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10-01-2013, 10:19 AM
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#1 | | Junior Member (female)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 13
| Large intestine completely empty, why?
Hi
A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with Pancreatitis, caused by gallstones. Long story short, my gallbladder was removed January 2012 and since then it feels like I've had nothing but problems.
I have been getting more and more bloated, when I eat food feels like it is going straight through me, and when I do have a bowel movement it's like a watery mess, very smelly.
I went to the docs a couple of weeks ago, and he put me on some strong gastro resistant tablets, and for a few days I felt better, had an appetite and my stools were normal.
Last week I went for some blood tests, went to work in the afternoon and was in the most agonising pain, felt like it was pancreatitis again. Work sent me to hospital, they picked up the blood results and found everything to be normal. They then decided to do a chest xray, which came back normal but the doc noticed my abdomen was really bloated and ordered an xray of my abdomen. I found out from that that I have a hernia, the doc assumed I knew about this but I didn't. He then showed me the xray and said your large bowel is completely empty, I asked if this is normal, he said "if you are fasting it's normal".......I am not fasting, so obvioulsy I am a bit worried about this. He said he suspects a small bowel obstruction! He then asked a surgeon to come and see me........5 hours later the surgeon had not arrived. It turns out they surgical team did not communicate my case when handing over. So, the doc said I could go home with the agreement that an appointment for an ultrasound be scheduled and then to see a surgeon.
I had to chase up the ultrasound dept today, and they have given me an appointment for 2 weeks time, is this really acceptable? I am so worried. I don't know if I should be seen asap or what.
Other things I've noticed over the last couple of months, is I can get slightly breathless, nothing too alarming, but I am aware of it, and I am sounding quite hoarse too. Sometimes I feel like food is stuck in my throat. I have gained 2 stone since March this year.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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10-01-2013, 05:33 PM
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#2 | | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chester, VA
Posts: 2,200
| Re: Large intestine completely empty,why?
Hi, if it were me I'd get an appt with a gastro,dr ASAP being sure to take copies of test results with me. (Don't want to have to redo them). Good luck, let us know! Cathy
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Gail73 (10-02-2013)
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10-01-2013, 11:44 PM
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#3 | | Junior Member (female)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 13
| Re: Large intestine completely empty,why?
Quote:
Originally Posted by noevr  Hi, if it were me I'd get an appt with a gastro,dr ASAP being sure to take copies of test results with me. (Don't want to have to redo them). Good luck, let us know! Cathy | Thanks for the reply, I'm going to call the doctor to see if I can rush this process along, it's worrying me, knowing something is wrong, but not knowing what exactly it is.
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10-02-2013, 05:32 AM
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#4 | | Junior Member (female)
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 13
| Re: Large intestine completely empty,why?
Been to the doctors this morning, and basically he isn't concerned at all....he gave me stronger gastric resistant tablets, 40mg Pantoprazile to be taken twice a day. He said he expects the ultrasound to come back normal when I have it in 2 weeks. So goodness knows what I'm supposed to think now.
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10-02-2013, 09:12 AM
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#5 | | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: St. Louis, MO, USA
Posts: 1,879
| Re: Large intestine completely empty, why?
Are you having bowel movements? If so, then it may be a blockage but a partial versus complete one. From what I've read, those usually get better on their own. My mom had one (likely caused by scar tissue from a decades earlier appendectomy). and was briefly hospitalized but didn't need surgery.
You didn't specifically mention having acid reflux / GERD. Pantoprazile is for acid reflux. Bile acid sequestrants can be helpful for gallbladder removal induced diarrhea which may also help the bloating.
As far as the following - Quote:
Originally Posted by Gail73 I can get slightly breathless, nothing too alarming, but I am aware of it, and I am sounding quite hoarse too. Sometimes I feel like food is stuck in my throat. I have gained 2 stone since March this year. | These are all symptoms that can occur with hypothyroidism. Nodules or goiters on the thyroid (such as with Hashimoto's or thyroiditis) can press on the vocal chords causing hoarseness and can also cause the "lump in the throat" feeling. Weight gain and "air hunger" are also symptoms of a dysfunctional thyroid. A full thyroid panel (including antibodies tests) could be done to see if that's the cause of these symptoms.
Hope you get answers and start feeling better soon.
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Gail73 (10-02-2013)
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10-05-2013, 08:07 PM
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#6 | | Senior Veteran (female)
Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Westfield, Ma. USA
Posts: 718
| Re: Large intestine completely empty, why?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gail73 Hi
A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with Pancreatitis, caused by gallstones. Long story short, my gallbladder was removed January 2012 and since then it feels like I've had nothing but problems.
I have been getting more and more bloated, when I eat food feels like it is going straight through me, and when I do have a bowel movement it's like a watery mess, very smelly.
I went to the docs a couple of weeks ago, and he put me on some strong gastro resistant tablets, and for a few days I felt better, had an appetite and my stools were normal.
Last week I went for some blood tests, went to work in the afternoon and was in the most agonising pain, felt like it was pancreatitis again. Work sent me to hospital, they picked up the blood results and found everything to be normal. They then decided to do a chest xray, which came back normal but the doc noticed my abdomen was really bloated and ordered an xray of my abdomen. I found out from that that I have a hernia, the doc assumed I knew about this but I didn't. He then showed me the xray and said your large bowel is completely empty, I asked if this is normal, he said "if you are fasting it's normal".......I am not fasting, so obvioulsy I am a bit worried about this. He said he suspects a small bowel obstruction! He then asked a surgeon to come and see me........5 hours later the surgeon had not arrived. It turns out they surgical team did not communicate my case when handing over. So, the doc said I could go home with the agreement that an appointment for an ultrasound be scheduled and then to see a surgeon.
I had to chase up the ultrasound dept today, and they have given me an appointment for 2 weeks time, is this really acceptable? I am so worried. I don't know if I should be seen asap or what.
Other things I've noticed over the last couple of months, is I can get slightly breathless, nothing too alarming, but I am aware of it, and I am sounding quite hoarse too. Sometimes I feel like food is stuck in my throat. I have gained 2 stone since March this year.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. | Get your doctor to order the ultrasound STAT, so it will be done immediately. The doctor that told you that you needed an ultrasound to confirm a small bowel obstruction should have ordered it for you that day. Sometimes you have to really put your foot down and be your own healthcare advocate. Maybe you should get a consult with a gastroenterologist so they can order the proper tests.
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