I am scheduled to have a small bowel series test on Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, and I am very nervous about it! The test was ordered after I had four bowel obstructions in 12 months following emergency abdominal surgery in November 2015. They tell me that if I hadn't had surgery within 24 hours, I would have died. They also tell me that having so many obstructions in a 12-month period is very unusual. The last time I was in the hospital (New Year's Eve to Jan. 4), one of the surgeons said she had noticed a pattern: all of the obstructions seemed to be happening in the same area. That's the reason for the small bowel series—to see if there is a kink or something else that can be corrected surgically to stop the recurring blockages.
I know that a lot of people blame blockages on the food the ostomate is eating, but all the surgeons I've seen say the cause is more likely to be scar tissue. On one hand, if the cause is the food I'm eating, I might have more control than if the problem is scar tissue, since I know that more surgery means more scar tissue. On the other hand, trying to figure out what is safe for me to eat is a major challenge. In addition to the ostomy, I have diabetes and moderate to severe kidney disease. I've talked to nutritionists about trying to find an appropriate diet, but mostly they just give me the dietary information for each condition separate from the others, not recognizing the interaction or the fact that I'm also anemic and having trouble maintaining my weight. (This morning I weighed 94.4 pounds. I'm about 5 feet tall.) In the end, they just recommended trial and error! Unfortunately, that method hasn't helped me identify specific food triggers for my blockages!
But back to the bowel series test and why I'm so nervous:
1. Just drinking plain water tends to make me queasy. I'm concerned that the barium solution will make me throw up.
2. Before my ileostomy, I was supposed to get an x-ray colonoscopy. I remember drinking the barium solution. Maybe because of the fact that I also have multiple sclerosis, I was unable to hold the solution long enough for the test. I know that this test will be different, but I can't help being concerned about the possibility of the fluid going through me and into my ileostomy pouch with enough force to burst it or cause a leak. As I said, I have MS. Although I can manage short distances with walking aids under normal circumstances, I would have a hard time getting to a bathroom quickly enough to change or even just empty my pouch. (And that's assuming there is a nearby bathroom that is wheelchair-accessible.)
Has anybody else dealt with similar issues? Any suggestions?
