Tips for managing chronic Small Bowel Obstructions

Buy baby food meat, have mashed potatoes, and Birds Eye squash, Apple sauce, cream of rice, yogurt, mashed anything!! Those are what I used.

Thanks for your response. He is eating some of these foods now. Will try more of your ideas.

Hi Trec55,
I'm so sorry to hear of your husband's problems with his bowels. I think Catherine's suggestions of mashed potatoes etc. are very good ones. They sound soft on the bowel and yet, nutritous. Your husband also might try mashed bananas for potassium. Yogurt also might be good. It is soft and has the calcium he needs. Providing that he likes those kinds of foods. Cream of wheat is also mild and nutritious. Gatorade will help with balancing his electrolites if he can tolerate it.
Good luck! I'll remember both of you in my prayers.
PML

I am dealing with life after a partial small bowel blockage seven months ago and laparoscopic lysis of some really bad abdominal adhesions two months ago. I agree with all of the dietary recommendations mentioned here. I'm also trying different foods periodically to see how I tolerate them. I have good luck with some and not so good luck with others.

I have a problem with periodic intense lower back pain, apparently from adhesions, and I was wondering if anyone else has this problem and how do you deal with it?

Any advice would be appreciated. All positive thoughts are with you if you're dealing with this horrible situation.

docm

Hi docm,
What an awful time you must be having after going through all of those things! I can only imagine the discomfort. I have a bad back and I wear a back support daily. It really helps. I purchased it from Miles Kimball. It's called a "posture corrector". You can find it online. It costs about $29 but often they offer a percentage off the amount. I've tried a lot of back supports over the years and this is the best one I"ve found. It really works. You can feel the difference once you put it on. It's machine washable too, which is nice.

As far as your food, a good high quality brand of beef with a lot of Omega 3 might be good for you. My husband has lung cancer and after one of his operations I had him eating a lot of filet mignon fixed as a beef roast so it was easy to digest. He recovered so fast that the doctor said he recovered better than some of her younger patients. Allen Brothers is the brand we use and it's wonderful. However, it's also very expensive. So keep that in mind. Allen Brothers has been in business in Chicago since 1893. If they stayed in business that long, they must be doing something right.

Also with your food make sure there are no preservatives in it. Don't eat TV dinners or any meat with sodium nitrate or erythobate. Both are bad for your body! Know where the food comes from. Preferably the USA. It's much better quality.

Good luck and I hope you feel better!
I'll say a prayer for you.
PML

Thanks for your suggestions. He's doing well. Also has appointment with gastro in April.

A blockage recently put me in the hospital for a few days. Fortunately, I didn't have to have surgery. My psyche is such that I am forgetting the pain and discomfort and eating with an eye on heart issues as opposed to bowel issues. I am forgoing red meat altogether. I am eating lots of good fresh food I prepare at home. Since my red blood cell counts have gotten a bit low, I am trying to eat lots of animal protein that is not beef. That is almost entirely fish and chicken. But I do worry a bit about whether this bowel obstruction will happen again. 30 years ago, I had a splenectomy and many think that the surgery for that is what has resulted in some scarring in my abdomen/intestines. Good luck everybody on your health journey.

Hi! New here but hoping to get some support or answers. I am a 52 yo female. Recurrent SBO with decompression therapy resolving each time. I've had many abdominal surgeries which I'm sure have led to a belly full Of adhesions. I've had two bladder augmentations using my small
Bowel. Two vesico vaginal fistula repairs, two C-sections, appendectomy, ureters reimplanted several other surgeries. My cat scan shows closed loop obstructions in small bowel each time along with duodenal diverticulum, wall thickening throughout and my descending colon is almost prolapsing (in drs terms). My daughter has a master in dietetics and is very strict with what I eat so I'm following appropriate diet. I have an apt with colorectal surgeon next week. I'm scared to death as I feel like I have so many signs of colon cancer. Has anyone ever had surgery to remove adhesions? The hospital surgeons when I'm admitted say my bowel is being strangled by adhesions and I know more surgery causes this but I feel like that is the obvious? Any input support would be appreciated. I'm tired of going to the hospital and having an ng shoved down my nose and being miserable. Thank you in advance!

Like you, I have had many abdominal surgeries. I finally did have a seven hour surgery for adhesions. The surgeon did a great job, and it bought me about 20 years of relief. Unfortunately now I have developed exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which sometimes happens in people who have had extensive abdominal surgeries, I also deal with chronic constipation. Still, I am happy I had those pain-free years. My surgery was done at OSU Wexner by M. Scott Melvin, MD.

Holy cow! I live in Hilliard so that's my area. I have two family members who work there. I'll have to talk to the surgeon about that Tuesday! Thank you for your response! Well wishes to you!