Trying to get some info for my mom. She is 76 yrs old & for last couple months, has had bowel incontinence. Is not like diarrhea & is not constipated. Several times a day, she is having to change due to incontinence & any time she urinates, she can't control having a bowel movement. Any body else have this problems or suggestions. Thanks
Hi, we'll, I know as you get older you lose muscle control. But really have heard of that unless she's having cauda equine syndrome relating to the back. Is she having back problems as well? My mom is 96 and will lose it a little as she get to the bathroom. But she wear a pad. I would suggest she practice righting and then looking those muscles while sitting or lying in bed to practice controlling them. If she can. Have tou spoken to her dr? Is she seeing a geriatric dr?
Cathy
Thanks for answering. She does have back problems but don't think its related to that
.( could always be tho) she hasn't gone to her family dr yet, because she is embarrassed, but I told her she has yo go. He's a great dr & has been thru them with my dads cancer & all. The only solution I really read on this, is if its the spinchter, is surgery & that terrified her.( can't say I blame her)
If your mom is only having problems with this at this age, it is most likely weakening of the pelvic muscle. If she is mentally still able, she should do Kegel exersises everyday (30 x 10 seconds) for a year. This should always be tried before doing any surgery on the sphincter, especially since she hasn't had problems before.
Thanks. She is mentally capable to do kegel. Even tho she's 76 she is still completely able to function & has all her mental capacities. Her & my dad still live on their own & actually get around better than I do. Lol I just don't think she's willing to wait a year for a solution. They are very outgoing, my dad still works & preaches part time. Its just become a real burden for her. She doesn't even know in advance when its gonna happen. Its a big embarrassment for her.
But that's the thing, kegels are an investment for life. It won't take a year, she will feel improvement after doing kegels for 6 weeks, but they say do them for a year before you consider surgery. Surgery could make things worse you know. She should at least see a colon-rectal doctor to see if she has any damage to the sphincter muscles. She could also try using immodium on days that they are going out, to slow down the bowels, while doing kegels every single day. Every women should do kegels for the rest of their lives, especially if they've had children. So, medication could well help her as a temporary solution, but she will need to strengthen those muscles. For me personally surgery made things worse in some ways for 2 years, as I lost sensation in the area which is now coming back slowly. But I wouldn't reccommend surgery to anyone who didn't get problems with incontinence straight after birth, but got it later on. Then it seems to me a problem of muscle strength rather than muscle damage. Tell her too try immodium to slow things down, and at the same time do kegels for 3 months to see if things are improving.
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