Fecal incontinence

Body: 

Help! I am having such a hard time trying to control fecal incontinence. Urinary was a walk in the park compared to what I am now going through. I have stage 2 rectocele, cystocele, and vaginal vault prolapse. I know it is advised not to become constipated with prolapse but if I don't keep my bowels hard then I cannot control my bowel at all. I have always had a tendency toward diarrhea and now that I am incontinent I feel like I am living in a nightmare. I have had a total hysterectomy several years ago and am now in my mid seventy's so feel like I don't have options to help myself. Any advise would be so appreciated.

The only thing that I can think of is fermented vegetables. Kimchi, saurkraut, pickles, etc. They are sold in the refrigerated section at higher end grocery stores. They have to be refrigerated or else they don't have the beneficial probiotic properties in them. They firm up the stools.

Nevaeh, Fab has written a good post on how to get a better-formed stool, if that is something that helps you to deal with your situation.

https://wholewoman.com/forum/node/5532

Surviving60, I was so anxious to read Fab's post but have been unable to find it. I pasted your link in the search on this site and also on the Google search but nothing came up. Maybe you could help me with this. Thanks for your time.

Mom30 I have been eating Kimchi almost daily for about 3 months and have not noticed a difference but really appreciate your response.

I think this is the post that she's talking about, Nevaeh. I hope nobody minds me 'copying & pasting' it here for you:

" ... passing many small stools does not sound such a good idea as you are using your rectum so regularly and they are being very hard to pass because they lack bulk enough for the intestinal muscles to move them effectively. Magnesium is recommended to prevent too sticky stools that are too soft and small to move smoothly. It sounds to me more the texture of the stool (their too softness) and their spaced out delivery, rather than their actual shape which presents the main difficulty. ..... To form a complete stool, you need to eat everyday; fat (preferably saturated animal- have whipped cream in your coffee or on your plate of fruit), protein, potassium, vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. You should be able to gain most of these in your day to day diet. There is no reason why you should not do as Surviving suggests and continue WWposture concurrently with working out your defecation problem. Certainly, attend your next doctor’s appointment, but in the interim have a look at your diet and see if there is any room for improvement along the lines I’ve suggested. I don’t recommend going the quick route and including lots of fibre."

The reason I mentioned the kimchi is because I have the too soft stool problem too. I think it's called soft constipation. I will not be able to go for a while, then I have days of soft, incomplete stools that make it feel like I'm not going to make it to the bathroom. I was just on vacation this past week, and after the 11 hour drive, my body started the bad poo problem. I was so miserable. It lasted for several days. Then we went to a grocery store where I saw King's Kimchi. I decided it was worth a try. I only ate about a teaspoon of it. This brand was very fizzy and bubbly, unlike the one I tried from Trader Joe's. I ate about a teaspoon of it three times per day. I even bought three jars of it and put it in a cooler to bring some home. My 12 hour car ride yesterday was all good. It is just an awful problem, I hate it. But I really think this stuff helped. Hopefully, it will keep working.