Bowel Obstruction

cabennett99 · July 2015

Nearly 9 months post - RNYGB, I just spent three nights in the hospital with a partial bowel obstruction. I had abdominal pain last Thursday, enough to come home from work early. The pain wasn't getting better so I went to the ER that night. I was admitted as they did tests to diagnose what was wrong; fortunately the hospital is also the home to my Bariatric Center of Excellence, so while my original surgeon was not available, one his partners took over my care. He did laparoscopic surgery Friday afternoon to repair a hernia that had partially trapped my intestine and was intermittently blocking it. It's likely that the hernia was a very small nick or abnormality that became "large" (relatively speaking) as I lost weight (135 pounds so far). It's a risk associated with WLS so I wanted to share it with everyone. I'm really glad I went in as soon as I felt something wasn't right. While it was laparoscopic surgery all over again, the fix was pretty easy and I am not in nearly the amount of discomfort (or trauma) as the original WLS. I'm already eating and tolerating a soft diet, and I'm cleared to return to normal diet and activity levels as I feel up to it. I would not change a thing about my experience to date - but it's important to pay attention to what our body is telling us! Home now, dog happily on my (much smaller) lap.

sinderstorm · July 2015

I'm glad you followed your gut (no pun intended) and went in when you felt something wasn't right. It is a good reminder to all of us that while we never want to abuse the ER, please get care if you feel something isn't right. I hope your recovery is an easy one and you're back on your feet soon!

Trayjay33 · July 2015

cabennett99 wrote: »

Nearly 9 months post - RNYGB, I just spent three nights in the hospital with a partial bowel obstruction. I had abdominal pain last Thursday, enough to come home from work early. The pain wasn't getting better so I went to the ER that night. I was admitted as they did tests to diagnose what was wrong; fortunately the hospital is also the home to my Bariatric Center of Excellence, so while my original surgeon was not available, one his partners took over my care. He did laparoscopic surgery Friday afternoon to repair a hernia that had partially trapped my intestine and was intermittently blocking it. It's likely that the hernia was a very small nick or abnormality that became "large" (relatively speaking) as I lost weight (135 pounds so far). It's a risk associated with WLS so I wanted to share it with everyone. I'm really glad I went in as soon as I felt something wasn't right. While it was laparoscopic surgery all over again, the fix was pretty easy and I am not in nearly the amount of discomfort (or trauma) as the original WLS. I'm already eating and tolerating a soft diet, and I'm cleared to return to normal diet and activity levels as I feel up to it. I would not change a thing about my experience to date - but it's important to pay attention to what our body is telling us! Home now, dog happily on my (much smaller) lap.

@cabennett99 may I ask what what symptoms you were having that led you to the ER? The location of pain any nausea or vomiting? Just so I may know more of what to look for. I am glad you took the symptoms serious enough and got treatment.

cabennett99 · July 2015

Trayjay33 - My symptoms were a fairly sharp pain that came and went in the center of my abdomen, up high (just below my sternum). I presume the location of the pain could vary depending on the location of the hernia and obstruction. The obstruction being the intestine stuck in the "hole" that is the hernia. My belly was distended and sensitive to touch as well. It intensified after eating or drinking, but would subside periodically. This is because my obstruction was partial - and apparently sometimes food could pass and sometimes it couldn't. A complete obstruction would have been more acute pain wise, as blickage would not have been relieved. A complete blickage is dangerous if left untreated because the portions of your digestive track that might not be getting blood flow can die off. The partial blickage, while less dangerous, was also more difficult to diagnose. Once they did a CT and X-ray and confirmed that I had blickage, the the next step was exploratory laparoscopic surgery. The surgeon was able to effect a repair to the hernia while he was in there. I thought it might have been gall stones, or a food blockage. I could sense something was wrong - it was different than merely being constipated and feeling backed up. A full blockage is also often accompanied by nausea and fever...definitely symptoms not to ignore.