How Do You Unblock an Impacted Bowel?

The food you eat gets digested in the gut. The nutrients from the food are absorbed through the gut lining when it passes through your gut. The remaining waste is excreted out of the body through the rectum and anus.

Most of the water from your food is absorbed in the body when the food gets into the colon. If regular bowel movements do not occur, the stools in the lower part of the colon and rectum may become hard and dry, resulting in fecal impaction.

Fecal impaction in turn disturbs the normal digestion process. It is mostly seen in people with severe constipation for a longer period.

Symptoms of an impacted bowel or fecal impaction include:

• Watery stool leakage from the rectum
• Severe abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Discomfort
• Feeling to push the stools
• Feelings of fullness
• Poor appetite

Fecal impaction must be treated immediately. If it is left untreated, the symptoms may worsen, such as:

• Rapid heart rate
• Hyperventilation or breathlessness
• Confusion or irritability
• Rectal or anal tears or bleeding
• Lower back pain
• Hemorrhoids

Fecal impactions are common in older people.

Causes of fecal impaction include:

• Constipation: One of the most common causes of an impacted bowel. It is painful, and you may feel bloated. When stool does not pass, the stools become dry and lodge in the colon, causing impacted bowel or fecal impaction.
  • Causes of constipation include:
    • Dietary habits, such as low fiber intake. Women must consume at least 21 to 25 grams of fiber and men should have 30 to 38 grams a day.
    • Sedentary habits or a lack of regular exercise results in constipation.
    • Low intake of fluids leads to dry and hard stools resulting in constipation.
    • Ignoring the urge to defecate due to reasons, such as lack of access to toilets.
    • Medications, such as anticholinergics. Excess use of medicines that are used to treat diarrhea. Narcotic pain medicines, such as methadone, codeine, and oxycontin cause constipation.
    • Anal fissures or hemorrhoids, the severe pain caused by anal fissures and hemorrhoids, make a person avoid defecating, resulting in constipation.
• Laxatives: Overuse of laxatives is a common cause of fecal impaction. Due to repeated usage of laxatives, the body depends on laxatives for defecation. Stools start to build up in the colon, causing fecal impaction.
• Other medical conditions:
  • Diverticulum
  • Colon cancer
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Diabetes
  • Neurological conditions
  • Jet lag
  • Mental stress

There are several ways to diagnose an impacted bowel, such as:

• Medical history: Your doctor will ask for the history of when your last stools passed along with the consistency of the stools. In addition, your doctor needs to know if you have been on laxatives or are often constipated. Another general question you can expect is how much water you drink in a day, the type of diet, and the history of any medications you take.
• Physical examination: Your doctor checks for overall health and may perform a digital rectal exam. For doing a digital rectal exam, your doctor will put on gloves, add lubricant to one finger and insert it into the rectum to feel any fecal impactions or other problems.
• Sigmoidoscopy: During a sigmoidoscopy, the doctor uses a sigmoidoscope (a thin tube-like instrument with a light and lens) to look inside your lower colon and rectum. They will try to inspect for fecal impaction or other conditions causing symptoms.

Tips for healthy bowel movements

• Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated always
• Regular exercises help move the bowel healthily
• High fiber-containing foods include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables
• Manage stress