Impacted Bowel - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

What Is an Impacted Bowel?

Impacted bowels result from constant constipation when poop is stuck inside the rectum. The main symptoms include difficulty in eating and pain during defecation. This condition can also be defined as the inability to sense and respond to the stool in the rectum.

Impacted bowels are the common cause of lower gastrointestinal tract obstruction that lags behind stricture for colon cancer and diverticulitis. Chronic and severe constipation is commonly found in elderly individuals. Prompt identification and treatment would minimize the risk of complications like bowel obstruction, perforations, peritonitis, and stercoral ulcers.

What Causes an Impacted Bowel?

There are several causes of an impacted bowel, including:

Not being active and having inappropriate bathroom habits can lead to impacted bowel over time.

1. Untreated Constipation: Constipation occurs when stools are dry and hard or when bowels become less frequent. A low-fiber diet, inadequate fluid intake, ignoring the urge to defecate, a sedentary lifestyle, certain medications, and anal fissures or hemorrhoids can result in constipation.

2. Overuse of Laxatives: Excessive and repeated use of laxatives can affect a person’s colon. The body becomes dependent on laxatives for the bowels. As a result, the colon loses its natural ability to perform reductions.

3. Medical Conditions: Medical conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, and colon cancer can lead to an impacted bowel.

4. Certain Medications: Some medications can impair gastrointestinal motility, medicines such as anticholinergic agents, calcium channel blockers, anticholinergic agents, iron preparations, and antacids.

5. Anorectal Surgery: Impacted bowel can occur as a rare complication of anorectal surgery.

What Are the Symptoms of Impacted Bowels?

Impacted bowels state that an individual has been constipated for a while. The symptoms include:

• Nausea and vomiting.

• Stomach or back pain.

• Watery diarrhea that leaks or explodes out.

• Back or stomach pain.

• Stool leaks while laughing or coughing.

• Dehydration.

• Swollen belly.

• Too fast breathing.

• No urge to pee.

• No urine.

• Low blood pressure.

• Sweating.

• Dizziness.

• Confusion.

• Tachycardia (fast heartbeat).

• Fever.

If, along with prolonging constipation, any above symptoms persist, seek medical help immediately. Many individuals with impacted bowels are aged or have other grave illnesses, so this condition may be life-threatening.

How Is the Diagnosis Made for an Impacted Bowel?

The diagnosis of the condition can be made by

• Medical History: A detailed history is taken, the daily routine of the bathroom is taken, and history of the bowels, difficulty in passing stools, frequency, and history of water and fluid intake and fiber-rich diet and medications taken.

• Physical Examination: A complete physical examination and a digital rectal examination are done.

• X-ray: X-ray helps take images of the chest and belly, which will help spot a fecal impaction.

• Sigmoidoscopy: This test is done to inspect the colon. In this procedure, a sigmoidoscopy is used as a thin tube-like instrument with a camera light, and a lens is used to inspect the lower colon and the area closest to the rectum. This helps in detecting the causing symptoms of the conditions.

Are There Any Home Remedies for Impacted Bowels?

Individuals with an impacted bowel should not try to remove any mass by themselves or wait for it to go away on its own. Immediately seek medical help from the healthcare provider and cure it. Food choice can help to keep bowel movements regular and avoid constipation. A high-fiber diet can aid regular bowel movements, and taking natural laxatives like prune juice, coffee, and tea can be beneficial in cases of constipation.

What Is the Treatment for Impacted Bowels?

It is important to receive treatment to remove the impacted mass of stool. Failing to do so could cause severe complications and possibly even death. There are several treatments for an impacted bowel.

• Enema: The most common remedy is a procedure called an enema. It is a procedure in which a specific fluid enters the rectum that softens the stool and makes it easier to push out. If the enema fails, it is necessary to break the stool and remove it by hand. Removing these impacted stools should result in individuals' normal bowel movements, and other side effects should go away.

• Laxatives: Oral Laxatives are used to treat impacted bowels. Many over-the-counter laxatives are used to stimulate the colon. In some cases, the medication is placed in the rectum, which helps in relieving constipation.

• Anal Suppository: It is another way of delivering the drug; the drug is placed in the rectum, which draws water from surrounding tissue, loosens the stool, and eases the impacted mass to come out.

• Water Irrigation: In this procedure, a small hose pushes through the colon's rectum. The hose connects to a machine that emits through the tube. After irrigation, massaging the abdomen and moving waste out of the rectum through another tube.

What Are the Complications of the Impacted Bowel?

Complications of impacted bowel range from mild to severe, and this can delay the effects of treatment. Typical complications are:

• Hemorrhoids.

• Anal tear.

• Rectal bleeding.

• Tearing of colon wall.

• Ulcers.

Any problems with digestive health, bowel movements, and digestive health should seek medical help immediately.

How Can an Impacted Bowel Be Prevented?

Impacted bowel can be prevented by preventing constipation. Some medications and diseases can make avoiding constipation tough. Making a few lifestyle changes can help to prevent the condition:

• Drink plenty of fluids, coffee, tea, and prune juice that act as natural laxatives.

• Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

• Take a fiber-rich diet, like pears, oats, vegetables, and whole wheat.

• Exercise daily to help the digestive system run smoothly.

• Reduce intake of foods high in sugar and cause constipation.

Conclusion:

Impacted bowels can be painful disruption, a common gastrointestinal disorder that can cause significant discomfort with the potential for major morbidity, especially in elderly individuals. A small lifestyle change can be beneficial to overall health. A high-fiber-friendly diet, staying hydrated, and low-intensity physical activities can prevent the condition. If constipation is severe, do contact the healthcare provider immediately.