Bowel obstruction occurs when the small or large intestine is partly or completely blocked.
It can be caused by the bowel not working properly or by something blocking the bowel such as a tumour or severe constipation. This means food and fluid can’t get through the bowel and gets stuck. This can happen suddenly or develop gradually over days or weeks.
Symptoms
- feeling bloated and full up
- pain (usually crampy tummy pain)
- feeling sick with loss of appetite
- vomiting (including undigested food)
- constipation (no solid motion or wind)
Causes
- cancer in the abdomen pressing on the outside of the bowel, or blocking the tube on the inside. Colon, stomach or ovarian cancer are the commonest cancers to cause obstruction.
- severe constipation can occasionally block the bowel in the same way
- neurological illnessess (e.g. multiple sclerosis) can affects the nerve supply of the bowel - this can stop the bowel from working properly
- people who have had surgery or radiotherapy to the abdomen can develop bowel obstruction from scar tissue (adhesions)
- fluid can collect in the abdomen and squash the bowel causing partial obstruction (ascites)
Treatment
It is important to seek advice urgently from your nurse or doctor.
Often bowel obstruction can be managed with medications (steroids and laxatives).
Surgery may be needed to remove or bypass the blockage.
If surgery is not be possible your palliative team will aim for comfort and symptom relief with medicines, often delivered by a syringe pump, as oral medications may not work well.
A low residue diet is advised for people at high risk for bowel obstruction. The Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust have produced a detailed leaflet to explain this type of diet and how it can be adjusted according to symptoms.