Bowel incontinence

sorry to read this @oldkarl... its scary too. mine is/was from radiation cystitis/damage when pelvic radiation for cancer... but what actually starts the bleeding is unknown...but the rest of the time I have a lot of bladder infections. *I just remembered one thing.... I used to LOVE sitting in a Sitz bath of warm water... until I wondered if it was contributing to my numerous bladder infections?? Because after sitting in the Sitz bath there sometimes would be a tiny bit of feces in the water which, of course, could enter a woman's bladder... so no more Sitz baths although still have more than I would like UTI's.
Oh that sounds so painful having to use a catheter...... not the type of thing we can chat to a neighbour about about, so glad we can on here! J.

Thanks for everyone's input regarding fecal incontinence. My constipation has returned with a vengeance since I stopped the Miralax for a few days. I will call my doctor tomorrow because I have either one extreme or the other and I cringe when I have to pass gas because I never know if it's just gas or stool. Metamucil alone does not help the situation, even if I add a "Phillips" magnesium capsule at night.

@fighter thanks for your good wishes but have really given up hope of ever being normal in that regard again... and I worry IF I had to go a long term care home, the staff barely have time to clean up patients as it is, let along someone who gets cleaned up and then has another accident and needs cleaning again, over and over... its not going to work and I have mental plans to ensure it doesn't happen to me, and have asked my family to make sure it doesn't if I cannot speak up for myself, at 77 and having this for so long along with other issues, you start to think of this possibility when you see what is happening and how some seniors are treated... it is hard for me to manage in my own home with spouse let along rely on poorly paid, overworked, psw's.... J.

This is definitely a “low tech” suggestion but my recent bout with constipation has been resolved (even if only temporarily) by prunes! I remember as a child many years ago laughing at my mother with her prunes. Well, they helped me! A bit tricky to find the right “dosage” but sure better than the commercial laxatives, fiber, etc etc.

@lacy2 I am surprised that anyone would ask a 75-year-old person to get on their hands and knees. I'm sure there must be other pelvic floor therapists who would have better suggestions than that. If it were me, I would refuse that type of exercise and tell them I need something that is more manageable for my age and body.

As you have had a lot of surgeries as well as radiation have you considered going to a specialty medical center like Mayo Clinic or a university medical school? These facilities are research-oriented and often have a better track record of solving hard-to-treat problems.

Are you able to go to one of these medical facilities?

@jackiem95 .... good for you! yes I remember my grandmother "stewing" dried prunes on stove in water; I think she also did same with senna pods??? J. Now, if we could just find a simple method to fix diarrhea! J.

@teresa... thank you so much for your comment.... I would love to wave a magic wand and be sitting in a waiting room at Mayo Clinic, am in Northern Ontario Canada... but Mayo Clinic is a well known name in this Country and before joining would read web check results from their site. My daughter said she would pay for me to attend one of those expensive private clinics (we dont have 2 tier health system though) in Toronto but two things; one being I would think they are closed re Covid and I also find travelling very hard and to be quite honest have almost become housebound over the past few years after having CDiff and dr changing up my medications; and haven't had a family doctor for over a year. In Toronto they do have "teaching hospitals" whereas where I live we don't have neurologist or rheumatologist etc. but have to go out of town and its a long long wait. Just before I got c.diff from too many antibiotics, it was at a teaching hospital I was diagnosed with narrow angle glaucoma, but then after 2 appointments, couldn't travel back there as 4 hour each way and overnight stay and fecal incontinence didnt help. Nice to live in a bigger City when have multi medical problems.
Thanks again for your kindness in helping me..... J.

@jackiem95 @jeanne51 I have recently started eating prunes because they’re good for osteoporosis! It’s sort of a symbiotic relationship between calcium and prunes. Calcium, which is recommended of course for osteoporosis, tends to be constipating, and prunes are the opposite, so it works out well! I do find there is a delicate balance in how many prunes I can eat. Six is the number recommended for osteoporosis but three is my max.
JK

@conrenandwell Thanks for your reply. I have previously used dried prunes for a couple of years but had to quit because they gave me so much gas. Now that I have the rectal weakness issue and don't know if it is gas or stool sensation that I feel this is no longer a good solution.

@jeanne51 Prunes do cause gas, definitely. This was something that I had been thinking about this week since it could be more of a problem as we finally emerge from our home a little bit. I plan to eat them close to bedtime, hoping that effect will pass during the night.
JK