What happens to your body when you are constipated for too long?

For most people constipation rarely causes complications, but people with long-term constipation can develop: haemorrhoids (piles) faecal impaction (where dry, hard stools collect in the rectum) bowel incontinence (the leakage of liquid stools)

Is constipation pain on the right side?

Constipation. Sometimes the cause of your right side abdomen pain is simple constipation. This is when you are having a difficult time moving your bowels due to hardened feces, and it happens to everyone.

Can constipation make you feel sick?

Constipation can cause nausea, as a buildup of stool in your intestines can allow food to linger in your stomach and lead to feelings of nausea or bloating. A buildup of stool can also result in an imbalance in your gut bacteria, which may cause nausea.

Can constipation make you tired and weak?

Fatigue often goes hand in hand with constipation. This can signal that your constipation might be the underlying cause of another medical problem. Your constipation can also cause fatigue because of malnutrition. When your colon is holding on to toxic waste, your body has a harder time absorbing nutrients from food.

What body systems are affected by constipation?

The partially digested food (waste) that remains moves from the small intestine to the large intestine, also called the colon. The colon absorbs water from this waste, which creates a solid matter called stool. If you have constipation, food may move too slowly through the digestive tract.

Can constipation last for months?

Unlike short-term constipation, chronic constipation can dominate a person’s work or social life. Constipation lasting for more than three months that doesn’t get any better after eating more fiber, drinking water, and getting some exercise is considered chronic.

How long is too long to have constipation?

When constipation lingers for three weeks or more, get a check-up just to make sure a medical condition isn’t causing the problem. Also see your doctor if: Don’t let constipation go unchecked for too long.

How does constipation become dangerous?

Some of the complications associated with going too long without pooping include: Fecal impaction. A fecal impaction is a hard piece or pieces of stool that make the stool extremely difficult to pass. Bowel perforation. If excess stool backs up in the intestines, it could put too much pressure on the intestines. Increased risks for cardiovascular events.