Common symptoms include: Abdominal cramping and bloating. Leakage of liquid or sudden episodes of watery diarrhea in someone who has chronic (long-term) constipation. Rectal bleeding.
How is fecal impaction diagnosed? Healthcare providers diagnose fecal impaction by a physical examination and a digital rectal examination. They look for a large amount of poop in your rectum. If your provider suspects your fecal impaction could be located in your colon, an abdominal X-ray can confirm its location.
Can you still poop with an impaction? You usually will not poop if you are experiencing fecal impaction. If you do, the stool you pass will be watery, or very hard and small, or you may experience stool leakage.
Be sure to eat enough fiber and to avoid dehydration. Abdominal massage may or may not work but won't hurt to try in most cases. Move the bowels when the urge strikes, and ask your doctor about a laxative you can use for a few days if these treatments don't work.
It has not been reported that a fecal impaction with no defecation as long as 75 days and failed to respond to medication can also be relieved by nonsurgical therapy. Successful therapy in this case focused on keeping mechanical balance of colon, to clear fecal impaction gradually.
“It would be an emergency if you hadn't had a bowel movement for a prolonged time, and you're also experiencing major bloating or severe abdominal pain,” notes Dr. Zutshi. Slight symptoms will not take you to the emergency room. You should go to the emergency room if your symptoms are severe.
Most cases of bowel obstruction need some form of medical intervention. Treatment options for bowel obstruction can include: Medication: Opioids can lead to constipation. If this occurs, laxatives and stool softeners can help.
Fecal impaction is a complication of chronic constipation. Eventually, your long-term constipation can lead to a large lump of dry stool getting lodged in your rectum. This stool is difficult to pass, but it can also lead to severe complications if untreated.
A doctor may recommend oral laxatives, such as polyethylene glycol (MiraLax) or bisacodyl (Dulcolax). A person should take the tablet as the doctor, pharmacist, or instruction leaflet advises. Polyethylene glycol comes as a powder to dissolve in water or another drink.
Treatment for the condition starts with removal of the impacted stool. After that, steps are taken to prevent future fecal impactions. A warm mineral oil enema is often used to soften and lubricate the stool. However, enemas alone are not enough to remove a large, hardened impaction in most cases.
The typical presenting symptoms of fecal impaction are similar to those found in intestinal obstruction from any cause, including abdominal pain and distention, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. These are summarized in Table 2.
Most common symptoms
You may be able to feel a hard mass (the hardened stool) in your lower abdomen if you press it with your hand. If the hard stool is close to your anus, you may be able to feel the hard stool if you insert your finger inside. You might be nauseous or even vomit.
If your child has been constipated for more than a few days your doctor or nurse may say that they need to follow a disimpaction regime. This means giving laxatives in sufficiently large quantities to 'clear out' all the accumulated poo.
It is a laxative for the treatment of constipation in adults, adolescents and elderly. It is not recommended for children below 12 years of age. Movicol helps you to have a comfortable bowel movement even if you have been constipated for a long time. Movicol also works in very bad constipation called faecal impaction.
Manual Disimpaction
A lubricated, gloved index finger is inserted into the rectum and the hardened stool is gently broken up using a scissoring motion. The finger is then moved in a circular manner, bent slightly and removed, extracting stool with it.
No Bowel Movements for More Than One Week
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.
Eating When you Have Constipation. Try these things to relieve your constipation: Do not skip meals. Avoid processed or fast foods, such as white breads, pastries, doughnuts, sausage, fast-food burgers, potato chips, and French fries.
The physician will many times insert a tube to help decompress the bowel which also provides the patient with significant relief. All in all, it is imperative to learn and understand that the stool is waste matter.
Intestinal bleeding, appendicitis, a strangulated hernia, and fecal impaction are some examples of these medical emergencies, and constipation is a symptom of each. Anyone who suspects that a person around them needs urgent aid should contact emergency services right away.
For this procedure, a single finger of a gloved hand is lubricated and inserted into the rectum. The stool is gently broken up and removed in pieces until the rectum is cleared. 1 Digital disimpaction can be performed on its own or in tandem with rectal irrigation (douching).
Individuals with fecal impactions often have breathing difficulties due to the collection of the stool in the colon. Fecal impaction can be life threatening. A bowel obstruction is either a partial or complete blockage of the small or large intestines and requires immediate medical attention!