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Normally My Bowel Movements Are Regular - Once Or Twice
Question: Normally my bowel movements are regular - once or twice a day.
Since Saturday I have not had a bowel movement despite feeling that I need to.
Throughout last night I feel very uncomfortable and tried every couple of hours to have a bowel movement.
On carefully inserting a finger in my anus it seems to hit an obstruction about an inch in - as though there is a twist in the tube.
Paul XXXXXXX
Since Saturday I have not had a bowel movement despite feeling that I need to.
Throughout last night I feel very uncomfortable and tried every couple of hours to have a bowel movement.
On carefully inserting a finger in my anus it seems to hit an obstruction about an inch in - as though there is a twist in the tube.
Paul XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Fecal impaction
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. What you are describing is called fecal impaction, in which a massive stool gets stuck in your rectum, and blocks stool in your colon from passing. As people get older it becomes fairly common, and especially in patients who have a history of constipation.
The treatment is typically manual disimpaction, which involves using a finger to break up the stool and allow it to pass easier. This is typically done by a medical professional, since it may be difficult to do it by oneself and possibly harm could be done. After the disimpaction, an enema (such as with mineral oil) is usually used to further soften the stool and allowed to pass.
On rare occasions, if this is not successful, it may need to be disimpacted with a colonoscopy.
Afterwards, it is important to make changes such as increase fiber intake or use a stool softener in order to avoid this from happening again.
I hope it helps, please let me know if you have any other questions about that and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
Fecal impaction
Detailed Answer:
Hello, I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using Ask a Doctor. What you are describing is called fecal impaction, in which a massive stool gets stuck in your rectum, and blocks stool in your colon from passing. As people get older it becomes fairly common, and especially in patients who have a history of constipation.
The treatment is typically manual disimpaction, which involves using a finger to break up the stool and allow it to pass easier. This is typically done by a medical professional, since it may be difficult to do it by oneself and possibly harm could be done. After the disimpaction, an enema (such as with mineral oil) is usually used to further soften the stool and allowed to pass.
On rare occasions, if this is not successful, it may need to be disimpacted with a colonoscopy.
Afterwards, it is important to make changes such as increase fiber intake or use a stool softener in order to avoid this from happening again.
I hope it helps, please let me know if you have any other questions about that and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Answered by
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