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Hi, i have never posted on here before but i was hoping for some help or hoping to find someone who may have been through what i am right now. i’ll try keep it as short as poss! ok so history is severe colitis in 2009 it was too far on for medication so i had an ileostomy which was then reversed may 2010 and it was extremely successful. i’ve never had any problems since apart from a couple of partial blockages due to things i know i shouldn’t have eaten but sorted at home with the usual prune juice etc So what is happening to me now did happen 2 years ago but it went away on its own after months, strangely just as i made as appt to see my gastro consultant. so about a month ago this started and what happens is i will go to the toilet and push and absolutely nothing comes out ( sorry tmi!!) when i push on my tummy on the right where my stoma used to be i can hear all the liquid in there but it will not come out. I can’t get gas out either. so what i discovered last time was i have to lay on the floor and lift my legs in the air and i hear all the air moving and then most of the time all my gas come out and it’s such a relief then normally after that i can then sit on the toilet and stool will come out but it’s definitely not all of it but some! This takes about 15 mins in total and i obviously can’t do it when i’m out or at friends. I always feel like i’m not empty and it’s making me so grumpy and uncomfortable. I have had 2 c sections 2 and 4 years ago also so i’m sure i have lots of scar tissue. I can hear lots of rumbling in my tummy and i know that whatever it is is all on the right side where my stoma was as when i rub there i can hear lots of liquid. 

I suppose i’m hoping someone may have experienced the same and may have some advice for me as i’m really hoping i don’t need any more surgery. 

I seem to remember last time it got better i was actually on holiday and i was doing lots of swimming and i remember after a swim saying to my husband oh wow i’ve just been able to go to the toilet properly!! Due to the covid 19 virus i’m unable to swim and i don’t even know if this would work?? 

i’m not on any medication as apart from this i’m normally really healthy. 

Thankyou so much if you’ve read this far without falling asleep  

HELP X 

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Lou, this sounds likely to be just what you think - stool trapped behind a temporary narrowing of the intestine due to adhesions. This generally doesn’t get corrected surgically unless it’s very disabling, since the surgery sometimes makes the problem worse. I’m glad it tends to clear up in 15 minutes or so. I guess my question is whether this is making you feel disabled or merely curious?

I’ve had multiple obstructions- one most recent was pretty bad. The doc thinks it’s bc of a narrowing in the small intestine where the ostomy site was, in addition to adhesions (he found the narrowing when he did a scope the last time). 

Anyhow, the doc said the same thing as ^^ Scott ^^ said - they won’t do anything to correct the adhesions unless it’s horrible and I was having obstructions every other week. This is bc surgery will cause more adhesions, as your c section prob caused. 

I had a c section to and they broke up some of the adhesions during the c sections, but the doc said they weren’t that bad- nothing like she was anticipating. But I only had one kiddo- not two, like you. 

I hope you can find some relief.

Heya, I have had problems with scar tissue too. When I was trying to get pregnant I went to see a woman who specialized in Internal Soft Tissue Physiotherapy (ie: she massaged my abdomen). No one else seems to know or talk about this, but after doing castor oil packs and intensive massage (and taught me how to do some simple castor pack and massage at home) she changed the entire way my abdomen felt and I am convinced this is part of what allowed me to get pregnant (I mean, IVF really did it, but she made room for things to move and stretch by softening things prior to pregnancy).  I know this is potentially not for everyone, but she broke up about 20 years of scar tissue and I swear I am a convert to this for the rest of my life to help prevent and soften adhesions. You can easily look up a simple castor oil pact, and after about 40 mins of that do some massage (she taught me simply to imagine my abdomen is a clock and basically at 12, 3, 6, 9 start at the far side of those places and pull in towards your belly button for a total of 30 times per number. i did it about 2 x a week at first and now like 2 x a month when I think of it). But then you can also just massage areas of old scars and where you think you have adhesions. It's a bit messy, but I think it has changed the integrity of my whole belly for the better. I'm not saying this is a cure or even if will work for you, but it changed full-on hard scars (like that you can feel deep under the skin) to soft soft belly! Worth a shot for a few months if you can try it if you ask me! (of course still do whatever your docs say too!!)

Hey there thankyou so much for the advice. i’ve since started a liquid diet and i have a telephone appt with my doctor tuesday. since being on liquids i’ve been able to pass gas’s  once on the loo but the rest of the time i have to lay on the floor raise my legs and the wind comes out, i just don’t understand why i have to do this? surely the gas should come out easier with gravity when i sit on the loo? At the moment i never sit on the loo and stool comes out it’s always after i’ve got the wind out first and even then it’s only small amounts of stool. it’s so frustrating as normally my j pouch works perfectly, i go 3-4 times a day always empty completely including wind, never had pouchitus, perhaps i’ve had it too easy for too long! 😌 

i have read since posting my thread about a septum i think it was called and also strictures, could it still be either of these if this exact same thing happened 2 years ago but it corrected itself? This has stsrtsd happening the morning after a friend made me a salad, this was now 4 weeks ago,could  it be that something is still stuck after all  this time? There’s still lots of rumbling around the right side where my stoma was and when i massage theres lots of liquid. 

Jenners thankyou so much for the massage advice i’ve been doing lots of this since reading your advice, i would actually love a third child although i’m completely blessed to have even had 2 after my surgeries but you never know this could  work for me too, right now if it would just help me empty though i’d be over the moon 😅

I am jn the uk so sorry for the time difference 

Louise 

Difficulty emptying a full pouch is very different from an obstruction of the small bowel that prevents the normal passage of intestinal contents. If you’re pretty sure your pouch is full when you’re having trouble (and that’s what I think you’re saying) then causes like a septum, stricture, or prolapse become more likely explanations than adhesions causing a blockage. If you’re able to tell for sure then that will be useful information for your doctor. Good luck!

Hi Scott, 

Thankyou so much for replying. I don’t feel like my pouch is full so perhaps it is more likely adhesions? if it’s some food stuck behind an adhesion and ive been like this for 4 weeks do you think eventually it will pass through? is the best thing a liquid diet? Have you ever heard of a partial blockage lasting this long?  sorry for all the questions i’m just so fed up.

whatever i do i can’t get gas out on the toilet i have to be laid down. There’s loads of rumbling and gas around my old stoma site and when i push there it sounds very liquidy, although how do i know if this is stool or what i have drank?! 😅

Thankyou again for the advice. 

This does sound more like a partial blockage. They can last as long as they like, unfortunately. There’s no difference between what you drank and stool. Once it’s in the intestine it’s all just stool. When I’m having pain from a partial blockage I back off to a liquid diet, trying to avoid increasing the backlog. I hope this clears for you soon!

Hi Lou!

i had the same thing happen to me off and on for years. Unfortunately, I ended up with a closed loop obstruction and did end up needing surgery to remove (what the surgeon called) a “web” of adhesions. This was about five years ago and I’ve not had an episode since. I’m glad you’ve been able to manage most of your episodes at home; I always ended up having to go to the emergency room. Let us know what your doctor says!

Jill

Thankyou Jill for getting back to me, what were your symptoms please if you don’t mind me asking? I feel at the moment that i wouldn’t even mind surgery it’s that bad especially when i have the pain from gas which just won’t come out! It’s so hard as ive two little girls under 4 years old and they keep asking me why i’m laying down on the bathroom floor. i don’t have time to spend 2 minutes on the loo never mind the 15 mins several times a day which i’m doing now. i’ve lost 7 lb this week from just having juices and i don’t have much more i can lose. I’m just praying my doc has some answers. sorry for time diff i’m in the uk 

many thanks x 

Hi Lou,

I’m so sorry you’re having such a rough time! My symptoms were very similar...trying to go to the bathroom but nothing would come out. I also had abdominal pain, nausea, and eventually vomiting. My episodes would come on rather quickly and I would immediately go to the emergency room, figuring I had a blockage of some sort. This happened about twice a year for 6 years before they were finally able to confirm the blockage on a scan. I guess the previous ones sorted themselves out before they could see anything to confirm what I knew was happening. I finally went to see a surgeon because I was sick of ending up in the hospital every 6 months and she immediately thought adhesions...which no one else had ever said before. I declined surgery at the time because, well, why sign up for surgery when you’re currently feeling good?? About 6 months later I ended up in the emergency room again and this time I had no choice as it was a closed loop obstruction so they had to go in. She removed the adhesions and I haven’t had an episode like that since. I certainly have my other fair share of issues post surgery but at least I’m able to manage it at home and with diet and medication. You know your body best, if something feels off (which obviously it sounds like it does) push to talk to the right people and come up with a plan. It’s better to go into surgery when you’re “healthy” rather than in an emergency situation! Good luck and keep us updated.

xoxo

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