Guest guest Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 I wrote a few weeks ago about my husband's hiccups, which resolved after 12 miserable days and nights. (If anyone ever has this problem, you know who to ask for suggestions.) The hiccups were perhaps in response to a bloated stomach. Nothing seemed to be moving along into his ilium (he gave up his ulcerated colon in surgery when 16; he was Dx'd w/PSC in 1989.) The bloated stomach emptied itself now and then through projectile vomiting. Sounds like a blockage, right? We went to the doc on San Island off Seattle (where we were visiting our kids) concerned about dehydration and a blockage. On Xray, a blockage was ruled out; Terry was hydrated via IV. A couple liters and a couple of days and a few billion hiccups and the stomach/gut finally kicked in and did that they were supposed to do. Then the persistent diarrhea began. We figured the hiccups were the diaphragm's response to days of pressure on his diaphragm. We're now back on our little remote island in Maine and, as of last night, he seems to be gearing up for the same scenario. His abdomen is distended; he is burping lots; hardly anything seems to be moving through his ileostomy. I'm sitting here waiting for hiccups. But none so far. Any observations/thoughts would be appreciated, aside from the obvious: get him to a doc. The trouble is his hospital is Lahey in Burlington, Mass., and we're on an island in Maine. He saw a primary care doc on San Island who offered only an IV (as a medic, I can set him up myself as needed); and he saw a G.I. doc in Key West when we got there—we live half the year in Florida and half in Maine—who really had no clue. Actually, he did put him on cholestyramine for the diarrhea. Don't know if it helped. (He did take a packet this morning.) So it seems, if he is to see someone, it should be a hep in Mass. His hep moved to a different hospital and I'm trying to set up something with a new one at Lahey. It really is no problem, except it all has to happen. No jaundice; no itching (he has been jaundiced for about a week every couple of years but not now, and has never been itchy) and really no pain. Discomfort with the distention and mildly nauseous. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? Loie & Lois Cowan authors@... & Lois Cowan authors@... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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