Preventing Future Stoma Blockages - Seeking Advice

My mom had a stoma blockage a few days ago but is okay now. I took her to the emergency room on Wednesday, and she was discharged on Friday.

The CT scan confirmed she had a small bowel blockage. The doctor said they could put an NG tube in, but I asked if they could try a less aggressive approach of having her not eat or drink anything. This is what the hospital did last time.

Just a little background information: A couple of weeks after my mom had her emergency surgery and got a colostomy bag, she had a blockage. The nurses attempted to put an NG tube in my mom's nose, but it wouldn't go in, so they had her take nothing by mouth, and it resolved itself.

So, fast forward to now. The doctor agreed to try and have her not eat or drink anything and put her on IVs, and thankfully, it resolved just like last time.

A colostomy nurse asked if Mom ate anything unusual, which we didn't think she did. The surgeon believes it wasn't anything she ate but just scar tissue from her previous two surgeries.

Does anyone have any advice to help prevent a future blockage?

Adhesions occur following surgeries. Technically, this sounds like a small bowel obstruction. There can be stoma blockages too. There is no predicting whether it will occur again. The surgeon is correct regarding eating. However, logically it makes sense that she does not eat excessive roughage.

Thank you, GentleJohn! Yes, we were advised it was a small bowel obstruction. I was once told that an obstruction and a blockage were the same. I think I remember hearing that hospitals typically use the word "obstruction," but outside of hospitals, people usually say "blockages." Is this not correct? Is there a difference between an obstruction and a blockage?

What foods would be considered excessive roughage?

Drink more fluids than you think you need.

Hi daughter, avoid any kind of food that isn't easily digestible, like oranges, pineapple, mushrooms, carrots, and anything uncooked. Before I had resection surgery of my ileostomy, I had scar tissue due to Crohn's and surgery that caused blockages and occasional hospital stays with the dreaded NG tube if the blockage was bad enough.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

Thank you, Alex! I keep telling my mom to drink more. I definitely don't think she drinks enough.

Are carrots okay if cooked? We have been buying fresh carrots and Mom has been cooking them. This is a recent change as we used to only eat frozen carrots.

Hi Daughter, the short answer is yes, as long as they are cooked and chewed well.

I have read on this site that some folks claim Kedem 100% grape juice has helped to clear blockages in an ileostomy. Not sure if it would be the same for a colostomy, but it may. In any event, it seems like a healthy choice (carbs 34g-total sugars 34g in 8 oz. according to the label). I am unsure if it would even work if I had a blockage. Fortunately, I have not needed this (so far), but I do keep a bottle in the pantry in case I do.

I am all for anything more natural. Maybe your mom would benefit by having a glass every morning at breakfast as possibly a preventative measure. jb

Thank you so much for the suggestion!

In the past, I had a lot of blockages but later found an obstruction and I had to have hernia surgery. He said he took care of all the adhesions while in there too.
What used to help me with blockages was either Coca-Cola or I would take grape juice and warm it up in the microwave and drink it like a cup of coffee. Also, I would lay in my bed and bring my knees up to my chest with my hands. If none of those things worked, I'd be driving to the ER.