Neurogenic bowel: what you should know a guide for people with spinal cord injury

Why Is This Guide Important? A spinal cord injury changes the way your body works and how you will care for yourself. One important change that may be difficult for many of us to talk about is how the bowel functions. Before an SCI, people don’t have to make special plans or schedules for bowel movements. They can feel the need to use a toilet, hold their bowels until the time is right, and then relax and let stool pass out at the right place. After an SCI, bowel movements require more time, thought, and planning. People with SCI usually can’t feel when stool is ready to come out, and they need help expelling the stool. As people with SCI say, “The bowel rules.” A well-designed bowel program can help you lead a healthier and happier life after SCI. It can: • Help prevent unplanned bowel movements (also called bowel accidents, incontinence, or involuntaries). • Help avoid physical problems such as constipation. • Put you back in control of a bodily function that, if neglected, can cause embarrassment. • Improve your confidence in work and social situations. This Guide will help you work with your family, caregivers, and health-care professionals to create a bowel program that fits your needs. After that, it’s up to you to stick with it. Everyone’s body changes over time. Even if you’ve kept to a regular bowel program for months or years, it may stop working for you as well as it once did. This Guide will tell you what to do if that happens at any time in your life.