“Why am I having diarrhea?”
I have spinal stenosis which is in need of surgery, and I also have fecal and bladder incontinence. Can this be why I always have diarrhea?
Female | 49 years old
Complaint duration: 2 years
3 Answers
Not necessarily. The spinal stenosis seems to have affected the nerves and therefore the muscles of the pelvis, resulting in the incontinence. But colon motility is under autonomic control from the nervous system and should function independently. You should have a separate evaluation looking into the cause of diarrhea.
That is certainly a question that should be answered by a physician after a thorough evaluation.
It is possible that your neurological condition could cause increased frequency of bowel movements or fecal incontinence, which can be mistaken as diarrhea however, if you do have persistent intestinal symptoms such as watery bowel movements, blood in stool, abdominal pain, fever, or weight loss, then you must consult a Gastroenterologist to make sure you don’t have a separate intestinal condition.
