vomitting one month post-op bowel resection

by tlc_79 (Tanya)
(South Australia)

Hi All

I hope you are all well.

I will of course be calling the hospital as soon as they open this morning, but I just wanted to ask if anybody had had a similar experience.

Since last Wednesday I have been vomitting every day around lunchtime/afternoon.

At first my Doctor and I put it down to the fact that I had just gone up to 40mg (2 x 20mg) in Norspan patches for pain relief and they are well known for causing nausea. But since it has now been a week and I am only using a 10mg patch and still vomitting we are thinking it could be something else so I will be following up with the Surgical/Gastro team asap but just thought I would check with you guys/gals while waiting if you had been through anything similar?

ALSO, over the past week or so my ileostomy bag output has been very runny, almost like coloured water at some points, even though it had thickened up quite nicely. And it has had that light diorreah (spelling??) looking colour. But everytime I've gone to pick up the phone it has started to return to normal again but then keeps going back and is very watery at the moment. Then again, because of feeling sick I have been eating less and not so solid foods and my appetite has decreased in general.

Once again, I hope you are all well and I look forward to hearing from anyone with similar experiences.

Kind Regards

Tanya

South Australia
Email: tancas2 at hotmail.com
Age: 32 years old.
Bowel Rupture and Emergency Bowel Resection and Ileostomy 4 December 2011.
Consequently diagnosed with Crohn's 8 December 2011.
Unsuccessfully seeking referral to Gastroenterologist for symptoms since approx. 2007. (Was diagnosed with IBS.)
No known family history of CD.

Comments for vomitting one month post-op bowel resection

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vomitting one month post-op bowel resection NEW
by: Lydia D.

Vomiting daily post op. is not a good sign.

As a layperson, but expert Crohn's patient with ileostomy, it sounds as though the anastomosis site (where they joined the two sections of intestine) is closing or is being mechanically restricted by, for example, adhesions (wound tissue) www.adhesions.org. I am assuming at this point in time that the surgeons have not left any forceps, towels, scissors, gloves, etc., inside you.

The watery ileostomy output is most likely the result of faecal impaction at the narrowed section of gut with faecal overflow. Read jejunum or ileum instead of colon here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_impaction

I would encourage you not to eat any high fibre food Google "Low Fibre Food Choices for Partial Bowel Obstruction" (aka subileus). Ensure that you drink enough water, soup, diluted fruice juice.

I suggest that you do not drink coffee, ginger/aniseed/nettle teas, which all exacerbate diarrhoea and dehydrate. I suggest that you do not eat any pure sugar sources or drink cola, sodas, fizzy mineral waters, etc.

Opiate-based pain killers cause constipation and, thus, you are right to take the absolute minimum amount. http://www.drugs.com/cons/butrans.html

Discuss with your doctor the merits of taking Paracetamol (aka Acetominophen) - no more than 1 g every 6 hours for an adult. The Paracetamol of any of your other medications must be checked. An overdose of paracetamol will (eventually) lead to an agonising death, which can take around 3 days.

Should your abdomen become very distended and very quiet - with or without severe/excrutiating pain, then get to the emergency room as a matter or urgency. I ended up with gangrene in a section of Crohn's'd ileum due to strangulation of the intestine by adhesions. You may find that you have increased reflux on the partial bowel blockages. Omeprazole can be obtained over-the-couter, but discuss any new treatment with your doctor because drug interactions can occur. I refer you to www.drugs.com or www.rxlist.com

Eat 6-8 very small meals a day instead of 3 large meals a day and keep a patient food/mood/symptoms/medication diary (Google for templates).

Caveat: The obstruction might also be caused by an abscess or a myriad of other things.

It may need to be to investigated laproscopically. I would put my money on adhesions and stricture formation at the anastomosis site.

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