The past two weeks, the blogs have consisted of ideas to avoid bladder infection. That is an important topic. This week’s topic is just as important but in a different way. Avoiding complications of the bowel program can be quite a challenge. In this first part, diet, fluids, stool consistency and the bowel program process will be discussed. Next week, part two will go into more detail about complications.
Regulating the bowel program is a challenge for many. Some individuals start a bowel program and it is regulated right away. For others this does not easily occur. At times, there can be changes that occur in a pattern that has been established for years but suddenly troubles appear. This is often due to aging.
Bowels respond to what is happening in your body and your world. If you have a change in diet or fluids due to illness or some other factor, the bowels will respond. Diet and fluids are just two parts of a whole scheme of things that make your bowels work efficiently. External and internal factors also play a part.
Diet
Eating a healthy diet is key to your general health as well as to your bowel function. The bowels work by digested food from your stomach entering the bowel, first in the small intestine. At the top of the bowel, the chyme (food that is being digested) is very watery. Nutrients and fluid are withdrawn from the chyme throughout the entire length of the bowel. As the nutrients and fluid are taken into the body, the chyme becomes thicker and thicker, eventually forming into stool. When the chyme enters the large intestine, stool becomes even thicker and is stored in the rectum for evacuation when desired.
A person with spinal cord injury often does not feel hungry because the bowel is full. After SCI, the bowel becomes sluggish making the chyme slow to pass which creates a full sensation. Fiber is very important to keep chyme moving through your system. Occasionally, extra fiber needs to be incorporated into the diet. The bowel wall is lined with miniscule fibers called cilia. These fibers sort of ‘grab on’ to the chyme to propel it along. If there is not enough roughage in the diet, the cilia cannot ‘grab on’ to watery chyme.
Maintaining a healthy diet helps your body to perform at its best which creates health. Too much sugar and oils can lead to diabetes and high cholesterol. Other nutrients should be eaten in moderation and balance. A poor diet leads to a thinner chyme. Adding dietary fiber to your foods will help thicken chyme.
Adding fiber is very helpful in making the chyme move through the bowel. There are a variety of psyllium products on the market that can add fiber. You can buy plain psyllium, or manufactured products. It comes in powder, wafers and cookies. Be sure to use the fiber products that do not contain sugar which can lead to insulin resistance and eventually diabetes or pre-diabetes. Follow the instructions of the product to ensure you take in enough water to moisten the psyllium, avoiding blockage.
Do not be surprised at the amount of stool in the bowel program with the use of psyllium. It greatly enlarges the stool volume with bulk which makes passage easier but larger results. People are often surprised by the amount.
Fluid
Additional fluid helps to moisten the bowel for better function. You will have to maintain your fluid amount for your bladder program if using intermittent catheterization. Otherwise, check with your healthcare professional to see if you can increase your fluid intake. In particular, the bladder program, heart conditions and some instances of edema can restrict your fluid intake. As always start slowly. Taking in large amounts of water too quickly can overload your entire body system and even lead to incontinence. Small sips throughout the day is the best way to increase your intake of water. You do not need to increase by cups of fluid quickly, increase slowly, just a sip or two at a time. A sip or two every hour when you are awake can add enough fluid to help your bowel.