Do partial blockages always hurt??

Yes and no. The degree of discomfort depends on how blocked you are. Plus, everyone perceives gut pain as an individual, with individual sensitivities. For example, someone with IBS will experience more pain than someone who does not. Pain is very subjective and influenced by distraction, coping mechanisms, and sensory pathways.

Jan

Exactly what Jan said.

I've had partial blockages which were quite painful, with waves of cramping, and some where I had no pain or cramping per se, though I was otherwise bloated and wasn't passing much stool. With a couple of my blockages, I've actually been able to feel the "lump" in the bowel, and the area tends to be tender to palpation/touch. But your description of symptoms would seem consistent with a bloackage, even without the CT scan.

I've never had pain with a partial obstruction. My only symptom is feeling backed up and a sensation to empty my pouch but nothing, or very little, comes out.

Sue

Perhaps Jan could shed more light on this, but I would imagine that it also probably depends on the type of obstruction you have. I know that I have adhesions which account for most of the obstructions I've had, other than the post-surgical ones. My blockages, when I do have them, tend to always be in the same area (around the old stoma site), and as I noted above, I can sometimes feel them if I press on my lower abdomen; that area might be painful. However, I've sometimes had cramping, other times not at all.

Other types of blockages, such as dry or impacted stool, or those lower down due to stricture, may not cause exactly the same symptoms.

I had lots of blockages with loop ileo. Always knew it was blockage when I felt nauseous. I had pain with each though it came in waves- as food moved through. Could go hours with no pain. Once I got smart enough to stop eating, go to liquids, pain not so bad. Definitely felt just pressure at times. Even after blockage passes you will may feel pressure or achy. Guess we are all different.
Did you have any pain ever with it? My pain got severe as blockages finally passed.

Just got home from the Cleveland Clinic. The pictures from my cat scan never made it so he had nothing to look at. He did a scope of my pouch etc. and took biopsy and blew a bunch of air up my butt to the point I thought I would throw up from burping crazy. I am sure it was a partial blockage and I believe it is passing..... even the air seemed to help I think. Definitely a learning experience for me. I am undecided if I feel I overreacted but my last blockage was brutal (did surgery) so now I see that they are not ALL brutal. It brought me back to reality that I need to pay attention to what I eat like I use to as I think I was becoming more careless. I feel blessed that I am home and not admitted as that is what usually seems to be the result when I go to a hospital. Thank you so much for your feedback!

Glad you are okay. I don't think you overreacted, given your history. That being said, sometimes having a partial obstruction is a reminder that we still need to keep half an eye on things. I had two brutal post-op blockages, then I had several partial with my ileo (none of which required hospitalization, thankfully). After my takedown, I went a few years with nothing and I almost thought they were a thing of a past, even though I was well aware I had adhesions and could often feel stool passing through the old stoma site. Unfortunately, I wound up with a partial blockage about year and a half ago, and another one earlier this year. Neither of those required hospitalization, but they were reminders that I still shouldn't go nuts on certain foods (pardon the pun ). Even though blockages aren't always food related, with my history of adhesions, I try not to overdo it on very hard or fibrous foods.

Also, as Ljz says, you might still feel soreness even a few days after a blockage passes. The last one I had, it took about a week or so for me to feel entirely normal.

The higher up in your GI tract the obstruction is (closer to your stomach), the quicker and more severe the symptoms will be. That is because when things get backed up to the stomach, nausea and vomiting occur more quickly and there is more pain. If the obstruction is near the pouch, then it takes longer for things to develop to the point of affecting the stomach.

If it is a complete obstruction, as opposed to a partial obstruction, symptoms develop more quickly too. You should gauge your worry based on the degree of pain and other symptoms. If pain is severe or you are vomiting, it could be serious and require emergency surgery. So, you should never worry about over reacting and ER docs will err on the side of caution and check for a twisted bowel, blood clot, hernia, etc.

Also, just a reminder: food seldom has anything to do with an obstruction unless you have a very narrow stricture (as you'd find with Crohn's). Of course, you should not be wolfing down food without chewing!

Jan