Laxatives, Vomiting, And Stomach Pain - Oh My!

[Shanny 70]

I posted a few weeks ago that I was having some stomach issues. I had posted that I can't poop, and that I was having a pulling pain in my stomach. Well, this week, I have been to 5 different doctors, including my surgeon, primary care doctor, emergency room twice, and the gastro doctor. I finally got some answers and feel much better, but here's what they think went wrong...

Okay, here's the whole story. In December I went on a cruise to the Bahamas. I'm one of those sleevers that have a very temperamental stomach. I can't digest a lot of foods, so I have to be pretty picky when it comes to what I eat. On the cruise, I ate Protein bars, cheese, baked chicken (when they had it available), and salad - for 7 days. Unfortunately when I did try to eat other things, I spent a lot of time throwing up. FYI Curried chicken does NOT love my sleeve. Anyway, I got really constipated while on vacation, for about a week. When we got home I took a laxative and was able to go the bathroom. A few days later, I was constipated again, so I took another laxative. A week after that, I was constipated again, so I took another one. I thought it was just because it was the holidays and I was eating differently.

Two weeks ago, I was really constipated - 6 days with no output, so I took another laxative. It didn't work, so I took another one. Basically I only passed Water. The bloating and inability to go to the bathroom continued. Since then my stomach had become really distended, and I went from being 149 pounds to 156. I could no longer wear pants because I couldn't button them. I had stopped eating food, and went on all liquids because eating was so uncomfortable. Then the vomiting started. As of last night it had been 18 days since I went to the bathroom.

I went to my PCP, and surgeon and they ordered a CT scan. There was no obstruction noted so they told me to take Miralax. I started taking the Miralax and it got worse. So much gas, and bloating. I couldn't even drink anything without throwing up. I went to the ER on Tuesday and they made it sound like Constipation was normal and that I would go eventually. Wednesday I was in so much pain - I noticed that I wasn't passing urine either. Yesterday, I went to work and honestly had people at work ask if I was pregnant. I looked like I was 5 months. My stomach was huge. Last night I went back to the ER, I couldn't keep anything in, I had a fever, and I thought I was going to die. My blood pressure was 90/70 and my pulse rate had gone down. I only passed urine 1 time all day, even though I had a cup of coffee, 32 oz of Water, and tea.

They did an x-ray and saw how constipated I was. Then came the examine that revealed I had an impacted colon. They had to manually remove the impaction before giving me an enima. It was so painful, but I felt 100 x better immediately! The doctor told me that I was slowly being poisoned by the toxins that were building up in my body. My blood pressure and pulse being low and not being able to pass urine, was being caused because my systems were shutting down due to the toxins. As soon as I went to the bathroom, my blood pressure went back up to normal, and I felt so much better. I still don't feel 100% but it's damn close. My weight went from 156 yesterday to 147 today.

I don't have an appetite and I have to force myself to drink but at least the worse part is over. They found a lot of pus and blood in my stole, so my intestines are infected. I'm waiting on a date for a colonoscopy to find out if it was caused by the impaction or if there's another reason.

My doctors believe that the impaction came from my sudden change in diet, and vomiting. Then from my frequent use of laxatives. I was just trying to go to bathroom and give myself some relief.

The moral to this story is, when you go on vacation, make sure you have plenty of foods that you can eat with you, if you have a sensative stomach. Make sure you're eating like you're supposed to, and get plenty of exercise. Vomiting and constipation are NOT normal. See your doctor and don't give up if you know there is something wrong. I'm lucky that they were able to figure out what was going on before it was too late. It could have been a lot worse.

[SunshineMom2 6]

Wow, I am so sorry that you had to go through all that but glad you are finally better and healing.. I know what it is like to have pain and feel like something is wrong but the doctors say it is nothing serious.. so glad you stuck to your guns and got it figured out.. take care of yourself and rest so your body can heal... keep us informed on how things go.. i will pray for lots of healing for you..

[circa 333]

Lesson #2 of the story - when your body is telling you something, LISTEN! And don't take a passive doctor's crap for an answer! (No pun intended!)

Glad you're ok!

[andersonlj 32]

So sorry to hear that you have had so many problems. I did have a week that i did not have a bowel movement either and I became very concerned. I started to take some Gummy Fiber chews and a stool softner everyday and I finally was able to go but not after some intense straining. I have worked in the medical field for many years and I have participated in the manual removal of stool from people that have become severly impacted, I can imagine your discomfort but I can also imagine how much better your felt once that was removed. I certainly hope that you tests are all good and that it was caused from your diet and change in eating.

I am in Chicago this weekend and I am trying to decide what I can have to eat Saturday night as I would like to go out instead of staying in my room and eating a Protein shake or packaged Soup with hot Water. I have a craving for Mexican and thought that maybe just some chicken, cheese, chopped Tomato and some Beans would work but I am going to think about this until tomorrow night.

Keep us posted as to your test results and again I hope that all is well.

[Mrs.Newme 21]

OMG! That is crazy that you had to go through all of that. I am glad you are okay. You could have gotten seriously seriously ill. This is definitely good information to know as I am finding I am sensitive to some foods that I wasn't sensitive to in the past. Please continue getting well.