Bowel obstructions usually cause cramping, abdominal pain, vomiting and inability to pass bowel motions (faeces or poo) or gas. A bowel obstruction is an emergency and needs treatment in hospital to prevent serious complications. You may need surgery or another procedure to remove the blockage.
Most of the time, complete blockages require a stay in the hospital and possibly surgery. But if your bowel is only partly blocked, your doctor may tell you to wait until it clears on its own and you are able to pass gas and stool.
A bowel obstruction is when a blockage stops food and liquids from moving through your digestive tract. It can also be called an intestinal obstruction, blocked intestine, or a gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction.
Identifying Bowel Obstruction Symptoms
Most people affected by a bowel obstruction are unable to pass gas or have a bowel movement, and may have a swollen abdomen. Infrequent bowel movements or hard stools usually do not indicate obstruction.
Most partial blockages get better on their own. Your doctor may give you a special diet that's easier on your intestines. Enemas of air or fluid can help clear blockages by raising the pressure inside your bowels. A mesh tube called a stent is a safe option for people who are too sick for surgery.
Your doctor may recommend a special low-fiber diet that is easier for your partially blocked intestine to process. If the obstruction does not clear on its own, you may need surgery to relieve the obstruction.
An intestinal obstruction is something that partly or fully blocks this path. It may be scar tissue, a twisted part of an intestine, a growth, or an object. (If your intestine is blocked by hard stool, this is called fecal impaction instead of intestinal obstruction.) A complete blockage is an emergency.
An intestinal blockage happens when something blocks your intestine. If the intestine is completely blocked, it is a medical emergency needing immediate attention. Symptoms of an intestinal blockage include severe belly pain or cramping, vomiting, not being able to pass stool or gas, and other signs of belly distress.
There are many common causes and risk factors, including: Adhesions: These are bands of scar tissue that may form after abdominal or pelvic surgery. An earlier abdominal surgery is the leading risk factor for small bowel obstruction in the United States.
In some cases of large bowel obstruction, procedures with a colonoscope are done as treatment. For instance, the scope may be used to straighten a twisted colon that is causing a blockage. Or, tools may be passed through the scope to widen narrowed areas of the colon or to place a stent in the colon.
Signs and symptoms of intestinal obstruction include: Crampy abdominal pain that comes and goes. Loss of appetite. Constipation.
What to eat through the day o Follow a Low Fibre Diet or a Liquid Diet. o Avoid any food that is tough or stringy (celery, tough meats). o Well-cooked vegetables, fruit and meat may be tolerated better.
Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms, other digestive problems you've had, and any surgeries or procedures you've had in that area. He or she will check your belly for tenderness and bloating. Your doctor may do: An abdominal X-ray, which can find blockages in the small and large intestines.
When an obstruction is total and caused by a physical blockage, you will likely be unable to pass even gas through your anus. You may burp or vomit, but you will not have diarrhea or gas. Some of the most common reasons we see for bowel obstructions in our practice include: Impacted stool that causes a blockage.
Without any fluids (either as sips, ice chips or intravenously) people with a complete bowel obstruction most often survive a week or two. Sometimes it's only a few days, sometimes as long as three weeks. With fluids, survival time may be extended by a few weeks or even a month or two.
Fecal impaction is the result of severe constipation, when you're unable to regularly pass poop (stool or feces) and it backs up inside your large intestine (colon). Fecal impaction can also be defined by your inability to sense and respond to the presence of stool in your rectum.
Tumors, scar tissue from past surgeries (adhesions), or twisting or narrowing of the intestines can cause a bowel obstruction. These are called mechanical obstructions. In the small intestine, scar tissue is most often the cause. Other causes include hernias and Crohn's disease, which can twist or narrow the intestine.
Symptoms of a bowel obstruction or a small bowel obstruction
Severe abdominal pain, cramps and bloating. Decreased appetite or inability to eat. Nausea and/ or vomiting. Inability to pass gas or stool.
Small bowel obstructions are usually caused by scar tissue, hernia, or cancer. In the United States, most obstructions occur as a result of prior surgeries. The bowel often forms bands of scar (called adhesions) after being handled during an operation.