Here Continence Nurse Specialist, Wendy Ness,
talks about bowel control problems and how to manage them
Bowel control problems, or faecal incontinence,
is more common than you would think. It's an embarrassing problem
which is not talked about. Two out of three people who have faecal
incontinence are under the age of 65 and the majority of these are
women.
What is faecal incontinence?
If you are unable to control wind, a liquid
stool (diarrhoea) or a solid motion, then you have faecal incontinence.
This may be a daily problem or happen only rarely.
Common causes of faecal incontinence
These include difficult childbirth, nerve damage
associated with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, confusion and
memory loss, problems with mobility and certain bowel conditions such as
colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Stress and anxiety can also make
the problem worse.
If you have this problem what should you do?
If your bowel habit has changed recently or you
are passing blood and losing weight without dieting, seek immediate
advice from your GP. You may find it difficult to discuss this with your
GP or nurse but you should seek their advice as some conditions can be
helped, or they can refer you on for specialist investigation and
advice.
What can be done to help?
There are a number of approaches in treating
faecal incontinence, which include:
- Changing your diet and drinking habits
- Medication to slow down the bowel and reduce
urgency
- Self-help measures including special
exercises
- Special pads and pants and skin care products
- For some people, an operation may help
As a colorectal nurse specialist I see many
patients in my clinic with faecal incontinence. Here is a selection of
the advice I commonly give to my patients to experiment with:
For wind problems:
- Avoid foods such as onions, mushrooms,
broccoli, cauliflower and all kinds of beans
- Try drinking peppermint tea with meals or
taking peppermint capsules
- Avoid fizzy drinks
For leakage problems:
- Apply petroleum jelly or similar barrier cream
after each bowel motion to protect your skin
- Fold a small cotton wool round in half and put
up by your back passage so the faeces goes on this rather than your
skin
- Eat a wheat-based breakfast cereal
- Use moist wipes to clean rather than constantly
wiping with dry paper
- Anal plugs can be obtained on prescription -
talk to your doctor or nurse
For urgency problems:
- You may need to be taught the correct way to
do anal exercises by a specialist nurse or physiotherapist
- Once safely sitting on the toilet try holding
on. At first you may only be able to do this for a second or two
- If your motion is loose try reducing the
fibre in your diet
- Cut out or drink less coffee and drinks with
artificial sweetener: these both have a laxative effect
Healthcare professionals who specialise in
helping people with faecal incontinence include colorectal nurse
specialists, continence advisors, colorectal surgeons,
urogynaecologists, gastroenterologists and physiotherapists.
Useful resources
'Bowel Care in Older People: Research and
practice', edited by J Potter, C Norton, A Cottenden and published by
the Royal College of Physicians, ISBN: 1 86016 167 7
'Bowel Control', C Norton and M Kamm and
published by Beaconsfield Publishers Ltd, ISBN: 0 906584 49 3
www.incontinent.com
www.aboutincontinence
www.bowelcontrol.org.uk
www.continence-foundation.org.uk
www.digestivedisorders.org.uk
If you would like any further information
regarding a bowel problem, please get in touch with Incontact and
we will put you in touch with a continence adviser, or continence nurse
specialist.
Back
to Information Sheets
Download booklet:
Chat
Fact File 
