How can I clear a blockage, not doing well 11 months after takedown

[Daniel 707]

Any one have any suggestions on clearing a blockage after full large intestine and rectum removal, ileostomy taken down, 11 months ago, second blockage, not doing well.

Daniel 707

[To Good Health]

Hi Daniel, I hope you have cleared your blockage as it's been 3 days. The pain is intense. I've been the 'victim' of several over the years and been in hospital for several stays with the nasogastric tube which really helps unpleasant as it is. Other times I've used various things to cope at home. There is quite a discussion on coping with blockages in the "Beyond the Pouch' archives.
This temp. section of the discussion forum doesn't get a lot of traffic. Try posting your question on the General Ostomy Discussion section. I'm sure you'll get more responses. All the best,
To Good Health

[susan f]

Drink lots of clear liquids, juices, water, warm tea until the block clears. Call your healthcare provider and see if or when you should go to ER or Urgent care.

My experience is that blockages are either from food choices I have made (carrots, for example) or strictures from intestinal narrowing due to inflammation. Or a combination of both.

If you are having recurrent blocks, you might want to look at what you are eating - I have a post that details the low residue diet that was recommended to me. I have an intestinal stricture from CD and have had to back off of fiber.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=24593&p=210657&hil ... et#p210657

Hope this helps.

[Button]

Daniel:
If you are experiencing repeated small intestine obstructions 11 months after your stoma take-down, possibilities include:
a. scar tissue (adhesions) that are tethering to a section of intestine and causing the intestine to kink, thereby causing an interruption in the flow of digested material;
b. a build-up of scar tissue and inflammation within the lumen of a section of intestine causing severe narrowing.

A visit and discussion with your surgeon is in order to rule-out/rule-in scar tissue as a possible culprit.

In the interim, keep your diet limited to clear liquids (grape juice, tea, lemonade, broth). Abdominal stretches (to elongate and rotate the torso) and basic yoga poses are helpful to alleviate adhesion-based partial obstructions - in essence, these maneuvers provide a form of internal massage that can keep things moving along and through the digestive tract. A warm heating pad or buckwheat hot pack is also helpful to ease muscular tension associated with an intestinal blockage.

When in doubt, go to an emergency room for an assessment. The seriousness of a partial or complete intestinal blockage is not to be minimized.
- Karen -