Fecal incontinence Treatment

Fortunately, effective treatments are available for fecal incontinence. Your primary care physician may be able to assist you, or you may need to see a doctor who specializes in treating conditions that affect the colon, rectum and anus, such as a gastroenterologist, proctologist or colorectal surgeon. Treatment for fecal incontinence can usually help restore bowel control or at least substantially reduce the severity of the condition.

Depending on the cause of your incontinence, treatment may include dietary changes, medications, special exercises that help you better control your bowels, or surgery.

Dietary changes

What you eat and drink affects stool consistency. Your doctor may recommend changes to your diet to help improve your bowel movements.

For example, if chronic constipation is to blame for fecal incontinence, your doctor may recommend that you drink plenty of fluids and eat fiber-rich foods that aren't constipating. If diarrhea is contributing to the problem, your doctor may recommend that you increase your intake of high-fiber foods to add bulk to your stools, making them less watery. In general, your doctor will recommend a diet that helps you gain good stool consistency for increased control of your bowels.

Medications

Sometimes, doctors recommend medications to treat fecal incontinence, such as:

• Anti-diarrheal drugs. Your doctor may recommend medications to reduce diarrhea and help you avoid accidents. A drug called loperamide (Imodium) may be used because it helps treat diarrhea.
  
• Laxatives. If chronic constipation is to blame for your incontinence, your doctor may recommend the temporary use of mild laxatives, such as milk of magnesia, to help restore normal bowel movements.
  
• Stool softeners. To prevent stool impaction, your doctor may recommend a stool-softening medication.
  
• Other medications. If diarrhea is the cause of your fecal incontinence, your doctor may recommend drugs that decrease the spontaneous motion of your bowel (bowel motility) or medications that decrease the water content of your stool.
  

Bowel training
If fecal incontinence is due to a lack of anal sphincter control or decreased awareness of the urge to defecate, you may benefit from a bowel training program and exercise therapies aimed at helping you restore muscle strength.

In some cases, bowel training means learning to go to the toilet at a specific time of day. For example, your doctor may recommend that you make a conscious effort to have a bowel movement after eating. This helps you gain greater control by establishing with some predictability when you need to use the toilet. This technique can work well for children who have constipation and fecal incontinence because they forget to use the toilet. Children can learn to use the toilet at scheduled times.