Early Signs of Bowel (Intestinal) Obstruction

Early signs and symptoms of bowel obstruction include rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and belly cramps.

Bowel obstruction, also called intestinal obstruction, is a partial or complete blockage of the small or large intestine that results in food or fecal matter being unable to move through the intestines. 

A complete bowel obstruction can be a dangerous condition that can lead to dehydration, kidney failure, tears in the intestinal walls, which can cause abdominal infections, and death of parts of the intestines. 

A partial bowel obstruction is when the passage of stool is hindered, but not completely stopped. Partial bowel obstructions need to be treated promptly so they do not develop into total obstructions.

6 Signs and symptoms of a partial bowel obstruction can be similar to large or small intestinal bowel obstruction and may include:

1. Abdominal pain/discomfort
2. Nausea
3. Vomiting
4. Abdominal distention
5. Constipation
6. Diarrhea

12 Signs and symptoms of a complete small intestinal bowel obstruction include: 

1. Cramps and pain in the middle or upper abdomen
2. Nausea 
3. Vomiting
4. Rumbling bowel noises (borborygmus)
5. Abdominal tenderness/belly pain
6. Diarrhea (early symptom) 
7. Abdominal bloating 
8. Loss of appetite
9. Dehydration
10. Feeling unwell (malaise)
11. Inability to have a complete bowel movement
12. Blood in the stool

3 Later symptoms of a complete small intestinal bowel obstruction include:

1. Constipation 
2. Fever 
3. Rapid heartbeat 

11 Signs and Symptoms of large intestinal bowel obstruction (colon obstruction) include: 

1. Cramps and pain in the lower abdomen especially on the left side
2. Lower abdominal distention
3. Inability to have a bowel movement
4. Inability to pass gas
5. Chronic constipation
6. Narrow stools
7. Nausea 
8. Vomiting
9. Rumbling bowel noises (borborygmus) or loud bowel noises
10. Diarrhea/liquid stool 
11. Abdominal bloating and abdominal swelling

If you have any symptoms you suspect could be a bowel obstruction, seek medical care immediately as a bowel obstruction can be a dangerous condition that can lead to serious medical problems such as kidney failure, tears in the intestinal walls which can cause abdominal infections, and death of parts of the intestines.

Call your doctor or seek immediate medical care for a bowel obstruction if you experience symptoms such as:

• Fever
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• New or worsening abdominal pain
• Severe abdominal distension, bloating or swelling
• You are unable to have a bowel movement or pass gas

In children, common causes of small bowel obstruction include:

1. Congenital atresia (a birth defect that involves absence or narrowing of parts of intestines)
2. Pyloric stenosis (narrowing of the opening from the stomach into the intestine that prevents food from entering the intestine)
3. Intussusception (part of the intestine folds into an adjacent segment)
    

In the elderly, common causes of bowel obstruction include:

1. Sigmoid volvulus
2. Ogilvie's Syndrome
3. Colon cancer 
4. Gallstone ileus

Approximately 25 percent of intestinal obstructions are large bowel obstructions.

18 common causes of large bowel obstructions include:

1. Abnormal intestinal physiology 
2. Prior abdominal surgery 
3. Colorectal cancer
4. Other cancers: 
   • Pancreatic cancer
   • Ovarian cancer
   • Lymphoma
5. Diverticulosis
6. Ischemic colitis
7. Fecal impaction from chronic constipation 
8. Twisting of the colon, called volvulus (often seen in infants and toddlers) 
9. A swallowed foreign object
10. Diabetes
11. Hypothyroidism
12. Infections
13. Electrolyte imbalances
14. Use of opioids (which can cause constipation)
15. Conditions that can cause rectal stenosis (or stricture formation, which is narrowing of intestines), suppository use, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), tuberculosis, radiotherapy, endometriosis
16. Meconium plug (in newborns)
17. Paralytic ileus doesn't involve a physical blockage but can cause signs and symptoms similar to obstruction
18. Hirschsprung's disease (a birth defect in which nerve cells are missing from parts of the intestines)