Paradoxical (Overflow) Diarrhea: Causes, Treatment, More

Paradoxical diarrhea, or overflow diarrhea, is when you’ve got constipation and diarrhea on the identical time. It occurs when watery stool leaks round a fecal impaction (hardened piece of stool caught within the colon).

Paradoxical diarrhea typically happens when you’ve got been experiencing constipation for some time. You might also have signs like abdomen ache and bloody stool. Therapy strategies deal with assuaging constipation and restoring regular bowel movements.

You might expertise paradoxical diarrhea after a number of days of constipation. Constipation, usually outlined as having lower than three bowel actions per week, generally consists of the next signs:

• Hard or dry stools which might be tough to move
• Straining or lack of ability to have a bowel motion
• Feeling like you have not fully emptied your bowels

From there, the principle symptom of paradoxical diarrhea is experiencing episodes of diarrhea (watery, liquid stool). Different signs could embrace:

• Abdomen ache or cramping
• Nausea
• Bloating
• Rectal ache
• Bloody stool

Paradoxical diarrhea happens when watery stool leaks round a fecal impaction (a tough piece of poop that’s caught within the digestive tract).

It is typically triggered by continual (long-term) or extreme constipation. When you do not move stool for a very long time, hardened stools can accumulate and develop into caught within the colon, a situation referred to as a fecal impaction.

When you’ve got constipation for an prolonged interval, the muscle tissues in your rectum might also stretch and weaken. These elements can result in the discharge of overflow diarrhea, as watery stools have constructed up behind the stool blockage.

You may be extra more likely to expertise paradoxical diarrhea if in case you have irritable bowel syndrome with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M). With this gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, it’s normal to expertise episodes of constipation and diarrhea that periodically alternate. Researchers aren’t completely positive what causes IBS-M, however an imbalance within the intestine microbiome could result in points with the gut-brain axis, which may disrupt bowel habits.

Paradoxical diarrhea is not thought-about uncommon, however it might be initially ignored or misdiagnosed.

To substantiate that you simply’re experiencing paradoxical diarrhea, a healthcare supplier will ask about your medical historical past and present bowel movement-related signs. They might carry out or order the next diagnostic exams, together with:

• Bodily examination: A healthcare supplier will look at your physique for seen or noticeable signs, resembling bloating or abdomen ache. For instance, they might gently press in your abdomen space to see if you happen to really feel irregular ache.
• Digital rectal examination: A healthcare supplier will insert a gloved finger into your rectum to manually detect a hardened piece of impacted stool.
• Imaging exams: An belly X-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan can present photos of the inside stomach to establish any impacted stool within the digestive tract or rule out different potential issues.
• Barium enema: Injecting barium (a sort of distinction dye) into the colon by way of an enema permits a healthcare supplier to view blockages within the digestive tract extra simply throughout imaging exams.

The aim of treating paradoxical diarrhea is to handle and enhance your bowel habits to scale back the danger of constipation or diarrhea. A therapy plan could embrace:

• Enemas: Utilizing heat faucet water or different liquid options, an enema (a small tube that directs liquid straight into your colon) will help break up and launch hardened stool. You might want multiple enema to resolve signs.
• Guide elimination of fecal impaction: A healthcare supplier could have to manually take away any cussed items of exhausting poop that stay caught. This includes fastidiously inserting a gloved finger into the rectum and breaking apart the lump of stool into smaller items in order that they are often eliminated.
• Laxatives: Medicines or pure cures that assist you’ve got a bowel motion could assist clear a hardened piece of poop, below the steerage of a healthcare supplier.

Whereas it might appear acceptable to deal with watery stool with anti-diarrheal medications, this will make paradoxical diarrhea worse. On this case, go for over-the-counter (OTC) anti-diarrheal drugs like Imodium (loperamide) or Pepto-Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) if instructed by your healthcare supplier.

Stopping paradoxical diarrhea usually includes sustaining wholesome bowel habits and avoiding constipation. Listed below are some dietary and way of life suggestions:

• Eat extra high-fiber foods: Fruits, greens, and grains are excessive in fiber, which will help bulk up stool and promote common bowel actions.
• Keep hydrated: This will help stop stool from turning into exhausting and assist it transfer by way of your digestive tract.
• Get sufficient train: Each day bodily exercise, like brisk strolling, will help stimulate your digestive tract, stopping constipation.
• Find time for common bowel actions: Whenever you really feel the necessity to go, use the toilet with out dashing. You can even attempt “coaching” your poop schedule by making time for the toilet on the identical time every day.
• Overview your present drugs: Talk about your present drugs with a healthcare supplier to find out if any of them embrace constipation as a facet impact. They are able to recommend another drug.

If left untreated, paradoxical diarrhea could include some potential problems.

Each continual constipation and diarrhea can result in fecal incontinence. This happens when the muscle tissues in your rectum and anus weaken and can’t maintain in stool, resulting in unintended bowel leakage.

Experiencing long-term diarrhea also can trigger dehydration. This may be particularly severe for older adults and other people with weakened immune methods.

Paradoxical diarrhea—experiencing diarrhea whereas constipated—occurs when watery stool overflows round a hardened piece of poop that is caught within the colon. It normally happens when you’ve got long-term constipation or on account of a sort of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Treating paradoxical diarrhea includes eradicating the stool blockage, restoring common bowel actions, and stopping additional episodes of constipation. If you happen to assume you could have paradoxical diarrhea, a healthcare supplier will help present a analysis and advocate a therapy plan.