Surgery to remove swollen small intestines

Wyang566 · Dec 13, 2013

Hi,

I'm new in this forum.
Well, I did not even know what is CD before my wife had her 10cm swollen and blocked small intestines removed surgically.
We are from Malaysia, an asian country where it is very uncommon for CD.
Right now we are still waiting for the sample report but our doctor's said mostly it is CD due to the ulcer-alike on the removed intestine wall.
My wife is just 27 this year and she is recovering pretty well and she is waiting to pass gas after her abdominal surgery. Her surgery completed on 2.30pm (singapore, hong kong time) 11-Dec 2013.
Basically I am pretty sad that she needs to go through this ordeal.
She started with stomach ache like gastric, then it becomes diarrhoea and vomit and severe stomach pain.
Then we went to the hospital and there is no bowel movement detected and off we fo for a CT which shows swollen small intestines and off we go again for the barium test and showed that the small intestines was indeed blocked.
The surgery was an open abdominal one and it really traumatised my wife. But she is strong and never even shred a tear drop. I am weaker and i can only cry and cry. My wife just gave birth to our lovely daughter 3 weeks ago and why does she need to suffer this agony again?

What is the possible cause for CD(if she really gets one?)
Our doctors are pretty stunned too, it is very rare for CD in asia country.
Please advise as i really want to know why.

GIGI69 · Dec 13, 2013

I'm so sorry she is dealing with this, but thankful that she has someone who obviously loves her dearly. I had a very difficult time with my disease during and immediately after both of my pregnancies. I don't have an answer for why she has to deal with this, but I'm glad you found a place that can provide you understanding support. I can also tell you that she (and you) can go on to have a full and happy life with the disease. There are going to be times when she feels good and there will be times when she feels really poorly. I will pray for a speedy and pain free recovery.

hugh · Dec 13, 2013

Wyang566 said:
Hi,
What is the possible cause for CD(if she really gets one?)
Our doctors are pretty stunned too, it is very rare for CD in asia country.
Please advise as i really want to know why.

CD (and other western diseases) are rapidly becoming more common in asia as the diet becomes more Western (processed -more chemicals, more sugar, more wheat/corn/soy (as oppose to traditional fermented soy))
Nobody knows why but theories abound. Seems to be very closely linked to unhealthy gut bacteria (disbiosis)

The first place to look for relief is diet, as it is the least harmful and provides a means of taking control of your own health
Most revolve around excluding toxic foods (like processed foods, wheat, sugar etc) and excessive carbs (that feed bacterial overgrowth and imbalance) and restoring a healthy gut bacteria.

This may provoke howls from the 'diet doesn't matter' crowd but you have to see for yourself if it works for you.
There is a section of the forum dedicated to diet.
Check these out and do you own research.....
Probably the best introduction/healing diet......
http://gapsdiet.com/INTRODUCTION_DIET.html
The easiest diet to follow as it still allows carbs and my favourite long term diet.....
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/07/ulcerative-colitis-a-devastating-gut-disease/

wildbill_52280 · Dec 13, 2013

Wyang566 said:
Hi,

I'm new in this forum.
Well, I did not even know what is CD before my wife had her 10cm swollen and blocked small intestines removed surgically.
We are from Malaysia, an asian country where it is very uncommon for CD.
Right now we are still waiting for the sample report but our doctor's said mostly it is CD due to the ulcer-alike on the removed intestine wall.
My wife is just 27 this year and she is recovering pretty well and she is waiting to pass gas after her abdominal surgery. Her surgery completed on 2.30pm (singapore, hong kong time) 11-Dec 2013.
Basically I am pretty sad that she needs to go through this ordeal.
She started with stomach ache like gastric, then it becomes diarrhoea and vomit and severe stomach pain.
Then we went to the hospital and there is no bowel movement detected and off we fo for a CT which shows swollen small intestines and off we go again for the barium test and showed that the small intestines was indeed blocked.
The surgery was an open abdominal one and it really traumatised my wife. But she is strong and never even shred a tear drop. I am weaker and i can only cry and cry. My wife just gave birth to our lovely daughter 3 weeks ago and why does she need to suffer this agony again?

What is the possible cause for CD(if she really gets one?)
Our doctors are pretty stunned too, it is very rare for CD in asia country.
Please advise as i really want to know why.

mine seemed to happen after a course of antibiotics, which may damage healthy bacteria in the intestines. And this is one major theory which is gaining more support by the new studies of bacteria in IBD patients.

a new treatment meant to restore damaged bacteria in the intestines that can be done at home is in FDA trials over the next 2 years. It has already induced remission in IBD(crohns and UC) and may have cured UC according to Professor Thomas J borody. read more here- http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=52400

Wyang566 · Dec 13, 2013

Thank you for all the replies.
My wife just pass gas and i hope she will progress well and can be discharged soon.
As this was a major surgery, I really hope she doesn't need to go through this over again. I knew that CD has a high recurrence rate (50% recur in 3-4 years).
Anybody can recommend me a good hospital or doctor in your area?
Anywhere is ok. I just need to get this disease well under control.
My daughter was just 3 weeks old and I don't want this disease to ruin our healthy family life.
Please help, thank you and god bless.

hugh · Dec 13, 2013

Wyang566 said:
Anybody can recommend me a good hospital or doctor in your area?
Anywhere is ok. I just need to get this disease well under control.

depends what you're after, most doctors do not believe that diet matters,
but here's one that does.....
Dr. Joseph Brasco of the Huntsville Center for Colon and Digestive Disease talking about 'paleo diet' for IBD
[youtube]C8xLkEHZxDg[/youtube]

i' don't know anything about him, but i like what i hear
"Dr. Brasco received his BS degree from Rutgers College in New Jersey. His MD degree was completed in 1986 at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Dr. Brasco completed his residency for Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His fellowship in Gastroenterology was also completed at the University of Illinois in 1991.
Dr. Brasco holds board certifications in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology."

UnXmas · Dec 14, 2013

I'm sorry for what you're going through. Is your wife well enough to go online and visit this site for support as well?

Diet has not be proven to cause Crohn's. It may be that it's genetic. There's certainly no identifiable thing your wife could have done to avoid it.

Your wife will probably need to be on medications following her surgery. Have her doctors talked about follow up care? There are many options for Crohn's med to either try and get the disease into remission or keep it there. She may also benefit from pain medication, etc. to make her more comfortable.

Would her doctors be able to contact (e-mail, etc.) doctors from another country who specialise in Crohn's? They may be able to get some advice from doctors who see Crohn's far more often.

Wyang566 · Dec 15, 2013

UnXmas said:
I'm sorry for what you're going through. Is your wife well enough to go online and visit this site for support as well?

Diet has not be proven to cause Crohn's. It may be that it's genetic. There's certainly no identifiable thing your wife could have done to avoid it.

Your wife will probably need to be on medications following her surgery. Have her doctors talked about follow up care? There are many options for Crohn's med to either try and get the disease into remission or keep it there. She may also benefit from pain medication, etc. to make her more comfortable.

Would her doctors be able to contact (e-mail, etc.) doctors from another country who specialise in Crohn's? They may be able to get some advice from doctors who see Crohn's far more often.

Hi,

Many thanks for your input.
We are still waiting the report for the cause.
Anyway doctor did said he is going to prescribe probiotic first (the good bacteria to her intestine).
Then if it is really CD, she will be put on a 18 month antibiotic.
My worry is that CD is rarely seen in Asia and I'm not really 100% convinced which treatment method is the best for my wife.

ronroush7 · Dec 15, 2013

I am sorry for what she is going through. I have heard it is the immune system fighting against itself. Wishing her the best.

2

BowelMeOver · Dec 17, 2013

Wyang566 said:
Hi,
Anyway doctor did said he is going to prescribe probiotic first (the good bacteria to her intestine).
Then if it is really CD, she will be put on a 18 month antibiotic.

Just be sure that you aren't prescribed to take both simultaneously, as one will make the other useless.

I wish your wife fast healing.

UnXmas · Dec 18, 2013

Will she be getting any other medications? Usually more would be needed.

Wyang566 · Dec 23, 2013

Hi,

My wife is post op 2 weeks.
The wound pain is just a little bit.
But my question is that the small intestine removed and attached together part.
Is it normal to still feel pain on that part?
Yesterday my wife had rice and meat for her dinner and she felt pain afterwards.
Is it because of the solid food passing through that reattached small intestine?
Please advise, thank you so much.

UnXmas · Dec 23, 2013

Wyang566 said:
Hi,

My wife is post op 2 weeks.
The wound pain is just a little bit.
But my question is that the small intestine removed and attached together part.
Is it normal to still feel pain on that part?
Yesterday my wife had rice and meat for her dinner and she felt pain afterwards.
Is it because of the solid food passing through that reattached small intestine?
Please advise, thank you so much.

Yes, it's normal to have pain, usually for 6 to 8 weeks after surgery.

But if the pain is very severe - for example, to the point where she can't eat, or it's keeping her awake at night - or if the pain is getting worse rather than better, you might want to check with a doctor that everything's ok. Does she have a high temperature? If she does, that's something else you'll need to ask a doctor about.

Make sure she's not lifting anything heavy, as that can cause problems after an abdominal surgery. Sticking to soft foods can help. If the meat was red meat, it might be hard for her to digest. White meat might be easier. She might do better with chicken, fish, turkey, etc. rather than beef or lamb (if she's eating that kind of thing). If the rice was brown, she might do better with white rice.

Is she taking any painkillers?

Wyang566 · Dec 23, 2013

UnXmas said:
Yes, it's normal to have pain, usually for 6 to 8 weeks after surgery.

But if the pain is very severe - for example, to the point where she can't eat, or it's keeping her awake at night - or if the pain is getting worse rather than better, you might want to check with a doctor that everything's ok. Does she have a high temperature? If she does, that's something else you'll need to ask a doctor about.

Make sure she's not lifting anything heavy, as that can cause problems after an abdominal surgery. Sticking to soft foods can help. If the meat was red meat, it might be hard for her to digest. White meat might be easier. She might do better with chicken, fish, turkey, etc. rather than beef or lamb (if she's eating that kind of thing). If the rice was brown, she might do better with white rice.

Is she taking any painkillers?

Hi unxmas,

Many thanks for your advice.
Yes, she did take a painkiller yesterday and the pain got less and she is better today, no more great pain.
But today she developed fever (39C). She was always around 37.5C-38.7C throughout her 1 week post op stay in hospital. Anyway she took 2 pills paracetamol and the fever drop a little bit (38.5C). We already made an appointment with her doctor tomorrow. Hopes everything goes well.
I cant afford to see her in agony again.
Oh god, please...