explain to me fecal impaction/sbo and vomiting

[Dr McSteamy]

i know vomiting is a symptom of obstruction, but how does it trigger vomiting?
what nerves/pathways are involved?
I've searched the internets some, but can't find an answer...

i'm curious cuz i saw a kid patient the other day with his large bowel chock full of crap/constipated, and he was vomiting. bowels were majorly distended

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[BrainBuff]

I can not really believe you are asking that question. I hope that you are not planning to be an "internet" doctor..

 

[DeLaughterDO]

If I remember correctly (this has been quite some time ago), distention of the bowel lumen in obstruction, causes visceral afferent stimulation via the vagus nerve, which in turn stimulates the area postrema in the floor of the 4th ventricle (one of the vomiting centers in the body - area postrema, chemoreceptor trigger zone, and direct vestibular stimulation).

This may or may not be absolutely correct, but I'm pretty sure this is right. Might want to open up your phys/pathophys books for more detailed answers.

jd

 

[HarryRosenMD]

Hi...

An easy way to think about it is as follows: Whenever a hollow organ is obstructed (partial or complete)... there is a reflex increased peristalsis - both antegrade... and eventually retrograde. This is why an intestinal obstruction leads to nausea & vomiting (which may be feculent=grossly containing feces). The other thing to factor in is that whenever one hollow organ increases its peristaltic force for any reason, there is a potential for a reflex increased peristalsis in all hollow organs (esophagus, stomach, intestines, ureters, gallbaldder/biliary tract). For example, patients with cholecystitis, appendicitis, or pyelonephritis often present with nausea & vomiting.

Hope that helps.

 

[Blesbok]

How did you pass freshman chemistry...in high school?

Solid + liquid = very little compression

Very little compression + more going in = has to come out somewhere

Lack of ability to come out the bottom end = comes out the top end

 

[werd]

i hate to be captain obvious but there's also the basic fact that you end up with feculent material backed up into your stomach. what do you suppose would happen if you ate feces/bile? i like to think it wouldn't stay down.

 

[MattD]

i hate to be captain obvious but there's also the basic fact that you end up with feculent material backed up into your stomach. what do you suppose would happen if you ate feces/bile? i like to think it wouldn't stay down.

But why captain obvious, why?

Lots of cultures eat lots of things that would cause me PERSONALLY to vomit if I tried to chow on. That be psychological. If one were to become psychologically desensitized to the horrindiculous idea of eating feces, is there anything in there specifically that would cause you to vomit?

I'm asking, I don't know. I tend to presume the opposite though, mainly because Stiffler ate poop in American Wedding and he didn't hurl (on-screen anyway), and I get all my medical knowledge from the TV.

 

[Unmoralthoughts]

I went to the hospitol lastnight due to severe abdominal pain like the worst i have ever felt in my life.. and they did alot of tests on me, but nothing was wrong.. So they knew i had severe constipation and i think me ignoring that constipation turned into Fecal Impaction.. which i had NEVER knew existed till lastnight... Anyhow what i am trying to get at is that my pain was so severe that it was making me sick to my stomach and puking.. i was so bloated and i had a fever and i was having cold sweats..Maybe the kid was just really uncomfortable that it made him sick to his stomach .. I have no idea.


- Amanda

 

[Occams Razor]

True, the abdominal discomfort itself may have caused the vomiting.

If feces were backing up into the stomach, would it also bring bacteria with it, triggering a "food poisoning" reaction?

(only on SDN will one find a forum with a title like this...)

 

[HEADintheCLOUDS]

Because...impaction = poo.........if you smell poo...you vomit

 

[Hayden2102]

I don't know about you but I can't smell things in my stomach...

 

[HEADintheCLOUDS]

I don't know about you but I can't smell things in my stomach...

I k-n-o-w....thats becasue your nose (which does the smelling) is on your face, not in your stomach....WOW...just WOW.

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

I k-n-o-w....thats becasue your nose (which does the smelling) is on your face, not in your stomach....WOW...just WOW.

This has got to be some regular user's alternate, self-amusement account. Just has to be. Well played sir, well played indeed.

 

[Hayden2102]

I k-n-o-w....thats becasue your nose (which does the smelling) is on your face, not in your stomach....WOW...just WOW.

^
Humour.

(Just in case nobody realised...)

 

[HEADintheCLOUDS]

^
Humour.

(Just in case nobody realised...)

^attempt at being captain obvious........succeeded!

 

[DocPsychosis]

Jesus you people are insufferable.

Also,

I went to the hospitol lastnight due to severe abdominal pain like the worst i have ever felt in my life.. and they did alot of tests on me, but nothing was wrong.. So they knew i had severe constipation and i think me ignoring that constipation turned into Fecal Impaction.. which i had NEVER knew existed till lastnight... Anyhow what i am trying to get at is that my pain was so severe that it was making me sick to my stomach and puking.. i was so bloated and i had a fever and i was having cold sweats..Maybe the kid was just really uncomfortable that it made him sick to his stomach .. I have no idea.


- Amanda

What the hell is this?

 

[Depakote]

What the hell is this?

that's

at work, baby.

 

[brianmartin]

they *joined* SDN to post that! lol