I’ve had feacal incontinence and constipation all my life, it has completely ruined everything for me, I avoid going out with friends for long periods of times, sleepovers, swimming etc
I’ve always felt weird and a freak for this, but I know I can’t help it, I just want to not have this anymore. I know it will affect all my future relationships so I’m scared to get in one
I don’t know anyone else like me, only the family I live with knows about it of course, I just want to be able to live a normal life like everyone else
I haven’t been to the doctors in years because it’s embarrassing and my mum says they’re useless anyway
I’m currently really sick and in a lot of pain, feels like anything I eat just makes it worse, so I go days without eating much
For more information: I’m very thin, but I get bloated a lot, I struggle with mental health issues too which makes things worse maybe, I also have to wear diapers at night and pads during the day
Any advice or similar experiences will help, I feel completely alone and I’m scared I’ll be forever unhappy because of this problem
Hi,
Faecal incontinence affects over 53 million people in Europe, so don’t feel weird or embarrassed by it! It is much more common than we think!
Have you heard of a food diary? This involves keeping a track of problem foods. Every time you have an accident, write down the food that you consumed and the affects of this to rule out intolerances.
Although you may not think seeing a Doctor could be useful, they can actually help you solve it completely by finding the underlying cause of this! They could help you find a food allergy that is unknown to you or recommend a treatment method.
How long have you been incontinent? Have you had any known accidents or events that could have triggered this?
I don’t have a food diary, if I eat too much of anything it triggers it, lately it’s been lactose and fibre
I’ve had this since I was a kid, I don’t know when it first started so I don’t know what triggered it, but when I was 14 I got food poisoned or something on holiday, lost loads of weight and couldn’t eat properly for ages so it started getting worse from there
Usually in the summer it’s worse than usual, I’ve already fallen sick 3 times in the past month and a half
You can just develop a food intolerance at any point in life, so this could have potentially happened to you. There could be something you are eating on a daily basis that is causing this. I would recommend writing down everything you eat on a daily basis and taking this to a Doctor. Do you have anyone who can go to the Doctor with you to make this less daunting?
That are the main symptoms you experience along with your incontinence?
It is really important to go to a Doctor to rule out any serious underlying cause, although this sounds embarrassing. They hear about this on a regular basis so incontinence is nothing new to them.
Do you eat a lot of fiber? Fiber could help in softening the stools and reducing pain.
How much water do you drink?
I don’t really feel anything normally because I don’t have anything that tells me I need to go to the toilet
I usually know when I’m going to get ill though because the first sign is bloating, then in a few days I’ll get really sharp stomach pains and cramps, then it’s just really painful to go to the toilet, my stools get hard so when I’m trying to push them out it feels like nothing is budging