what is the best way to pass gas after surgery?
Gum for Gas?
Medical Writer: Jay W. Marks, MD
Medical Editor: Dennis Lee, Doctor
We all produce gas in our intestines, peculiarly our colons, or, at least, our intestinal bacteria produce it, from undigested nutrient. We are fortunate because the overwhelming majority of the gas that is formed by the leaner is used upwardly by other bacteria in the intestine.
Some people are more fortunate than others. All of the gas produced in their intestines is used up by bacteria, and they pass gas (fart) very little, that is, unless they swallow foods that bacteria can utilize to grade lots of gas-similar beans-that overwhelm even the most agog, gas-devouring leaner. A small amount of intestinal gas is absorbed into the blood from the intestine and is eliminated in the breath. The gas that is not used up past bacteria or eliminated in the jiff must be passed. Passing gas relies on the functioning of the intestinal muscles. The gas distends the intestine, and the abdominal muscles answer by contracting and pushing the gas further forth the intestine until the gas is finally expelled. Sometimes this procedure fails.
I underwent removal of a portion of my sigmoid colon for diverticulitis. The surgery was done laparoscopically and went very well. There were no complications, and my discomfort was easily controlled with medication. Manipulation of the intestines during surgery "stuns" the intestinal muscles, and they usually stop working for a time. Before patients can eat later surgery, their intestinal muscles must showtime working. The signs that the muscles are working is the presence of abdominal gurgling (borborygmi) and the passing of gas. Laparoscopic surgery stuns the intestine less than "open up" (large incisional) surgery, and the intestinal muscles usually recover chop-chop.
I was particularly pleased since afterwards surgery my abdomen never stopped making noise. It was even making noise in the surgical recovery room. Forty-8 hours later on the surgery, I was feeling very well, and I began passing gas. (Quoting my surgeon, it was "music to his ears.") Equally a advantage for my, actually my intestine's, good behavior, I was given a breakfast of clear liquids. Inside an 60 minutes of finishing the repast, I stopped passing gas, my stomach began making less dissonance, and my abdomen became distended with gas. My intestinal muscles had stopped working.
I was disappointed. My surgeon was reassuring, however, saying that my intestines just weren't ready. "Tomorrow they'll be working, and we'll attempt once more."
That night I began passing gas again, much more than the previous day. My belly became flat and I really became hungry. Surely my intestines were ready now. In came the clear liquid breakfast again, and I relished it. Within an hour I stopped passing gas, my tum began making less noise, and my belly became distended. What was going on?
Needless to say I was now very disappointed. My intestines were keeping me from going dwelling house. As I lay in the hospital bed I remembered reading an article-in Time magazine, no less-in recent weeks, most a study that looked at the event of chewing gum on the return of abdominal muscle part post-obit laparoscopic surgery. The study found that chewing gum led to a essentially quicker return of intestinal function.
At the time I remembered this, a friend was visiting me in the hospital. I asked her to go to the hospital's gift shop and buy me a few packs of chewing gum, which she gladly did. I began chewing.......and chewing.......and chewing. Within twenty minutes I started passing gas like crazy, and information technology never stopped. (Fortunately, my visitor had already left.) I had a keen dejeuner and went domicile the following morning.
The control of our stomachs and intestines is complex, and, to some extent, the stomach and intestines control their own activity. Thus, when the intestine becomes stretched with gas, the abdominal muscles react by contracting and expelling the gas. Food causes the stomach and abdominal muscles to reduce their contractions. As a result, food-likewise every bit the gas that is produced by bacteria-travels more than slowly through the intestines, and this allows more fourth dimension for the nutrient to be digested and captivated into the torso. My articulate liquid breakfast may have been having such an consequence, but instead of just slowing my intestine down, the food was stopping my intestine from working at all.
Intestinal function is influenced past nerves coming from the brain and spinal cord, especially the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve, for example, is responsible for making our stomachs growl and our mouths water when we are hungry and odor something delicious. In this example, the brain is telling our intestines via the vagus nervus to "become prepare." (The growling is really a manifestation of contracting stomach and intestinal muscles.) It is likely that my chewing gum stimulated the vagus nerve which, in turn, overcame the issue of the food that I had eaten.
The study on chewing gum had appeared in a contempo surgical journal. As an internist and gastroenterologist but not a surgeon, I would not have seen it. Fortunately, the lay press had picked upwardly on the study. I subscribe regularly to several internal medicine and gastroenterology journals, but I call up I also am going to proceed up my subscription to Time magazine.
QUESTION
Pancreatitis is inflammation of an organ in the abdomen called the pancreas. Run across ReplySource: https://www.medicinenet.com/gas_gum_for_gas/views.htm
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