@Scott F posted:I can’t tell how many months of trouble-free running you’ve done (10 years ago and recently), but it’s possible that your particular pattern of adhesions is vulnerable to the jostling of running. If you have a local GI you could discuss whether a barium(?) swallow with a small-bowel series might clarify what’s going on (and people do report incidentally that the heavy fluid sometimes straightens things out fortuitously. This isn’t normally done for a minor blockage that will likely resolve on its own, but a conversation with an empathetic GI might offer some flexibility. Even your colo-rectal surgeon might be able to do a televisit to discuss possibilities.
Surgery for a full small bowel obstruction will generally have nothing to do with your J-pouch, but as you know it is nevertheless consequential, and tends to cause additional adhesions.
The prospect of needing emergency health care far from home is daunting, but I suggest that you 1) separate the financial aspect from the health care aspect, and find out how well or poorly insured you are for urgent health care far from home, 2) arrange for suitable healthcare coverage during your trip, 3) consider the specific places you plan to be and the quality of health care available there (some of them may be better than the US), and 4) take a deep breath and remember that most partial obstructions resolve on their own in a day or three.
A friend of mine was traveling in Europe when he experienced chest pain. He was hospitalized (and was okay), and was astonished when it was time to be discharged that (in that particular country) they didn’t even have a hospital department dedicated to collecting payments for a hospital stay - I’m guessing they considered that an uncivilized notion. His stay was free.
Scott,
I should have clarified, I was running daily 10 years ago, and ceased after my operation to clear that SBO. I have recently resumed exercising with vigor and this time I have chosen rowing on a machine, as Cipro ruined my knees a few years ago and prevents me from running. I have been rowing pretty consistently for 3 to 6 months and that was the same window I had been running daily. I am also wondering if the movement exacerbates the development of scar tissue in my abdomen. Frustrating. I will certainly explore getting some really good travel insurance.