311-Biofeedback, Incontinence, and the Patient’s Perspective
From a presentation at a symposium on Treatment of Bowel, Bladder, and Pelvic Floor Disorders. Bowel or bladder incontinence is a 24 hour, seven day a week challenge. One never escapes it, for many it is even in our dreams. A personal account from the Founder of IFFGD.
107-Chlorophyllin: Is It Effective Odor Control
Odor is what informs those around you that you have a problem with your bowel or bladder control. It causes a great deal of distress. This was also the case with patients with colostomies before good stoma appliances became available, which was about thirty to thirty-five years ago. Since the output could not be directly controlled, attention was turned to control of the odor. There were several ways in which odor was addressed – changes in diet and medication. The medications used were charcoal in various forms, which is still used commonly today, and a product that is seldom seen today, chlorophyllin.
306-Medical Management of Fecal Incontinence
The cause as well as the severity of incontinence determines its treatment. Some people have a problem that can be corrected with surgery. However, many do not. For those who do not have surgery, medical management is the initial treatment. Revised and updated 2009.
304-The Etiology of Fecal Incontinence: Causes and Diagnosis
Fecal incontinence is a distressing and isolating condition whose true community prevalence is unknown. The failure to identify patients with fecal incontinence is tragic because the condition is for the most part treatable. And because proper treatment depends upon accurate diagnosis, it is important to understand the common causes of fecal incontinence.
313-Bowel Incontinence and Aging
Easy Read Format. Many things happen as we age that makes a loss of bowel control more likely. Illness, injury, changes in bowel habits and other factors affect the ability to stay in control. Loss of bowel control is surprisingly common. It happens to a lot of people. There are a number of ways to be helped. This pamphlet will help you understand what is wrong and what you can do about it.
Also available offline as a glossy color brochure (3.5″ x 8.5″). Contact IFFGD for details.
This publication is also available in Spanish.
Brochure: Incontinencia Fecal y la Edad
Con la edad ocurren muchos cambios y la pérdida de la continencia fecal se vuelve más probable. Las enfermedades orgánicas, los cambios del hábito intestinal y otros factores, afectan la habilidad de mantener el control. La pérdida de la continencia fecal es muy común. Le ocurre a mucha gente. Existen muchas formas de encontrar ayuda para este problema. Este folleto le ayudará a comprender que es lo que ocurre y qué puede hacer para mejorarlo.
301-Living with and Managing Fecal Incontinence and Regaining Control
A personal account of living with fecal incontinence and helpful tips for regaining control of your life.
Also available offline as a glossy color brochure (3.5″ x 8.5″). Contact IFFGD for details.
This publication is also available in Spanish. Go»
Brochure: Viviendo y Sobrellevando la Incontinencia
Como fundadora y presidente de la Fundación Internacional para los Trastornos Funcionales Gastrointestinales, he tenido la oportunidad de hablar íntimamente con muchas personas sobre sus experiencias con la incontinencia – la pérdida de control de las evacuaciones liquidas o solidas. Quisiera compartir con ustedes algunas cosas que he aprendido sobre este trastorno.
316-Talking To Your Doctor About Incontinence
Most people feel uneasy talking about their stool, intestinal gas, or bowel movements. But doctors understand that these are very normal and necessary processes in all of us. Doctors and other therapists are there to help when bodily processes go wrong. So the first very important step is to talk plainly about the problems you are experiencing.
116 – Doctor – Patient Communication
Functional GI disorders present a special challenge to the doctor-patient interaction for several reasons. First, functional GI disorders are characterized, in most cases, by vague symptoms of variable intensity. Many times, these symptoms involve the most intimate anatomic areas of the body. The sensitivity of these issues can complicate the task for the patient who needs to express them in terms that the physician can interpret to formulate a diagnosis. Secondly, the physician is hampered by the absence of obvious structural lesions that often lessens the likelihood of devising a specific medical intervention that is successful. In some cases, the physician’s own anxiety can be increased by the lack of a symptom complex that leads to well-understood disease entity, such as parasites or lactose intolerance. This deficiency, in turn, often leads both physician and patient to over-investigate the symptoms. So what are the ingredients that comprise successful doctor-patient communication about the functional GI disorders?
215- Problems with Doctors That Interfere with Treatment
The placebo effect can enhance therapy, and promote a successful relationship between healer and patient. However, a treatment administered by a healer may also have a bad effect. Any treatment may have a predictable risk, but a nocebo effect denotes worsening beyond the known risk – the adverse effect of a failed therapeutic relationship. This can result in sub-optimal health care. An examination of its causes and ways to avoid it are discussed.
221- The Medical History: How to Help Your Doctor Help You
The most important interaction between patient and doctor is the medical history. Through listening to the story of the patient’s illness and asking relevant questions, a physician may often make a diagnosis, or at least begin to understand the nature and location of the complaint. A few easy steps can help make this process more efficient leading to prompt, more precise diagnosis and treatment. Revised January 2012.
