Constipation Symptoms

Be aware of the constipation symptoms to know whether you are constipated or not. In a way, constipation is a unique health problem. Because, it is the most widespread ailment and if neglected, can lead to many serious diseases, yet, it is not called a disease. People don’t consider constipation as a pleasant topic to discuss even with the physician unless they get into its more serious negative effects.

Symptoms of constipation

• Stool difficult to pass

Ideally, as soon as you sit on the commode, you finish evacuation in a few seconds. If the water content in the stool is not enough, if stool doesn’t have enough fiber or if your colon contractions are not proper, evacuation becomes difficult. Among the constipation symptoms, this one is experienced by most.

• Sticky stool

When stools stays longer inside the colon, it loses water through absorption and evaporation because of heat inside the colon. Losing water make it sticky.

• Hard stool / Dry stool / Black stool

With more time in the colon, stool loses more water and stool gets dry, hard and turns black. It is very difficult to pass hard stool. When you try to force it out by straining, repeated attempts cause the rectum rupture and bleed.

• Stool comes out in installments. Take 20 to 30 minutes to evacuate

This is one of the strong constipation symptoms.. If the stool is soft and your colon contractions are proper, you get a strong urge at the right time and your evacuation will be over in 5 to 10 seconds. But, if you are constipated, you have to strain and force it out. With each effort, a bit of the stool comes out.

• Stool frequency – once a day or less

The equation for ‘no constipation’ is: stool frequency = meal frequency – which means if you eat three meals a day, you evacuate three times, satisfactorily. At least two satisfactory evacuations a day is good enough.

• Initial portion of stool is hard even though the later portion is soft

You may not agree this one as one of the constipation symptoms. Even I don’t want to press hard on this; however, it is true to a certain extent. Ideally, stool doesn’t get hard if evacuated with in 24 hours of its formation. Even if some portion of it got hard– means, you have constipation, even though not a severe one.

• Stomach gas and bloating. Foul smelling gas

If the waste that forms from what you eat today (breakfast to dinner) completely comes out as stool by tomorrow morning before the next breakfast, it is the healthiest thing-24hours. As the waste stays more time in the colon, fermentation takes place, causing release of excessive gas and bloating. Stool becomes more putrid with offensive smell.

• Unsatisfactory evacuation

This happens almost every time. You feel a lot is still left out. Very rarely you come out feeling happy and light.

• As you sit to evacuate, urine comes first

Even though you may not consider it as one of the constipation symptoms, it is a fact. You might have had a number of occasions when you had to evacuate urgently. So urgent, you had to practically run to the toilet. You hardly got time lock yourself in and sit on the commode. Stool gushed out and it’s all over in a few seconds. Urine came later.

It doesn’t happen everyday. Normally, the morning routine may be like this: You sit on the commode whether you have the urge or not, because, you like to finish it off to tell yourself – ‘it is over for today’. Even if you have the urge, it’s not strong. You know it’s going to take a lot of time, may be 15 minutes to ½ hour or may be more?

People take different things when they go for evacuation. News paper is the most common companion. Not any news paper, only their favorite one. They can pass stool only if they have that paper in hand. If they miss that paper one day, they miss the stool too.

It seems people carry novels, comics, cell phones…some even got TVs installed in their loo because they spend a lot of time there.

Coming back where we started, this is what happens once you sit on the commode: You start scanning the headlines in the new paper. After a few minutes, urine comes out. You finish the headlines. Some stool may come out. You know a lot is left inside but you can’t push it out.

You finish reading the articles, call people, fix appointments, catch news on TV…In between all this, you suddenly remember once or twice why you are there in the first place. Make a great effort, give it up and come out of the toilet. – Yes, you did a lot of things, but not the one you intended to do. Sad. Very sad.

If you have any one or more of the above constipation symptoms, it is confirmed that you are constipated. Now you must be wondering if there is even a single person on earth that will pass the test.

There are a number of causes of constipation. The most important factor in all the above constipation symptoms is water content in stool. 

Less water content can be caused by two factors:

1. Stool didn’t have enough water in the beginning itself because, your body is dehydrated. Dehydration leads to many health problems. The importance of drinking water and the influence water on the body can’t be over stressed.
2. Stool lost water since it stayed longer because of other reasons – improper colon contractions, low fiber diet, foods that take too long to digest etc.

If you are one of those fortunate people without any of the above constipation symptoms, wonderful! You are free from constipation. If not, no worry.

Animals that are not influenced by humans’ unnatural lifestyle, don’t suffer from constipation. Even children fed on only mother's milk have smooth evacuations. You too can have effortless satisfactory evacuation and get rid of all the constipation symptoms; if you wish.

Just keep reading.