Eat low/moderate fibre fruits and vegetables (see table below) with stalks, stems, pips, seeds and skins removed. Puree or soft/well-cooked fruit and vegetables may be better tolerated than fresh/raw. Drink plenty of water. Most people need around 8-10 glasses of fluids per day.
Most bowel obstructions are partial blockages that get better on their own. The NG tube may help the bowel become unblocked when fluids and gas are removed. Some people may need more treatment. These treatments include using liquids or air (enemas) or small mesh tubes (stents) to open up the blockage.
Treatment for partial obstruction
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.
Avoid high-fibre foods and raw vegetables and fruits with skins, husks, strings, or seeds. These can form a ball of undigested material that can cause a blockage if a part of your bowel is scarred or narrowed.
These may cause another blockage. Drinking plenty of water may help. If you have kidney, heart, or liver disease and have to limit fluids, talk with your doctor before you increase the amount of fluids you drink. Your doctor may ask that you drink high-calorie liquid formulas if your symptoms require them.
Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement if your diet is very limited. Ask your dietitian or local pharmacy about the best one for you. Try to take a short walk every day to help your bowels move. Take bowel medications as advised by your doctor to promote regular and easy to pass bowel movements (see page 8).
The most common causes of intestinal obstruction in adults are: Intestinal adhesions — bands of fibrous tissue in the abdominal cavity that can form after abdominal or pelvic surgery. Hernias — portions of intestine that protrude into another part of your body.
Usually, a small bowel obstruction resolves after a few days. When a patient becomes less bloated, starts to pass gas, and has a bowel movement, the tube is removed and the patient is allowed to eat and drink. If the patient is not better, then operative intervention may be necessary.
An intestinal obstruction is painful and potentially dangerous, and typically requires hospital care. However, you won't necessarily need surgery. Many blockages can be resolved with a non-invasive procedure, and patients often never have a recurrence.
Treatment includes intravenous (in the vein) fluids, bowel rest with nothing to eat (NPO), and, sometimes, bowel decompression through a nasogastric tube (a tube that is inserted into the nose and goes directly to the stomach). Anti-emetics: Medications may be required to relieve nausea and vomiting.
Aim for 5 or 6 small meals rather than 3 large meals. Drink as much as you can. Try to have 6 to 8 cups of fluids each day. if your diet is severely restricted.
In a test on 46 patients with stomach blockage, half got rid of the blockage completely with Coke. The 10-year study was published in the Journal of Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. In addition to Coke, 19 needed non-invasive treatments.
“Bananas, when fully ripe, contain soluble fiber and thus can help treat constipation,” Lee says. “However, unripe, or green, bananas have high levels of resistant starch, which can be very binding and cause constipation.” Because of this, unripe bananas can be used to treat diarrhea, she notes.
The fats in olive oil can help smooth the insides of the bowel, making it easier for stools to pass. It can also help the stool hold in more water, keeping it softer. One tablespoon of olive oil, taken on an empty stomach in the morning, may relieve constipation for many healthy adults.
But you may not have to give up dairy -- just eat less of it and change your choices. Try yogurt with probiotics, live bacteria that's good for your digestive system. It may help relieve constipation.
Sometimes, by releasing the pressure from inside the intestines, the blockage releases on its own. Many people, especially those with a partial SBO, will not need any other treatment. That's because, many times, an SBO gets better on its own, with bowel rest and decompression.
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.
A common type of blockage is called fecal impaction. This is when a large, hard mass of poop gets stuck in your digestive tract and can't get pushed out the usual way. But when your bowel is blocked by something other than hard stool, doctors call it a bowel obstruction.
The most common cause of large bowel obstruction is an underlying colorectal malignancy. Approximately 40% of colorectal cancers present as emergencies and large bowel obstruction is the most common presentation.
“A lot of people have nonspecific symptoms like abdominal pain, and they're concerned about obstructions because they're constipated,” Desi says. “Obstruction and constipation are two different things. Bowel obstruction is nothing chronic — there's usually a very dramatic progression of symptoms.”