Severe abdominal cramps and vomiting.

[Lewby437]

I underwent small bowel resection surgery about 3 months ago and the last couple of weeks I have been suffering from random bouts of abdominal cramps and vomiting. They generally only last about 6 hours and then I'm totally fine again however I have had them the last two days and I can't work out what is causing it. I thought maybe it was a gas build up as I have been burping a lot but now I'm not so sure. The pain is a slow throb, it gets really bad and then subsides almost completely before coming back again. This has been repeating for about 4 hours now getting steadily worse. The pain is also radiating into my back. I vomited last night and I felt better after it but it came back this afternoon.

Anyone have any idea what this could be? Could it be related to the surgery or a separate issue?

 

[UnXmas]

There's really no way anyone can tell you what this is online - the symptoms you have are very common, and there are many possible causes. You'll really need to check with a doctor about this. Make sure you tell the doctor about your surgery as it's possible it could be a result of the resection, but the only way you'll know for sure will be through tests. Three months after surgery, you should be back to normal. It might well be worth going to the emergency room during an episode so that they can examine you and run tests while the symptoms are occurring, which will make it easier to diagnose what's wrong.

 

[mal-ileus]

I underwent small bowel resection surgery about 3 months ago and the last couple of weeks I have been suffering from random bouts of abdominal cramps and vomiting. They generally only last about 6 hours and then I'm totally fine again however I have had them the last two days and I can't work out what is causing it. I thought maybe it was a gas build up as I have been burping a lot but now I'm not so sure. The pain is a slow throb, it gets really bad and then subsides almost completely before coming back again. This has been repeating for about 4 hours now getting steadily worse. The pain is also radiating into my back. I vomited last night and I felt better after it but it came back this afternoon.

Anyone have any idea what this could be? Could it be related to the surgery or a separate issue?

This sounds to me like a partial blockage that gets resolved by vomiting and diarrhea. This has happened to me a lot of times, and most recently in an agonizing flare, crawling-around-the-bathroom-floor-screaming type flare. In my case i believe it has to do with the narrowed crohn's-inflamed sections. a little scratchy or fibrous piece of something gets stuck and the gut throws a tantrum. The worrisome thing is that if these blockages fail to clear themselves, it leaves you with only one option: the ER. It seems to me that you shouldn't be having these kinds of flares right after a resection. Perhaps that area is very inflamed and narrowed, or perhaps another area of small bowel has become inflamed and narrowed. but in any case i think you should go see your GI guy and look into it. In my experience these kinds of flares are dangerous and need to be addressed.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I doubt it would be related to the surgery at this point because if there was a major complication as a result of the operation you would know it!

I fear it is more likely that you are having an aggressive recurrence. Are you on maintenance medication? What is your gastroenterologist or surgeon saying?

 

[Lewby437]

I went to the ER the first time it happened and they were extremely unhelpful. They diagnosed food poisoning based on my descriptions as it had already stopped by the time I got in to see someone.

The surgeon I usually see is away for the holidays and I have an appointment in a week with my gastroenterologist to start Infliximab infusions so I will discuss it with him if it doesn't return before then.

 

[Jennifer]

I agree that it sounds like partial blockages. These can turn into a full blockage which can be life threatening so be careful. The narrowing could be caused by inflammation as its possible that not all of the inflamed section was removed or it could be scar tissue from the surgery itself (scars shrink over time and its possible that the sections put back together were too narrow or didn't heal right).

Don't wait to contact your GI by phone even if it goes away or even if your appointment is in a few days.

The ER should have done tests on you like a CT scan and blood work. If you go in again tell them that you have Crohn's and that you may have a blockage. You could also try going to another hospital if that's a possibility.

For now you could go on a soft low residue diet and eat smaller meals more often even if you don't have symptoms. Eating larger meals that pass through you quickly will start a bottleneck effect at the narrowing and can cause pain, nausea, vomiting etc.

Keep us posted on what your GI says and how you're feeling. :ghug:

 

[amnazaheer]

thanks keep sharing this nice information

 

[lukefarrell]

Sounds like a partial blockage I think. Residue diet and see if it helps the symptoms

 

[Lewby437]

Went to the doctor and he suggested it could be pancreatitis and to call him as soon as it starts happening again so they can get some blood work done.