DIOS - any tips on how to get your bowels moving after a blockage?

[Frace]

My daughter has awful CF-related gut problems. She's getting over a blockage, but even the laxatives aren't getting things moving - just sitting there in her gut. Any advice or tips on how to make things push forward? The drs seem to be running out of non-surgical ideas. We're getting desperate.

Thank you.

 

[Rebjane]

How old is your daughter? My daughter has had terrible constipation as well. Our CF doc had to consult with a GI doc who was familiar with CF for input. Has your daughter had a belly Xray? When my daughter was sooo backed up we tried a home cleanout, which was basically Dulcolax tabs and Miralax doses that were back to back like what one would do before a colonoscopy. Even that did not work so I had to bring her in to get admitted to the hospital for a nasogatric tube and they out Golytly through it for about 48 hours..Her CF doc joked my daughter got the award for the most Golytely used on the ward. (not the award you want) . My daughter maitnance regime is miralax twice a day. She also takes Probiotics(VSL#3) to prevent bacterial overgrowth syndrome in the gut. Her CF doc she had that too and after her Golytely cleanout he put her treated her with oral Flagyl.

 

[Ratatosk]

DS was born with a bowel obstruction due to meconium ileus and underwent surgery when he was a day old. And he'd experience issues, which we resolved by giving him milk of magnesia to clean him out from time to time. When he was 6 he experienced a blockage, for which he did end up having surgery where they found adhesions/scars caused by his original surgery were causing a narrowing of his small intestine, which kept his enzymes and food from getting thru. That said.... After his surgery he still didn't stool. So we waited, they did a gastrographin enema to see what the issue was. They then tried golytely and eventually mucomyst thru an NG tube, which eventually broke things loose. IMO, sometimes it just takes time and Golytely. I concur with getting a referral to a GI doc familiar wcf.​

 

[rubyroselee]

Does she currently do any type of maintenance to keep things moving (i.e. Miralax)? I also have a lot of issues with DIOS. I just got out of the hospital for an obstruction a couple weeks ago, and it was the worst one yet. I regularly take Miralax, and when I feel things starting to get backed up, I up the Miralax or I drink a jug of Golytely. And drink LOTS of water! Another cause of obstructions is not drinking enough. Hopefully she sees a GI specialist for her CF-related issues as well. I am so thankful that I got a gastroenterologist who is well-educated in CF. He may be starting me on a prescription medication (I forget the name of it right now) to help prevent some of the obstruction issues. It's another med that draws water to the bowels. DIOS is quite painful (I equate an obstruction to pregnancy contractions)...so anything to prevent it from happening is a blessing. Take care.