Constipation is a very common problem.  And believe it or not, it can cause a lot of pain.  Depending on the severity, patients will either self treat with over the counter and dietary changes or end up in the doctor’s office for help.

Some people have daily bowel movements, one or more a day.  Other people have one every 2-3 days.  What’s considered constipation?  We consider it constipation if your stool is very hard and if you have to strain or push hard to have a bowel movement.  You might even feel like you still need to go right after having a bowel movement.  You may also just have a decreased frequency from your usual habits.

  1. Go see the doctor if you have significant abdominal pain, if you are unable to go at all, if your constipation is new, if you have blood in the stool, or if you just need some help in treating the constipation.
  2. You can and should try increasing your fluid intake, increase the fiber in your diet, increase your activity level and try using a stool softener (available over the counter).
  3. In general, laxatives are not something you want to be taking everyday unless they are bulk-forming laxatives such as oat bran, Metamucil, FiberCon, or Citrucel.
  4. Talk to your doctor about what would be best for you to take.
  5. Your doctor may send you for an x-ray of the abdomen to evaluate the severity of the constipation and to make sure you don’t have an obstruction.
  6. If the usual recommendations for constipation do not seem to help you, your doctor may send you to see a gastroenterologist for further evaluation and testing.  And, yes, this might include the dreaded colonoscopy.

Talk to your doctor about any concerns you may have regarding your constipation or testing.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Tags: , ,