Constipation Causes
Not enough water or fiber in your diet. Eating a lot of dairy products. Not being active. Resisting the urge to poop.
Because everyone's body is different and on a different bowel movement schedule, how long one can go without pooping varies. If you are a person that only has three bowel movements per week, you can easily go without pooping for a day or two (or even three), and it likely won't be an issue.
“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.
The intestines can hold as little as 5 pounds and as much as 25 pounds of waste at any given time, varying greatly depending on your weight and diet. This is because your body is physically unable to completely digest all the foods you consume and some of them can get stuck in the lining of your intestines.
Chronic constipation can be subclassified into four categories: normal transit, slow transit, dyssynergic defecation (DD) and slow transit-dyssynergic combination (6,7).
Constipated patients may feel tightness in their abdomen, or a sharp, cramping pain deep in their gut. They may also feel full all the time—as if they've just eaten a large meal—even when they haven't eaten for several hours. Patients may also feel gassy, but passing gas does not relieve discomfort.
Strict diets, skipping meals and restricting fluids can lead to constipation which can add 2 to 6 pounds to the scale. Ease constipation by increasing fiber-rich foods, water and exercise.
There are a few complications that could happen if you don't have soft, regular bowel movements. Some complications include: Swollen, inflamed veins in your rectum (a condition called hemorrhoids). Tears in the lining of your anus from hardened stool trying to pass through (called anal fissures).
Holding in poop on occasion is not harmful, but doing this often can lead to constipation, impaction, inflammation, and more severe complications. People who hold in their poop too often may start to lose the urge to poop, which may result in fecal incontinence. Other people may experience constipation.
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.
Bisacodyl is a laxative. This type of medicine can help you empty your bowels if you have constipation (difficulty pooing). Bisacodyl is also used in hospitals to help you empty your bowels before surgery or some examinations or treatments.
A person should talk with their doctor if they go more than a week without pooping, if the constipation lasts for more than 3 consecutive months, or if it does not respond to at-home treatment. Children and pregnant women should receive medical care if they experience bowel symptoms for more than a few weeks.
Once treated, fecal impaction goes away quickly. Over-the-counter stool softeners, enemas, rectal suppositories, and oral laxatives can help you soften and eliminate the stool.
Fecal impaction often occurs in people who have had constipation for a long time and have been using laxatives. The problem is even more likely when the laxatives are suddenly stopped. The muscles of the intestines forget how to move stool or feces on their own.
In short, yes and no. Constipation and weight gain are linked, as factors contributing to constipation, bloating and fullness can cause weight gain, but constipation itself is only likely to cause an increase in weight in the short term (a matter of a few hundred grams per day) until your constipation eases.
Side Effects of Constipation
Fatigue: Some research suggests that fatigue can occur due to the effects of a decrease in the absorption of nutrients on gut microflora. It may also be that stool sitting in the colon longer causes greater fermentation that in turn leads to mitochondrial dysfunction.
Don't get into the habit of taking laxatives every day to ease your constipation because this can be harmful. In some cases, you may be prescribed a laxative to use regularly, but this should always be supervised by your GP or a gastroenterologist (a specialist in digestive conditions).
Eating a lot of high-fat meats, dairy products and eggs, sweets, or processed foods may cause constipation. Not enough fluids. Water and other fluids help fiber work better, so not drinking enough liquids can contribute to harder stools that are more difficult to pass.
You may think that cutting back on food will help “clear out” your colon. That's not the case. Do this: Eating, especially healthy whole foods that contain fiber, helps your body move stool.