Signs and Symptoms

Having control over your bowel movements is something most people take for granted. Generally, adults don’t have “accidents” except for an occasional short-lived bout of severe diarrhea. But that’s not the case for people with fecal incontinence. If you have fecal incontinence you may feel that you cannot control your bowel movements and have very little or no warning time before you have an accident. It may be difficult to “hold” a bowel movement and if a toilet is not readily available, you will soil your underpants. You may experience “wet gas” when you think you are passing gas, but notice an unexpected bowel movement instead. For some, the symptoms occur on rare occasions and are nothing more than a nuisance. For others, the condition is devastating and often leaves one afraid to walk out of their home.

In either case, we have many treatment options to help you achieve better control of your bowel activity and your life.

Fecal incontinence may be accompanied by other bowel troubles, such as:

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Gas and bloating
• Abdominal cramping
• Anal itching and irritation
• Rectal prolapse