Impacted Bowel Symptoms

Impacted bowels are an uncomfortable medical condition that cause secondary symptoms that affect the body and lifestyle.

Constipation

• Constipation is often the cause of impacted bowels. Not having a bowel movement for three or more days can cause the stool to become dried, hard and compacted in the colon.

Diarrhea

• Loose stools may pass from the rectum around the hardened mass of constipated and impacted fecal matter. This is known as paradoxical diarrhea. Paradoxical diarrhea manifests itself as the physical sensation of being constipated while at the same time passing loose, watery stool from the anus.

Bloating

• Protrusion of the abdomen occurs as stool works its way through the digestive tract without being passed. Bloating may be caused by frequently ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement as hard stool collects in the rectum and colon.

Appetite Loss

• Noticing appetite loss is common in people with impacted bowels. As waste from the food we eat moves through the digestive tract without being eliminated, a sense of being full accompanies abdominal swelling and bloating.

Weight Gain

• Unexplained weight gain may be a symptom of impacted bowels if you haven't had a bowel movement in three or more days. Weigh yourself before using any laxative or mechanical means of stool evacuation. Weigh yourself again after having had a bowel movement and note the difference in weight.

Hemorrhoids

• Excessive straining to move hardened fecal matter leads to swollen tissues of the anus and rectum. Use stool softeners and other laxatives if needed to avoid straining.