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How Long Can Constipation Last In Adults

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Symptoms Of Faecal Impaction

Constipation | How To Get Rid Of Constipation | Constipation Relief (2019)

The symptoms of impaction are similar to the symptoms of constipation. But other more serious symptoms can occur. These include:

  • back pain due to the mass of poo pressing on the nerves in your lower back
  • a swollen tummy
  • high or low blood pressure
  • a fast heart rate
  • explosive diarrhoea or diarrhoea that you have no control over
  • feeling and being sick

Symptoms To Watch For During Home Treatment

if any of the following occur during home treatment:

  • Constipation occurs or continues after 1 week of home treatment.
  • Rectal pain develops or increases.
  • Blood in the stool develops or increases.
  • Uncontrolled leakage of stool occurs.
  • Your symptoms become more severe or more frequent.

If you have any of these symptoms, you need to be evaluated by a doctor.

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How To Treat Constipation

Things that contribute to constipation can include stress, diet, and lack of physical activity. A person may also find they dont poop as often as they age because their intestines tend to move more slowly. There are many treatments available to help relieve constipation and promote regular bowel movements. These include:

  • Drinking at least eight glass of water a day. Waste in the intestines absorbs water, helping to stimulate the bowels to move.
  • Exercising. Exercise can act as an outside massage to the bowels by promoting movement. The exercise doesnt have to be high-impact to be effective. Even going on regular walks can help, especially after eating.
  • Cutting back on dairy products. Dairy products can have a constipating effect on the body. Limiting ones intake to one to two servings per day can help.
  • Increasing fiber intake. Dietary fiber helps to add bulk to the stool. This promotes intestinal movement . Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are all usually excellent sources of dietary fiber.
  • Avoiding foods known to worsen constipation. These include high-fat or low-fiber foods, such as chips, fast foods, meat, and highly processed foods like hot dogs.

In addition to making lifestyle changes, you may wish to temporarily take stool softeners, such as docusate sodium . This can make stool easier to pass.

Doctors can prescribe other treatments as well. An example is the medication linaclotide , which can help speed up the intestines so a person has more bowel movements.

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When To See A Healthcare Provider

Some kinds of stomach pain need immediate attention. With others, you can call or visit your healthcare provider. It can be hard to know what you should do. Listen to your body and trust your instincts if youâre not sure.

If you have any of these symptoms along with stomach pain, call your healthcare provider within one to two days:

  • Fever for three days or longer
  • Loss of appetite
  • Pain that gets worse or doesnât get better within one or two days

You should also call your healthcare provider if you have stomach pain while being treated for cancer.

What Are The Symptoms Of Constipation

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Symptoms of constipation include:

  • You have fewer than three bowel movements a week.
  • Your stools are dry, hard and/or lumpy.
  • Your stools are difficult or painful to pass.
  • You have a stomach ache or cramps.
  • You feel bloated and nauseous.
  • You feel that you havent completely emptied your bowels after a movement.

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Can Constipation Cause Internal Damage Or Lead To Other Health Problems

There are a few complications that could happen if you dont have soft, regular bowel movements. Some complications include:

  • Swollen, inflamed veins in your rectum .
  • An infection in pouches that sometimes form off the colon wall from stool that has become trapped and infected
  • Damage to your pelvic floor muscles from straining to move your bowels. These muscles help control your bladder. Too much straining for too long a period of time may cause urine to leak from the bladder .

Treating Constipation During Pregnancy

Constipation is a common problem in late pregnancy because of the rising level of circulating progesterone, which slows gastrointestinal motility. A Cochrane review45 found two randomized trials for treating constipation in pregnancy. The findings suggest that fiber supplements increase the number of bowel movements and lead to softer stools. Although stimulant laxatives are more effective than bulk-forming laxatives, they also are more likely to cause diarrhea and abdominal pain.45 Therefore, women who are pregnant should be encouraged to add more fiber to their diet if constipation persists, a stimulant laxative may be recommended.

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Q: What Causes Constipation

A: Constipation happens when your bowel movements occur less often or cause more strain than usual. Dr. Zutshi says there are three kinds of constipation:

  • Normal transit constipation.
  • Slow transit constipation.
  • Outlet defecation syndrome or ODS, a type of chronic constipation involving hard stool and an inability to pass stool that occurs at least once a week for six months.

Normal transit and slow transit constipation are both considered motility disturbances. And to understand motility, look no further than the morning commute.

Motility is how well the roads or in this case, the muscles in your gastrointestinal tract are moving.

  • Normal transit is like driving the speed limit until some roadwork at your exit derails your expected arrival time. Stool moves through your GI system normally, but a problem such as hard stool makes it difficult to pass.
  • Slow transit is bumper-to-bumper traffic the whole way through. The muscles in your GI system contract slowly, causing the stool to take a long time to get to its final destination. You go less often, with more straining and harder stool.

And just like there are many causes for snarled roadways, there are different reasons your inner streets are backing up, such as a lack of:

You have less control over these other constipation causes:

  • Medical conditions, including diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome or even a spinal cord injury.
  • Medications such as antidepressants or herbal supplements.
  • Being pregnant.

This Factsheet Is About Constipation

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Constipation is a symptom that can mean different things to different people, but the usual meaning is that a person has difficulty or infrequency with opening their bowels. Constipation affects around 1 in 7 otherwise healthy people. The two groups of people most likely to be trouble by constipation are young women and the elderly especially those who need to take regular medicines.

There is a common belief that people need to open their bowels every day, but this is not the case. Opening the bowels can vary between three times a day to three times a week in healthy individuals. Symptoms can constantly fluctuate and 3 people in every 100 adults have persistent constipation over 20 years. It is a common problem and does not usually mean that anything is seriously wrong. Most cases are temporary and will clear up with simple lifestyle measures.

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When Should I See My Doctor

Commonly, diet and lifestyle factors cause or contribute to constipation. However, in some cases there may be an underlying problem.

Occasionally, constipation can be a sign of an underlying condition such as bowel cancer. In such cases, there are likely to be other symptoms. These may include a recent change in bowel habits, weight loss, bleeding from the rectum or blood in stools, or abdominal pain, cramping or bloating.

If you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor. Also see your doctor if you have severe constipation or constipation that is not getting better with simple lifestyle changes.

To make the diagnosis, your doctor will ask you about:

  • any medical conditions you have
  • medicines you are taking

Your doctor may also do a physical examination. This may include:

  • feeling your abdominal area

Why Does Constipation Occur

There are three main physical causes. One of the causes is where the muscles of the intestine and large bowel stop working properly this results in slow movement of contents through the bowel down to the rectum . This is termed slow transit constipation and patients have an infrequent urge to go to the toilet.

Another type of constipation is called obstructed defaecation where the movement of the bowel is normal, but the person experiences symptoms of difficulty with emptying their bowel. Patients may need to strain, and feel they cannot empty. There are some patients who have both slow transit and obstructed defaecation.

Finally, there is constipation-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome when the person has difficulty with bowel opening and abdominal pain associated with not going. This type of constipation can be made worse with stress or depression.

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Check If It’s Constipation

It’s likely to be constipation if:

  • you have not had a poo at least 3 times during the last week
  • the poo is often large and dry, hard or lumpy
  • you are straining or in pain when you have a poo

You may also have a stomach ache and feel bloated or sick.

If you’re caring for someone with dementia, constipation may be easily missed. Look out for any behaviour changes, as it might mean they are in pain or discomfort.

Exact Answer: 1 Week To 3 Months

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Constipation does not have a single definition. Many patients experience one or more symptoms, such as irregular stools , hard stools, incomplete evacuation, straining when defecating, ineffective defecation, or spending too much time on the toilet.

Constipation can be caused by a variety of factors, including eating the incorrect foods, not eating the proper foods, inadequate fibre intake, and disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease.

When it comes to analysing someone who suffers from constipation, knowing the difference between acute and chronic constipation is essential since it will decide the care strategy and treatment plan.

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Can Constipation Be Resolved With Food

Unfortunately, food is usually not going to start you to get going. It will help keep you going once you are not constipated, but you need medications to rev things ups. The best analogy I tell my patients is that your colon and constipation are like a train: It takes a lot of force to get a train going, but once it is going, it does not need as much to keep it moving.

Foods that help keep things going have a large amount of fiber, which is the foundation of gut health. Some good options:

How To Relieve Constipation

One of the easiest ways to end your bout of constipation is to take a stool softener. Start with small doses and work your way up to a higher dosage if you must. The goal is just to get the bowels moving, not to give yourself diarrhea. Keep in mind that stool softeners also may artificially moisten your stool in order to get it to pass. Drink plenty of water to ensure that you dont get dehydrated while taking stool softeners.

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No Bowel Movements For More Than One Week

If you do not pass any bowel movements for over one week, Dr. Bedford added that is an additional reason to seek medical attention. After seven days, your constipation may not necessarily be an emergency, but a healthcare provider can prevent the situation from becoming one.

Too many days with no bowel movements could lead to fecal impaction, in which stool hardens and bulks up so much that you cannot pass it, Dr. Bedford explained.

Although fecal impaction is more common among older adults and people with underlying conditions complicating their constipation, it can still be a threat.

“The key is to never get to that position,” said Dr. Bedford. Per the National Library of Medicine, healthcare providers can stop fecal impaction from becoming serious by issuing an enema to soften your stool. They may also insert a finger into your rectum to separate large waste products so that it is easy to pass.

What Happens During An Exam

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Your doctor will probably ask for a medical history. They will ask questions about your constipation, including:

  • When your constipation started
  • Your family and personal history of colon cancer or digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome
  • What medicines you’re taking

These questions may sound personal, but they’re the only way your doctor can learn why you’re constipated and find the best constipation treatment for you.

Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to also ask your doctor questions, such as:

  • How often should I go to the bathroom?
  • How much fluid should I drink each day?
  • How much fiber do I need to eat?
  • Which type of laxative will help my constipation while causing the fewest side effects?
  • How soon should my constipation improve?
  • Do I need to see a gastroenterologist?
  • When should I make an appointment to see you again?

Sometimes, your doctor may recommend that you have tests such as a barium enema X-ray, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy. These diagnostic tests allow your doctor to look for problems in your intestines, colon, and rectum.

Once the cause of your constipation has been determined, your doctor will discuss treatments with you. Common constipation treatments include adding more fiber to your diet and taking laxatives.

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How Long Does Constipation Last

Constipation can be a frightening experience, especially when it lasts particularly long. In most cases, constipation should give way to treatment after a few hours, or one day at the most. But in some cases, it does last much longer. To answer the question: How long does constipation last ? one should consider various cases and circumstances.

First of all: what causes constipation and what do you do to not only alleviate your constipation but also to eliminate the causes of constipation? Constipation can be caused by various factors, such as stress, an incorrect diet, a lack of quality exercise, too little water and more.

Looking at stress, you will see that stress is the single most reported cause of constipation. Stress already causes your muscles to go into spasm, even if you do not develop constipation as a result of the stress. But in more or less 80% of all cases of constipation, stress will be one of the causes of your constipation because it also affects the abdominal muscles such as the intestinal smooth muscles that are responsible for peristaltic movement (that is the movements that the intestine make in order to move the stool along towards elimination.

How long does constipation last if caused by stress? The answer to that would depend on how long the stress lasts. The best method to get rid of stress related constipation, seeing that in most cases it is hard to totally eliminate stress, is to effectively manage the stress.

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What Causes Constipation

Our busy, modern lifestyles may be responsible for most cases of constipation: not eating enough fiber or drinking enough water, not getting enough exercise, and not taking the time to respond to an unmistakable urge to go to the bathroom. Persistent, chronic constipation may also be a symptom of more serious conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, depression, or an underactive thyroid gland.

Bowel habits tend to vary with age and circumstances. Bottle-fed babies, for example, tend to have firmer stools and more bouts of constipation than breast-fed babies. Some children become constipated when they start school or other activities, because they are embarrassed to ask permission to use the toilet. Toddlers often become constipated during toilet training if they are unwilling or afraid to use the toilet. Being sensitive to pain, children may avoid the toilet if they have minor splits or tears in the from straining or other irritations. Kids can also become constipated from consuming certain foods, such as dairy products.

Older people, especially those who are more sedentary, tend to develop constipation more often.

Medications that can cause constipation include narcotics, diuretics, iron supplements, antacids, and drugs for blood pressure, seizures, and depression.

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Get To Know Constipation

In general perception, constipation might refer to some abnormal bowel movements such as absence of stool, reduced frequency in defecation, and hard stools which are difficult to pass. Not only these abnormal conditions, constipation also includes one of these manifestations:

  • Having lumpy or hard stools.
  • Passing fewer than three stools per week.
  • Difficult stool passage defined as needing help or longer time to empty the rectum.
  • Straining to have bowel movements which might be presented with bloody stool.
  • Feeling that rectum is not completely empty after bowel movement.

Constipation has been frequently found in women rather men. It can actually happen at any age groups, with more incidences in working age.

What Should I Do If I Am Constipated

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Take these steps:

  • Drink two to four extra glasses of water a day, unless your doctor told you to limit fluids for another reason.
  • Try warm liquids, especially in the morning.
  • Add fruits and vegetables to your diet.
  • Eat prunes and bran cereal.
  • Exercise most days of the week. When you move your body, the muscles in your intestines are more active, too.
  • Donât ignore the urge to poop.

You can try taking a laxative, too. There are several types of laxatives, and you can buy many of them over the counter. Each of them works in a different way to ease constipation. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which kind might work for you and how long you should take it.

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