My Story: Getting an Intestinal Blockage

What does it feel like to get an intestinal blockage? During my rectal cancer treatment, I experienced one after I finished up my last round of chemotherapy. Having an ileostomy puts you at a greater risk of experiencing one, and I had an ileostomy when I experienced my blockage. Let me tell you what you could expect if you ever have the unfortunate luck of having one.
⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
0:35 Final FOLFOX chemotherapy and a chemo nap interruption
1:36 John's emergency appendicitis
3:07 Chemo pump alarm & being done with FOLFOX
3:52 Pain begins, ambulance called
6:41 Arriving at the Emergency Room
8:24 Pain peaks & there are no nurses to be found
9:26 Transferred hospitals & got answers
10:27 Disaster while emptying my ileostomy bag
12:12 Starting the clear liquids diet
12:42 Hospital discharge
✅Click on the link to subscribe so you can hear more about what to expect after a cancer diagnosis: / @survivorjelena
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Пікірлер: 55

  • @debbiekillewald8384
    @debbiekillewald83843 жыл бұрын

    Omg. I'm so sorry. 😪 I really feel for you. I bet your story will help others.

  • @triciamedora9274
    @triciamedora92743 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for sharing your story.. It breaks my heart to know you are a hero and wear your battle scars with such grace. You beauty shines a light on this world 🌍 no one deserves to be brushed off as unimportant or treated as an inconvenience when a patient presses the call Bell for a nurse to help or worse ignores the call for help. It doesn't matter if you wanted a Jell-O. A dedicated nurse would pay a visit to u when the call bell wasn't ringing just because they love there job and care about humanity. Specifically "you" on that very day. It is so disheartening to see the change in care across our country. There are exceptional nurses that go above and beyond and I believe that's what you deserved. That's what every patient deserves. I believe it is a quality that is required of a nurse. I was on the oncology floor at NYU Hospital that's in New York of course, and the nurse sat on my bed with me after the oncologist came in just to speak with me and be there for me. I will never forget that. It it changed my life leaving a huge impact on me. That was 11 years ago. I was so blessed. At the time the doctor believed I had a type of cancer that could be treated but not cured. I'm happy to say she was incorrect. The nurse had the biggest impact on my life I flew across the country to get to New York and had no family with me. I can imagine a world where everyone cares the way that young girl cared. I just can't imagine experiencing the pain you felt, regardless of how many times the nurses have seen it before, they should never lose their ability to show empathy, compassion, and support. I feel if a nurse sees herself losing that quality she should probably think about a different profession. I am so sorry to hear that you were treated like a number and not like a human being an individual a person who matters and now you are making a difference in this world. Your personality is amazing you are a shining bright light. You exude strength and courage you can feel it through the screen. I'm not one to comment often and I'm not a stalker LOL but I feel very grateful to have seen this video. Our world is in desperate need of people like yourself. Your family must be exceptional individuals. I wish you and your family a beautiful year of love and light ahead. May you enjoy every minute and live each moment in the present 💖

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank goodness that experience wasn’t the norm and I usually had a pretty caring team helping me for other hospital stays. I’m glad you had a wonderful nurse with you at one of the most difficult moments of your life.

  • @golddalekwho5944
    @golddalekwho59444 жыл бұрын

    I hope you don't have to go through such a thing again. I had something similar with my loop ileostomy and various other complications over the past year. I have total empathy. Hope your husband is ok now. And my best wishes to your daughter, it must be difficult for her too.

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you. Yes, he’s fully recovered from his appendectomy. So sorry you had to go through something similar. Ileostomy issues aren’t fun.

  • @grafenr.3405
    @grafenr.34054 жыл бұрын

    I love you video lady. I had my ilsecomy reversal back on 28 April. The surgery went will .I do understand dealing with ilsecomy blockages. Doctor told me to drink water and walk around when I had a blockage. Its awesome you are sharing your stories lady 👍. I wish you the best lady God bless you 🙏👍.

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    4 жыл бұрын

    I’m glad to hear your surgery went well. Thank you 💙

  • @blessed1978

    @blessed1978

    4 жыл бұрын

    You do great on videos could you do something on ileostomy reversal in your experience because I have an ileostomy bag and my reversal surgery is coming up soon just for a heads up thank you

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    4 жыл бұрын

    Bret Gibson of course! I’ve gotten a lot of requests for a video on my reversal. Watch for it on September 11.

  • @okamieee6830
    @okamieee68303 ай бұрын

    My sister also had colorectal cancer after chemo she gets so sick I come here to learn more about it, also I love your optimism 💗

  • @jrruiz3924
    @jrruiz39243 жыл бұрын

    Hey Girl! I wish you the best and I'm praying for your fast recovery. I'm not sure what I'm feeling but I went thru whole abdomen CT scan and ultrasound and some blood test but they were all normal. I still experience tolerable pain from time to time and my Primary Doctor referred me to a Gastro Especialist.

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you ☺️ I’m glad to hear that your doc referred you to a GI specialist to help you find answers for your pain. I hope they figure it out 🤞🏼

  • @jrruiz3924

    @jrruiz3924

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@SurvivorJelena My Doctor told me that she is suspecting of IBS. I told her that I'm not losing weight and no bleeding until this month that I had twice episodes of blood in my stool ( I was pushing hard when it happened). And this pain won't go away for 7 months now. I hope that it's not that serious.

  • @susanmargaretwills6432
    @susanmargaretwills64323 жыл бұрын

    Hi everyone - it's important to remember that an ambulance ONLY uses their siren (plus flashing lights) where it is imperative to get immediately to hospital with a patient in board (or toward the site of an URGENT call) as quickly as possible - in this state an ambulance has precedence over all other road users at traffic-lights and so on and is actually a danger to traffic, including pedestrians... when an ambulance is in service, as in on its way to the site of a non-urgent call or with a patient on board (who may indeed seem serious but high speed may actually worsen their condition) usually only flashing lights are used - in this state other traffic must NOT give way to the ambulance if it's you who has precedence, but the warning lights tell us to be careful, this ambulance may need to turn on the siren mid-journey if the patient starts detiorating suddenly for instance... also the ambulance doesn't usually just turn on sirens and leave them on regardless for the whole journey because the alarm is there in order to WARN people of their arrival, so they'll turn it on when approaching a traffic light/roundabout/curve in the road/ built-up residential zone etc & on approaching the hospital according to protocol - it's statistically proven that ambulances with sirens on are involved in many accidents, not cos of speed but of incomprehension with other road users so I don't think your ambulance didn't turn on its sirens just because it was taking u at 5 in the morning; well after all that I'll just say that I drive an ambulance in Italy, I suppose these regulations r international? Can anyone enlighten me? In this country (Italy) misuse of sirens by a driver is considered serious; Best Wishes to All

  • @janovewaldner1
    @janovewaldner14 жыл бұрын

    I understand you totally, my father had a blockage 2 months ago. We had to go to emergency room at the cancer hospital, he had the nasogastric tube inserted for two days until the blockage subsided. The question I have is: what causes these blockages in the cancer patient? did the intestines suddenly inflamed? Is it related to mucositis? Was an explanation given to you?

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    4 жыл бұрын

    A lot of times food causes the blockages, scar tissue in the intestines can make you more susceptible to them too. My docs did say that it wasn’t from the chemo.

  • @zeek4749
    @zeek47494 жыл бұрын

    Can you please do a video on the reversal of your bag 🙏

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    4 жыл бұрын

    Definitely! It won’t be the next video, but the one after that.

  • @zeek4749

    @zeek4749

    4 жыл бұрын

    Survivor Jelena ok thanks 🙏 sounds great 👍

  • @brienfarmer6846
    @brienfarmer68463 жыл бұрын

    pray for her husband

  • @ineedvyvanse3493
    @ineedvyvanse34933 жыл бұрын

    I live in Colorado and I actually work with surgeons. I’m pretty sure I know which doctor you’re talking about (Dr. K) and I could take a pretty good guess at what hospital you’re at. Sorry you went through that horrible experience !

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    3 жыл бұрын

    Cool! You sound like a super-sleuth like me. 😉 That would be very interesting if you knew who I was talking about and which hospital I was at. Is he that great with all patients?

  • @ineedvyvanse3493

    @ineedvyvanse3493

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@SurvivorJelena ehhh... let’s just say I’ve heard more bad than good! :(

  • @rosa121070
    @rosa1210702 жыл бұрын

    Aww u are so adorable explain such an awkward situation in the bathroom.. but thats life and i hope ur doing well now… i am currently in hospital with a blockage uff not fun… lol

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    2 жыл бұрын

    Ouch! I hope your blockage resolved itself soon. They’re so painful 😣

  • @muhaiminchoudhury2866
    @muhaiminchoudhury28663 жыл бұрын

    Was the partial blockage on your small intestine or large intestine (colon)?

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    3 жыл бұрын

    It was in my small intestine.

  • @nancyjones6428
    @nancyjones64282 жыл бұрын

    Shoddy care, I've seen lots of it unfortunately all that pain and time for what?

  • @carolboyd8805
    @carolboyd8805 Жыл бұрын

    Just out of hospital after a 5 day stay with my first blockage. The pain was awful and what made all worse I had booked into a hotel 6 hrs before everything exploded. Ambulance came and I was so embarrassed. Bowel and vomiting beyond my ability to cope. I to have a colostomy and I was so ill. Our nurses in rvh were so kind. Ambulance staff were trying to help. I felt so ill. 😢😢 Please god I never take it again. I thought my 76 yrs were up. My stoma was the size of a 7 mth pregnancy. 😢😅.

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    Жыл бұрын

    Ouch! I'm glad to hear you had some nice nurses to help you through this rough experience.

  • @christophervargas7422
    @christophervargas7422 Жыл бұрын

    So are there ways of preventing blockages

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    Жыл бұрын

    Chewing your food very thoroughly helps, but some foods like really leafy vegetables can just be harder to digest and can cause a blockage if you eat a lot of them.

  • @brandonshaw7619
    @brandonshaw7619 Жыл бұрын

    💙💙💙💙

  • @ritaduarte3181
    @ritaduarte31813 жыл бұрын

    They are the worse i had one in April was painful.

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    3 жыл бұрын

    Rita Duarte yeah, they’re horrible!

  • @middlemarie2
    @middlemarie22 жыл бұрын

    So rough

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    2 жыл бұрын

    It was, but I made it.

  • @schris413
    @schris4133 жыл бұрын

    Fentanyl for a blockage was a bad move.

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    3 жыл бұрын

    There were a lot of bad moves that hospital made.

  • @ganeshfourw4896
    @ganeshfourw48963 жыл бұрын

    Very scary..to hear the stories...

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    3 жыл бұрын

    It can be scary, but I survived to tell the story. It wasn’t fun, but I’m still here.

  • @ganeshfourw4896

    @ganeshfourw4896

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@SurvivorJelena you are gifted.... keeping up the spirits... Sharing every moment of your experiences..

  • @michaelhillier1377
    @michaelhillier13772 жыл бұрын

    What do you think caused the blockage?

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    2 жыл бұрын

    It may have been caused by some kale I didn’t chew up well enough. 🤷🏻‍♀️

  • @michaelhillier1377

    @michaelhillier1377

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@SurvivorJelena Hi Jelena. Thanks for replying. Horrible to have had a blockage. Poor thing. I am a vegetarian with an ileostomy and looking forward to having a reversal one day. I miss vegetables so much. So; I steam my vegetables and then blend them to make a nice soup. Yesterday it was carrot, parsnip and beetroot. Another time it might be potato and broccoli soup. I will get a can of marrow-fat processed peas and make them into a pea soup. Also pumpkin is good. For extra taste I will fry onions and maybe garlic. ,When brown I will douse them with water and strain the fibers out and discard. The liquor makes a good veg stock. I will add it to soups curries and stews etc. I haven't dared try kale. Unless it is in peak tender condition kale and spinach etc can often be very fibrous. Juicing and straining brassicas doesn't taste very nice, so I add cucumber and lemon juice to lighten the flavour.

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    2 жыл бұрын

    Those soups sound delicious! I had been doing so well with eating veggies I foolishly thought the kale would be ok. 😬 We live and learn.

  • @aceventura9895
    @aceventura9895 Жыл бұрын

    Guess its folfox Chemo . My mom is currently hospitalized cause of it .

  • @SurvivorJelena

    @SurvivorJelena

    Жыл бұрын

    Oh no, I’m so sorry. I hope it resolves soon so she can get back home.

  • @KG-if2oc
    @KG-if2oc3 жыл бұрын

    Lucky you, treated like a queen, pumped full of pain meds. MY STORY: halfway through my first coffee of the day, suddenly out of the blue, from 0 to lvl 9, excruciating pain. I call 911. EMTs come check me out and basically say this (im paraphrasing): Since you are stable [ie. no arrythmias, no heart attack] we are NOT taking you to the ER. Its too full of all the arrogant non-mask wearers & irresponsible selfish holiday travellers, so theres no room for you. We are just gonna walk away and leave you home, all alone with no information, no gameplan, no supervision, no testing, no care,no IV for dehydration(even though you said you cant hold down water and literally puked twice in our presence), no pain meds. Good luck with that. My total: Zero ambulance rides :(

  • @sheilagoos645

    @sheilagoos645

    Жыл бұрын

    That is just horrible! So sorry you had to go through that.

  • @lisaanderson3899

    @lisaanderson3899

    Жыл бұрын

    That is a nightmare!

  • @jonjones6749
    @jonjones6749 Жыл бұрын

    Geez! 6 minutes and no talk on intestinal blockage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @paisley1134
    @paisley1134 Жыл бұрын

    How horrible. I can’t help but notice you are big on hand talking lol.