# How can you tell if you have bowel obstruction?



## LuSmith (Dec 15, 2011)

Just a little curious because I've been going very little.. I have had bowel movements but they're always small amounts and lately only the most twice a day. My usual stool lately seems to be sticky type 5 so not watery.. But I don't seem able to evacuate my bowels fully.Dr felt my abdomen yesterday. If I had anything like that would he have felt it?? I have a very slight hernia just above my belly button that's not protruding and you can only feel it when pressed in. I don't have severe abdominal pain as such, feel a bit tender now and then. I am not experiencing nausea. Only pain is in my rectum and tailbone.Is it likely an obstruction would cause a lot of pain!??


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Usually with an obstruction you stop passing stools, If it isn't complete you may pass watery diarrhea around the obstruction to try to get it out, and when complete you would stop passing gas and may eventually start vomiting and may even vomit what is in the intestines, not just what is in the stomach.With a full obstruction they'd probably notice as the bowels may stop doing their routine activity, so I think they'd have noticed it.You can have extreme pain without any obstuction at all so I don't think you can say a 6.5 is not obstructed and a 7 (on a 10 scale) must be an obstruction. You can be at a 10++ from normal colon activity if your intestines are sensitive enough.Not feeling fully evacuated is a common IBS issue and is not related to obstructed vs not.


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## LuSmith (Dec 15, 2011)

Kathleen M. said:


> Usually with an obstruction you stop passing stools, If it isn't complete you may pass watery diarrhea around the obstruction to try to get it out, and when complete you would stop passing gas and may eventually start vomiting and may even vomit what is in the intestines, not just what is in the stomach.With a full obstruction they'd probably notice as the bowels may stop doing their routine activity, so I think they'd have noticed it.You can have extreme pain without any obstuction at all so I don't think you can say a 6.5 is not obstructed and a 7 (on a 10 scale) must be an obstruction. You can be at a 10++ from normal colon activity if your intestines are sensitive enough.Not feeling fully evacuated is a common IBS issue and is not related to obstructed vs not.


Thanks. I haven't had any watery diarrhea or vomiting and I have been able to pass gas occasionally still, so I guess it wouldn't be. I do have a hernia though so I'm going to keep an eye on things.I know not feeling fully evacuated is a common IBS issue but what about not being able to fully evacuate even if the stools are soft enough? Is this still an IBS symptom?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Yep, the feeling incomplete is not dependent on stool consistency, it happens across the whole spectrum.


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## LuSmith (Dec 15, 2011)

Kathleen M. said:


> Yep, the feeling incomplete is not dependent on stool consistency, it happens across the whole spectrum.


Oh what I meant was it's not a feeling for me, I physically know I can't fully evacuate my bowels as I've had doctors give me rectal exams before and have mentioned stool there - unless we always have some!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

A small amount of stool shouldn't be sensed by the rectum as needing to go. I don't think it is always 100% totally empty all of the time until just before a BM. Most of the incomplete evacuation seems to be a rectum sensory issue rather than a lack of propulsion from the last part of the colon. So it isn't that you can't "flush the gut" hard enough, but that amounts that aren't big enough to push out shouldn't be sensed as being there until you get enough stored up for a good "satisfying" BM..


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## LuSmith (Dec 15, 2011)

Kathleen M. said:


> A small amount of stool shouldn't be sensed by the rectum as needing to go. I don't think it is always 100% totally empty all of the time until just before a BM. Most of the incomplete evacuation seems to be a rectum sensory issue rather than a lack of propulsion from the last part of the colon. So it isn't that you can't "flush the gut" hard enough, but that amounts that aren't big enough to push out shouldn't be sensed as being there until you get enough stored up for a good "satisfying" BM..


Oh I understand.. so it's likely to be a hypersensitivity that most people with IBS suffer from? I guess people without bowel problems wouldn't normally feel such a small amount of stool, but those with IBS do.And so when I get the urge to go I only go a small amount at a time.. hmm. Hopefully my body will adjust one day!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

About 70% of people with IBS have some degree of rectal hypersensitivity. It will react to stimuli that is normally below the threshold that normal people sense things.


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## ekaterina (Oct 12, 2011)

I personally have the same symptoms most of the time, sometimes even during D bouts due to everything down there being inflamed and sensitive. If you keep up with doctor's appts you will be fine in that regard, if you're concerned have him/her listen you your gut with the stethoscope for anything abnormal (usually the absence of rumbling is symptomatic of a blockage.)


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