I've had this happen 4 to 5 times now in the past 6.5 weeks. I spent most of today curled almost in a fetal position on my bed with horrible cramping/aching in my abdomen area.

Have had no food issues in most recent 48 hrs. Start to get really bad abdominal cramping like I'm going to have diarrhea...sometimes there is a small BM & it is not the signature 'hard/rocky' type BM, but the pain just continues on and on. Have decent pain tolerance but if I was asked to walk upright, I'd have to pause and bend over if there was anywhere to do so.

In the end it is usually concluded that I was not necessarily:

• Constipated
• Experiencing a bad food/rejection/pouch issue
• An upset/irritated pouch that is possibly swollen

I still have some medicine on hand that my doctor prescribed for abdominal pain - methocarbamol (Robaxin). That doesn't even put a dent in it! I also have another med for abdominal pain/spasms - hyoscyamine that I have not been able to find today but it has never seemed to help much either. This med is supposed to "Gut antispasmodic and anti-tremor".

I wish I HAD found it today to at least give it a try as I was at 'desperation level'. Only way I can think to describe how it feels is that it feels like my lower intestines/colon are twisting themselves into knots.

Is this just something that is part of the healing process/that just stops over time. It's the whole 'intense pain without a causative factor that I can put my finger on" part that is driving me crazy. This type of pain usually lasts at least 8 hrs and knocks me out of the majority of the day which is NOT good when you need to be working.

that's not normal. I'd contact a doctor.

Doesn't sound right to me.

12 hours ago, KarenLR75 said:

I've had this happen 4 to 5 times now in the past 6.5 weeks. I spent most of today curled almost in a fetal position on my bed with horrible cramping/aching in my abdomen area.

Have had no food issues in most recent 48 hrs. Start to get really bad abdominal cramping like I'm going to have diarrhea...sometimes there is a small BM & it is not the signature 'hard/rocky' type BM, but the pain just continues on and on. Have decent pain tolerance but if I was asked to walk upright, I'd have to pause and bend over if there was anywhere to do so.

In the end it is usually concluded that I was not necessarily:

• Constipated
• Experiencing a bad food/rejection/pouch issue
• An upset/irritated pouch that is possibly swollen

I still have some medicine on hand that my doctor prescribed for abdominal pain - methocarbamol (Robaxin). That doesn't even put a dent in it! I also have another med for abdominal pain/spasms - hyoscyamine that I have not been able to find today but it has never seemed to help much either. This med is supposed to "Gut antispasmodic and anti-tremor".

I wish I HAD found it today to at least give it a try as I was at 'desperation level'. Only way I can think to describe how it feels is that it feels like my lower intestines/colon are twisting themselves into knots.

Is this just something that is part of the healing process/that just stops over time. It's the whole 'intense pain without a causative factor that I can put my finger on" part that is driving me crazy. This type of pain usually lasts at least 8 hrs and knocks me out of the majority of the day which is NOT good when you need to be working.

Hi, got my Acute Care Nurses hat on here.

Any pain that cannot be easily relieved with over the counter medication definitely needs investigation. And looking through these boards this does not seem to be a side effect that is common with other members.

The pain sounds quite severe and I would really recommend you get it checked out, preferably when it is happening. How long does it last, what score do you give it out of 10, do you have any kind of fever with it?

Bowels do get blocked and can twist etc and that is a very very serious issue if it happens, although normally it would be ongoing and wouldn't stop so even though it is very unlikely to be that you really MUST get checked out and sorted.

It may well be that your bowel is just having spasms and even though I say 'just' spasming, it can be incredibly painful.

It does sound like spasms, but I always say much better to get checked out and know that even though it is very painful it is not serious.

Keep us updated on how you go

I've had this happen 4 to 5 times now in the past 6.5 weeks. I spent most of today curled almost in a fetal position on my bed with horrible cramping/aching in my abdomen area.
Have had no food issues in most recent 48 hrs. Start to get really bad abdominal cramping like I'm going to have diarrhea...sometimes there is a small BM & it is not the signature 'hard/rocky' type BM, but the pain just continues on and on. Have decent pain tolerance but if I was asked to walk upright, I'd have to pause and bend over if there was anywhere to do so.
In the end it is usually concluded that I was not necessarily:

• Constipated
• Experiencing a bad food/rejection/pouch issue
• An upset/irritated pouch that is possibly swollen

I still have some medicine on hand that my doctor prescribed for abdominal pain - methocarbamol (Robaxin). That doesn't even put a dent in it! I also have another med for abdominal pain/spasms - hyoscyamine that I have not been able to find today but it has never seemed to help much either. This med is supposed to "Gut antispasmodic and anti-tremor".
I wish I HAD found it today to at least give it a try as I was at 'desperation level'. Only way I can think to describe how it feels is that it feels like my lower intestines/colon are twisting themselves into knots.
Is this just something that is part of the healing process/that just stops over time. It's the whole 'intense pain without a causative factor that I can put my finger on" part that is driving me crazy. This type of pain usually lasts at least 8 hrs and knocks me out of the majority of the day which is NOT good when you need to be working.

Sorry to hear you are going through this KarenLR75!! Please have it checked out the next time you are experiencing that type of pain!! Doesn't sound normal and Kudos to you for having high pain tolerance and trying to wait it out BUT sometimes our bodies are communicating something to use with the pain! I pray it's something benign and you are back to the business of no pain!!???[emoji176]

13 hours ago, KarenLR75 said:

Only way I can think to describe how it feels is that it feels like my lower intestines/colon are twisting themselves into knots

Hi !

This sounds like abnormal pain and I think it should be investigated.

Surgeons will tell you the only normal pain you will feel for a while is either gas or incision site pain, (not gut wrenching unbearable spasms... No one would have the surgery )

Did you let the surgical team know yet?

Get Well Soon ?

I've had this happen 4 to 5 times now in the past 6.5 weeks. I spent most of today curled almost in a fetal position on my bed with horrible cramping/aching in my abdomen area.
Have had no food issues in most recent 48 hrs. Start to get really bad abdominal cramping like I'm going to have diarrhea...sometimes there is a small BM & it is not the signature 'hard/rocky' type BM, but the pain just continues on and on. Have decent pain tolerance but if I was asked to walk upright, I'd have to pause and bend over if there was anywhere to do so.
In the end it is usually concluded that I was not necessarily:

• Constipated
• Experiencing a bad food/rejection/pouch issue
• An upset/irritated pouch that is possibly swollen

I still have some medicine on hand that my doctor prescribed for abdominal pain - methocarbamol (Robaxin). That doesn't even put a dent in it! I also have another med for abdominal pain/spasms - hyoscyamine that I have not been able to find today but it has never seemed to help much either. This med is supposed to "Gut antispasmodic and anti-tremor".
I wish I HAD found it today to at least give it a try as I was at 'desperation level'. Only way I can think to describe how it feels is that it feels like my lower intestines/colon are twisting themselves into knots.
Is this just something that is part of the healing process/that just stops over time. It's the whole 'intense pain without a causative factor that I can put my finger on" part that is driving me crazy. This type of pain usually lasts at least 8 hrs and knocks me out of the majority of the day which is NOT good when you need to be working.

Hey Karen,

I know EXACTLY what u are going thru. It's been happening to me about once a month for the past year. It doesn't happen everytime I have a BM which is why I waited so long to talk to my surgeon. I'm 2 yrs out from bypass surgery btw. The pain is incredibly intense and i can feel the poop moving extremely slowly thru the lower intestines as the pain is happening. The poop will move, intense unbelievable pain happens, poop stops moving, pain eases. Rinse and repeat. I'd be drenched in sweat by the time the cycle stops and sometimes the poop would come out, othertimes not.

As much as I want to curl up into a ball, it hurts more when i do that. Once I started stretching my stomach out, like arching my back/leaning back type of position so my guts were as stretched as can be, I found the pain would last for shorter bursts. Still painful but less so. Also, this is going to sound silly but also putting pressure on my lower belly where the pain is and rubbing around in circles or jiggling that area also seems to help the bouts of pain go by quicker.

My surgeon immediately told me not to worry, this can unfortunately be a common ailment with bariatric patients, worse in summertime due to dehydration, and it's constipation and/or harder poops. The poop (probably harder, less water in it) is trying to move thru the intestine which is what is causing the pain. I, too, was terribly concerned that it was a twisted intestine or choked bowel or some horrible thing and he assured me it wasn't that. For a couple of reasons:
1. I can have a BM without pain. The excruciating pain doesn't happen every time/day.
2. If it was one of those very rare horrible ailments I was so afraid of, he said it would be OBVIOUS. My other symptoms would be things like uncontrollable vomiting, fever, pain doesn't stop, no bowel movements at all, can't keep food or drink down, etc. Stuff like that.

So, he said I needed to incorporate Miralax (polyethylene glycol) daily into my routine immediately, keep trying to drink lots and lots of water, and get more fiber (green veggies and other fibrous foods or fiber supplement).

That convo was last week so I'm just starting the new regimine and can't tell u how successful it's been yet, but I'm hopeful. Many other people on this board are also taking daily constipation prevention OTC solutions for the same reasons, so we are not alone. Some folks use Milk of Magnesia once a week and/or daily colace and/or daily magnesium citrate...along with lots of water and fiber of course. Just another thing we need to keep up on in our new "rearranged guts" lives! [emoji6]

All that said, I am not a nurse or doctor and above all, if u feel concerned and that u should see a medical professional about your pain, u do it immediately! Don't let anyone stop u or talk u out of it!!

Good luck sweety! [emoji106]

OMG, I forgot to respond to everyone's replies.

I actually get this..like every 2 to 4 weeks it seems. The first 2 times was before I had healed very much (I'm...7 weeks out now?)...and I got so dehydrated I was sent to hospital for a long duration of IV fluids. They also gave me some meds for abdominal pain/cramping (I had already taken the 2 different meds my surgeon had prescribed for this and he prescribed Tramadol as well, but Tramadol does nothing for me).

When the 'meds' I had at home were not enough to suffice and after hours of enduring the agony, I actually did call dr both times. That 1st hospital visit also gave me some type of pain relief but I have no clue what it was. It was not what I had on hand, nor was it a heavy duty narcotic.

The 2nd time I had this kind of pain I was sent to another facility to drink soapy water (I was only a few weeks out and it was one of worst things I've ever had to try to drink, esp with being not even 1 month past operation. Scan showed no leaks, etc.

The 3rd time, I was told to go back to hospital I had scan at. Was kept overnight. Was in awful pain. Scan done again and only thing they could see this time was that my esophagus tended to spasm which answered question of why I felt my throat and 'restriction' were locking down sometimes after even a small mouthful of water. Only thing the hospital offered me for pain relief was IV tramadol. I didn't even pay attention as I was so completely miserable..I just noticed that I had NO pain relief during the 15 hrs I was @ hospital, unlike 1st one i went to where they gave me something that helped.

THUS, I have resolved to NOT go back to a hospital I do not let my dr know any more when I have these..episodes?

It seems the ONLY test that can be run during these horrid events is just the soap drink/check your GI tract/pouch? No thank you. If I am going to spend almost a full day ((or what ends up being a full day out of commission), with no way to even take the edge off the pain..then I'll stay home and keep trying to get through it.

I don't know if it is the dang opioid crisis or what, but my prescription history shows i do not take ANY pain pills as a general rule. They just are usually not worth it. They could check previous hospitalizations and see that 90% of the time I turn down heavy duty pain meds and opt for 'less powerful' pain meds (tylenol, etc. and no, not tylenol with anything added).

That is why 10 days ago...on what I now see was the 4th time to have the exact same symptoms I just posted here. I should have given the backstory....

My fingers are crossed that I never have another episode again! If i do though, I'm just staying here. It hurts enough that if I could drink alcohol and IF that even helped anything, I MAYBE would do so...but that is not my preferred way to handle things.