Disclaimer: This post was written for informational use only because I am not a doctor, and it is not to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.
Constipation can happen to anyone, but it is often worse for disabled people because you don’t have the muscles to go the bathroom and laxatives don’t always work. People with Spina Bifida often have difficulty going to the bathroom because most people have paralysis in their bowel muscles and are unable to go to the bathroom naturally. Chronic constipation is common amongst people with physical disabilities such as Spina Bifida because you can’t move around as well as non-disabled people can and it’s easy to have a constipation problem and not know about it. My disability has a lot of challenges that you can’t fix but out of all of them, I think constipation is the worst because it can cause a lot of pain. When you have a disability constipation is something that is very difficult to completely prevent because you can’t change your disability, but you can’t make some lifestyle changes, so it happens less often. How do you prevent constipation while living with a disability? In this post, I am going to talk about a few things I do to prevent painful constipation.
Make sure you are having regular bowel movement- When you have Spina Bifida it takes longer to have a bowel movement and depending on your mobility level sometimes you spend hours on the toilet. People who have a harder time going to the bathroom sometimes are not as consistent with doing their bowel regimen, but it still needs to get done and you are only hurting yourself when you skip it because when you have bowel movements more often it is less likely that you will have a problem. I sympathize with people who struggle to go to the bathroom because it is hard, but I don’t understand people who think not having a bowel movement is a solution because everyone needs to remove waste from their body whether it’s hard or not. You don’t have to enjoy sitting on the toilet for hours because I sure don’t but you are only making it harder on yourself when you don’t listen to your doctor and go long periods of time without going to the bathroom Bowel movements sometimes still will take hours if you do it regularly, but what a lot of people do not understand is that when you do it more often there is less of a chance that you will struggle with severe constipation. Don’t skip your bowel regimen because it’s necessary and not pooping enough could be the reason you are getting constipated!
Drink enough water– If you want to prevent constipation it is so important that you drink enough because water helps prevent constipation by softening hard stools making them easier to pass. There are a lot of ways you can drink more water and you don’t have to be drinking gallons of water every day like some fitness influencers do because you can get a lot of water through the food you eat and drinking large amounts of water is often unnecessary. When you have Spina Bifida it is so important that you drink enough water especially if you need to have a bowel movement because those muscles already don’t work and it will be even more difficult if you are dehydrated. The amount of water that you should drink varies from individual to individual and it depends on your activity level and body weight because people at a lower weight who don’t exercise will need less water than those at a higher weight who do exercise.
Move as much as you can- When you have Spina Bifida it can be hard to stay active because a lot of people have physical disabilities and fitness is not accessible, but most people are able to do some kind of exercise. Movement is so important for preventing constipation because it keeps things moving and people who don’t exercise often have a harder time having a bowel movement than people who do exercise on a regular basis. Exercise may look different for people with Spina Bifida because you are more limited and there is no specific exercise routine I think everyone should be doing and the most important thing is that you find something you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be a high-impact weightlifting routine and for some people, it may be a light walk or stroll around their neighborhood. Exercise plays a major role in preventing constipation and if you can exercise, please do because it will make it easier to have a bowel movement.
Take a probiotic– Probiotics can help give your body some good bacteria which helps keep everything moving which is important if you want to prevent constipation. Probiotics do not work as quickly when you have a disability, and you shouldn’t expect miracles because there are a lot of things to consider, and probiotics alone are not going to completely prevent constipation, but you might see some improvements in your bowel function. Some people may not get as much relief from a probiotic, but I feel much better when I take a probiotic and I feel less bloated which makes it worth it for me. There are times when I feel like my probiotic does nothing for me but most of the time it helps because even small progress is better than none.
Change your diet- Exercise is important for preventing constipation, but diet plays an even bigger role because if you aren’t eating in a way to support your bowel function you are going to struggle with constipation a little bit more. I love cookies but I would not eat them multiple times a day because too much sugar can cause bloating and make you more constipated. The diet you should be following is going to be different for everyone because we all have different triggers and not everyone needs to avoid dairy. Find the diet that works best for you that supports your gut health because under-fueling your body or eating too much fast food might be a contributing factor to your constipation problems. If I am struggling with constipation the very first thing I think about is what I have eaten that day that might have triggered it because a lot of the time you can see improvement by making some diet changes.
Eat enough fiber but not too much- Fiber is important for constipation relief because fiber helps increase the weight and size of your stool and softens it making it easier to pass but too much or not enough can cause constipation. Make sure you eat enough fiber but eat a normal amount because too much fiber can cause a lot of gas and bloating which often leads to constipation. Fiber is necessary for constipation relief, but you don’t have to double your fiber intake because more is not always better.
Take a stool softener- When I do my bowel regimen, I put MiraLAX (not sponsored) in my bowel bag to help me go to the bathroom, but I also take an over-the-counter stool softener and another laxative that is in pill form, hours before I need to have a bowel movement. Most of the time I could probably get away with not taking extra laxatives, but I can never tell if I am constipated so I’d rather be safe than sorry. It sounds like I am taking a lot of laxatives, and I am but when you have Spina Bifida sometimes it’s necessary because one laxative is not always enough. You should always talk to your doctor before taking extra laxatives because even though something is safe for me to do it doesn’t mean you should be doing it as well.
When you have Spina Bifida or any disability where your bowel function has been affected it can be hard to completely prevent constipation and for some people, it might be impossible. Constipation is painful and can happen to anyone, but it can be worse for disabled people because a lot of the time the laxatives that give most people relief do not work for disabled people. When you have Spina Bifida, you might not be able to completely prevent painful constipation, but you can exercise and eat in a way that supports your gut health to make it less likely. I struggle with constipation and there is nothing I can do to change that, but I don’t have serious problems often because I make it a priority to do my bowel regimen regularly even though most days, I would rather be doing anything else. There are a lot of ways you can prevent constipation while living with a disability and these are only a few that help me personally but not everyone is going to get relief from the same things, and it is okay if you do something different because the most important thing is that you find what works for you. How do you prevent constipation?
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