Bowel Blockage

A bowel blockage or obstruction refers to the prevention of the movement of food, liquid, and gas in the GI tract. This obstruction can be partial or complete. A partial blockage prevents the movement of solid materials while allowing the gas and liquid to pass, and a complete blockage prevents the movement of everything.

About 20% of people with acute abdomen suffer from a bowel obstruction. About 80% of these bowel obstruction cases have a blockage in their small intestines. People with ileostomies usually experience blockage more than normal people and people with colostomies. Two types of obstructions can develop in your small intestine if you have an ileostomy: obstruction due to adhesions and obstruction due to food blockage.

Adhesions in this regard are the bands of tissues. These are much like scar tissues that can connect or bind the adjacent sections of the bowel. These scar tissues can block every kind of movement in the bowel. Any event that disrupts normal tissue production can initiate the body’s response that repairs the disruption. This recovery process sometimes results in excessive production of tissues that might start obstructing the bowel. Fortunately, the production of these tissues does not cause an obstruction in most cases.

The second type of obstruction occurs when the food gets stuck in the bowel. This obstruction results in a restricted movement of food wastes in the bowel. This issue occurs more commonly during the first few weeks after surgery when the bowel is swollen due to the effect of surgery. This temporary blockage can narrow the lumen, which refers to the inner opening of the bowel. That is why doctors usually suggest eating soft foods and a liquid diet during the first few weeks after ileostomy surgery. You may eat everything you want after swelling in your bowel subsides. It generally takes six to eight weeks.

A bowel blockage or obstruction can result in some typical symptoms, such as abdominal pain and bloating. The pain can become quite severe sometimes. This entire situation results in a loss of appetite, vomiting, or nausea. With an obstruction inside the bowel, the output from your ileostomy might change. If there is a partial bowel obstruction, the output will be more watery and noisy. A complete bowel obstruction will result in no output of solid, liquid, or gas. If you think that you have a bowel obstruction, you may want to consult with your doctor immediately.

If you have vomiting or severe pain, you are going to need urgent medical care. If you are having no stomal output for 12 hours, you may want to contact your doctor for medical intervention. During the assessment, your doctor will ask several questions regarding your medical and surgical history and run a physical exam to determine the severity of the problem. In some cases, he or she may recommend some lab tests and radiography tests to get a complete picture of what is causing a problem in your bowel. In the severest bowel obstruction cases, doctors recommend surgical intervention.