Most health-related websites describe fecal impaction as a hard mass of stool that has gotten stuck in your colon. While this literal explanation, isn’t wrong, it is probably the worst way to explain a much bigger problem.

Describing fecal impaction as a stool flow problem is like calling a stroke or a heart attack a blood flow problem. It’s far more dangerous and caused by a much bigger health issue.

Fecal impaction is the result of many things going wrong with your body over a long time and is a sign that your condition has reached such an advanced stage that a major health emergency is imminent.

So, let’s have a look at the complete picture of what a fecal impaction really is and what has gone wrong with your body…

So, What Really Is a fecal impaction?

In simplest terms, by the time you have a fecal impaction many systems in your body have begun to fail:

• Your brain-gut communication has started breaking down
• Your GI tract’s protective ecosystem (bacteria, fungi) has been thrown off-balance
• Your colon’s blood supply, nerves have been damaged or significantly weakened
• Your gut’s musculature and its ability to move stools has been weakened
• Your intestine’s structural integrity has been compromised
• Your automatic ability to sense when it is time to have a bowel movement has been diminished
• Your ability to instinctively expel your stools when ready has been impeded

And what is the result of all these systems failing?

Not only has your digestive system started creating stools that are choking off your GI tract, you are now suffering from a permanent bowel disorder that will put you at constant risk of life-threatening complications like ruptures, sepsis and even colon cancer.

Worst of all, treating the problem isn’t as easy as it may first seem…

• Most available constipation treatments are very ineffective at reversing fecal impactions (laxatives, enemas, etc.)
• The treatments that do work are so aggressive that they can cause permanent damage (manual disimpaction resection surgery)
• In the advanced stages of fecal impaction, even with treatment the patient mortality rates are very high (63% for hospitalized patients)

This is why it is not only crucial to learn about the dangers of fecal impactions but also learn about how to identify it early. So next, let’s take a look at the 10 common symptoms of fecal impaction and learn what each symptom means in terms of what is really going on inside you. We will also look at the 15 emergency signs of a fecal impaction so that you can remain alert and get to a hospital before a health catastrophe occurs.