Everyone who experiences incontinence knows that this condition has a tremendous impact on everyday life. The most important thing to remember is that this condition is treatable, and you should not accept it as a side-effect of aging or childbirth. Seek help, and encourage those you know to seek help, from a physician.

Prepare For Your Appointment

You may be embarrassed to talk about your bowel control problem, but your doctor will not be shocked or surprised. The more details and examples you can give about your problem, the better your doctor will be able to help you. You should be prepared to tell your doctor

• When your bowel control problem started
• Whether you leak liquid or solid stool
• If you have hemorrhoids that bulge through your anus when you lift things or at other times and if the hemorrhoids pull back in by themselves or have to be pushed in with a finger
• If the problem is worse after eating or if any specific foods seem to make the problem worse
• If you aren’t able to control passing gas

Your doctor will probably also ask you questions like these:

• How often do you have a bowel control problem?
• Do you leak a little bit of stool or do you lose complete control of your bowel?
• Do you feel a strong urge to have a bowel movement or do you lose control without warning?
• Is your bowel control worse when you have diarrhea or constipation?
• How is your bowel control problem affecting your daily life?

You may want to keep a stool diary for several weeks before visiting your doctor so you can answer these questions. A stool diary is a chart for recording daily bowel movement details. You can find a sample stool diary on the National Institute of Health Bowel Control Awareness Campaign website at www.bowelcontrol.nih.gov.

Colorectal surgeons are the primary physicians who treat BCD, patients with Bowel Control Disorder are also treated by Urogynecologists. After diagnosis and screening your doctor will be able to recommend various treatments that should be attempted first such as fiber supplements, medication or biofeedback. If you fail these conservative measures, your doctor can explain other options, such as Secca Therapy.