Signs Of Bowel Incontinence
Fecal or bowel incontinence is the inability to control your bowel movements and sometimes patient does not realize they have had a leakage until the use the bathroom again. It can range in severity to an occasional inability to control passing gas to the inability to control the bowel. Fecal incontinence can be an embarrassing problem and may cause to stay at home, avoid social situations and events because of the fear of having an accident. You are not alone with this problem. Many older people and especially women have this problem. It is a problem that is not talked about and patients often suffer in silence. You should not be afraid to discuss this problem with your doctor. Many times there are treatments available, some that are simple, to help control or correct this problem.
Common causes of bowel incontinence are diarrhea, constipation and muscle or nerve damage. Injury to the anus and rectum often occur during childbirth but sometimes is not recognized until later in life. Having control of your bowels is often taken for granted because we train the bladder and bowels early in life. Our body can recognize the urge to defecate and we can control that urge until we reach a bathroom. Some people may have an “accident” because of a temporary bout of diarrhea. People with recurring fecal incontinence cannot control gas or stools whether they are liquid or solid.
Incontinence of the bowels is often associated with other bowel troubles including frequent gas, bloating and cramping in the abdomen, constipation, and diarrhea. The body’s digestive system begins in the mouth when your food is chewed and mixed with saliva and swallowed. It continues through the intestinal system and is expelled through stools through the rectum. While your food is in the digestive system, water is absorbed, and the rest of your food intake is formed into stools. Stools consist of undigested foods, water that has not been absorbed, dead cells, bacteria, and mucus.
The unused material is expelled from the rectum by relaxing sphincter muscles and your rectal walls contract to increase pressure and expel it through the rectum. Sometimes more muscles in your abdomen will be needed to complete the work of bowel elimination.
There are certain muscles and sensations that are needed for normal bowel function. The anal sphincter muscles should contract normally to prevent stool from leaving your rectum. You should feel a sensation in the rectum that alerts you of a pending bowel movement, and rectal stretching that can allow you to hold your bowels until you can visit a bathroom. These are all normal functions of the rectum, anus, and nervous system. A person must also have normal mental and physical abilities to recognize and respond to your body’s urge to defecate. If something goes wrong with any of these functions, you may suffer from fecal incontinence. Fecal incontinence can be treated and many times cured with simple dietary changes or muscle strengthening exercises.