Constipation Symptoms

 
  Constipation is an occurrence common to children and old people. It occurs in any given population. It is said to commonly strike among elderly people because as one grows old the power of bowel muscles becomes weak. Old people also most likely take medicines which have constipating side effects.
 
  It is difficult to diagnose constipation because it just happens slowly.  For example, when one has not gone to the bathroom today for a bowel discharge, no problem can easily be spotted about it.
 
  This is because most people just take it for granted. Unless it is needed or when the symptoms are already starting to show, one does not normally observe how many times in a day, week, or month he or she goes to the bathroom for his or her bowel movement.
 
 

What Is Constipation?

 
  Constipation is a condition where the food that should normally be moving through the intestines is unusually slow causing fewer and less complete bowel movements for anyone.
 
 

When is One Considered Constipated?

 
Observing one’s bowel movements closely can provide signs of constipation. Anyone is considered constipated when:
 
  • Bowel movements are dry, hard and painful or difficult to pass
  • Bowel movements are just two or fewer in a week
  • Stool passes only in small pieces and amount at one time
  • Hard stools pass for most of the time
  • More often than not, one strains during a bowel movement
  • There is incomplete bowel emptying for most of the time
  • One suffers from stomach pain associated bowel movement
  • Bloated feeling of the stomach area or swollen abdomen
 

What Causes Constipation?

 
There are common causes of constipation. They are:
 
  • Not enough water intake
  • Not enough fiber in one’s diet. Fiber absorbs water and makes the stool light and soft for easy emptying.
  • Inactive lifestyle or constant idleness
  • Lack of exercise
  • Eating a large amount of dairy products
  • Stress
  • Poor general health
  • Pregnancy
  • Too much calcium in the blood
  • Inadequate toilet facilities
  • Overuse of laxatives or stool softeners which in the long run can weaken one’s bowel muscles
  • Disruption of one’s regular diet such as when traveling
  • Kidney failure
  • Cancer of the intestines
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Strong pain medicines such as antidepressants
  • Depression
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Eating disorders
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Taking antacid medicine containing aluminum
  • Resisting the need to have a bowel movement
  • Hemorrhoids
 
 
  It does not follow that if one has a regular bowel movement, one will not suffer from constipation.  It is possible to have a regular bowel movement yet one’s stool are hard and difficult to pass.  The thing to watch and observe is whether or not one’s bowel moves regularly and without any discomfort. Thus, regular bowel movement, does not mean discharging it every day. It is more about the comfort of discharging than the frequency of it.
 
  Constipation symptoms affect one’s daily life. This is because it becomes bothersome and oftentimes can shift one’s attention to these bodily symptoms. It is therefore important that the symptoms should be dealt with the soonest possible time.
 
 

The Constipation Symptoms

 
  You would be considered constipated if you are suffering from these symptoms for three months or more: straining in the bathroom or hard stool. It is considered a constipation if you go to the bathroom only two or less times in one week.
Constipation symptoms may be one or all the following:
 
  • A feeling or sensation that bowels have not been completely emptied
  • Indigestion
  • Belly pain or pressure
  • Frequent flatulence or release of fart
  • Infrequent bowel movements
  • Hard, dry stools that are too difficult to excrete
  • Loss appetite
  • Bleeding due to straining
 
  Your doctor doesn't need to perform extensive tests in order to diagnose that you're suffering from constipation. Tests for constipation are done only in cases that a more serious medical problem is suspected.
 
  If you are constipated more than two weeks, you should go to the doctor just to make sure your condition is not serious than you might think. The test a doctor might do to disapprove of any severe problem may be, but not limited to the following:
 
  • Blood tests to determine suspected hormonal imbalances.
  • Barium studies to check and look for colon obstruction.
  • Colonoscopy is commonly performed as well to check for possible obstruction of the colon.
 
In any case, prevention is the best remedy. Keep your diet as closer as possible to nature and you will never experience constipation or constipation symptoms again.