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Treatments for Bowel Incontinence

Patients who suffer from bowel or fecal incontinence face an additional amount of burden and shame. They may withdraw from family and friends and try to hide their problem. Bowel incontinence can cause withdrawal, frustration, depression, and anger problems. The emotional impact of bowel incontinence can cause stress and loss of dignity. It's impossible to feel comfortable in a social setting if you fear an involuntary loss of bowel control!

The first item of business is to make an appointment with your personal doctor. Explain the problem and allow them to make preliminary tests to find out if your problem is a problem they can treat. If not, they refer you to a specialist such as a proctologist, colorectal surgeon, or a gastroenterologist. These doctors specialize in medical conditions that affect the colon, anus, and rectum.

Fecal incontinence can cause physical discomfort as well as emotional discomfort. The skin surrounding the anus is delicate and prolonged and repeated contact with stool can irritate the area. Itching, pain, and possibly sores can occur and will need medical treatment.

Treatment for bowel incontinence may start with changes in your diet. Your food and intake and what you drink all affect your bowel movements and their consistency. If fecal incontinence were caused by chronic constipation, your diet would need to include foods high in fiber that are not constipating and drinking more fluids. If diarrhea is causing the problem, a diet rich in fiber may also help by adding bulk to your stools. The fiber helps absorb the liquid from your bowel movements. Your doctor or a nutritionist can recommend the changes you need to make to help your incontinence problem.

Sometimes diet changes are not enough to take care of the problem. Your doctor may prescribe special medications to treat your fecal incontinence. If your problem is caused by diarrhea, it may be recommended you take Imodium, which helps treat diarrhea. It is found in chewable tablets so you can take them any time without liquid to wash it down with. If the problem is caused by constipation, a mild laxative may be recommended to restore normal bowel movements and consistency. Your doctor can also recommend a drug that decreases the water content in your stools and decrease the spontaneous movement of your bowel.

Bowels can be trained, just as bladders can be trained to control or sense when you have a need to defecate. A bowel-training program and muscle exercises may also help with bowel incontinence. Bowel training means teaching your bowels to move at certain times of the day. Your body will soon recognize the bowels need to move after a meal, when you first wake up, or right before you go to bed. Children especially are helped by this method as they sometimes forget to use the toilet and may have impacted bowels from not going often enough.

Bowel training can also involve exercise therapy and biofeedback. These two methods can strengthen rectal muscles.