Stomach Grumbles - Normal or from Stricture?

Hey everyone.

Recently I had two hospital trips for small bowel obstructions and had a bit of trouble tapering off prednisone (didn't take the low residue diet seriously enough) but now I am doing better. I have gone from 40mg to 4mg and have not had any pain or anything but I am getting some stomach grumbles in the last two weeks that I did not have in the past. The ones I can feel in my lower back are just gas but sometimes I can feel it in the front of my abdomen. There is no pain or discomfort and the only D I've had has been a few times from some Fluoconozole I've been taking but it is only a 1 week course so I am almost done.

I've been trying to monitor for an obstruction and have been eating nothing that can cause intolerance issues as far as I know. I am on a strict low-residue/SCD diet and eat the same exact thing every day. 3-4 strips of turkey bacon in the morning, homemade chicken/veggie soup for lunch, and plain fish or chicken for dinner. I don't feel hungry but that is odd since I am consuming well under 1000 calories but it also doesn't "feel" like hunger noise.

So long story short, should I be worried?

I don't think you should worry. Any kind of unhealthy digestive system can excessively rumble - it's probably just excess gas, which, even in remission and on a suitable diet, can happen. I think when we have Crohn's are intestines are never completely normal. I was in hospital recently and they were far more concerned about a lack of bowel sounds - that's an indication of a blockage, though then you'd have plenty of pain and other symptoms too.

The sounds aren't necessarily to do with hunger at all. However, I would definitely worry that you are eating less than 1000 calories a day - that is terribly unhealthy and won't do you any good at all. You may not feel hunger - sometimes stomachs adapt to such a small amount of food you don't feel it any more, or your Crohn's can make you lose your appetite so you don't feel hunger for that reason - but you need more calories.

My tummy makes really loud grumbly noises all the time usually just after I have started eating - so not hunger noises.
It doesn't hurt but I can feel something like bubbles going through my intestines - I call it the fish tank effect.
I have found it is usually when I have the first solid meal of the day as I often have juice for breakfast and soup for a snack so it happens when we are all sat round at work having lunch

During my stay in the hospital in September my roommate had a blockage and know bowel sounds. Me on the other hand, I have one of the noisiest bowels ever. So the nurses used us to teach the student nurses what they were listening for

Crohn's gal since 1989 said:

During my stay in the hospital in September my roommate had a blockage and know bowel sounds. Me on the other hand, I have one of the noisiest bowels ever. So the nurses used us to teach the student nurses what they were listening for

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I see in your signature that you had an ileocolic resection. Would you mind me asking why and how your recovery is? That has been recommended for me but only 15cm. I am just hesitant to remove parts of my intestines this young (I am only 21) for fear of future surgery and eventually having decreased absorption. Also there has recently been an interesting theory about the usefulness of the appendix...

With regards to the bowel sounds, I usually have some mild noises throughout the day, especially after I eat. Last night was the first time I started getting back into veggies since my last hospital trip. I figured there was enough time to get the inflammation down since I have been on lots of supplements and what not for over a month, and this morning I had the loud grumbles and got very afraid of an incoming obstruction...they have since went away and I hope it stays that way but being afraid to eat 10 string beans is no way to live. I wish I could have a daily MRI to test for obstruction haha.

The general rule is if you are pass something (stool or gas) it is not an obstruction. In my case I was in a remission without maintenance meds for 7 years. During that time I began flaring again but instead of recognizing what was going on I unsuccessfully managed my Crohn's through avoidance of irritating foods. As a result I did a lot of damage to my small intestine. I went back to the GI who put me in for a rush colonoscopy 2.5 weeks later)! After the colonoscopy I wound up in the ER with excruciating pain. I had never felt such horrible pain! (And I've had 2 kids!). The doctors gave me morphine cipro and flagyll. Got over that saw GI again. Put on Pred and Aza. Was on them a couple weeks when I had my first obstruction. Week in the hospital. GI decides after a high resolution ultrasound that shows 15-20cm of strictured intestine that I should go forward with surgery because now that I've obstructed once, I will continue to obstruct. Plans made and appointment with surgeon set for Oct22/13. I obstructed again 09/09/13. Back in hospital. CT scan an X-ray show 40 cm of stricture. The doctors decide to go forward with surgery now. 09/14/13 50 cm removed by resection.

My GI says that I am an unusual case as this was my first surgery, by my age (44) most people with Crohn's have had 2 or more. He also said this surgery should buy me up to 10 years symptom free. As far as recovery goes. I am still home on sick leave because my incision reopened and I work in child care. My surgeon doesn't want me back to work until my incision is completely closed. My am still having D but that is because of excess bile salts. My GI explained that now that my small intestine is 50cm shorter, it is unable to absorb all of the bile salts leaving more water in my stool. I now take Questren once a day and that has shown almost immediate results. My D is going away and my stools are becoming more solid.

I still have my appendix. Other then the delivery of my 2 kids, I have only had my tonsils removed.

If you have any more questions feel free to inbox me!