If you have been feeling pain in the lower abdomen when pooping, you may be a patient to a long list of conditions. While the irritable bowel syndrome is the most likely culprit in such a case, there are other causes as well.
This pain occurs in the lower half of the stomach from below the navel downwards to the anus. This kind of pain can differ in intensity from being mild and sharp to occurring on one or both sides of the lower abdomen.
Causes of lower abdominal pain when pooping
The pain you feel when pooping can be caused by various conditions such as the following:
Drug allergy
If you have an allergic reaction to a given type of drug, you will have the reaction no matter the form of the drug (tablets, injectables or powder). The symptoms of a drug allergy include:
- Itching
- Swelling
- Hives or skin rashes
- Breathing problems
- Anaphylaxis
Among the most common drugs that can cause allergic reactions are:
- Antibiotics with sulfonamides
- NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen and aspirin
- Antibiotics such as penicillin
- Anticonvulsants
- Chemotherapy drugs
Dealing with this issue entails the following steps:
- Identify then avoid the triggers
- Taking antihistamines to counter the effects of the drugs
- Seeking medical care as soon as you have the allergic reactions.
Make sure each visit you make to a hospital is accompanied by the information concerning the allergic reactions.
Hemorrhoids
When the veins in the anus and the rectum become swollen, the condition is called hemorrhoids. This condition is made worse when you poop as the stool irritates the veins.
They easily heal and can thus be easily taken care of. However, the moment you suspect you have them, ensure the doctor knows about them as well.
The remedy for this condition include:
- Drinking enough water
- Eating foods with high fiber
- Undertake physical activity often
- Don’t ignore the urge to poop
The pain caused by hemorrhoids is felt in the stomach.
Inflammatory bowel disease
The inflammatory bowel disease is the inflammation of the digestive system either partly or wholly. It can occur due to several issues among them Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Its symptoms include:
- Fatigue and fever
- Blood in stool
- Drastic loss of weight
- Diarrhea
- Pain in the lower abdomen
- Reduced appetite
Treating and managing this disease involves the following procedures:
- Using immune system suppressors
- Anti-inflammatory drugs
- Antibiotics
- Painkillers
- Anti-diarrheal medicine
- Calcium and vitamin D supplements
- Iron supplements
- Surgery for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
- Increase fiber intake
- Reduce the intake of fats and dairy products
It is easy to control this condition once you realize that you have it. Provided you know what to avoid, you will be okay.
Irritable bowel syndrome
The irritable bowel syndrome is a long-term health condition affecting the large intestine. Given its long-term nature, you will have to manage it through diet, lifestyle and medication.
Among the symptoms of the irritable bowel syndrome include:
- Excess gas in the abdomen (bloating)
- Mucus in your stool
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- Abdominal pain which may be relieved with bowel movements
While most cases of this condition are easy to manage, you need to look out for some extreme symptoms such and the following:
- Diarrhea at night
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Difficulty with swallowing
- Loss of weight
- Rectal bleeding
- Unexplained vomiting
- The pain is persistent
The treatment for this syndrome entails a combination of lifestyle changes and medication. They include:
- Eating foods high in fiber
- Regularly exercising
- Avoiding foods that trigger the symptoms
- Drinking plenty of fluids
- Getting enough sleep
- Avoiding high-gas foods
- Avoiding gluten foods such as rye, barley and wheat
- Keeping off FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols).
- Taking laxatives
- Taking anticholinergic medications
- Having anti-diarrheal medications
- Tracking tricyclic antidepressants
- Using pain medications
- The use of SSRI antidepressants
With the right medical intervention, you can easily control this condition.
Lactose intolerance
Lactose is a type of sugar found in dairy products such as milk. When you have lactose intolerance, it means that your body finds it difficult to digest this kind of sugar.
This kind of intolerance is more common in adults than children. Since you have difficulty with the digestion of dairy products, you may not have enough calcium in the body. You are thus likely to have weak bones, teeth and nails.
The symptoms of lactose intolerance include:
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Vomiting
- Rumbling stomach
- Diarrhea
While there is no cure for lactose intolerance, you can focus on avoiding dairy products or other products that have lactose in them. Given that you could lack calcium in your diet, you need to supplement your diet with the right foods. You can either choose to have calcium supplements, or eat foods rich in calcium but without lactose such as:
- Canned, tuna, salmon and sardines
- Almonds
- Turnip greens
- Broccoli
- Collards
- Kale and others.
This way, you can avoid lactose products without having mineral deficiencies.
Panic attack
Panic attacks are sudden terrifying feelings which occur without any warnings. When these attacks occur, the patients feel like they are going crazy, dying or having a heart attacking. In most cases, these attacks are not related to the current situation as they can even occur when you are asleep.
Among the symptoms of panic attacks include:
- Feeling dizzy, faint or weak
- You may have a sense of terror or impeding death or doom
- Chest pains
- Abdominal pains
- A racing heart
- You could have chills or feel sweaty
- The hands and fingers could have a tingling feeling
To treat this condition, you can have the following:
- Psychotherapy
- Anti-anxiety medication
- Antidepressants
- Anticonvulsants
Panic attacks can be managed as long as they have been discovered.
Constipation
Constipation refers to less frequent and hard bowel movements. While the number of times you poop differs in each person, you should do it at least once every three days.
The longer you stay with poop in your body, the more water the body absorbs from it. This makes the stool hard and painful to pass.
Constipation is usually not a serious issue although it is generally uncomfortable for anyone.
The symptoms of constipation include:
- Trouble with bowel movements
- Bloating in the belly
- Small or hard stool
- Few bowel movements
- Feeling like all the stool has been ejected from the body.
Among the causes of constipation are:
- Not having enough fiber and water in your diet
- If you change what you eat or your physical activities
- Having a sedentary lifestyle
- Eating too many dairy products
- Stress
- When you ignore the urge to pass stool
- Using laxatives too much
- The use of some medications such as strong painkillers
- Some eating disorders
- Using anti acids which have aluminum and calcium
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Colon cancer
- Being pregnant
- Hypothyroidism
- Muscle weaknesses in the digestive system
To do away with this condition, you can do the following:
- Take warm fluids when you wake up.
- Unless otherwise, ensure you take as many fluids as possible throughout the day.
- Add bran cereal and prunes to your diet.
- Ensure you eat enough fruits and vegetables.
- When you have the urge to pass stool, simply do so.
- Ensure you keep an active lifestyle at all times.
Gastroenteritis
This is a bacterial infection which irritates and inflames the intestines. Its causes include:
- Eating food and water that is contaminated
- Coming into contact with someone who has the virus
- Not washing hands properly after changing a diaper or visiting the loo
- Eating foods that are high in acids such as tomatoes and citrus fruits
- Drinking heavy metals in water (mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic and others)
- Toxins found in seafood
- Too much use of some medicines such as drugs for chemotherapy, laxatives, antacids and antibiotics.
Treating this condition requires:
- Dietary supplements
- Antibiotics
- Diarrhea medicine.
If diagnosed correctly early on, it is easy to control this condition.
Anal fissures
An anal fissure, also called an anal ulcer, is tearing on the anus. You may have an anal fissure if you are passing large or hard stool. This condition will then cause pain and some bleeding when having bowel movements.
In most cases, the condition will heal on its own (without medication) in about a month. You can have stool softeners and dietary fiber and the application of creams to the affected region. These will accelerate the healing process.
The pain for this condition will be felt in the rectum and is most felt when passing stool. Itchiness and bleeding are also common symptoms which may lead to cracked skin in the anal region.
Besides these causes for lower abdominal pain when pooping, you may also be a victim of colon cancer and other issues. As long as you have correctly identified the cause of the pain, you can manage it as deprecated but the doctor.
