine a obstruction if inflamation was that painful wow!!!!! Since being on entocort 9mg daily it's seemed to have straightened out I've got my appitite back and not as much pressure but wow was that intense!!!!!!!
 
I'm currently in the hospital for my intestinal blockage. For me it starts with bloating. After a few hours of that. The vomiting starts along with the waves of pain. I call then my crohn's labor pains lol lol. The stronger the pain the more violent the vomiting. There is no sound that comes from my stomach. Just a lot of localized pain. For me it is always in one basic area, my original surgery site.
 
Feeling very frustrated. I had a small bowel obstruction requiring a bowel resection on August 10th of this year. I was readmitted for an ileum and then an ER trip for a possible GI bleed. I had to have a colonoscopy today. It has been less then two months from my surgery and I already have another ulcer at the anastomosis site. Now they are saying that my PPD blood work has come back positive (although my PPD in May was negative- get tested for work every year). Now they are saying that this may change my course of treatment because of the nature of the immunosuppressants. I am so concerned that this will mean more surgery sooner rather then later. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice for me. I have been having trouble since June (gallbladder removal), then SBO with resection Aug and scope today. Just starting to get down. I have been having significant pain since the second surgery and increasing anxiety. I am 35 with two kids and a wonderful husband but am just having a hard time climbing above all of this...
 
I am having symptoms that are new to me and am not sure if I should be worried. I was released from the hospital have a bad flare on the 17th of September. I was given prednisone and Apriso, but refused to take the prednisone because of how bad it made me feel in the past. Anyway, for the past week I've had bad bloating off and on, mild abdomen pain, and I throw up after I eat. I know I am going to get sick because I start to cough and shortly after the coughing I vomit. I also feel like I have heart burn. I was diagnosed with Crohns in 2009 and it's located in the ileum. I know asking for medical advice is out but if this sounds familiar to anyone please let me know. I don't have a fever but I notice my face feels real flushed periodically and I have had a mild headache off and on as well.
 
Rachael,
I'm so sorry that you are feeling so badly. I think we have all been there. When was the last time you had any imaging? THe fact that you are throwing up says to me that you might have a partial obstruction or maybe a stricture (not a doctor here). Have you spoken to your GI doc? Does she or he know that you aren't taking the prednisone? Maybe there is another med he or she can give you instead of the prednisone. My crohn's that was just resected was also located in the ileum. I think the first thing that you need to do is have a conversation with your doctor. They need to know what is going on if they're going to be able to help you (something I have only come to accept recently). I know that I didn't really give you many answers but I truly hope you talk to the doctor and begin to feel better.
 
I'm also so having symptoms like the worst pain I have ever had whilst in the middle of a flare up, pain, feeling sick then vomiting, not be able to stand up straight and my doctor has just told me "it's only constipation you will get over it" :ybatty:
 
HorseLover11, was that your GP or Specialist?? TBH either way its immaterial, if whoever it is is wrong you could potentially suffer with a life threatening condition. IMO you need to get yourself to A&E quickly & let them check you over, they usually do an abdominal x ray which for me anyway always showed my obstructions.
Take Care
Grant
 
HorseLover!! said:
I'm also so having symptoms like the worst pain I have ever had whilst in the middle of a flare up, pain, feeling sick then vomiting, not be able to stand up straight and my doctor has just told me "it's only constipation you will get over it" :ybatty:
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Did you manage to get checked out since the last time you were bad or is this still the same flare when you weren't able to get checked? If so I agree with Grant, it's time for casualty. Hope you feel better soon and everyone else too. :ghug:
 
lizbeth said:
Did you manage to get checked out since the last time you were bad or is this still the same flare when you weren't able to get checked? If so I agree with Grant, it's time for casualty. Hope you feel better soon and everyone else too. :ghug:
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I did manage to get checked but he thinks it's only constipation, I don't think so because it's been getting worse and it is still the same flare that's been going on for the past 6 months now- my doctor doesn't believe me as usual :ybatty:
 
Grant said:
HorseLover11, was that your GP or Specialist?? TBH either way its immaterial, if whoever it is is wrong you could potentially suffer with a life threatening condition. IMO you need to get yourself to A&E quickly & let them check you over, they usually do an abdominal x ray which for me anyway always showed my obstructions.
Take Care
Grant
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It was my specialist he's an idiot anyway :lol: I have had an x-ray and he is very adamant that its constipation, but when I'm constipated I put on weight and I haven't I've lost weight instead I've gone from being 56kg to 51kg which to me isn't right :(
 
I would change your Specialist HorseLover!! TBH I'm amazed he hasn't organized another Colonoscopy for you. Seems just lazy to dismiss it as constipation.
Please get a 2nd opinion.
Take Care
Grant
 
Grant said:
I would change your Specialist HorseLover!! TBH I'm amazed he hasn't organized another Colonoscopy for you. Seems just lazy to dismiss it as constipation.
Please get a 2nd opinion.
Take Care
Grant
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Thanks Grant:) he is definitely lazy alright, I am supposed to be in process of changing specialists but it hasn't really gone very far so I think I am going to chase someone up about that
 
HorseLover!! said:
It was my specialist he's an idiot anyway :lol: I have had an x-ray and he is very adamant that its constipation, but when I'm constipated I put on weight and I haven't I've lost weight instead I've gone from being 56kg to 51kg which to me isn't right :(
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It sounds like a flare but it doesn't sound like an obstruction to me - having said that, a trip to the ER and a CT scan can answer pretty definitively.

I've had some pretty good bouts of constipation that I felt were an obstruction in the past - one or two of those had me to the ER to be sure. The ER docs usually are surprised to NOT find an obstruction based on the pain and descriptions.

Bottom line is its not impossible, but I'd make every effort to get some imaging done to be on the safe side.
 
::eek:HELP I have mega colon-my bowel will not empty all the way . So I use several bottles of water each day to flush out remaining stool. But that has irritated my intensives so much I burn like fire. Also my biopsy shows chronic inflammation:ee Doctors have suggest the permanent bag but will this actually work? will my guts be able to push the stool through the stoma? Does anyone else flush their bowel everyday? If so please answer this. (Going on for over 4 years ). HELP!
 
Just been diagnosed. Is this the norm here as far as what I have to look forward to Blockages? I am not on any meds yet. Just having periodic pain, no diarrhea. I do have an excess saliva problem to the point of choking sometimes. Like a backed up sink and a taste in my mouth like I've been sucking on pennies. Constant nausea. Anyone out there with similar symptoms?
 
Jazz..
Everyone is differnt some have more mild cases.
So far I've had one partial obstruction. That
Didn't need surgery and one hospital stay for
A flare that was about a week. I got sick
5years ago. I've been lucky so far. I don't
Have blood loss or major weight loss I look normal..
Some people aren't so lucky. When do you start meds?
Do you have a gastro?
 
Just been diagnosed. Is this the norm here as far as what I have to look forward to Blockages? I am not on any meds yet. Just having periodic pain, no diarrhea. I do have an excess saliva problem to the point of choking sometimes. Like a backed up sink and a taste in my mouth like I've been sucking on pennies. Constant nausea. Anyone out there with similar symptoms?
 
I often have excess saliva and that weird uncomfortable feeling in my mouth. I think they are related to gut bacteria. Using VSL3 (pharmaceutical probiotic, not the health food store stuff) seems to make that go away. It's expensive but I only use it when things go awry.

Hope that helps with that part at least.
 
Like mere282 said everyone is different some have more mild cases and some more extreme what you have described in your post seems to me that you are one of the lucky ones on the mild side of thing but that doesn't mean it won't progress into being more severe. I do get the constant nausea which comes with the dizziness too along with that I also get the diarrhea, blood, mucus, weight loss and many other symptoms.
 
Mere and Canuck, Thanks. I'm not on anything yet. They keep moving my appt back. Will know next week what I have to look forward to as far as meds. I suppose they will do tests for TB and things before prescibing. Horse Lover. 3 yrs old? I'm so sorry. You have grown up with this. I had colitis when I was 17. Lasted 2 years. Now 30 years later crohns. I am so amazed at so many people with this desease that continue to live life to the fullest and just keep on keepin' on! It really is inspiring and heart breaking at the same time. Thank you again
 
jazzsous said:
Just been diagnosed. Is this the norm here as far as what I have to look forward to Blockages? I am not on any meds yet. Just having periodic pain, no diarrhea. I do have an excess saliva problem to the point of choking sometimes. Like a backed up sink and a taste in my mouth like I've been sucking on pennies. Constant nausea. Anyone out there with similar symptoms?
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I got my diagnosis in 1989 and had my first blockages this year.:)
 
I hope I am not innapropriate in asking, but Crohn's gal, is the imuran replacing your prednisone and Entocort? Also, I have read about Questren and my doctor has mentioned it, but how does it help you?

Jazzsous- I hope that your doctor finds the right meds to help you feel better!
 
fozheart said:
I hope I am not innapropriate in asking, but Crohn's gal, is the imuran replacing your prednisone and Entocort? Also, I have read about Questren and my doctor has mentioned it, but how does it help you?

Jazzsous- I hope that your doctor finds the right meds to help you feel better!
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Entocort and prednisone are similar drugs, just pred is much stronger and has wicked side effects. Imuran or 6mp are the last stop before biologics (Remicade & Humira). Prednisone knocked my inflammation down and Imuran is my maintenance medication. Similar to asthma inhalers, prednisone is like the blue inhaler (reducing inflammation). Imuran is like the other inhaler that keeps the asthma from reoccurring.

I'm taking Questren is an anti diarrheal to help normalize my system since having the resection. Losing 50cm of small intestine has caused me to have D due to an inability to absorb the bile salts my gallbladder is producing. It is my understanding that eventually (fingers crossed) my small intestine and gall bladder will come to an understanding and I will no longer need it.

If you have any questions don't be shy. :). I'm happy to share what I know.
 
I can really use some advice. I've had crohns for 45 years, mostly mild but constant diarehea and minimal pain. I kept it under control by smoking marijuana.
Starting about 3 years ago my condition has worsened.
I've had a partial blockage going on for over 3 months. I've been on prednisone since early Sept and started Humira 5 weeks ago. i was on a very low residue diet and now on clear liquids but nothing is working. No significant pain and absolutely no hunger. When I drink something my stomach hurts.
So what should I expect? Any ideas? Do I want to force the issue of surgery or wait it out and if so, for how long.
If anyone has advice, i would love to hear it. thanks
 
My pain when I drink or eat is at the site where they took down the colostomy, and then I had a hernia there. That is where I feel like the blockage is. The diahreeah seems to be caused because nothing will go through that area, so it just gurgles, and goes around it, then coming out as D.
 
pamshusband said:
I can really use some advice. I've had crohns for 45 years, mostly mild but constant diarehea and minimal pain. I kept it under control by smoking marijuana.
Starting about 3 years ago my condition has worsened.
I've had a partial blockage going on for over 3 months. I've been on prednisone since early Sept and started Humira 5 weeks ago. i was on a very low residue diet and now on clear liquids but nothing is working. No significant pain and absolutely no hunger. When I drink something my stomach hurts.
So what should I expect? Any ideas? Do I want to force the issue of surgery or wait it out and if so, for how long.
If anyone has advice, i would love to hear it. thanks
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Have you had any tests done recently? Can you request an Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) from your doctor? If you do wind up having a resection you can continue on Humira as maintenance. Chronic inflammation builds up scar tissue over time which makes your intestine more and more narrow so sticking with something stronger than marijuana as maintenance may help to avoid another resection in the future.

I hope that the Humira helps you to avoid any surgery entirely though. Have you noticed any improvement at all from either the Prednisone or the Humira? Humira can take up to 3 months but Prednisone tends to start working within a few days. An MRE may show how bad the stricture really is (a CT scan can as well but if you're trying to avoid radiation then you'll want to go for the MRE).

If the Humira and Prednisone do nothing to help with your symptoms and things get worse or if you continue to have partial blockages that affect your quality of life then you'll need to discuss surgery. Ask about a strictureplasty and see if that's possible instead of a resection. There's also balloon dilation but its not permanent. Since you're on liquids only right now and you're still having pain then you need to talk to your GI about your options soon. On their next business day (tomorrow) give them a call and see if your GI can call you back if you can't get in soon for an appointment.

Are you vomiting at all? Have you stopped passing stool? Even while on a liquid diet you still pass something. If the pain gets really bad or if you start vomiting or have a persistent fever then you should go to the hospital because you may be dealing with a full obstruction.

Hope you feel better. Keep us posted. :)
 
pamshusband said:
I can really use some advice. I've had crohns for 45 years, mostly mild but constant diarehea and minimal pain. I kept it under control by smoking marijuana.
Starting about 3 years ago my condition has worsened.
I've had a partial blockage going on for over 3 months. I've been on prednisone since early Sept and started Humira 5 weeks ago. i was on a very low residue diet and now on clear liquids but nothing is working. No significant pain and absolutely no hunger. When I drink something my stomach hurts.
So what should I expect? Any ideas? Do I want to force the issue of surgery or wait it out and if so, for how long.
If anyone has advice, i would love to hear it. thanks
Click to expand...
When I've had obstructions in the past, one of the treatments that was effective was complete resting of the bowel. This is achieved by a relatively short hospital stay (3-4 nights) where an NG tube is inserted and left in place for a few days with low suction to ensure nothing, including stomach fluids, exit into the small bowel.

The idea is, depending on the cause of the obstruction, complete bowel rest allows the bowel to relax and the obstruction will so ermines resolve itself.

This may epor may not be viable in your situation, but it may be worth asking about before taking a more invasive approach.
 
I have a quick questions. I keep getting this really tight feeling in my stomach and it is a point that feels like something is being twisted inside. It is so hard to explain it but it causes discomfort and pain at one point. Is this likely to be a blockage? I used to think maybe my bowel iss twisting? Any advise would be appreciated
 
Hello everyone,
I just joined this thread because I just got out of the hospital with my second partial blockage in 18 months. After my first partial blockage I was on prednisone and then gradually moved to Asacol HD. After nine months on Asacol HD I got off it because it was making me very manic and jittery. My lower intestinal pain returned at a mild enough level to tolerate and much to my regret I ignored it. My partial blockage came out of the blue and the CT scan showed it again in the ileum but the report said the blockage was secondary to mucosal imflamation in the jejunum. So I think as long as you have pain of any type in the lower bowel then you need to rest your bowel as much as possible by going back on a smooth or liquid diet. From what I understand mucosal inflammation means the absorption of nutrients is minimized so I'm going to work on restoring the bacterial balance there if I can. Any suggestions as to how to do that? Anyone have experience with a sister drug to Asacol HD that I might try when I'm off the prednisone. I'd like to say my doctor could offer me this advice but he seems clueless.
Whit
 
Hey guys, I have good news! Well I think it is. Feel free to laugh, but I went to the bathroom this afternoon 1\8\14 for the first time in a week and a day 12\31\13. Literally 8 days with not going to the bathroom. And a lot of LRQ or RLQ (however you say it) pain and nothing was moving and I felt it backing up, so I figured I had a partial blockage since gas came through just nothing else. So I'm very happy that it has past I still have pain but who wouldn't 2 months post op open surgery for bowel resection.? I just find it funny that I got a blockage so soon. I mean I flared 6 wks after surgery and I was borderline anemic from all the blood I lost and pain. Anywho thought I'd share this awesome news!. Hopefully this blockage thing doesn't mean I'm getting adhesions? but that its just my super active CD that's going crazy with inflammation. Also i tried the remidies i kmew for getting rid of blockages and none of them worked so i just had to let it ride out through the pain. Feel free to drop your opinion and any answers to how this happened?
 
Both of my partial blockages which resulted in hospitalization did not even allow gas to get through. As long as I'm expelling gas, even if I haven't had a bowel movement for awhile, I feel as though I'm OK. Maybe it isn't a partial blockage but just slow movement. You didn't mention what you've been eating.
Whit
 
Whit. My eating has been very little for over a year. I eat 6 bites of something and im full. I try to show to eat at least twice a day or just snack all day. But um yogurt. Mashed potatoes. Eggs. Sausage, carrots, green beans, coffee, cheese, crackers!, toast everynow and then, Chicken. Soup. Noodles. Ham. Protien shakes. Pretty much easy things. Oh and chocolate and some peanut butter pretzels. God I love them!
 
Hello everyone,

I've been keeping up with this thread but haven't posted much recently, I am truly amazed at what you all have to deal with and how you manage. The info you give about meds and food etc is great and I find it really helpful.

I still feel relatively new to crohns and an still learning what works for me but I don't feel I've learnt much cos I don't seem to be getting any better. I've been to hospital twice this week, first time having been sent in from doc-on-call for an ecg cos the pain was that bad a heart attack had to be ruled out, which it was, I was told then it was just the crohns getting worse. Then two days later I was sent to a&e by my gp who said he hoped they didn't give me a pat on the head and send me home, which after 7 hours and no treatment they did.

I'm currently on no meds having been taken off pentasa in Nov by my gi, he feels inflammation from last year has developed into scarring and wants to hold on meds until I have an mri and we can see what's really going on. Since then I'm finding it harder and harder to go to the loo and when I do it feels like razor blades passing through my terminal ileum, I always have pain in the LRQ and am on daily, high dose pain meds and my gp put me on senna and lactose to try and prevent constipation, but still I hurt like hell! I can barely eat cos the more I eat the worse I feel and just the smell of good makes me want to barf.

Sorry for such a long post I'm at my wits end, I'm finding it very difficult to keep a smile on my face and keep going. Thank you for letting me vent and thank you for reading.
 
:( I'm sorry lizbeth. Any news on when your MRI is? Is your GI willing to accept a CT scan instead for now?
 
I have my mri on 24th Jan, I had a ct in Oct that showed the narrowing was fractionally better than the year before but not improved enough for them to be content. I have a new gi who seems to be more determined to help but he is stuck within the NHS system though he did try for me to get an mri in Oct when I was an inpatient. It takes weeks here to get an mri :( . Once he gets the results a decision will be made as to whether surgery is needed.
 
I had a partial obstruction and spent the weekend in the hospital a week ago. My follow up with my primary care DR was this past thursday.

Just wanted to share that they confirmed that the partial blockage was caused by scar tissue. The CAT scan showed the blockage right at one of the resections of my small intestine from surgery I had back in 2011.

So scar tissue from resections can cause partial blockages. No one knows what triggers it, or when. Some people have blockages multiple times a years, other go years with no blockage.
 
Are you doing better now?
I would of gone to the er but im tired of being there and I'm very stubborn. Whatever it was I'm happy it went away.
 
nini_mini said:
Are you doing better now?
I would of gone to the er but im tired of being there and I'm very stubborn. Whatever it was I'm happy it went away.
Click to expand...

Back to normal, thanks. In my case the pain was still there after I vomited and I was very dehydrated so I went to ER. The blockage cleared up after the ER took care of it.

They said this type of blockage usually clears up on its own. I was free to go home on liquid diet and return if problems, or be admitted. Since I lived alone I chose the latter so I was close to help. Two days in hospital - 1st day on liquid diet, next day moved up to regular diet while monitoring bowel habits over the stay. IV to hydrate me (1st day I was urinating every two hours!!!). Recovered quickly and the pain never returned.

"Stitch in time saves nine" is the rule here. I avoided surgery, additional meds, and I left with no diet restrictions.
 
I was the same way but I was just there and was determined to get it cleared myself which in hine sight was stupid because I was In so much pain it was stupid and I could barely move. Lol I'm really glad you recovered quickly and only had a two day stay!. :) next time it happens to me I'm gonna go in and get it taken care of.
 
A blockage was my introduction to crohn's.I was having abdominal pain off and on for a couple of months.It would hit around 2:30-3:00 a.m.It started out quite mild and I would feel better the next day.Eventually it occured more frequently and I started vomiting.One night I had the worse gut pain and was violently ill.I laid down for a couple hours and went to work not feeling to well.The abdominal pain had subsided.I was at work maybe an hour and was hit with intense abdominal pain.I called my wife and told her I was driving to the ER.The pain increased quite rapidly as I was filling out all the paper work.I went from mild cramping to gut wrentching pain in about 12 hours.I had x-rays,MRI,ultrasound and blood and stool tests.I had a small section in my duodenum the MRI and ultrasound showed to be close to completely blocked.My local ER surgeon said he recommended I go to a hospital,an hour+ drive,because they were better able to handle my situation.My wife drove me and we went through the whole ER paper work thing again.They new I was coming so we didn't have to start from zero all over.They put a tube in my throat to empty what wasn't passing and I was prepped for surgery.I spent 13 hours in ER's,including the travel time,before I was operated on.I had a resection of my small intestine.I was fortunate to lose only 8 inches or so.My surgeon said the duodenum wasn't one of the more common places to be affected by crohn's,though it does happen.He later apologized for all my bruising.He described it as pretty much a disemboweling to get to the area and putting everything back once it was done.The incision was from my belly button down to my groin.Considering what they had to do I think the incision is pretty small.They also scoped my abdomen in four other places.The resection was closed with staples and the scope incisions were sutures.I had the tube for two days and hydrated by IV.I could dip a little sponge on a stick and swab my mouth but couldn't drink because of the tube.I was allowed water once the tube was no longer needed.I couldn't eat anything until they were sure my bowels 'woke up'.I was told not to worry,that it may take longer because my guts were a bit traumatized from the handling.I was able to walk after the tube was removed and encouraged to do so.I was there for Thanksgiving and remember walking around smelling turkey and stuffing.M,M,M,...Later that night I had my first,though very small,proof my guts were working again.My nurse gave me a high five!The walking paid off and the aroma of turkey and stuffing helped,in my opinion.I had saltines Thanksgiving night,and I was thankful!I started out friday morning with some yogurt and fruit and was told if I could keep my food down and continue to have BM's I could go home saturday afternoon.Lunch and supper and saturday breakfast went o.k. and was allowed to leave as scheduled.While there I was started on a morphine drip for pain,than switched to a dilauted drip.I took dilauted and tylenol orally when the IV was removed.They took my vitals every 2 hours and drew blood for tests every morning at 3a.m..I was given heparin shots twice a day to avoid blood clots.I believe I had IV solutions of minerals I was deficient in as well.I was home for about twenty minutes and lifted something a bit too heavy I guess,I got an intense pain in my groin.A inguinal hernia,not incisinal.I write this a day after my hernia surgery,1-24.I had to wait for my resection to heal enough to deal with the hernia.My resection seems to have healed well and if I wasn't rehabbing from a surgery yesterday I feel I would be close to normal from my resection surgery by now.I hope this was detailed enough without babbling.I was in the hospital for 7 days.I urge anyone with abdomen pain to have it checked out.I also recommend walking after surgery as soon as you can.My ward had 'trail maps' with mileage.The 'trails' would lead into other wards in big loops.I found this forum soon after coming home and the support and information has really helped me.This happened so fast I didn't get the chance to discuss options.I suppose I was at a point where I didn't have any.Hope this helps.Keep the faith!
 
Hi folks I had 19 partial obstructions in 2012, I have crohns and due to previous surgeries I developed adhesions. I had further surgery in February 2013 and after this the original pain was still there. I had wound infections and abdominal abscesses but recovered slowly and returned to work in May of that year. I have been well enough till New Year's Eve midnight saw me crawling around as I couldn't stand up due to dizziness, vomiting and pain. I didn't go into hospital more fool me. I have had another 4 partials since then. I am now flaring and managed to get an emergency appointment for gastro on Wednesday next week. Pain is horrendous, not eating, nausea sweating and joints all swollen. People keep commenting I have lost weight, I know I have by my clothes. I am already on 175mg azathioprine. Last course of budesonide finished in November. Looks like its pred for me. Obstructions are awful and I got a scare in that I had peritonitis with the last one do not ignore this his can be a life or death complication. I had become complacent and thought I could fight through this but have made things worse. The reason for this is that when I go to hospital they give me fluids, morphine and nil by mouth and my thoughts were I could do this at home so my GP agreed to give me morphine at home to use when these episodes occurred. Even with this the pain is off my scale and all I do is vomit and writhe and squeak as crying is even sore.
 
Wow Karajan,that's quite a few obstructions and surgeries!I hope you have a better stretch ahead.I can empathize with the pain an obstruction causes,it's amazing how much it hurts.Knowing it could happen to me again at any time took awhile to get use to.It was hard to hear my surgeon say I'm in remission now and also I will most likely be back in for more surgery at some yet unknown time in the future.Keep the faith and hopefully someone with knowledge of meds.will submit a post for you. :ghug:
 
Wow! you two have been through the ringer with blockages. Its unnerving to know that they can happen at any time with adhesions from surgery. I wish you guys the best of luck in the future with not getting them.
 
Thanks Dave, feeling not bad today, bowel moved today so will be settled for a couple of days. I have been on low residue diet for forever but even that doesn't work. Toast, tomato soup and 0% yoghurt. The smell of food cooking is hell ans I still do the majority of the cooking is yuk and puts me off everything. I am a foster carer to. 2 teens so try not to let them see me at my true state, smile and hide upstairs when things are so bab. The other thing is that all my obstructions start exactly 3/4 hours after evening meal so I can feel ok all day therefore eat a bit and then wham 9-10 at night it starts. Sometimes it subsides in the early morning but if I am still in agony then I call ambulance once the kids are going to school. It's awful and unpredictable and no- one seems to know what to do.
 
i get a lot of partial blockages...and when i go to er for the pain they just givee paineds amd send me home. Mine thank god seem to always clear on their own. My pain is intense waves tjat come and go. All i do is stay in tje bathroom. after about and hour in a half i poop...throw up amd pass out for 30-40 min and feel better . i know now when they coming and just pass it wih the tramadol i have. But its qorse then labor pains!!
 
I was just recently diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. A CT scan showed an intestinal blockage, a colonoscopy showed 2 polyps and 4 ulcers in my large intestine. I am active duty military and had a few questions. First question, does anybody know if the military will medically discharge me because of this disease? I am getting different answers from everybody. My GI says i will most likely be discharged, my PA says no. Second question is, will an intestinal blockage possibly cause lower back pain?
 
Hi devin.moyer, I wouldn't guess how the US military react to such a disease. What I can tell you is that I was medically discharged from the Royal Navy with it in 1986.
Hope you get well soon
Rgds
Grant
 
Hi devin.moyer and welcome to the forum! :D

I haven't served myself but we do have some other members who are in the military who haven't been discharged because of Crohn's.

As for the back pain, yes a blockage can cause back pain (I had both middle and lower back pain with my obstruction). Crohn's in general can cause inflammation in the joints though. I have osteoarthritis caused by Crohn's and it mainly affects my spine and hips.
 
Ok, good to know. After talking to my doctor, they told me i will go in front of a medical board, and they will decide whether or not i get discharged based on if the army needs people or not and whether or not i would be considered a liability, which really scares me because the army is trying to down size, and i will be put on a non-deployable profile, which they may look at as "this guy can't deploy, what is the point in keeping him in." Is there a military support group? I didn't see one, didn't know if i just missed it or if it doesn't exist.
 
can you join this new group if you haven't been in the military?I would be interested in doing so.
 
I have felt a partial blockage since I tapered off of my prednisone, at the beginning of January. Pain has gotten so bad, and I am going for a CT in a few hours. I am nervous about what they will find.
 
Fozheart,
I asked my family doctor about whether or not I always have to have a CT scan and she said no, that a regular exray could be used instead. I'm concerned about all the radiation. Good luck with yours.
Whit
PS-After my hospital visit and CT scan I was tapered off prednisone and started on Pentasa. I had quit all drugs three months before I ended up in the hospital with an obstruction and decided to make sure I'm on something all the time to help with the intestinal blockages.
 
What timing for these posts fozheart and Whit.I see my GI today for the first time since my resection for a blockage.I'm quite nervous about it.It's been close to three months of waiting.I am currently on no meds.I can relate to the pain of blockage fozheart,that was my introduction to crohn's.My blockage was found comparing x-rays,CT scan and an ultrasound.Always associated ultrasounds with pregnancy,it showed a great image of my blockage.My surgeon feels my GI will recommend a non-steroidal med to help me stay in remission.5-ASA perhaps.I have to go to work after so I hope our first meeting goes well.I don't feel like putting on the happy face at work and answering questions today.Yesterday was my first full shift at work and today I will be late because of this GI visit.I've been out of work for so long and the week I start working again I have to miss time for a doctors visit.I was so tired after work yesterday,I wasn't sure I would make the whole shift.I'm nervous about going back full time,but I can't afford not to.I am currently in remission so I will focus on that happy thought and do the best I can with everything else.Good luck Whit and Fozheart! :ghug:
 
Dave,
I was diagnosed at age 68 after 40 years of no diagnosis except maybe IBS. Good luck with your GI visit. One question you might be able to help answer is how does one know he or she is in remission? At some point I'd like to get off the Pentasa at least for a while.
Best of luck,.

Whit
 
Whit said:
Dave,
I was diagnosed at age 68 after 40 years of no diagnosis except maybe IBS. Good luck with your GI visit. One question you might be able to help answer is how does one know he or she is in remission? At some point I'd like to get off the Pentasa at least for a while.
Best of luck,.

Whit
Click to expand...
My surgeon told me I was in remission because the resection removed the 'active' crohn's.He so cheerfully told me I will need more surgery in the future but for now I am in remission.My GI put me on Pentasa yesterday,but my insurance provider is giving me grief about it.They don't want to pay for it.My GI's office is gonna try and get that sorted out today.I have to check back with them tomorrow.Have you had any side affects from the Pentasa? My GI prescribed 500mg twice a day for me.He said it is usually taken four times per day but thought twice a day would be good for me.This is good news to me in case I have to scrape the $ together to pay for it out of pocket.One prescription would last me two months instead of one.I currently don't know how I would do that,so I hope my provider comes around.Well Whit,hears hoping you can get off it for awhile and I can get on it!

Hi Fozheart,how did your scan go?
 
Hi Dave and Whit!

Hmm... this drug Pentasa sounds promising! How long have you been on it, Whit? Do you feel that it is helping as much as prednisone? As far as radiation goes, I have had soo many tests over the years...CTs, Xrays, MRI's, etc., because I have quite a few other problems. (if you read My Story, it is ridiculous.) But, I am still standing, and that is a blessing! But oww.. I am feeling some little "waves" of pain right now, in the area of my previous resection. I am on Flagyl and Cipro, which has helped considerably in some ways, but the actual blockage site is unchanged. I am just going to have to stay on liquids as much as possible. My doctors have not seen my CT yet, but the radiologist ruled out a perforation. (Yay!) I need to get my colon dr. and Gi to look at it, and get on a steroid sparing agent. I have a hard time organizing all of my specialists together, and also paying $50 for each visit.

Dave- I sure hope your insurance will pay for the Pentasa! I did not realize that it was an expensive drug too! I am glad that your GI visit went well- I know you were nervous about not knowing what to expect. I am wondering what the cause of your initial blockage was? I hope that you can keep up with your shifts at work- I know that I couldn't do it!

Thank you both for your replies... :mademyday: it feels better having people that understand! I hope that both of you are feeling good today.
 
Hi fozheart,I'm doing much better after my meltdown about the insurance.My surgeon and GI are both stumped about my blockage.I guess it was in an odd place as well,more near the top of the jujunum.I first thought it was in the duodenum.They both seem to agree I must have had it for quite some time.They think it was just very gradual until it reached that critical point.Where it was I was told it couldn't be seen with a scope from above or below.It happened so suddenly though.I feel I'll be able to get back to work o.k..I'm finally feeling better after the surgeries.I'm fortunate to have an understanding employer who has showed great patience.I've been out since November.It feels longer.
 
Fozheart & Dave,
I have only been on Pentasa for three months and am just getting off Prednisone after my last hospital visit so I don't know for sure how it is working. My most recent blood test showed an elevated white blood count meaning I probably have a low grade infection in my lower intestinal tract which would account for my overwhelming fatigue. I'll see a new GI at University of VA Monday and see what he wants to do about it.
Pentasa is very expensive but I am on Medicare so that takes care of most of the expense. I am fixing to read your info Fozheart. It sounds like you have had a hard time.
Best to you both
Whit
 

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