Question:
What is a bowel obstrution?

How do you get one?    — T W. (posted on February 4, 2003)

February 4, 2003
It probably could be caused by any one of a number of things. My doctor said it was more of a bowel kink than an obstruction. I had two, one right after surgery and one about 2 years later. First one was dealt with by surgery and the second one I was intubated and they waited it out. Very uncomfortable but still not a deal breaker for WLS
   — Mary G.

February 5, 2003
I had a bowel kink 12 weeks after surgery, they at first thought I had a bad gallbladder but they did a cat scan and found the kink. It was the worst kind of pain but it just happened no apparent cause. Had surgery to fix it and am now four months out and doing great!
   — kelly M.

February 7, 2003
A year ago last December I had a bowel obstruction that nearly killed me. I was in the hospital for 3 days before the doctors could locate it, in unbearable pain. The surgeon told me that anytime you have an abdominal surgery and the doctors disturb the mucous lining that cushions your intestine, where it was disturbed the intestines can stick or 'adhere' to each other. Then when they go through their motions of digestion, the places that have stuck together can cause a twist or kink. In my case, my twisting and kinking had tied my intestines into kind of a bow. When the surgeon went in and cut that scar tissue and released the stuck intestines from each other, everything went right back where it belonged. Even though the doctors assumed that my adhesions and bowel obstruction was from WLS, my surgeon who fixed it said that it was conclusively from my hysterectomy, because of how low it was. She also told me that the more abdominal surgeries you have, the more at risk you are. They are very unpleasant and have killed more than once. But, you can't have one and not know it. They hurt like mad. It is a "I gotta go to the hospital NOW" kind of pain.
   — Cara F.

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