Increasing dietary fiber intake to 25 to 30 g daily may improve symptoms of constipation. Encourage physical activity to improve bowel regularity. If nonpharmacologic approaches fail, recommend increased fiber intake and/or laxatives to increase bowel movement frequency and improve symptoms of constipation.
Eat fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables
This adds bulk to your stool, which stimulates the bowels to move and propel your stool forward. Foods that contain fiber include: fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, and apples. nuts and seeds, such as pistachios, almonds, or sunflower seeds.
Most patients are initially treated with lifestyle modifications, such as scheduled toileting after meals, increased fluid intake, and increased dietary fiber intake. Additional fiber intake in the form of polycarbophil, methylcellulose, or psyllium may improve symptoms.
Lubricants such as mineral oil enable stool to move through your colon more easily. Stool softeners. Stool softeners such as docusate sodium (Colace) and docusate calcium (Surfak) moisten the stool by drawing water from the intestines. Enemas and suppositories.
Eating a diet that's low in fiber. Getting little or no physical activity. Taking certain medications, including sedatives, opioid pain medications, some antidepressants or medications to lower blood pressure. Having a mental health condition such as depression or an eating disorder.
Drink enough water
Limit caffeine drinks to 2 per day. Eat food high in soluble fibre (pasta, rice, vegetables and fruit). Limit foods high in insoluble fibre (bran and muesli).
The muscles of the rectum and intestines stretch and eventually weaken. This allows watery stool from farther up the digestive tract to move around the impacted stool and leak out. Long-lasting constipation also may cause nerve damage that leads to fecal incontinence.
Practising your exercises
Sit, stand or lie with your knees slightly apart. Tighten and pull up the sphincter muscles as tightly as you can. Hold tightened for at least five seconds, then relax for about 4 seconds. Repeat five times.
Eat high-fiber foods such as whole-wheat grains, fresh vegetables, and beans. Use products containing psyllium, such as Metamucil, to add bulk to the stools. Try to drink 2 to 3 liters of fluid a day (unless you have a medical condition that requires you to restrict your fluid intake).
In general, bulk-forming laxatives, also referred to as fiber supplements, are the gentlest on your body and safest to use long term. Metamucil and Citrucel fall into this category.
The main risk factors for constipation in the elderly population include the following: immobility, weakness of the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, malnutrition, rectal hyposensitivity, ignoring a “defecation call,” chronic medical conditions (metabolic, neurologic, cardiovascular), chronic medication use ( ...
Drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated is a great way to regulate digestion. People who support a water flush for colon cleansing recommend drinking six to eight glasses of lukewarm water per day. Also try eating plenty of foods high in fiber & water content.
The amount of fiber and water in your diet, as well as whether you're eating greasy or fried foods, can dramatically affect how often you visit the toilet. Travel, hormonal shifts, medications and multivitamins, and your activity level also affect your bowel habits.
Straining is the most commonly identified symptom by older adults, even though physicians tend to rely on bowel movement frequency to diagnose constipation. Additionally, patients tend to underestimate their frequency of bowel movements. Normal stool frequency can vary between 3 motions per day and 3 motions per week.
“Many elders subscribe to the myth that one should defecate at least once every day, but there is no such magic number or prescribed schedule that people should aim for.” English says that “normality” falls within a range of no more than three movements a day and no less than three movements each week.
The most reliable products for managing bowel incontinence are adult briefs and absorbent underwear with some form of leak-proof leg openings to help keep waste from spilling onto your clothing. Additional products, like skin cleaners and bed protectors, can help you clean up more easily after accidents occur.
Bowel incontinence is usually treatable. In many cases, it can be cured completely. Recommended treatments vary according to the cause of bowel incontinence. Often, more than one treatment method may be required to control symptoms.
Electrical nerve stimulation sends mild electric currents to the nerves around the bladder that help control urination and your bladder's reflexes. Surgery can sometimes improve or cure incontinence if it is caused by a change in the position of the bladder or blockage due to an enlarged prostate.
Increasing water in the digestive tract can make stool softer and easier to pass. A good sign that you're drinking enough water is if your urine is pale yellow in color. Eat more fiber. Fiber can add bulk to the stool, which can stimulate the bowels and help move stool through the digestive tract.
Defecation Eliminates Waste From the Body
The body expels waste products from digestion through the rectum and anus. This process, called defecation, involves contraction of rectal muscles, relaxation of the internal anal sphincter, and an initial contraction of the skeletal muscle of the external anal sphincter.
Common nursing interventions related to facilitating elimination include inserting and managing urinary catheters, obtaining urine specimens, caring for ostomies, providing patient education to promote healthy elimination, and preventing complications.
Most cases of constipation are successfully treated by eating a diet high in fibre, drinking more fluids and exercising daily. Complications of chronic constipation include haemorrhoids, faecal impaction and rectal prolapse. Over-the-counter laxatives are fine in the short term, but seek advice if the problem persists.