Learning to Live with Bladder and Bowel Incontinence

My Story – Submitted by: Shawn

Hello all! My name is Shawn and I am 39 years old and I am bowel and bladder incontinent. This started for me about 2 years ago. Well, l started out driving dump trucks for months and theses guys were dropping 2-3 thousand pound rocks into my truck. Jarred the snot out of me and knocked the wind right out of me several times. I started having issues with balance, feeling lightheaded all the time, blood pressure issues, couldn’t think or reason. And then one day I was sitting in bed talking to my wife, and wammo! I was wet. Soaked! Started having issues during the day peeing my pants and started wetting at night.Continue reading→

Gallbladder, Kidney Stones, and Incontinence

My Story – Submitted by: Anonymous

I’ve always had some bedwetting problems, but in the last few years they have become worse due to the fact that I have passed several kidney stones over the years, and it has affected my kidneys, and caused me to wet the bed more than usual. I have tried several different things, and none of them seem to have any affect on the bedwetting problem. Continue reading→

A Christmas Gift

My Story – Submitted by: Nancy

It was April 2012 and I was 48 years old. I had been struggling with back problems-herniated disc on the shoulder and middle of the back and a continuing gnawing in my pelvic area. After many MRI and CT scans the doctors recommended physical therapy and an occasional pain med. As I actively participate in my doctor’s program I did have relief in my back. However the gnawing feeling in my pelvic was not correcting itself. Then one day while waiting for my physical therapist in the waiting room I had my first incident of bowel incontinence. I was mortified! I saw my pain management doctor that day. The next few days were filled with nerve tests and CT Scans. Nothing showed up on the tests. Though I kept having bouts of bowel incontinence. I was also losing weight and very fatigued. Finally I began searching the web for help and found Simon Foundation for Continence. This was my life saver. I read many articles on the site and one of them suggested seeing a gastroenterologist for medications and to be given a diet.Continue reading→

Bowel Incontinence or Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL)

bowel incontinence occurs in the digestive system

Bowel incontinence or ABL occurs when stool or gas unexpectedly leaks from your rectum.

Bowel incontinence, which may also be referred to as fecal incontinence, anal incontinence or Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL), is when stool or gas unexpectedly leaks from your rectum. Sometimes you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, but can’t reach a bathroom in time.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health’s Bowel Control Awareness Campaign reports that more than 18 million Americans have bowel incontinence. As with urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence affects people of all ages, races, and both sexes. However, it is more common in women than in men, and it affects the elderly more often than younger adults (although it is not a normal part of aging).Continue reading→

Sacral Nerve Stimulation for Incontinence

Sacral nerve stimulation involves the placement of an implant to stimulate the sacral nerve.

Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS), also called sacral neuromodulation, involves surgical implantation of a device that sends a low-voltage electrical current to the sacral nerve. The sacral nerve is located at the base of the spine that affects the bladder, bowel, and pelvic floor. The implant stimulates the sacral nerve and to alleviate fecal and/or urinary incontinence. A hand-held device is used to stop the contraction of your sphincter muscles when you need to empty your bowels.Continue reading→

Neurogenic Bowel

A neurogenic bowel includes both the small and large intestine.

A neurogenic bowel is when your bowel malfunctions (it does not do what it is supposed to do) because of a disease or an injury to the nervous system. The bowel includes both the small and large intestine (also called the colon).Continue reading→

Antidiarrheal Medications and Laxatives

antidiarrheal medications laxatives for bowel problems

Problems in the bowel can lead to the need for antidiarrheal medications and laxatives.

Antidiarrheal medications and laxatives can be used either to either bulk up stool (in the case of diarrhea) or soften stool (in the case of constipation). Diarrhea may cause a person to have bowel incontinence and constipation may cause a person to have overflow diarrhea and bowel incontinence.

NOTE: Medications and laxatives can be used to treat a variety of different types of bowel incontinence but should always be discussed first with a doctor or medical professional.

Antidiarrheal medications and laxatives are less invasive than surgery and may be tried as a first- line of treatment. They can be stopped at any time if the desired results are not achieved or of the side-effects are undesirable.Continue reading→

Fiber Therapy for Bowel Incontinence

Fiber therapy includes adding whole grains and fresh fruits to your diet.

Fiber absorbs liquids in the digestive system, thereby bulking up fecal matter. It is recommended that women under 50 consume 25 grams of fiber per day. A woman over 50 years of age should consume 21 grams per day. Men younger under 50 are recommended to get 38 grams per day. Men over 50 should get 30 grams per day in his diet. The average American, however, only has about 15 grams of fiber per day in his or her diet. And what is fiber therapy? Fiber therapy is simply increasing your fiber intake gradually until you reach the recommended daily intake for your age.

Continue reading→

Bowel Retraining

Adding fiber and fluids to your diet is the first step in a bowel retraining treatment plan.

Bowel retraining is about having consistent or regular bowel movements. Having regular bowel movements is crucial to obtaining fecal continence and restoring control over your bowels. Continue reading→

Artificial Sphincter Surgery for Bowel Incontinence

This shows the external sphincter muscle properly squeezing and keeping fecal matter inside until he proper time.

Everyone has a pelvic floor: it is a hammock of muscles that lies in your pelvis, supporting your internal organs in that area (bowel, bladder, and – in women – the uterus) and keeping them in the correct place. In your pelvic floor are a few muscles that are called “sphincters”. There is an internal and external sphincter surrounding the anus. These anal sphincter muscles naturally contract around the rectum and keep the fecal matter inside your body until you relax the sphincters at a socially-acceptable time (generally when you’re using a toilet). As the urge to defecate increases, you can contract (or squeeze) your sphincters to gain more control. When you cannot control these sphincter muscles, bowel incontinence (also called accidental bowel leakage or fecal incontinence) may happen.

Surgery to implant an artificial sphincter involves placing an inflatable sphincter around the anus. A pump (placed inside the body in the labia or scrotum) is used to deflate the device, allowing fecal matter to pass through at the appropriate time. The device automatically refills after ten minutes, once again closing off the rectum.Continue reading→