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Intestinal Blockage

My husband (46, 180 lbs in otherwise great health) has been having varying levels of intestinal blockage for almost a week.  The abdominal swelling, constipation, and pain has gone from severe to moderate during the week but it has been several days since last bowel movement.  The doctor took an x-ray and did a few blood tests but told him there was nothing he could do.  We live in an extremely remote place and are going to be travelling home by boat and will be out of cell/all service for several days. I am concerned. I dont know what to do. Any ideas?
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Avatar universal
Thanks for responding.  He went back in today for another xray but they are sending us down to a bigger hospital to do a CT scan.  It is in the lower abdomen and something needs to be figured out soon.  Living in such a remote place it is important to try to be proactive instead of reactive.  Island living has its drawbacks.
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Avatar universal
Well, if I can say this, that doc was no help!  At least he did an X-ray, that will tend to rule out some sort of growth.  People get constipated for all sorts of reasons, often eating at a different place will do it, for example.  

I have a solution for when a person has waste that is right there and ready to come out, but won't, if that's your husband's specific problem.  If you're still amongst civilization, go to the drugstore and find a baby anal liquid, called PediaLax or BabyLax, squirt a couple tubes in there and the waste will come out in minutes.  If you cannot get any stuff like that, and again the waste is right there and ready to come out, he can lubricate the area really well, and with a couple fingers covered in plastic, very gently dig some out, and that will also produce a bowel movment of sorts.  

If a person's clog is further up, then another way to get similar results, altho it will REALLY clean out a person to where they can almost get stopped back up, is to buy an oral laxative, like Senokot, and that'll unclog a person.  Enemas work on higher clogs and sometimes produce results, too.  

In general, if your husband will drink lots of water, keep up his normal activity even if he doesn't feel well, and introduce some fiber foods little by little, that should get things moving and keep it that way.  Also, eating some "probiotics" in Activia yogurt or Acidophilus milk or anything like that that says, "Live cultures," will help break down waste.  Sometimes eating a bunch of spagetti with a nice salad will get digestion moving when nothing else will.  But the MAIN THING to do when you get stopped up is to drink copious amounts of water, and in the future staying well hydrated will ward off most digestive problems.

In any case, it will be okay if he stays stopped up for a little while longer, sometimes just getting back home, drinking extra water, will relax and hydrate the abdominal muscles enough to let it go.  I hope at least one of my tips will help him go sooner, tho.
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