When people retreat to the toilet, the idea is to accomplish the mission at hand as fast as possible. But there are those moments when expelling stool becomes a painful affair, writes JOYCE GATHU and BOB OTIENO
It is likely that you have already experienced the discomfort of struggling to expel hard and dry stool that just will not budge. Those who have gone through the uncomfortable feeling describe the ordeal as a nightmare they wouldn’t want to go through again in their life.
“It is like trying to push out something from the system that ought to come out, but no matter how much you push, the stool doesn’t budge,” explains Nancy Karanja, a student at a city college.
Unfortunately, when it comes to constipation, Karanja is not in the minority.
Constipation is one of the most prevalent stomach and intestinal related problems. Doctors consider a health related condition, which in the past few years have become quite common and which was virtually unknown in the culture and diets high in fibre.
Until in the early 1970s many people including scientist thought the indigestible part of food we eat that goes right thought our bodies was useless to us. As a result most people did not take their fibre intake seriously consequently leading to many life style diseases including colon cancer, which todays is among the biggest killer.
“Although there are varying medical views of when one can be said to be suffering from constipation, consensus has it that if you are passing less than three stools in a week, then you are suffering from constipation,” explains Dr Jackline Mumo, a nutritionist in Nairobi.
Dr Mumo says that generally, normal bowel movement varies from three per day, to three per week, due to many factors that affect normal and smooth release.
“What we take in comes out as waste. Under normal circumstances, waste is pushed through the intestines by the contraction of muscles, but when there is insufficient fluid or foods rich in fibre in your diet, then it will cause the stool to harden and dry,” Dr Mumo expounds.
Consequently, hard and dry stool is difficult to expel, it moves slowly down the colon causing you major discomfort and even pain.
According to Dr Peter Oketch who is a specialist physician, besides diet, there are other causes of constipation.
“There are times when the muscles responsible for propelling waste down your colon are not well coordinated. This can cause constipation,” Dr Oketch explains.
Who are prone to constipation?
Medical reports have revealed that women are generally much more prone to constipation than men due to frequent hormonal changes in their body.
Some women are likely to experience constipation when they are having their monthly period. This is also the case with pregnant women.
“As the pregnancy progresses, the uterus expands putting pressure on your intestines which can cause constipation,” Dr Oketch expounds.
Children are also prone to suffer from constipation. Medical experts claim that constipation is the leading problems among pediatrics outpatients, especially among infants and those who have just begun attending school.
“This is largely due to the diet in both age groups, and particularly due to the disruption of eating habits among children who have just begun attending school,” Dr Mumo says.
Children who have anxieties about going to the toilet can also suffer from constipation. According to medical experts, elderly people are also much more likely to suffer from constipation. This is due to various reasons.
“Less physical activity can ultimately cause stool retention, low muscle tone as well as poor eating habits are some of the leading factors,” Dr Mumo expounds.
Other people who are prone to suffer from constipation include those confined to bed, patients undergoing chemotherapy as well as people taking certain medications such as drugs used to lower blood pressure.
The age factor and food types
Although constipation is often a mild problem and clears once there is an increased in take of fluids and foods rich in fibre, if not arrested promptly, it can become chronic, provoking serious health problems.
“For instance, among the elderly, chronical diseases such as hypertension are a reality. When too much force is used to expel stool, subsequent muscle tension can lead to blood vessel contraction, which can lead to an increase in blood pressure,” says Dr Oketch.
He adds that feacal matter can also accumulate to the extent that it cannot be evacuated through normal bowel movement. This demands for medical attention for the waste to be evacuated manually.
Forcefully pushing feacal matter causes the tissue that lines the rectum to stick through the anal opening, causing the lining of the rectal tissue to be visible and may even bleed, albeit slightly.
Although problems with rectal tissue may be caused by several factors, constipation is usually the leading factor.
Chronic constipation can also be a symptom to other serious health issues such as colon cancer.
Nonetheless, constipation can be prevented through simple solutions, which include physical exercises.
Further, although it is not always possible to respond to the call of nature whenever we receive it, medical experts emphasise that people should only post pone bowel movement, when it is absolutely necessary.
“When we ignore the urge to go to the toilet, leaving stool to lie in the colon for longer than is necessary, more water will be extracted from the stool, making it dry and hard, and very difficult to pass,” Dr Mumo cautions.
If this becomes a habit, your body learns to ignore signals that you need to go to the toilet. This can cause chronic constipation.
The relationship between constipation and weight gain
Constipation is a medical condition, which is associated with bowel movements that are difficult to pass. It can also mean that the affected person has three or fewer bowel movements in a week. In such a situation, the stool, which passes through the large intestine is very slow and when the same stays in the area for too long, the intestine removes the water from it. As a result the stool becomes hard and dry, thus making it difficult to come out.
When this happens, your body is unable to eliminate waste or the accumulated feces. This results in a slow rate of metabolism and subsequently, weight gain. The other important thing is that the waste is built up in the body and causes bloating. It may also lead to retention of water in our bodies, which is another cause for being overweight. It is an established fact the constipation is one of the reasons for being obese.
There may be many reasons for this problem. They include people’s lifestyle, eating habits; certain medicines and stress form some of them.