Bowel incontinence, also known as fecal incontinence (FI), prevents you from controlling your bowel movements. You may experience unexpected leaks, or use the bathroom very frequently. Some people experience a combination of these symptoms. Some people may suffer from bowel incontinence due to not being able to sense a bowel movement, while others are able to sense a bowel movement but cannot hold it until they get to a bathroom.
Bowel incontinence is usually an acquired disorder. It may be caused by:
Some people can reduce their bowel control symptoms with lifestyle changes, diet modification, bowel retraining, Kegel exercises, or other kinds of physical therapy. In addition, your doctor may prescribe medications to help control the symptoms of bowel incontinence. Medications used for bowel control problems offer a possible solution and may include anti-diarrheal medicines.
However, unfortunately outcomes with conservative management are often poor and FI often persists. In addition, the surgical options of the past, such as Sphincter muscle surgery, have been used with limited success or have left patients with a less than desirable results, such as a colostomy (“stool bag”)
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