Why Is Pooping And Colon Health So Important?

Changes due to the aging process also need to be addressed. Calcium reabsorption increases especially in women after the menopause, this decreases bone density. Lean tissue decreases as fat increases with age; there is also a decline in the percentage of body water meaning that body temperature is more difficult to control. Thirst decline and decreased renal function means that older people can become dehydrated (Copeman 1999). The function of the bowel reduces, meaning that the elderly are more susceptible to indigestion and constipation. The risk of constipation is also increased with Parkinson’s disease (Parkinson’s UK 2011). The final consideration is the deterioration of the sensory system. Taste, smell, vison, pain and touch all decline meaning that food may not be as appealing (Copeman 1999).

The symptoms adults experience are much the same as the children experience without the stunning of growth and affect on puberty. Some adults having a mild form of the disease exhibit almost no symptoms. Others may experience a loss or gain in appetite, abdominal pain, bloating, gas or indigestion. In addition, other people have bothersome symptoms including diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, and excessive gas caused by vitamin and nutrient deficiencies (The Mayo Clinic staff, 2011).

Age can affect ingestion as the strength of the esophageal contractions decrease with age but this is not going to affect the movement of food. However, some diseases which interfere with esophageal contraction are likely to affect many older adult. Also age can affect digestion because the capacity of the stomach lining to withstand damage decreases. With age, there will be a decrease in elasticity and the stomach cannot hold as much food and the rate at which the stomach empties food into the small intestine decreases.

Mindy Perkins is 48 year old woman who presents to the ED with 10- 15 loose, liquid stools daily for the past 2 days. She completed a course of oral Amoxicillin seven days ago for a dental infection. In addition to loose stools, she complains of lower abdominal pain that began 2 days ago as well. She has not noted any blood in the stool. She denies vomiting, fever, or chills. She is on Prednisone for Crohn’s disease as well as Pantoprazole (Protonix) for severe GERD.

As you begin to get older your muscles within your digestive tract can start to become really weak and would possibly start giving you the risk of having a lot of constipation. Also as you get older your heart is beginning to get less efficient and would not be able to pump the blood around your body like what it used to have done. Also the other things that could happen to your organs as you begin to get older are

to as colitis, enteritis, ileitis, and proctitis. When you have this disease your body’s immune system begins attacking healthy cells in your digestive tract, and this is what causes the inflammation. Crohn’s disease is one of the fastest growing intestinal diseases in the United States. Although the condition can affect any part of the gut, the most commonly affected areas are the ileum or the large intestine, the colon. Crohn's disease may be mild, moderate, or severe. Most patients are able to lead full and productive lives when treated properly.

In viewing Mr. Laurane’s personal health issues as well as his family history, it appears clear that his overall well-being could benefit significantly from a weight-loss regimen that includes health education in terms of nutrition, exercise initiatives, supplements that may be taken to encourage the speeding up of a slow metabolism, etc. Mr. Laurane can only benefit from weight loss, which will reduce his hypertension, congestive heart failure, and high cholesterol, all of which pose serious threats to the patient’s long-term health if not addressed in any way possible.

Patient might experience mild or sever pain, crampy, and aching that is similar to appendicitis. Passing of gas or stool elimination may reduce the adverse effect of pain. According to spivak & deSouza (2008), patient that are of high risk are those with the history of low-fiber diet, constipation, high intake of red meat, severe dehydration, and aging. The diagnostic tests are barium enema which determines number of diverticula, CBC indicates present of anemia, colonoscopy exposes present of diverticula, CT scan reveals changes in the colon wall, GI bleeding scan that identifies active bleeding, and CBC with differential reveals leukocytosis.

The colon also known as the large intestine is an important contributor to the gastrointestinal tract. After food is absorbed in the small intestine it is pushed into the large intestine where the remaining water and vitamin k is absorbed. This is where the absorption water is most important in the G.I tract in keeping excretions regular. Also, the colon is a rich source of microorganisms. Bacteria in the colon assist in the digestion of nutrients we are not able to do because we lack those enzymes that specifically breakdown carbohydrates. To disrupt the balance of the microorganisms or bacteria would in fact cause more harm to your health.

For this week’s discussion topic, I have decided to talk about Crohn's disease. This disease causes inflammation of the bowels and the lining of the digestive tract. According to WebMD, Crohns is caused by an immune reaction against the intestinal tract and it can cause the small intestine to become inflamed, which hinders the absorption of nutrients (WebMD, n.d). Some symptoms that accompany Crohns disease are malnutrition, diarrhea, weight loss, bloating, and abdominal pain. According to the Mayo clinic serious problems can occur for people suffering from Chohns disease. Such problems include ulcers, colon cancer and bowl obstructions (The Mayo Clinic n.d.).

What are the symptoms? Symptoms include: abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, chronic fatigue, gas, and fatty stools. Now after reading those symptoms, the average person would most likely go buy Pepto-Bismol, an anti-gas pill, or other form of diarrhea and bloating medicines. As you may be able to see just from reading the above, CD could easily be mistaken and misdiagnosed. Therefore, the next question is who should be tested? The answer is those with classic symptoms of chronic diarrhea, malabsorption, weight loss, and abdominal distention. You may also have iron deficiency anemia, recurrent fetal loss, infertility, those with IBS or irritable bowel syndrome, auto immune diseases, peripheral neuropathy, cerebelar ataxia, and dental enamel hypoplasia (Bower 7).

But if no further treatment is need or wanted, it is advised to attend regular follow-up appointments, to discuss which symptoms to look out for. These symptoms include unintended weight loss, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that was once considered as rare in the pediatric population, is presently recognized as one of the most important chronic diseases that affect children and adolescents. About twenty to thirty percent of patients diagnose with Crohn’s disease before the age of twenty years. Crohn’s disease can cause growth failure, malnutrition, pubertal delay and bone demineralization in children. The incidence of Crohn’s disease has increased over the past decades. The age specific rate in North America for children age ten to nineteen years estimated as about 3.5 cases per 100, 000 population. The study of pediatric Crohn’s disease form North America showed the rate of Crohn disease in Wisconsin was 4.56 cases per 100,000 population. The rate of pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) was higher in boys than in girls. Crohn’s disease is more common in whites than in blacks and is rare in Asian and

The client was on a regular diet and was tolerating it well. Upon auscultation, bowel sounds were positive in all four quadrants. The bowel sounds were slightly hyperactive. Inspection and palpation of the abdomen by the student nurse revealed no rigidity, tenderness, masses or distention. The client’s last bowel movement was the night prior and reported her stools had been loose. Frequent loose stools are an expected finding due to the antibiotic treatment for the pneumonia (Deglin & Vallerand, 2014).

• Diarrhea. This may occur if runny stool is able to leak around the obstruction.