Sharp stomach pains post ileostomy? Trapped wind?

Hi SarahSerena, 

I nearly contacted you last night!! My husband is still in hospital after 2 weeks. We were celebrating on Saturday as he ate all his meals, and the stoma seemed Ok. Then apparently he had dreadful pains all night which kept him awake. Yesterday his tummy had swollen up again(it did this after the operation), although he passed wind and was more comfortable. Luckily he is still being fed intravenously otherwise I would really worry. Hope thy sort him out today. I'll let you know!!

Thank you for your reply. I do hope your hubby is feeling much better today. If this can happen with a feeding tube I will feel a little less guilty about the casserole I made for us last night  I hope that it is just trapped wind. It was just very worrying to have had weeks of everything being ok and then this. Of course we both imagine the worst but there is nothing showing on the scans and we’re just waiting for his bloods to come back but he feels fine now. When will your hubby be home do you think? 

Hi,

After his food on Saturday (which was pureed) we thought he would be home today or tomorrow. but I can't see that happening now. His seems to be trapped wind, and it was the most he had eaten so far!!! Had your husband eaten anything different? 

Hi . I hope your hubby is feeling better today and all his tests are ok. It sounds like it might have been a blockage but you were right to seek medical help. I’m sure it wasn’t your cooking but remind your hubby to chew everything well before swallowing especially mushrooms as they can go through undigested. We once had petit pois instead of garden peas (picked up wrong bag in supermarket) and they were bobbing about in the toilet when I emptied my bag! There’s a few tips below on managing a blockage and the signs to watch out for but, if in doubt, get medical advice

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ileostomy/risks/

Take care

Karen x

Thank you both! We have no idea what caused it, he hasn’t eaten anything different but it might well be that he didn’t properly chew a mouthful. Dinner last night was chicken casserole (with carrots, potato, etc) and we’ve had it a couple of times since he’s been home. It might have been that he ate too much in one go too. He had a normal sized portion. He’s also probably not drinking enough - it’s hard when it’s cold. So probably a combination of things. It was certainly a scare! Back to smaller meals for a bit I think!  Thanks for the link Karen, worth reading again for keeping it top of mind!

nannyanny, I hope he gets home soon. Hospital is the best place but there is nothing like home for recovery! 

Hi SarahSerena,

Is your husband home? My husband has been taken off food by mouth, and has been told its post operative ileus!!! The stoma started working when I was in there just now. Its almost as if it needs a rest now and then!! I'm quite glad I'm not trying to cope at home with this.

Oh goodness! At least you know what it is now I guess. 

Yes he is home, a little discomfort and a little pain coming and going but nothing like last night. We think it’s trapped wind and possibly backed up food as he’s had a few bum farts and bag air. He is getting output from the stoma now, quite thick liquid consistency and he’s drinking lots of water and massaging his tummy. I’m on standby incase it gets worse to take him to hospital but he feels a lot better now. He did see a piece of orange carrot in his bag earlier so I don’t think he was chewing properly!!

All of this is so tiring. I’m hoping this helps a new ostomate by sharing his experience. I will do some reading on the ileus though, just incase. That’s something I had never heard of before. So many possible complications and I think with us being 5/6 weeks in an no issues we thought we’d turned a corner. 

Thanks for the help and support. Hope your hubby is feeling much better soon! Xxx 

Just got an email off him. The stoma is working again and he feels much easier. He has also had soup and icecream for tea!

Great news! Did they do anything for the ileus problem? I’m wondering if that may be what hubby has. He’s still getting a little pain so we may end up going back to the hospital today if it doesn’t let up. 

The first time it happened they put a tube up, and got it running. This time it seems to have freed itself. I'm guessing its part of the healing process. When I was in there he passed so much wind I thought the bag would blow up!!! They sent him for an Xray yesterday, so I'll let you know what they found, if anything. He asked for pain killers to help him sleep, which made him feel better. Each time they have taken him off mouth food until the stoma works, which was only one day this time.

14 years ago he was in the same hospital for throat cancer, and we had similar problems then. They eventually removed his larynx and because he had previously had radiotherapy there it took AGES to heal up. But he got there eventually.