Bowel Problems with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease can cause many problems for its sufferers. One of the more common ailments is bowel problems.
Bowel problems can be caused by any number of things but usually it is brought on by the stiffness and slowness of movement that many sufferers of Parkinsonism will show. This slower movement can affect the muscles of the bowel wall. People with Parkinsonism usually do not get much exercise, due to the lack of mobility and rigidity they experience. This means that the bowel itself does not get stimulated enough to work properly.
This problem can become worse simply because some sufferers of Parkinsonism find it hard to chew and may experience problems with swallowing. This makes it much harder for the patient to have a fibre-rich diet which would aid their constipation problems.
Constipation is often a common problem among people, however, and most people will have it at some point in their lives. There is no set pattern as to when a person should have a bowel motion - it does not have to be daily as some people suppose. In fact, as much as two or three days can pass between movements, and that is often normal for that individual. If the patient's stools are soft and can be passed without pain and undue straining there is no usual reason for worry. Constipation, however, occurs when stools are very hard, like small stones, and require much more effort to pass.
It may help caregivers to know that constipation is the most common bowel problem for Parkinsonism sufferers and that there are several causes for it.
If the sphincter muscle has not relaxed properly at the right time, the stool will be hard to pass. For some people the opposite is true. The anus will tighten up when they think they are actually relaxing it. Likewise, constipation may result from a person finding it too hard to tighten the abdominal muscles enough to aid the emptying of the bowel.
Constipation is an annoyance but it tends not to lead to serious problems. There is some evidence that older people, especially, may become restless and slightly confused during the night time if they are constipated.
One problem, though, is that in severe cases, impaction can occur. This is when the bowel becomes full of very hard stools. The stools will harden more the longer they remain within the patient's rectum. When this happens, it becomes nearly impossible to pass anything.
During impaction, the bowel tends to overflow resulting in some accidental leakage. This leakage may contain mucus that looks like diarrhoea or stool lumps. In rare cases where impaction occurs and completely obstructs the bowel immediate medical care is needed.
An active lifestyle will help most patients to remain regular. Being active, mobile, and fit will stimulate the bowel and will aid in the prevention of constipation as well as helping to get stronger pelvic floor muscles which are helpful during the movement phase.
Eating a proper diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, and ensuring there is plenty of fibre in the daily diet will also help a great deal in avoiding constipation and bowel problems. If chewing is a problem for the patient, caregivers should look into high fibre liquid drinks. These are usually readily available.