Update on Severe Pain - Inflammation and Trapped Gas - Waiting for Resolution

I saw my surgeon on Tuesday of this week. He stated that my CAT scan showed some inflammation around the stoma area and there are no stones in my gallbladder. He stated that what I may be feeling is the inflammation or trapped gas. He said there is not much he can do for the pain. He doesn't want to go back in as it is too soon. He said that there is a possibility that later on I can be reconnected. I told him that I was under the impression that he had taken everything but he stated that he had left quite a bit of the rectum and that a J pouch would not be necessary. He recommended that I continue the medication that my VA doctor gave me for the irritable bowel and take ibuprofen if needed but he would rather I not take it if I don't have to. He told me to keep an eye on the stoma and let him know if the color changes at all. He explained that rarely there is a condition when the large intestines are removed due to ischemia that it can go into part of the small intestine where the stoma is. In that case, he would have to go back in and make a new stoma and he doesn't want to have to open me up again. So that is where I stand right now. I guess I am in a waiting game to see if it resolves on its own.

Hello freedancer.

Thank you for sharing and bringing us up to date with what they are telling you. It is very interesting to read about these things  from someone like yourself who is experiencing it first-hand. 

I hope everything works out for you and you don't end up having to have more surgery.

Best wishes

Bill

Thanks Bill, having somewhat of a rough day today. Lots of gas rolling around and lots of pain. These irritable bowel tablets are not helping me much. I am trying to be very conservative with heavy hitter pain meds because I hate the way they make me feel. But I may have to give in today. Thanks for all the support!

Hello freedancer. 

The pain from gas is very difficult for people to understand if they don't suffer from it. Before the stoma, I had gas  but it did not cause the sort of unbearable pain that it did after the operation. When it first started happening to me , I was convinced that there must be something terribly wrong inside and I envisaged everything from a twisted gut, cancer and even that they might have left a surgical appliance in there. Fortunately, one day at the point of my screaming out loud with pain, I did the biggest fart imaginable and suddenly there was no more pain. A eureka moment! when I became aware of what the cause of the pain was all about and was able to stop considering the miriad of other options. For me. this was a turning point in being able to cope better with with the problem of this tyoe of pain becasue it meant that each time it happened I could see that it would last no longer than the time it took for my guts to push the gas through the system. It wasn't long after that, I fathomed that my hernia was causing a blockage, which was preventing the gas from escaping and causing it to build up behind the stoma. The solution was relatively simple in that I used the stoma plugs to keep the hole open and becasue they are porous, they let the gas seep through the material gradually rather than it building up behind. I was so relieved, both physically and psychologically to find a solution to the problem.

I hope that you manage to work out a solution to your own problems.

Best wishes

Bill 

Hi freedancer,

I don't know if this helps you at all, but after my ileostomy surgery, I had the worst pain of my life. The spasms and cramping were so intense that I was vomiting and literally screaming in pain. This started not the first day after surgery but a few days after. I was kept in the hospital for 3 weeks post-surgery. But anyway, though this may be different, I just wanted to let you know what they said about it. It was said that my bowel was trying to 'reconnect itself' (loop ileostomy) and that sometimes happens. Really, I cannot explain how excruciating it was. I also discovered I had a kidney infection (this had been a urinary infection missed by nurses that got very bad). I was put on Buscopan instead of the

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Sorry, the message got cut short. So the Buscopan did help somewhat, not entirely, but eased a bit. Opioid painkillers made it worse. I also did have ileus (my body acted like a blockage), but it was just air and bile, no actual food blockage because I was not eating. I was on TPN. It did pass and got better on its own, but they had said that if it didn't start working correctly and stop cramping and causing me to get sick, I would have had a revision done as well. Maybe one of these things could also contribute to your pain.

I don't know if this helps, but I really hope you find out what's causing your pain and it starts to get better soon. It can take time to heal from surgery.

Hope you feel better soon,

xxx

I can say that today I am 100 percent better. It appears it was something I ate and very bad dehydration. I had some canned green beans and I think they may have blocked me. I definitely want to put them on the no-go list. My pain began about a month after the surgery. It comes in spurts like every two to three weeks and lasts for two to three days. Then....*poof*....gone for two to three weeks. Just really odd. Thanks for your reply.

I am doing 100 percent better. Pain has stopped after a 7-hour visit to the ER night before last. It appears that I was suffering from dehydration and possible food blockage. The canned green beans did not pass through well and they definitely got put on the no-go food list!