Otis Boykin. An ink drawing of Otis Boykin from a U.S. DEPARTMENT of Energy biographical sketch of 1979. Otis Bobby Boykin (August 29, 1920, Dallas, Texas â March 13, 1982, Chicago, Illinois) was an American inventor and engineer.
Without any fluids (either as sips, ice chips or intravenously) people with a complete bowel obstruction most often survive a week or two. Sometimes itâs only a few days, sometimes as long as three weeks. With fluids, survival time may be extended by a few weeks or even a month or two. With a bowel obstruction, things may go better than expected, but itâs important to prepare for sudden, unexpected changes.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, going more than three days without having a bowel movement is too long. Normal stools should be easy to pass and are typically brown in color. Abnormal changes in the color of your stool can include: 1  black, tarry stools. 2  clay-colored stools. 3  deep red stools.