Kdriver:
Kdriver wrote:@MissMolly I forgot to ask, can partial obstruction go away over time through taking the precautionary measures you suggested? Or will it always be there and if too much volume, wrong foods etc can stir things up anytime permanently?
It would be premature to venture a guesstimation as to whether this partial obstruction is a one-time hiccup (post-op functional slowing of small bowel motility + too generous refeeding freedoms advanced by your surgeon + inflammation/swelling of intestinal mucosa) or something that may reappear from time to time (remaining adhesions/tethering with formative stricture).
For now, I would garner on the former. That this partial small bowel occlusion is a post-operative phenomena.
That you are feeling some relief/lessening of symptoms is Good News. That gives you a barometer that you are heading in the right directions as far as initial measures that you are implementing.
I have had several small bowel obstructions. I cannot reinforce enough that clearing of a small bowel obstruction is rarely a light-bulb event.
That is, rarely is it as simplistic as one minute the intestine is kinked and symptomatic (rolling waves of pain/cramping; projectile vomiting; distention) and the next minute the small bowl announces an All Clear and that it is open for full food transit.
The more common sequelea is that the small bowel remains inflamed and swollen due to the insult of the small bowel obstruction and that it takes 7-10 days of caution and monitoring. There is a full-on assault body response that accompanies a SBO. This full-on assault also equates into a recovery period following an SBO. With a SBO, body releases powerful hormones as a stress response (cortisol, adrenaline) as well as anti-inflammatory agents (catecholamines, macrophages) as well as infuses the intestine with fluid/water/lymph in order to “flush” what the body rightly registers as an impingement. All of these responders need time to ease and rebalance. An SBO really is a substantial insult to the body, at many levels.
All to say . . . Time and patience are your best friends. Treat yourself kindly and with care.
For now . . .
1. Keep solid food intake to a small volume. Focus more on hydration as your source of nutrition and calories.
2. Never underestimate the value of simple prune juice (warmed, in the microwave) for its value in regulating bowel function. 6-8 oz a day.
3. Dividing your daily dose/intake of Miralax (or Milk of Magnesia or magnesium or similar osmotic agent) into 2-3 doses speed throughout the day is often preferred to guzzling down a single dose. Filling a Nalgene bottle or flask with water/juice and your decided dose of Miralax and then sipping intermittently through the day often has a better outcome in terms of facilitating digested food material to move along.
3. Experiment with your dose of Miralax (or Milk of Magnesia or other). Titrate the dose up a bit for a few days to see if you have a better clearing effect. Ex. If you are using one cap a day, increase to 1.5 caps a day for a few days. The nice thing about MiraLax is that you can individualize the dose best for you, based on your bowel results.
4. Yoga and simple stretches of the torso/pelvis really do help intestinal motility. Think of it as massage for the intestines. Google “simple beginners’ yoga poses” for a few ideas. Elongation of the torso (arms up and over the head, then side leaning to the left, pause, then sideleaning to the right) and rotation of the torso in relation to the pelvis (knees bent, lying on the floor, drop/rotate knees to the left, pause, reverse and rotate knees to midline and then drop to the right) are basic poses that are generally well tolerated by most people.
5. Hot showers. The directed spray of warm water helps relax tense muscles of the abdomen/back that are contracting to guard the area. Use of a hot pack or microwave buckwheat pack are also helpful.
Partial small bowel obstructions are fairly common, unfortunately, during recovery of abdominal surgery. Sometomes people chalk it up to indigestion and the episode clears within a few hours. Other times, the partial SBO is more malingering . . . symptoms ebb and flow.
Spending time discussing partial SBO’s here will help other members be aware of symptoms and steps to take to help quell the discomfort and distress.
When to go to the ER? Crippling abdominal pain (pain that literally brings you to your knees); nausea with repeated vomiting or projectile vomiting; no fecal output for those with a temporary ileostomy; absent passing of gas/flatulus. With these findings, proceed to the ER. Do not Pass Go, do not collect $200.
Kdeiver, Sending you positive “vibes” that this partial small bowel continues to ease for you. Small bowel obstructions are no fun. A small bowel obstruction is unnerving because its onset has no warning and the pain/nausea can be intense. It leaves an imprinted memory that you do not soon forget.
Karen
Dear friend to Bella Piazza, former Colon Club member (NWGirl).
I have a permanent ileostomy and offer advice on living with an ostomy - in loving remembrance of Bella
I am on Palliative Care for broad endocrine failure + Addison's disease + osteonecrosis of both hips/jaw + immunosuppression. I live a simple life due to frail health.