Not a straight forward pregnancy..

[NessBryant]

So I'm pregnant with my first, due September, and things have been sort of ok so far (regarding the baby) but I had an operation last year to remove my colon (and now have an Ileostomy bag on my tummy) and since falling pregnant I've suffered with what are known as 'blockages'. Horrendous pain in tummy+back, and the third time I ended up in A+E in St Thomas's in London (as we were having an evening out to see a show-that never happened )
A+E staff were quite concerned but when I got back home, midwife didn't seem too worried. Basically, it's going to happen again, I don't know when, they are really awful and without sounding too dramatic I find it quite traumatizing! so I'm sitting and waiting for the next one!
I'm told to take paracetamol and have baths when it happens..I just feel like I need more help? Should I take the midwives word as final?Should I be trying to do more? My Ileostomy nurses say it's just scar tissue from my operation.
I just feel a bit passed around, like knowbody really knows what to do, and they aren't worried, but the thought of it happening potentially once a week scares the shit out of me and by the end of this pregnancy I'm going to be a nervous wreck.

Anybody have any advice?please xxx

Blimey you poor thing

I have no experience of this but I didn't want to read and leave without saying somethin, hopefully my reply will bump your post.

I had a quick look on stomawise the ostomy support charity and there's some good info about trying to prevent these blockages with diet. I'm sure you probably already know this and I don't want to seem like I'm patronising you.

I'm not sure if they can help you but I think, given how traumatic it is for you and how distressed you seem, I'd make a fuss and ask for more help. You seem like you need reassurance.

thank you fern..not patronising at all! thank you for stopping to comment! Yes I have changed my diet to a low-fibre diet, which is very boring, no crunchy fruit or veg or lovely salads, so another thing to dampen my mood! The main thing is that the baby is ok, but the worry and anxiety it's causing can't be good for either of us..I'm under an obstetrician but I'm not seeing him until next month, and I assumed I would see him sooner rather than later, as I'm not a 'normal' case, rather than when I'm over 20 weeks..

xxxx

I'm sure your baby will be fine Ness. It's a common problem with pregnancy that the bowel slows anyway (can't tell you how constipated I've been myself! I'm 17+4 due beginning of October) make sure you up the water. Boring as it is, it's really helping me. I would go back to your midwife and stoma nurse and push how anxious and low you're feeling. Anxiety won't harm the baby but you need to be kind to yourself too.

Very sensible words thank you Fern, I think I'll press a bit harder, the general advice from people is that I need to stamp my feet a little if I want to see results, in the mean time I'm going to try and take up a few things like swimming and walking to calm my mind! xxx

Hi Ness,
You're right! It's not a typical pregnancy (I'm not a medic, but I think it's safe to say that you have circumstances most women don't).

So, look, this is your pregnancy, your baby and your body. We all - myself included - have a tendency to not want to make a fuss and just do what we're told by medical staff. The thing is, time is passing in your pregnancy and you're worrying about something that sounds pretty difficult to deal with. There are really two options. 1. Be a "good" patient or 2. Call the obstetrician/his secretary and ask for a meeting sooner. Even if it means moving the appointment ahead one week, that's one week less of worrying before you can speak to someone. If they can't do that, ask to speak to someone else about it. You need support and you'll have to be proactive in getting it. It's great that the baby is ok, but you also need to be doing as well as possible (physically and emotionally) and it doesn't sound like you're quite there yet.

Good luck both with getting the support you need and the pregnancy. It sounds really, really hard.

Hi Ness,

I would be really very surprised if the midwife had an awful lot of experience with cases similar to yours and like the other posters here I would press for a sinner appointment with the obstetrician. If you get your concerns documented (and you may want to write a letter or send an email to the midwifery service so it is on the record), then it is more difficult to ignore. In fact, it will be very much in their interest to get you the service you are requesting because it wouldn't look good for them should anything go wrong (it won't! But see it from their perspective!).

good luck!

Hi Ness.

I've also had my colon removed but I've had a jpouch built rather than a stoma. It's taken us 3 years of IVF to get pregnant because scar tissue has affected my tubes. Regardless, everyone I speak to says "pregnancy is different and you'll be fine". They also said I'd be fine conceiving until I kicked up a pretty big fuss so I'm prepared to be a right pain in the rear if I'm not happy again as they definitely don't have all the answers!

So I'd say, if you are not happy, kick up a fuss. Blockages are scary, stressful and could be indicative of something more so should be checked. I have the number for my gastro consultant so I put in a call to them whenever I've got symptoms or issues that I don't understand or are comfortable with.

Pregnancy does make you a bit 'slower' so even with a low fibre diet, blockages are going to be a likelihood and you need a better answer on how to deal with them. MF will have no idea about stomas so speak to your stoma nurse and/or gastro consultants and get yourself comfortable. Best way to look after baby is to look after you!

Best of luck
ED xx

BTW: 6 weeks pregnant now. Feel awful, thoroughly terrified but so happy about it!

Thank you all, and thank you Edinburgh..I can't believe I've actually found someone who is pregnant with a similar issues as me!
I'm taking your advice and I'm also going to phone the Gastroenterology department where I was last seen, and even though I've been discharged from them because of my op, they said come back if I have any problems and I think this counts yes I don't particularly like causing a fuss, and I think it's also due to the fact that I've seen sooooo many people at the hosp over the last few years (and also had a lot of problems with doctors/nurses) that I was trying to avoid it, but this is serious and I have a baby to think of too, and I don't want to screw this up. Thank you all, you've given me the little push I needed..xxx

I also have a j-pouch and am 30w pregnant with number 2. I would push for lots of communication between the obstetrician and your gastroenterologist. Our hospital has joint clinics with them both for pregnant women with dodgy bowels!

I have lots of extra scans to check baby is growing ok (last one was big though so they aren't too worried). I have to have sections so the j-pouch isn't put at risk, and they had a general surgeon in attendance just in case there were adhesions.

Good luck and pm me if you want to ask specifics!

Wow thanks Tall, you sound like you've got it all under control! I've left a message with the gastro's Secretary to say I want to make an appointment to come in and see them. Got my 20 wk scan next week so looking forward to that for the next few days I think. Thank you all xxx