I have had 3 small bowell obstructions, all due to crohn's disease. I
believe surgery is the only option. It was in all three of my cases. I
managed it for awhile by eating a soft, mushy, low residue diet but
eventually surgery became unavoidable. However, partial obstructions
frequently become total obstructions. A bowel obstruction either
partial or total can become a serious life threatening emergency if it
results in a perforated bowel, when surgery is unavoidable. It may be
better to have the surgery now under controlled conditions than to wait
for an emergency.