The habit of passing stool varies from one person to the other. There are people who have less than three bowel movements for the entire week and people who are visiting toilets twice a day. The first case is considered to be abnormal and the second one as normal. Diarrhea is a condition of having frequent watery stools many times a day. People with chronic constipation will have difficulty in passing their bowels. Passing larger quantities of stool, passing watery stool several times a day can be described as diarrhea.
Diarrhea is often acute and sudden. Having diarrhea is a sign of underlying problem which should be treated. Infection of the stomach and food allergy is the common causes of diarrhea. Many people do not know “what to eat and what not to eat” during diarrhea and they worsen the symptom by eating foods. It is wise to keep yourself hydrated during diarrhea since you would be losing plenty of ions due to frequent visits to the toilet. In most of the cases, diarrhea gets resolved within couple of days without requiring any treatment.
Explosive Diarrhea
Explosive diarrhea is the condition of passing watery stool with loud sound. The bowel movements are very forceful and acute. Due to flatulence (excess of gas build-up) stools are expelled with force and sound. Actually, the contents of the gut would move gradually during normal condition. However when you have diarrhea, the gut contents would move fast and contains plenty of water in it. Water does not get fully absorbed during such condition resulting in excess of water.
Gas produced in the abdominal cavity is expelled through the anus normally. But due to excess of water accumulation and fast movement of gut gas exerts pressure on the rectum forcing out the bowels with large sound. Gas is normally produced due to bacterial action on the food particles and sometimes due to swallowing of air through the mouth. When a person has explosive diarrhea, the mechanism of absorption takes place very fast resulting in poor or malabsorption. The accumulated water is sent out of the rectum with violent force causing explosive diarrhea.
How Stool Is Formed ?
It is relevant to understand the process of formation of stool under normal condition. As the food through the mouth, it mixes with the saliva thoroughly and reaches the stomach. Here the food particles get converted into thick fluid called chyme and a series of digestive enzymes and bacteria acts on it. Next the chyme passes into the small intestine where partial absorption takes place. Lastly when it enters the large intestine, water is fully absorbed in the colon making the bowel more solid in nature which is expelled through rectum/anus. The final stage of food is again solid state but is soft in nature.
Bacteria plays great role in the digestion of foodstuff and in this process it produces gas. In addition excess of air is sent in as one swallows air along with food while eating with open mouth. Resulting excess of gas accumulation is expelled through the anus, with large sound.
During Diarrhea, the following 3 process would occur
- Movements of the gut is faster than normal condition
- Absorption of essential nutrients and water is not complete
- Water present in the colon is not absorbed and retained with the bowel
All the above mentioned things occur in almost in any kind of diarrhea.
To sum up, following steps happen in explosive diarrhea
- Excess of gas build up would be there causing too much of flatulence
- The bowel becomes very watery due to the presence of excess of water
- During the process of defecation, contraction of the rectum and colon is higher than normal
- The sphincter muscle of the rectum may not open fully exerting more pressure when the stool and gas are sent out.
Symptoms Of Explosive Diarrhea
A person with explosive diarrhea may have symptoms of high watery stool, excess of gas released from the anus with loud sound and the stool is excreted with great force and is always acute and sudden. In many cases explosive diarrhea would wet your trousers or pants causing embarrassment. Explosive diarrhea cannot be controlled most of the time. You may not have enough time to reach the toilet or open your trousers. Strange sounds can be heard from the stomach due to excess movement of the bowels.
Explosive Diarrhea Causes
Diarrhea is not a disease but is a symptom of underlying illness. Diarrhea is indicative of stomach infection or food allergy.
-
Inflammation Of The Stomach
The stomach gets inflamed due to excess of bacteria or viruses resulting in diarrhea. It is considered as “stomach flu” and is always acute and exists for only short period. Bacteria or virus would infect the stomach injuring the walls and cells of the intestine. Several toxic materials are released by these organisms causing flatulence and watery stool. This kind of infectious diarrhea would continue for 2-3 days and the symptoms would improve without any treatment. Types of bacteria that causes explosive diarrhea include Salmonella, E. coli, and V cholera. Apart from bacteria, certain parasites like protozoa can also cause stomach infection. Drinking contaminated food/water particularly during travel is referred to as traveler’s diarrhea.
-
Food Poisoning
Eating toxic foods by mistake can cause food poisoning. Undercooked meat and certain kinds of fishes are some examples of toxic food. Contamination of food can occur through bacteria resulting in diarrhea. Some people may accidentally eat or drink toxic substances of the laboratory which might cause food poisoning and explosive diarrhea.
-
Side Effect Of Medication
Antibiotics (some types) and allergic medications can induce diarrhea. Repeated use of laxatives can definitely cause diarrhea. When taken for long term it can affect the normal bowel movement.
-
Food Allergy
Eating allergic foods can upset the balance of the stomach leading to explosive diarrhea and watery stool. People who have lactose intolerance and those who are allergic to specific food items should completely avoid them. Fructose can also cause diarrhea if the gut has trouble in absorbing it. Certain kinds of fruit juices can also trigger allergic reaction causing skin rash with diarrhea.
-
Diseases and Conditions
Chronic diseases affecting the colon like irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis can cause diarrhea with violent sound. People with celiac disease can have diarrhea frequently. People who have recently undergone surgery for weight loss can have diarrhea for few days or more, until the abdomen gets adjusted.
Explosive Diarrhea Treatment
In most of the cases symptoms of diarrhea would improve within couple of days with home remedies. It may not require any treatment. However if the diarrhea continues for days together you need to check with your doctor. He would identify the cause of the problem first rather than giving medication to arrest loose motion. When a person has diarrhea, he/she should make sure to stay hydrated to prevent any complications. Over the counter anti-diarrheal medications like loperamide can help in reducing the symptoms. This is effective in controlling acute diarrhea due to infection.
Solutions of rehydration like Electral or Enerzal or any other oral rehydration drinks can be liberally taken during diarrhea. When you have diarrhea you are losing electrolyte balance quickly due to repeated loss of water and ions. In severe cases solutions are injected intravenously if the patient becomes unstable due to loss of electrolyte. It is better to starve during diarrhea than to eat anything.
You may not have appetite once the diarrhea sets in. It might disturb your stomach causing flatulence and stomach cramps. In that case, you can stick on to drinks of electrolyte. If you feel hungry, you can eat brat diet like rice, bananas, apple and toast. Yoghurt can be useful in arresting diarrhea. Probiotics that contain Saccaromyces and Lactobacillus casei can help in growth of good bacteria that help in normal bowel movement.
