Tips for managing chronic Small Bowel Obstructions

I had a partial SBO in December that put me in the hospital for a couple days. I had major fear of food for awhile after that. They think mine are due to adhesions from prior surgery though. I have a CT scan with Dye at the end of this month with mayo, which is supposed to show if it's from adhesions or something else. I have met with the GI doc at Mayo and that is who is sending me for the scan. I have also met with the nutritionist to learn what foods to avoid etc. I have not had one since, Thank God, but I am very careful about what I eat. Also if I start feeling like I am going to have another one I stop eating and do clear liquids for a day. I also take a teaspoon of olive oil daily which has helped me stay regular. I was having to use miralax and was still struggling. I told my nutritionist about the olive oil and she said she has heard others say the same thing and if it works for me then it is ok. I also found some research on it and they did some tests and learned that it does help with SBO.
I have not had any kind of endoscopy or colonoscopy and that has not been brought up yet. But I am still sort of new to this myself. I'm so sorry you have had to join this club and I hope you find answers. I can say joining mayo and these conversations helped reduce my anxiety about it all.
Ps it took a couple weeks for my soreness to go away completely after the blockage

I had an SBO last November and was in the hospital for a while. It was caused by adhesions due to a previous cancer operation. It was not fun at all... however, similar to the previous message above, I am very careful about what I eat. Nothing raw including fruit and vegetables, no nuts or seeds and only smooth food that can go down easily. There is quite a lot on line about what not to eat with an SBO. And I am also very mindful of constipation (Miralex, Senna and Metamucil!). Having said all that, there is life after an SBO. One does recover. If you keep an eye on constipation and eat carefully I am told it will probably not come back (emphasis on the probably!). Unfortunately there is no sure way of prevention as I understand it. And the only symptom that happened to me was vomiting.. then I knew there was a problem. I followed up with a gastroenterologist who was very helpful and fairly reassuring. I do hope this helps.

Hello. I am a healthy 37 year old F suffering from recurrent SBO for a few years now. Episodes have gotten more frequent recently and soreness afterwards seems slightly worse. I’ve researched that adhesions from surgery is a primary cause yet I haven’t had any surgeries or any other health issues. I am hoping to hear from others who’ve had recurring SBO without prior surgery. Did you have adhesions? If so, what were they caused from? If not, what was the cause of your SBO. I do have a GI appointment coming up but it’s hard not to constantly think about this in the meantime. Also, my GI appt is just for an office visit but I’m sure further appointments will follow. What should I expect? Colonoscopy or endoscopy or something else?

Hello. I am a healthy 37 year old F suffering from recurrent SBO for a few years now. Episodes have gotten more frequent recently and soreness afterwards seems slightly worse. I’ve researched that adhesions from surgery is a primary cause yet I haven’t had any surgeries or any other health issues. I am hoping to hear from others who’ve had recurring SBO without prior surgery. Did you have adhesions? If so, what were they caused from? If not, what was the cause of your SBO. I do have a GI appointment coming up but it’s hard not to constantly think about this in the meantime. Also, my GI appt is just for an office visit but I’m sure further appointments will follow. What should I expect? Colonoscopy or endoscopy or something else?

Hello. I am a healthy 37 year old F suffering from recurrent SBO for a few years now. Episodes have gotten more frequent recently and soreness afterwards seems slightly worse. I’ve researched that adhesions from surgery is a primary cause yet I haven’t had any surgeries or any other health issues. I am hoping to hear from others who’ve had recurring SBO without prior surgery. Did you have adhesions? If so, what were they caused from? If not, what was the cause of your SBO. I do have a GI appointment coming up but it’s hard not to constantly think about this in the meantime. Also, my GI appt is just for an office visit but I’m sure further appointments will follow. What should I expect? Colonoscopy or endoscopy or something else?

I am 77 years old and started having bowel problems several years ago. I had 3 inpatient trips to hospital with obstructed small bowel. Last one was 6 months ago. GI doctors call it a pseudo small bowel obstruction and I have been on 2 prescriptions for over a year. They must help but I still had my last obstruction after being on those meds. GI doctors tell me to eat whatever I want. They say there is nothing further they can do and will see me in a year. They did say if I am passing gas it isnt an obstruction so if I get the terrible pain but am passing gas I dont go to the hospital but take as much pain meds as possible and hope thecpain goes away eventually.

Hello. I am a healthy 37 year old F suffering from recurrent SBO for a few years now. Episodes have gotten more frequent recently and soreness afterwards seems slightly worse. I’ve researched that adhesions from surgery is a primary cause yet I haven’t had any surgeries or any other health issues. I am hoping to hear from others who’ve had recurring SBO without prior surgery. Did you have adhesions? If so, what were they caused from? If not, what was the cause of your SBO. I do have a GI appointment coming up but it’s hard not to constantly think about this in the meantime. Also, my GI appt is just for an office visit but I’m sure further appointments will follow. What should I expect? Colonoscopy or endoscopy or something else?

I'm so sorry that you're going through this. May I ask what medication they prescribe for pseudo SBO?

Hello. I am a healthy 37 year old F suffering from recurrent SBO for a few years now. Episodes have gotten more frequent recently and soreness afterwards seems slightly worse. I’ve researched that adhesions from surgery is a primary cause yet I haven’t had any surgeries or any other health issues. I am hoping to hear from others who’ve had recurring SBO without prior surgery. Did you have adhesions? If so, what were they caused from? If not, what was the cause of your SBO. I do have a GI appointment coming up but it’s hard not to constantly think about this in the meantime. Also, my GI appt is just for an office visit but I’m sure further appointments will follow. What should I expect? Colonoscopy or endoscopy or something else?

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