Moving your bowels means to poop. If you said "yuck,"
you're not alone. Most people don't want to discuss going
poop. But moving your bowels is an important body function, so
it's good to know what's normal and what's not.
Your bowels, also called the large intestine (say: in-
tes
-tun), are the lower parts of your
digestive system
. Your intestines finish the process of digesting food - a process
that starts in your mouth and stomach and ends with you going to
the bathroom. About 2 quarts (1.9 liters) of food and liquids pass
through your body each day. They can stay for several days in your
bowels, where your body absorbs water and salts. As water is
absorbed, the digested food gets more solid and becomes a bowel
movement (poop).
What's Normal?
Many people think that normal means having one bowel movement
every day, but that's not always true. People are different,
and so are their bowels. Normal for one person might be three bowel
movements a day, and normal for another might be three bowel
movements a week. If your bowel movements fit somewhere in that
range, then you're on a normal schedule.
Constipation
Constipation
(what TV ads call irregularity) means that you're not moving
your bowels often enough, and your bowel movements are harder and
drier than normal.
Normal bowel movements should be soft and easy to pass. They
shouldn't be dry, hard, or painful. If they are or you've
gone for more than 4 days without having one, you may be
constipated.
If you think that you're constipated, tell your parents.
They can help you try some very simple ways of getting your bowels
back on a regular schedule. Most of the time, this means changing
the foods you eat, at least for a while. You may need more foods
that have lots of
fiber
(like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains). You may need to eat
fewer fatty and greasy foods (like fried chicken and french fries)
and fewer sugary foods (like soda and candy). Drinking more water
is also often a good idea.
Exercise
is one of the best ways to keep your digestive system moving, so
you may want to turn off the TV and take a bike ride instead. You
also might try getting up a little earlier in the morning to give
yourself extra time to use the bathroom before school. And when
you're in school, if you need to use the bathroom, don't
wait. Waiting only makes constipation worse.
And no matter what the TV commercials say, don't use
laxatives
unless your parents and your doctor say that it's OK. Laxatives
may make constipation worse and cause other problems if they're
not used properly.
Sometimes, if you're very constipated, some liquid stuff
that seems like diarrhea might leak out around the hard poop that
hasn't come out. If this happens, you might have a messy
accident. You may feel a little embarrassed, but talk to your
parents about this problem. Your doctor can help your bowels get
back on track and you can learn how to prevent accidents in the
future.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea
means you have to move your bowels often, and your bowel movements
are loose, mushy, and watery. Sometimes this happens if you change
the kinds of foods you eat or if you're taking certain
medicines. Diarrhea also can happen when you don't
wash your hands
after you go to the bathroom and before you eat. Washing your hands
washes away germs that could end up in your mouth!
Diarrhea can be caused by an
infection
in the intestines or another part of the body. Sometimes diarrhea
is the only
symptom
of an infection. An infection can make you feel sick, give you a
fever, and make you feel like
throwing up
. If this happens, your parents can help or ask your doctor for
advice. They can help make you more comfortable and give you foods
that are easy to digest while you get better.
Can Stress Affect Your Bowels?
Sometimes, being worried or upset can give you either diarrhea
or constipation. You might even have some combination of tummy
pain, bloating (the feeling that you're pumped up with air),
gas, diarrhea, and constipation.
If you get these kind of symptoms often, tell your parents. You
may have sensitive bowels - a common problem doctors call irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is also called spastic colon, mucous
colitis, or nervous bowel.
Tummy pain is the most common problem of IBS. Also, people with
IBS can have diarrhea, constipation, or both at different times.
When someone with IBS passes a bowel movement, mucus (thick,
slippery fluid that looks like egg white) can sometimes come out,
too.
People with IBS often can feel better by changing their diets.
They can also learn new ways to handle their worries so that they
feel less stressed out.
What Else Do I Need to Know?
Sometimes passing a large, hard bowel movement can cause a small
tear in the skin around the
anus
(the opening where bowel movements pass out of your body). This
small tear, called a
fissure
(say:
fih
-shur), can bleed. Usually if you see a streak of blood on the
toilet paper, this is why. The tear will heal in a few days and
you'll be fine.
But blood in a bowel movement can also mean a more serious
problem, especially if you also feel weak or sick with
nausea
, pain, cramps, or diarrhea. You should tell your parents right
away, and they can ask your doctor about it.
Another important thing to remember is that all people move
their bowels - from the president of the United States to your
parents, teachers, and friends. And everybody has problems like
diarrhea and constipation sometimes. But with a little help from
your parents, chances are you'll be back to normal in no
time!
Reviewed by:
Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: February 2007
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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