Gas Pain: When To See A Doctor
Veloso says to be on the lookout for abdominal pain and bloating that persists even after constipation improves.
You may have celiac disease or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth , which can cause these symptoms and can occur with either constipation or diarrhea. You may also have irritable bowel syndrome or another problem, she notes.
Treatments For Mucus In Stool
Bacteria found in the stool will sometimes be treated with antibiotics, and resting will help to pass and heal the symptoms.
Eating habits may need to change to lessen the chances of catching a bug again. This approach is also the case with a food allergy. Should one be present, lifestyle changes need to occur quickly.
In some instances, prescription medication and ongoing treatment will need to be taken. Such cases include Crohns disease and some other gut-related diseases. Surgery may be required for those with anal fissures and rectal ulcers.
Some over-the-counter probiotics and supplements can help those with irregular daily bowel movements, constipation, or diarrhea.
People should speak with a doctor or pharmacist before taking medication. Keeping a journal may help people with frequent and persistent mucus in their stool to note patterns. This tool is very helpful for doctors as well.
Common Causes Of Abdominal Cramps
You are getting through your day which seems fine, and then you are suddenly hit with abdominal cramps. Alternatively, you wake up with a dull ache low down that gradually gets worse through the day. While you may consider taking painkillers to help get rid of the pain, you are just treating the symptoms. It is important to get to the bottom of the reason for your cramps.
Abdominal pain and cramps can occur for all types of reasons. We often push them off as that time of the month but there could be something else happening. If the cramping persists, you may want to speak to a doctor to find the exact cause of them.
There are seven highly common reasons why we suffer from cramping in the abdomen. Here they are to help you determine if they are the reason you are getting cramps.
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What If I Forget To Take It
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until it’s nearly time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the next one at the usual time.
Never take 2 doses at the same time. Never take an extra dose to make up for a forgotten one.
If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember to take your medicines.
It Could Be Constipation
While youre spending a lot of time at home, you may not be moving as much as you usually do. You may also be eating different foods. This can lead to constipation. You may be constipated if you experience:
- Fewer bowel movements than normal for you
- Stool that is lumpy or looks like pebbles
- Difficulty passing stool or a feeling that you still need to go after youre finished
Fortunately, you can make a number of at-home changes to help relieve your constipation. These include:
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Cautions With Other Medicines
Some medicines, and some foods, affect the way bisacodyl works.
They include:
- medicines that make you pee more , steroids or digoxin these can upset the balance of salts and minerals in your body if you have too much bisacodyl. If you are taking digoxin, this imbalance makes it more likely you will have the serious side effects of digoxin. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking bisacodyl if you are taking any of these medicines.
- indigestion remedies these stop bisacodyl tablets working properly. They can also make the bisacodyl irritate your stomach and give you indigestion. Do not take bisacodyl at the same time. Leave a gap of 1 hour before or after taking bisacodyl if you are having indigestion remedies.
A More Serious Condition Such As Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a common condition that causes abdominal pain with bloating, diarrhea or constipation. The cause of IBS is unknown, but it may be brought on by certain triggers, including:
- Bacterial infections
- Food sensitivity
- Stressful events
If you think you may have IBS, reach out to your doctor for an evaluation. Many times, lifestyle modifications and medicines can help ease symptoms. You may also try some at-home techniques to relieve your bloating.
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Bowel Cramps With Constipation
Food poisoning or gastroenteritis are probably the most common digestive causes of acute abdominal cramps. It is particularly common among children and infants. Here a virus, bacteria, protozoa or toxins secreted by these organisms irritate and inflame the gut. This can extend from the stomach all the way down to the colon. The symptoms may start hours to days after consuming a food contaminated with these microbes/toxins, or after contracting the infection through other modes of transmission.
A fever is not always present. Nausea is usually intense but vomiting does not always occur in these conditions. Diarrhea is usually present in all cases and can be profuse and watery. Bowel cramping typically starts from the onset of the first symptoms, like vomiting, right till diarrhea stops. Most cases resolve within a few days even without treatment. However, it is important to ensure adequate bed rest, balanced nutrition and plenty of fluid intake. Dehydration is a major complication that can be deadly if severe and left untreated.
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Easing Bloating And Cramping
IBS can cause bloating or cramps after eating. There are some things you can do which will ease any bloating or cramping you may have. These include:
- eating small but regular meals
- eating oats regularly
- avoiding foods that are hard to digest such as cauliflower and Brussels sprouts
- exercising regularly
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease And Irritable Bowel Syndrome When To Seek Help
Chronic digestive disorders like IBD and irritable bowel syndrome make life complicated. Though they sound somewhat similar and both involve bowel problems, the more serious condition is IBD, whereas IBS is more of a catch-all category.
Some studies have shown that it can take four to five years to diagnose patients with IBD conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohns disease, says Dr. Gaidos.
Typically, bloody bowel movements will trigger medical care, and it might be Crohns, but not every Crohns patient has bleeding, she says. IBD may cause intermittent abdominal pain and if its nothing specific, women, in particular, may be diagnosed instead with irritable bowel syndrome and a full evaluation is overlooked.
IBS affects twice as many women as men and is a syndrome that can cause abdominal cramping, bloating, and a change in bowel habits. Its cause is unknown and there is no specific test to diagnose it, though a colonoscopy can rule out IBD.
You dont have to tolerate your symptoms… If you have IBD and you used to go to the bathroom 20 times a day and now its 15, dont settle for that.IBD specialist Jill Gaidos, MD
Dr. Gaidos says she always reminds patients that bleeding is never normal. If you pass a hard stool and there is a tiny bit of blood on the toilet paper, that may be OK, but if there is blood mixed in with your stool, that needs to be evaluated, she says.
How Is Constipation Treated
Self-care
Most cases of mild to moderate constipation can be managed by you at home. Self-care starts by taking an inventory of what you eat and drink and then making changes.
Some recommendations to help relieve your constipation include:
- Drink two to four extra glasses of water a day. Avoid caffeine-containing drinks and alcohol, which can cause dehydration.
- Add fruits, vegetables whole grains and other high-fiber foods to your diet. Eat fewer high-fat foods, like meat, eggs and cheese.
- Eat prunes and/or bran cereal.
- Keep a food diary and single out foods that constipate you.
- Get moving, exercise.
- Check how you sit on the toilet. Raising your feet, leaning back or squatting may make having a bowel movement easier.
- Add an over-the-counter supplemental fiber to your diet .
- If needed, take a very mild over-the-counter stool softener or laxative . Mineral oil enemas, like Fleet®, and stimulant laxatives, like bisacodyl or senna , are other options. There are many laxative choices. Ask your pharmacist or doctor for help in making a choice. Do not use laxatives for more than two weeks without calling your doctor. Overuse of laxatives can worsen your symptoms.
- Do not read, use your phone or other devices while trying to move your bowels.
Medication/supplement review
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How To Cope With Side Effects Of Buscopan
What to do about:
- dry mouth â chew sugar-free gum or suck sugar-free sweets
- constipation â get more fibre into your diet, such as fresh fruit, vegetables and cereals, and drink plenty of water. Try to exercise more regularly, for example, by going for a daily walk or run. If this does not help, talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
- blurred vision â do not drive or ride a bike until you can see clearly again. Do not take your next dose of Buscopan if your vision is still blurry. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist if your vision has not returned to normal a day after taking your last dose.
- fast heart rate â if this happens regularly after taking Buscopan, try to take your medicine at a time when you can sit or lie down when the symptoms are worst. It may also help to cut down on alcohol, smoking, caffeine and big meals, as these can make the problem worse. If you’re still having symptoms after a week, speak to your doctor. You may need to change to a different type of medicine.
Common Questions About Buscopan
Buscopan relieves stomach cramps and period pains by helping your digestive system and bladder relax.
It does this by reducing the wave-like contractions of the muscle in the walls of the stomach, bowel and bladder.
Buscopan helps to treat stomach cramps and period pains, but does not cure them.
Buscopan tablets start to work within 15 minutes. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor if your symptoms do not improve within 2 weeks.
Do not take Buscopan for longer than 2 weeks unless your doctor tells you to.
Talk to your doctor if your symptoms change, get worse or have not improved after 2 weeks. Your doctor will want to rule out an illness that may be causing your symptoms.
Buscopan is safe to take for a long time as long as you get advice from your doctor, you take the recommended dose and you’re not having any side effects.
Buscopan Cramps and Buscopan IBS Relief are essentially identical.
The tablets in each contain the same active ingredient and in the same strength .
But the 2 products are marketed differently.
Buscopan Cramps is targeted at stomach cramps. It can also be used to relieve period pain and the cramping pains some people get with IBS. It’s only available from behind the pharmacy counter, and can be taken by adults and children over the age of 6 years.
Buscopan IBS Relief is available from most pharmacies and supermarkets.
Buscopan Cramps is only available from behind the pharmacy counter.
There are other IBS remedies, including peppermint oil and mebeverine .
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Why Does My Stomach Hurt After I Eat
Your stomach may hurt after you eat if you haven’t eaten in a long time, if you’ve eaten a particularly large meal, or if you have an ulcer, tumor, or other mass that is not protected from stomach acid by mucus within the stomach. Stomach pain after eating is most commonly caused by the normal contractions/motions of the stomach as it churns and breaks down food with stomach acid. If you have damage to the stomach or a mass of some sort, these motions can aggravate that point of tenderness causing additional stomach pain. Gas is also a common cause of stomach pain after eating. An antacid or fizzy drink may help you belch, releasing the gas and discomfort.
Sudden Stomach Cramps With Diarrhoea
If your stomach cramps have started recently and you also have diarrhoea, the cause may be a tummy bug . This means you have a viral or bacterial infection of the stomach and bowel, which should get better without treatment after a few days.
It can last for up to 14 days, and this would not require you to see your GP unless you have any of the following features:
- blood in the stool
- painless, watery, high-volume diarrhoea increased risk of dehydration
- night time symptoms disturbing your sleep
Gastroenteritis may be caused by coming into close contact with someone whos infected, or by eating contaminated food .
Long-term or recurring abdominal pain
See your GP if you or your child have persistent or repeated abdominal pain. The cause is often not serious and can be managed.
Possible causes in adults include:
Possible causes in children include:
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Other Abdominal Pain Causes
Abdominal pain can also occur due to the following.
- Bowel issues: Both diarrhea and constipation can cause abdominal pain symptoms. If your bowel movements are less than normal, you can expect some form of abdominal pain.
- Stress: Many diseases can come from mental and physical distress. Anxiety and panic disorders are connected to abdominal pain as well.
- Internal injuries: Internal bleeding, stomach ulcers, and tearing in any of the stomach muscles, lining, or nearby organs can cause severe abdominal pain that should be treated as soon as possible.
What To Eat If You Have Stomach Cramps
Stomach cramps can be very painful and a nuisance to our day to day life, often caused by irregular bowel movements, digestive problems or the accumulation of substances that when digested, cause problems. The truth is, when we suffer from stomach cramps, the last thing we want to do is eat food. However, some foods can actually help alleviate this problem and provide a welcome relief that our stomach needs. Keep reading the following oneHOWTO article on what to eat if you have stomach cramps.
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How To Treat Nausea
If your nausea is brought on by constipation, you should try to treat the constipation itself first. According to Hastin taking a laxative or a stool softener may help ease your nausea.
You can also take over-the-counter treatments like Pepto Bismol or Gaviscon.
If you dont have immediate access to over-the-counter medication here are a couple of tips to get temporary relief from nausea, no matter what the cause may be:
- Place a heating pad against your stomach. This can help relax the stomach muscles and ease your nausea.
- Sit up straight to avoid crunching your stomach, especially after eating.
- Apply a cool compress to the back of your neck.
- Drink some ginger tea. Many studies show that ginger is an effective and inexpensive treatment for nausea.
However, if you have persistent nausea, thats occurring over the course of a week or a month, then you should see a doctor, advises Curtin.
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Pain Due To Constipation
1. This natural home remedy should be applied when you sit on the toilet, squatting, using strictly nasal breathing.
2. Take a slow inhalation using your abdominal muscles or belly and then gently and slowly exhale by relaxing your diaphragm. This slow and deep breath increases blood oxygen levels since people with constipation are usually chest breathers.
3. At the end of this slow, relaxed exhalation, pinch your nose and hold your breath until you experience a strong hunger for air. .
4. When you release the nose, instead of following your natural desire to take a deep inhalation, take a shorter inhalation using your diaphragm or abdominal muscles and then immediately relax them. The goal here during reduced breathing is to maintain a strong air-hunger for 1-2 minutes and ensuring total relaxation of all the bodily muscles. If you do this exercise, you will successfully increase your bodys O2 and CO2 concentrations and this will, in turn, bring quick relief from any constipation and possible pain.
For people with heart disease and panic attacks
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What Kind Of Follow
- If the person has specific disorders such as hypothyroidism, scleroderma, and lupus, he or she may require regular follow-ups with a health-care professional.
- Elderly people with a history of fecal impaction and fecal incontinence should be followed regularly to ensure that they do not develop further attacks.
The Myth Of Laxatives As A Weight
Laxatives do not actually help people lose weight. Laxatives work on the large intestine. By the time waste reaches that area of the body, the small intestine has already absorbed the calories from the food consumed. The bowel movement triggered by the laxative doesnt even contain a lot of food, fat, or calories.
Laxatives may, however, cause temporary loss of water, electrolytes, minerals and waste product sitting in the lower intestine. This can make a person feel like they have a flatter stomach or cause the numbers on the scale to read a bit lighter. But as soon as the individual drinks water, the weight returns.
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