Constipation - Homerton University Hospital
Constipation - Homerton University Hospital Constipation - Homerton University Hospital
Treatment Often simply increasing the amount of water and fibre in your diet can really improve your symptoms. Bowel and food diary This can be useful to analyse in a bit more detail what you eat, when you go and what happens when you do. The key is balance – you don’t want to increase your daily intake by simply sprinkling bran over everything… try and gradually introduce foods high in fibre. Date 5 Food Drink Bowels Opened Consistency Size S/M/L Blood/ mucus Fibre supplements are often recommended but can take more than 2 weeks to reach full effectiveness. These are neither harmful or habit forming. 6 7 8 Try to stay active – even taking a brisk walk after dinner can help tone your muscles, which helps the transit of your food. 9 10 11 Try not to ‘hold on’ or put off going for long periods of time – sometimes this cannot be helped, but the longer your stool spends inside your body, the more water gets absorbed from it and the harder it gets. Midday 1 2 3 Warning signs 4 5 There are certain things you should get checked out by your GP. 6 7 If you have had a change in bowel habit over a few weeks that can not be explained by a change in diet or lifestyle 8 9 10 Any bleeding or mucus from your back passage should also be 11 investigated. midnight 1 It is worth knowing that bowel cancer is an uncommon cause of constipation. Even if you have had constipation over many years 2 3 there is no increased risk of bowel cancer. 4
- Page 1 and 2: Constipation Homerton Homerton Univ
- Page 3: Laxatives Many people believe that
Treatment<br />
Often simply increasing the amount of water and fibre in your diet<br />
can really improve your symptoms.<br />
Bowel and food diary<br />
This can be useful to analyse in a bit more detail what you eat, when<br />
you go and what happens when you do.<br />
The key is balance – you don’t want to increase your daily intake by<br />
simply sprinkling bran over everything… try and gradually introduce<br />
foods high in fibre.<br />
Date<br />
5<br />
Food<br />
Drink<br />
Bowels<br />
Opened<br />
Consistency<br />
Size<br />
S/M/L<br />
Blood/<br />
mucus<br />
Fibre supplements are often recommended but can take more than 2<br />
weeks to reach full effectiveness. These are neither harmful or habit<br />
forming.<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
Try to stay active – even taking a brisk walk after dinner can help<br />
tone your muscles, which helps the transit of your food.<br />
9<br />
10<br />
11<br />
Try not to ‘hold on’ or put off going for long periods of time –<br />
sometimes this cannot be helped, but the longer your stool spends<br />
inside your body, the more water gets absorbed from it and the<br />
harder it gets.<br />
Midday<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
Warning signs<br />
4<br />
5<br />
There are certain things you should get checked out by your GP.<br />
6<br />
7<br />
If you have had a change in bowel habit over a few weeks that<br />
can not be explained by a change in diet or lifestyle<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
Any bleeding or mucus from your back passage should also be<br />
11<br />
investigated.<br />
midnight<br />
1<br />
It is worth knowing that bowel cancer is an uncommon cause of<br />
constipation. Even if you have had constipation over many years<br />
2<br />
3<br />
there is no increased risk of bowel cancer.<br />
4
Change language