Impacted bowel, or fecal impaction, refers to a large mass of hard, dry stool that can form in the rectum because of chronic constipation. Sometimes, the mass is so hard that it cannot evacuate the body, and the result may be leakage of watery...
Stool softeners are used as a short-term treatment to soften the stools and avoid straining in individuals with constipation or heart disease or those who have just had hemorrhoid or heart surgery. Stool softeners include Colace, Ducusate, Dialose...
Tylenol, the brand name for the generic drug acetaminophen, is an over-the-counter pain and fever reducing medication. Infants who are vomiting or are otherwise unable to take this medication orally can be administered a Tylenol suppository. A...
The average person produces 32 to 48 ounces of urine a day. The bladder can hold more than 2 cups at once for up to about 5 hours, which creates a lot of bladder pressure. Additional pressure is put on the bladder when it contracts to release all...
The term rectal prolapse refers to a condition in which the tissue that lines the rectum drops down into, or protrudes through, the opening of the anus. According to the National Institutes of Health, rectal prolapse most commonly occurs in...
Impacted bowels is an uncomfortable condition that can result from chronic constipation. Also known as fecal impaction, this condition is the presence of solid masses of dry stool in the rectum. These masses block the rectum and make it difficult...
Chronic constipation is a medical disorder in which you experience minimal to no bowel movements. According to the Mayo Clinic, your stools are hardened and you have a bowel movement less than three times a week. Chronic constipation can also...
Multiple sclerosis results from the body's immune system mistakenly attacking nerves in its own brain and spinal cord. This damage to the central nervous system results in a progressively debilitating disease. Multiple sclerosis may cause many...
The rectum is a five-inch section of the lower end of the large intestines, or colon, that ends with the anal opening. The tube-shaped structure is attached to the body by ligaments and muscles and functions as a temporary storage site for feces...
Stool soiling, also called fecal incontinence, occurs when children who are potty-trained accidentally leak small amounts of soft or liquid stool into their underwear. As many as four of every 100 preschoolers and two of every 100 school-aged...
Hemorrhoid surgery is the surgical removal of hemorrhoids and excess tissue around the hemorrhoid. Surgery is not generally indicated to treat mild to moderate hemorrhoids unless patients develop certain conditions, such as persistent bleeding,...
Fecal impaction is an uncomfortable condition in which a large, dry mass of stool gets stuck in your rectum instead of passing normally out of your body, according to PubMed Health. Impaction usually results from long-term constipation, which...
Patients who suffer from symptoms that indicate a suspected case of colon, or bowel, cancer may need to undergo a series of tests. The tests may include blood tests, the use of scopes to view the inside of the colon, x-rays and CT scans, as listed...
Inside the walls of the colon, little pouches have a tendency to form as a person ages. These are called diverticula. When they first appear, the symptoms are generally mild and this is considered diverticulosis. When these diverticula become...
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer-related deaths among American women, making prevention and early diagnosis important for women across the United States. Despite their importance, ovarian cancer screening methods are...
Colon cancer is a type of cancer that affects the large intestine. The large intestine is located in the lower section of the intestines and connects directly with the rectum. Colon cancer often begins as noncancerous (benign) polyps. Over time,...
