Blockage

Hello Pritchard43,

                            after having had my bowel resected and then rejoined 7 years ago,l am prone to the bowel ceasing work due to a blockage.l get a distended stomach,extreme pain and yes start vomiting up brown fluid that cannot be processed through the bowel,so has to come up the other  way to relieve the pressure. l am admitted to hospital,put on a drip to maintain body fluids and have morphine passed into through that.So far l have been lucky enough for the tension to ease and the bowel to kick back into activity again within 24 hours, four times now but l suspect l may not be so lucky in the future.The last time was eight weeks ago and l was referred to ENT because they were unable to pass a tube into my stomach through my nose to draw off fluid, turns out l have a distorted nasal passage, but apparently l have an opening in the lower quadrant of my left nostril that would allow access,so my notes have been highlighted for a future visit

All fluids and food are processed via the bowel and if this is blocked,pressure builds and is relieved by vomiting, you cannot eat which just leaves fluid hence the brown water, bile,stomach acids and secretions. Your bowel stops, these do not, and since the human body is made up of mainly water it will keep coming as the weight falls off

Its not nice,and can potentially lead to some very nasty issues, starving would certainly feature well down the list with eating out of the question until the blockage is resolved

Surgery to the bowel raises the chances of subsequent episodes of blockages and the bowel ceasing to function

l hope your mothers condition can resolve,but l am unclear from your post whether she left hospital or was sent home, and what is the issue causing the blockage,certainly this should be monitored in hospital since surgical intervention might become necessary,

                                                                                                     David