How to Prevent Impacted Stools

Many conditions can cause a person to become constipated. These conditions may be heightened when engaging in wilderness activities. Avoid constipation to prevent the more serious condition of impacted stool.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Evacuation Plan
• Wilderness First Aid Classes
• Dried Fruits
• Fruits
• Milk Of Magnesia
• First Aid Kits
• Laxatives
• Stool Softeners
• Evacuation Insurance

1. Hydrate well by drinking at least 2 quarts of water per day.
2. Avoid starch and meats if you start to experience symptoms of constipation.
3. Eat plenty of fruits, leafy vegetables, bran and high-fiber cereals. Dried fruits such as apricots, dates and prunes are a great way to get fiber while backpacking.
4. Encourage regular bowel rhythms by eating meals as regularly as possible.
5. Find a place to squat daily to encourage a bowel movement, even if you don't feel you need to defecate. Many people become constipated when backpacking because they want to avoid defecating in the wilderness.
6. Pay attention to how frequently you have bowel movements when backpacking. If you have gone several days without defecating you may be in danger of fecal impaction.
7. Treat constipation aggressively if it has gone on for four or five days or longer. Administer a stool softener, laxative, or milk of magnesia. (See "How to Treat An Impacted Stool.")

Tips & Warnings

• Fecal impaction is a potentially dangerous condition requiring aggressive intervention in order to eliminate the feces. Prevention is key - catching fecal impaction too late can require surgery.
• Evacuate immediately if a person has not defecated in 6 or 7 days or has a distended abdomen. He or she will require the help of a trained medical professional to remove the stool.
• This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.