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Feeling ‘blocked’ 7 weeks after stoma reversal surgery

Cat21
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Hi, 7 weeks after my stoma reversal surgery I still have a lot of pain when feeling like I need a bowel movement.  I get really terrible contractions with very little or no movement at all. It feels as though there is a blockage preventing the bowel movement.   It has been suggested that I try kefir milk, does anyone know if this helps?   Any other suggestions would be very much appreciated.  

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    Hello Cat21,

                       know the feeling well, l put the blockage feeling down to the site of the rejoined bowel or reformed pouch,and muscle memory loss coupled to incorrect messaging to the brain. You strain so much it feels like you create a stricture through which nothing can pass,like inverting a sock leaving no opening which anything can pass through,whilst pushing hard to do so.l found the following help me by chance,whilst sitting on the loo.lifting a leg,standing up between movements,leaning forward with down and holding for twenty seconds,you should feel tension release and upon straightening trapped wind release and movement , and finally and best massaging lower groin area following a strained movement releases tension and allows a further motion.l have also found that a lot of sitting triggers  more frquency,walking and moving definitely helps. Reading this it would seem l get most of my exercise sat upon Thomas Crappers design masterpiece,and disappointingly l have to date also resisted the urge(sorry) to release(groan) a workout video,but it works for me.l have one of the horrors that has taken five years to get back to normality,but in fairness it was not helped by excessive bile production causing inflammation resulting from gallbladder removal,l hope your recovery  goes a lot better,

                                                                                                                                        David

                                                                

  • Offline in reply to gruntifen

    Hi David,

    thanks so much for sharing your experience and very descriptive solutions!  I do some of what you suggest but I’ll certainly try the others - sounds like quite a work out!!   Have you found anything in your diet helps or makes things worse?  

     

    Cheers,

    cat

  • Offline in reply to Cat21

    Hello Cat 21,

                       l have been through 5 years since stoma reversal to get to where l am today.During that period the bowel continued to change.You just need to mindful of what you have eaten if you have effects.l found it was not only the initial stone being dropped in the water as it were,but the ripple effect that can cause problems several days after,when you tend to only look at the day before.We are all different so you have work it out for you,but l found Ginger Beneficial,l took it as nuts or beer.l was told to eat jelly babies,presumably to bind you up when you get extremely loose,l found this surreal,but since l have a sweet tooth not too onerus.Chocolate was a killer early days,as was cabbage.Peas,still are but carrot was excellent.Anything that bloats you and gives you wind was definitely bad,since the bowel has to relearn how to pass wind without any of its companions.As time goes on this changes so eating leafy greens,oinions and spicy foods can come back into your diet,l never imagined previously how much joy there is to be had from just passing wind, since it also can assist when passing boiwel movements.The thing l have come to realise it that my bowel started again like that of a newborn,and went through asll the stages  of growing up,and in my case it retained no memory to shortcut the time process. l still get flare ups,but these are much shorter lived,further apart,and what l eat plays no part in triggering these,and l eat anything.They now no longer stop me from doing anything in life.

                                            l hope you have great success in reaching your stable plateau and can crack on with living your second coming and savour all what your new life holds in store for you,

                                                                                                                                              David

                                          

                                                                                                                               

  • Offline in reply to gruntifen

    thanks so much for this.  I think I may be a wee bit ...or big bit, impatient!!   At least I know there’s probably nothing wrong and I just have to get on with it. 

     

    Cat

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    Hi. I had an ileostomy reversal at the end of July and connection to my colostomy stoma. I've felt blocked, had lots of pain and been sick. CT scan shows the join is swollen do I am now on a soft food diet for a month. The pain has gone and I feel so much better already. I hope this helps reduce the swelling or I have to be opened up again . Perhaps you should give us a go for a couple of weeks. Good luck x

  • Offline in reply to BuffyM

    Hi, thanks for that info.  I have stopped eating red meat and reducing the amount of brown bread I eat.  So far I seem to have improved although still having to visit the loo soon after eating  ( now actually having a movement!!) so hopefully this is a step in the right direction.

  • Offline in reply to gruntifen

    Hi,

    Do you feel like diet had a lot to do with it? I'm just 6 weeks post op from reversal and I've not had much movement at all. I am starting to get a little concerned over it! My diet is the same as it's always been as I didn't really get an indication of what I should be eating or shouldn't upon discharge. I waited a year and a half for the reversal and I'm terrified it's not working as it should. 
     

     

  • Offline in reply to BuffyM

    Hi Cat21,

     

    Can I ask how you've been doing since October? Experiencing something similar myself. 

  • Offline in reply to ashleym1292

    Hi. Just wondering how you are now as my Husband is 4 weeks post op. He has an awful lot of wind and trapped wind. 

    Feels full and doesn't really feel like eating.

    Hoping this is the bowel kicking back into working.

  • Offline in reply to ashleym1292

    Hi Ashley!  What happened at the end? I am in the same situation. Please let me know. I am in the week 5 after reversal.

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