If it were only that easy! Every time I have one, it shocks me, as if it is a stranger breaking down my door. I should be prepared, having had them for close to three decades, and should be able to calm down my fear and anxiety, but the truth is that the only thing I want to do when one occurs, my only rational thought is to lay on my bed, curled up on my left side (although not having a colon any longer, it probably doesn’t matter.) The nausea and pain are severe, the cramping causing back and thigh pain (no idea why) and the chills that accompany the blockage push me deeper and deeper into despair. And yet, hours (sometimes many hours) later, most often, I am fine and functioning, albeit tired, and sore. These blockages are infinitely better since my ileostomy, and my fear is greatly mitigated, but a lost day is still a lost day!
I tell you this because there are countless who suffer from blockages (medical term: small bowel obstructions) for many different reasons. In 1993, I had my first small bowel obstruction, which not only took away my breath, it came close to taking away my life. A long spaghetti-shaped adhesion, which was scar tissue from a recent abdominal surgery, ruptured my small intestines, caused the loss of two and a half feet of lower small intestines known as Ileum; peritonitis; exacerbated my already sluggish colon; pancreatitis and began the destruction of my gall bladder. I was a very, very sick woman. Three months later, after fighting back to life, it happened again, this time necessitating the loss of two and a half feet of Mid Jejunum. From that point on, blockages became a part of my life, requiring most of my 23 abdominal surgeries. The causes ranged from adhesions to slow transit and concomitant backing up into the small intestines. Many days I wondered if I would be in the Emergency Room or the Operating Room by nightfall.
Eventually, and with undying gratitude, in 2014, I had my Ileostomy. Thankfully, the blockages are no longer as frightening because I know they will resolve themselves. This is because, rather than slow motility or adhesions, they are most probably due to undigested food, which may be the same food I eat every day. Perhaps I didn’t chew the food as well that morning, or drank less water. Perhaps my intestines were reacting to stress or anxiety, even something that makes me happy and excited. I could spend my day trying to figure out my mind/body connection. Fortunately, most days, blockages are the last thing on my mind.
Yesterday was a great day that had a terrible episode, and then ended with a return to normalcy, although a little sore and weary. The important thing to know is that if there is vomiting and/or intractable pain, a trip to the Emergency Room is necessary. Let the triage nurse know you are in excruciating pain, vomiting and are experiencing symptoms of a small bowel obstruction. Take no chances, because believe me, small bowel obstructions have the potential to be deadly!
