Impacted Colon - Everything You Need to Know

Constipation happens to be a highly common complaint in today's day and age; even babies suffer from it. It is even more common to somebody that suppresses his bowels whenever there is some sort of urge for the bowels to come out. A lack of physical exercise could also contribute to this symptom. People who do not drink a lot of water also suffer from constipation.

Although constipation isn't a disease, it can be very alarming. Constipation happens to be the top cause of hemorrhoids, bowel obstruction, irritable bowel syndrome and various other diseases of the colon. Impacted colon tends to be caused by huge dry stool that cannot get through the rectum and stays clogged there. Impacted colon might cause diarrhea. Whenever the colon gets impacted by large and dry stool, the watery and soft stools on top of them will move inside the colon and leak, causing diarrhea. However, the impacted colon will still stay there, causing an obstruction. People that are most at risk of bowel obstructions would be the people that get bed-ridden since they can no longer move and their bodies need to remain stationary.

Even people who can move freely and walk, however, can still stuffer from constipation if there is a lack of exercise. But people that have restricted reflexes in moving their bodies have higher risks. People that take anti-cholinergic medicine are highly likely to suffer from this, as well, since this kind of medicine can create muscle spasms. Medications for anti-diarrhea can aid stools in obstructing the colon even more. Whenever you take any kind of diarrhea tablets, the bowel gets suppressed from coming out, so the diarrhea ends. However, the bowels that need to come out remain obstructed.

The symptoms of impacted colon include abdominal pain and cramping, blood inside the rectum, passage of wet stool in small but continuous amounts, and round and small stools similar to goat stools.

To know you are suffering from impacted colon, lumps should be felt in your lower abdomen after stomach examinations and mass should be felt when your rectum gets pressed hard. Treating impacted colon would involve removing whatever is causing the obstruction by getting rid of the obstructed stools. Some stool softeners might be given to aid the softened impacted stool, while laxatives might also be given to provide the softened stool with liquid.

Suppositories might be given, as well, with retraining programs of bowels so that normal movement can be restored. After medications are taken, dietary measures need to be properly observed. Consuming foods that contain more fiber need to be your primary meal. Fruits, vegetables and whole wheat grains need to be the primary course in place of burgers and meat. Exercise also needs to be a primary change that you need to do since exercise proves to aid in constipation relief. Drinking several glasses of water every morning on an empty stomach can also help when it comes to bowel movement.