N 325 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Rectal Pain, Bedpan, Antibiotics
Document Summary
Constipation: a symptom, not a disease. Infrequent stool and/or hard, dry, small stools that are difficult to eliminate ( < 3 per week) with hard, dry stools: causes. Irregular bowel habits: chronic illnesses (arthritis, depression) or neurological conditions or chronic bowel dysfunction, low fiber diet high in animal fats, low fluid intake, stress, physical inactivity, medications (opiates, changes in life or routines (pregnancy, travel. Intervention: stool softeners, diet modification and fiber. Intervention: digital rectal exam, removal of impaction. Inability to control passage of feces and gas to the anus: physical condition that causes the inability to control passage of feces and gas to the anus. Impair anal sphincter function or large volume liquid stools: causes. Impaction: bowel (crohn"s disease) or neurological disease (spinal cord injuries) or malignancy (rectal cancer, pathogens (c. diff, parasites, laxative abuse, harms body image and social isolation.
