Thin bowel

[UnXmas]

The surgeon who operated on me when my bowel perforated said the walls of my bowel (small bowel only - I no longer have a large one) are very thin, and this means it is more likely to perforate. I seem to remember various posts on this forum mentioning thickening, but not thinning. Does anyone know what causes thinning?

 

[shamrock15]

I haven't heard of thin bowels either, but I have heard of weak ones. High pred usage can cause bowels that may tear when sutured. I had this joy back in '06, leading to another pair of surgeries and a couple abdominal drains. Maybe this is what the surgeon was referring to?

On the flip side, I apparently do have some thickened areas as well. My surgeon (he has done all 6) noted that some of these thickened areas seem to have been adaptations to a shorter bowel so that I seem to have regained some absorbing area.

 

[UnXmas]

I've had some prednisone, but not a huge amount, though I was on it very recently. I've had several bowel surgeries before, and it was never mentioned. Though all my previous surgeries were done by the same surgeon; this last one was by a different one.

 

[Jennifer]

Inflammation itself can eventually thin the intestinal walls. There are many other causes as well including procedures like scopes (if they try to force their way it can stretch the walls), False diverticula (which is missing the muscularis, the muscle in the GI tract), surgery, acid reflux in the esophagus damages the Muscularis mucosae etc. Basically if an area is inflated or pushed too much it stretches the fine muscle tissue which will eventually make it thinner. Closest basic example I can think of is stretchmarks on the skin (gaining weight, water retention or growing too fast, either way it's stretched the skin beyond what it should and breaks down the tissue).

 

[afidz]

My bowels were too thin when mine perforated, I think its fairly common. I don't talk about my particular situation much, so I don't really know anyone specifically that has had it happen (other than you), but I read stuff on here all the time.