These are the signs of a bowel obstruction

introduction

A bowel obstruction (Ileus) is a serious and often life-threatening health disorder caused by an obstacle in the intestinal passage due to an obstacle (mechanical ileus) or by paralysis of the intestinal muscles (paralytic ileus).
Which signs occur depends on the one hand on the cause and on the other hand on the location (large or small intestine) of the intestinal obstruction. In addition to mostly violent cramping abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting often occur. A bloated stomach and a lack of bowel movements are also typical. Since there can be various causes of an intestinal obstruction, there are also various other signs that can precede it, such as fever.

Overview of the signs of a bowel obstruction

When a bowel obstruction develops, the first sign is usually severe cramping abdominal pain. This can initially only be perceived in part of the abdomen and later expand to the entire abdomen.
Other common signs of a bowel obstruction are nausea and usually violent vomiting. In some cases it can even lead to vomiting, as the stool can back up into the stomach due to the blocked intestinal passage.
A highly distended stomach and a lack of passage of intestinal gases and bowel movements are also typical.

If inflammation of an abdominal organ is the cause of the intestinal obstruction, fever is often another sign. In the case of a particularly severe course of an intestinal obstruction, circulatory disorders also occur early on. The influx of large amounts of fluid from the blood into the intestinal wall can lead to a drop in blood pressure and a racing heart. The impending circulatory collapse (shock) usually manifests itself in the form of dizziness and impaired consciousness up to fainting.

Read more on this topic at: Symptoms of an intestinal obstruction

Flatulence is a symptom of intestinal obstruction

No, flatulence (gas), i.e. the increased loss of intestinal gases, is not a typical sign of an intestinal obstruction.
On the contrary, the closure usually leads to wind behavior. This means that the air formed in the intestine tends to stay there and leads to the stomach becoming extremely inflated. If flatulence occurs, i.e. intestinal gases escape, this is more a sign that there is no obstruction to the intestinal passage and therefore there is no danger of obstruction. This harmless but mostly unpleasant flatulence can often be influenced favorably by changing your diet.

Read more on the subject at: Causes of a bloated stomach

nausea

Nausea is one of the most common early signs of a bowel obstruction.
Particularly in the case of a small intestine obstruction caused by a mechanical obstacle or an entrapment, there is a backlog of food pulp in the stomach, which can result in nausea and vomiting. However, there are many different possible causes of nausea. An impending intestinal obstruction is only responsible for this in very rare cases.

If nausea is the only symptom, it should not be interpreted as a sign of an impending intestinal obstruction. Most of the time, a harmless illness is responsible for the nausea, such as an upset stomach from food that was not well tolerated or a "gastrointestinal flu" (gastroenteritis).
Only when further symptoms such as violent vomiting, cramping abdominal pain and a lack of bowel movements occur, it can be a sign of an intestinal obstruction. In such a case, a medical examination and assessment should clarify whether an intestinal obstruction is imminent or whether there is a harmless cause.

Read more on this topic at: These are the symptoms you can tell if you have gastrointestinal flu

Eructation

Belching is a common symptom that causes air to escape from the stomach through the stomach tube.
Some air is naturally swallowed when eating and also forms in the stomach when drinking carbonated beverages, so that in most cases belching is a natural body reaction and not necessarily a sign of an intestinal obstruction or other serious illness. However, if there is a violent belching regardless of the consumption of food or drink, this can in rare cases actually be the first sign of an impending intestinal obstruction. However, in such a case, other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and cramp-like abdominal pain usually appear soon.

Accelerated heartbeat

An accelerated heartbeat is a possible sign of an intestinal obstruction, but this usually only occurs late after the obstruction has already manifested itself through other symptoms such as vomiting, bowel retention and severe abdominal pain.
The accelerated heartbeat can occur for several reasons. On the one hand as an accompanying reaction of the body to the pain and on the other hand as a sign of circulatory instability. The intestinal obstruction can lead to the penetration of large amounts of fluid from the blood into the intestinal wall. The body compensates for the lack of fluid in the cardiovascular system by accelerating the heartbeat in order to maintain blood pressure. If the fluid loss becomes too great, it can ultimately lead to cardiac arrest.

fever

Fever is a non-specific symptom that can have a variety of possible causes.
In rare cases, it can also be a sign of a bowel obstruction. In particular, when inflammation in the abdomen is the cause of the intestinal obstruction, fever is often the first sign in addition to usually severe abdominal pain. Anyone who has a fever and abdominal pain should therefore be examined by a doctor in order to identify a possible disease that requires treatment in good time and to avert a possible complication such as an intestinal obstruction.

Read more on the topic at: Fever and abdominal pain

These are the signs in the baby

In a baby, there are several signs that they may have a bowel obstruction.
Typically the stomach is hard and hurts even with light pressure. In addition, the baby often refuses to eat and vomits. Due to the intense pain, it usually screams in an intestinal obstruction, pulls the legs and cannot be calmed down. Particularly threatening signs of an intestinal obstruction or other serious health disorder in the baby are pale skin, cold sweats, indifference or impaired consciousness.
In such a case, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible.

Read more on this topic at: Recognize intestinal obstruction in babies