Microsoft PowerPoint - Constipation.ppt - Homerton University Hospital

Signs & Symptoms- Excessive straining- Small, dry, hardstools- Tummyache/bloating- Pain- Feeling like youaren’t finished- Sore bottom (maybebleeding)- Leaking of liquid orloose stoolWhat is constipation?Constipation is having difficulty openingyour bowels. This usually leads to yougoing to the toilet less often.It is normal to open your bowelsanywhere between three times a day tothree times a week – it doesn’t matterhow often is normal for you, the problemarises when you become less frequentand need to strain.It is normal to get this occasionally, but ifyou need to strain more than a quarterof the time it becomes a problem.CausesThere may be several causes, possibly happening at the sametime. The most common are:- inadequate fibre intake in the diet- inadequate fluid intake- a sedentary lifestyle- environmental changes- lifestyle/routine changes- certain medications e.g. painkillers (especially if they containcodeine or morphine)If you have pain e.g. from hemorrhoids, abscesses, fistulae orfollowing some surgery in the area this can cause people to ‘holdon’. See your doctor for advice about this.Homerton University Hospital Leaflet Title > 2

LaxativesMany people believe that laxatives are the cure forconstipation. But long term or excessive use of laxativesshould not usually be necessary and can be habit forming– the body begins to rely on them to bring on bowelmovements and over time, the natural emptyingmechanism fails to work without the help of these drugs.There are many different types of laxative available – theyusually should only be used for a short time – discuss withyour GP if you have any queries about what you are taking.Other things that contributeto constipation:- travel- pregnancy- change in diet- repeatedly ignoring theurge to open your bowels- lack of interest in eating- lots of convenience foods- getting older- poor teeth so unable tochew harder foods.TreatmentFACTS!Around 80% of peoplesuffer with constipation atsome point in their lives.Older people are 5 timesmore likely to reportproblems withconstipation thanyounger peopleWarning signsThere are certain things you should get checked out by yourGP:If you have had a change in bowel habit over a few weeksthat can not be explained by a change in diet or lifestyleAny bleeding or mucus from your back passage shouldalso be investigated.Please note constipation does not cause bowel cancer. Even ifyou have had constipation over many years there is noincreased risk of bowel cancer.Increasing the amount of water and fibre in your diet can oftenimprove your symptoms.The key is balance – you don’t want to increase your daily intake bysimply sprinkling bran over everything. Try to gradually introducehigh fibre foods into your diet.Fibre supplements are often recommended but can take more thantwo weeks to reach full effectiveness. These are neither harmful orhabit forming.Try to stay active – taking a brisk walk after dinner can help toneyour muscles, which helps the transit of your food.Try not to ‘hold on’ or put off going to empty your bowels for longperiods of time – sometimes this cannot be helped, but the longeryour stool spends inside your body, the more water gets absorbedfrom it and the harder it gets.