The Big Blow UP

[newanatomy]

Every once in a while, maybe once a week or a little less often, I get painfully bloated. It usually lasts for a few hours. The pain always starts in the space between my hip bone and my rib cage on the right side and in my back. Some days it's worse than others.

Last night it was truly awful. It started early in the afternoon. A mild pain in my right side, like a gas bubble. I had had my protein shake with 1 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds, my everyday beginning. I went shopping and did a few other errands consuming a small cappuccino (have had no issues with lactose intolerance, so far) and a 16 oz bottle of water.

The mild to moderate pain continued throughout the day with some peaking and ebbing.

When I got home it was close to time to take my Prevacid which must be taken on an empty stomach then, you wait about an hour to eat so, I just took it so that I could have dinner. My husband and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, about 6:00 p.m. I had an order of (15) traditional bone-in wings and some celery and carrots. None of this unusual, always done fine with the wings. The only this is that this was a lot of food at one time. I was hungry!

I made some popcorn with butter at about 8:00 p.m., an almost nightly occurrence. Again, haven't had trouble with this. Plus, bad girl, I had a serving of Swedish fish which is not a nightly happening although it doesn't usually cause me trouble either.

By about 9:00, the pain was pretty horrible and I was bloated like a week dead cow, so huge I had to change into my yoga pants and I don't even do yoga! By 10:00, I was doubled over and doing Lamaze type breathing. My bowels moved a bit around 11:00 with a small amount of gas. No relief. My bowels moved again, soft but formed, huge amount, about 12:00 a.m. with a bit more gas. Still no relief from pain. Finally around 2:30 a.m. the pain and bloating lessened enough for me to take a bath and go to bed.

According to MFP my Nutrient Details for the day are as follows:

Total Fat (g): 136
Protein (g): 167
Carbs (g): 114 (I count all carbs)
Fiber (g): 37
Calories (g): 2,403

Any suggestions as to what I should do when this happens again? Other suggestions, concerns?

 

[southernlady]

Next time it happens, get yourself to an ER for a CT with contrast...sounds like it could be a bowel blockage (and we can still fart and poop with one cause it's the other limb that can be blocked).

 

[JackieOnLine]

I know very little about this but I think Liz has it - get it checked out next time!!

 

[Munchkin]

Probably what they said. And it resolved on it's own. That's the best case scenario.

 

[bearmom]

I've had 2 types of blockages, and agree totally with Liz. What you describe sounds very similar to a partial blockage I had that went on to varying degrees for many months, but overall got worse until it was resolved by having adhesions removed that were pulling my intestines all directions.

ER for CT with contrast, and know that it can be hard for them to spot the issue, but this will give them the best chance.

 

[newanatomy]

Thanks to all of you. This is not really what I wanted to be told but, confirms what I was thinking. I have a big flight coming up in March, one leg is 10 1/2 hours, and I am terrified of this happening when I am trapped on a plane. I hope I can get it resolved before then. I want to just go in and order them to fix it. I don't want to have to do the conservative "lets see" dance. Ugh! I'll keep you posted.

My only other thought is that it seems similar to what @Spiky Bugger has described happening to her. How about it, @Spiky Bugger?

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Thanks to all of you. This is not really what I wanted to be told but, confirms what I was thinking. I have a big flight coming up in March, one leg is 10 1/2 hours, and I am terrified of this happening when I am trapped on a plane. I hope I can get it resolved before then. I want to just go in and order them to fix it. I don't want to have to do the conservative "lets see" dance. Ugh! I'll keep you posted.

My only other thought is that it seems similar to what @Spiky Bugger has described happening to her. How about it, @Spiky Bugger?

Nope...I just get bloating and horrid gas...to the point that I have had a doctor, looking at an xray, express admiration for how massive my farts must be!

But what Liz said. Kinda. But possibly not a true obstruction WITHIN the limb, but maybe just more intestine than your new tiny body can house.

A nurse, who worked for a bariatric surgeon and who had the DS and a problem, explained to us civilians that when she was MO, her intestines WERE like a football goal post, stretched out tightly. But once she lost half her body weight, those same intestines hung like a tinsel garland around a Christmas tree...loosely dangling in the same general area where they always had been, but NOW, instead of being stretched out, they occasionally (because they are almost always in motion...to some extent) overlapped and twisted and temporarily blocked off other parts of the same organ.

The redundant stuff, if that's what it is, may have to go. And it can happen with any massive weight loss, regardless of cause.

But I shouldn't have said any of that because...you know...I have no knowledge of science stuff.

 

[newanatomy]

Nope...I just get bloating and horrid gas...to the point that I have had a doctor, looking at an xray, express admiration for how massive my farts must be!

But what Liz said. Kinda. But possibly not a true obstruction WITHIN the limb, but maybe just more intestine than your new tiny body can house.

A nurse, who worked for a bariatric surgeon and who had the DS and a problem, explained to us civilians that when she was MO, her intestines WERE like a football goal post, stretched out tightly. But once she lost half her body weight, those same intestines hung like a tinsel garland around a Christmas tree...loosely dangling in the same general area where they always had been, but NOW, instead of being stretched out, they occasionally (because they are almost always in motion...to some extent) overlapped and twisted and temporarily blocked off other parts of the same organ.

The redundant stuff, if that's what it is, may have to go. And it can happen with any massive weight loss, regardless of cause.

But I shouldn't have said any of that because...you know...I have no knowledge of science stuff.

Ha, I have never had a tiny anything. There is less room in there now though, for sure.

Okay, damnit! Is this something I can be proactive about? Meaning, can I call the Doctor's office on Monday and have them order the CT with contrast or do I have to wait till I am ready to pop my own abdomen with a butter knife again?

This makes me want to scream bloody murder and feel bad for myself at the same time. I hate pain and don't want another surgery! I really hope I am making this shit up in my head and that it's just gas. Is it that my colon is just full? This seems to happen before a huge poop. Does that just mean that there is a partial blockage and the feces has to make it around that? Am I asking you all to be my free medical advisors? Bah! I am not afraid to call the doctor. I am afraid of what I will be told and afraid of another episode. It feels a lot like a gal-bladder attack. (I had that little sucker out in 2008.)

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Ha, I have never had a tiny anything. There is less room in there now though, for sure.

Okay, damnit! Is this something I can be proactive about? Meaning, can I call the Doctor's office on Monday and have them order the CT with contrast or do I have to wait till I am ready to pop my own abdomen with a butter knife again?

This makes me want to scream bloody murder and feel bad for myself at the same time. I hate pain and don't want another surgery! I really hope I am making this shit up in my head and that it's just gas. Is it that my colon is just full? This seems to happen before a huge poop. Does that just mean that there is a partial blockage and the feces has to make it around that? Am I asking you all to be my free medical advisors? Bah! I am not afraid to call the doctor. I am afraid of what I will be told and afraid of another episode. It feels a lot like a gal-bladder attack. (I had that little sucker out in 2008.)

Way outta my league.

I know that there are, among other causes, large bowel obstructions, small bowel obstructions, pseudo-obstructions and other stuff. If I had a recurring symptom that I didn't want to take with me on a journey, I'd call my DS surgeon and ask how to discover the source of pain and how to make sure my local doctors would share findings and listen to him.

You can't call Friday? Why wait until Monday...of Christmas week?

 

[robs477]

I'm no expert in this arena, but, I do care and I agree with Spiky, go get it looked at sooner than later. I'm so sorry you're having this, you've done so good. Hopefully its nothing, but just please be safe about it.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

If I were in your shoes, I'd be headed to my lovely gastroenterologist this morning.

 

[newanatomy]

My surgeon is really out of the loop. He is three hours away. I was thinking of waiting till it happened again so they could "see" it when they do the scan. As I am fine right now, I doubt they would find anything. My goal is to get this taken care of as soon as possible. I will call my PCP on Monday to get the ball rolling.

I can make a quick dash to the emergency room if necessary. It's only 2 miles from my house and the surgeon who did my emergency cholecystectomy in 2008 used to perform the DS until the hospital here lost its COE designation. As a former patient, I will have him contacted.

 

[southernlady]

My surgeon is really out of the loop. He is three hours away. I was thinking of waiting till it happened again so they could "see" it when they do the scan. As I am fine right now, I doubt they would find anything. My goal is to get this taken care of as soon as possible. I will call my PCP on Monday to get the ball rolling.

I can make a quick dash to the emergency room if necessary. It's only 2 miles from my house and the surgeon who did my emergency cholecystectomy in 2008 used to perform the DS until the hospital here lost its COE designation. As a former patient, I will have him contacted.

That works...at least he has a working knowledge of what your innards should look like.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

My surgeon is really out of the loop. He is three hours away. I was thinking of waiting till it happened again so they could "see" it when they do the scan. As I am fine right now, I doubt they would find anything. My goal is to get this taken care of as soon as possible. I will call my PCP on Monday to get the ball rolling.

I can make a quick dash to the emergency room if necessary. It's only 2 miles from my house and the surgeon who did my emergency cholecystectomy in 2008 used to perform the DS until the hospital here lost its COE designation. As a former patient, I will have him contacted.

But...but...won't many offices be closed half of next week?

My husband is at a treadmill test right now and our cardio will see him a week from tomorrow with his results because she's closed early on the 24th, all day the 25th and most of her staff will be gone the 26th. She's doing a few appointments that don't require staff on Saturday.

(I'm obviously concerned about your situation, but not too much. Yet.)

BTW...you might want to send one of these knowledgeable people here a way to contact you if you fall off the radar.

 

[southernlady]

BTW...you might want to send one of these knowledgeable people here a way to contact you if you fall off the radar.

@Elizabeth N. is her angel so I suspect she has the contact info.