Diagnosing Constipation

There are over-the-counter medications to treat constipation called laxatives. However, changes in bowel habits, such as constipation, may indicate a more serious medical condition.

Consult a doctor if you have:

• Constipation plus:
  • Abdominal pain
  • Bleeding
  • Black stool
  • Distended abdomen
  • Fever
• Consistent and significant change in your bowel habits
• Constipation that lasts longer than three weeks

Tests to rule out other medical conditions include:

• Physical exam
• Digital rectal exam-examination of the rectum with the doctor's gloved, lubricated finger inserted into your rectum
• Blood tests
• Abdominal x-rays
• Barium enema x-ray -enema of fluid into the rectum that makes your colon light up on an x-ray
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy -a thin, lighted tube with a camera inserted into the rectum to examine the rectum and the lower colon

Barium Enema

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