Hi fellow Ostomates,

I recently experienced my first ‘blockage’ since I had my ileostomy in March 2013.

A very unpleasant experience; but I was lucky it was only a partial blockage and it cleared itself after 5/6 hours.

Anybody who knows me will know that I had the “Heineken” version of Ulcerative colitis! That is, over the twenty or more years I had it, I rarely even had a cramp! Which is just as well, because after this experience, I really don’t know how I would have coped!

As I had no experience of it, initially, I didn’t know what was happening. I just assumed I simply had a very bad tummy ache, but when the cramps became more frequent and more painful, I began to worry.

Against my wife’s better judgement, I looked up the internet!

I googled “ileostomy blockage” and the first website that came up was UOAA, the United Ostomy Associations of America (www.ostomy.org). This was good, especially in terms of informing you what to do. It was also a relief, initially, because it confirmed the symptoms I had was most likely a blockage! However, the ‘what to do’ part was a bit frightening!

The second website that came up was the G I Society, which is the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research (www.badgut.org). This was really great because it explained why a blockage happens and is extremely informative. The website is also very informative on many other intestinal issues too.

I also realised why it happened! Earlier that day I had eaten a large meal in the middle of the day, which was also slightly rushed. I would normally have a light lunch in the middle of the day, so my body was obviously unable to handle the quantity of food out of my normal sequence and simply got blocked.

A valuable lesson learned! I was lucky it was only a partial blockage, which resolved itself after a couple of hours, but I don’t want to experience it again.

Brendan Magee.