Watery stools often occur during diarrhea. This condition can be caused by many things, from infection to problems with the absorption of nutrients from food. To overcome complaints of liquid bowel movements, there are several simple ways you can do at home.
When exposed to diarrhea, a person can experience liquid bowel movements (BAB) more than 3 times a day. This condition is usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as heartburn, cramps or abdominal pain accompanied by bloating, and nausea and vomiting.
Diarrhea usually goes away on its own within a few days. However, sometimes people who experience liquid bowel movements due to diarrhea can become dehydrated because of the large amount of fluid that comes out during bowel movements or because of a decrease in appetite.
Various Causes of Liquid Defecation
There are many things that can cause a person to experience watery stools or diarrhea, including:
1. Food intolerance or allergy
People who have food allergies may experience watery stools when they eat allergenic foods, such as seafood and nuts.
In addition, eating certain foods that cannot be digested properly by the body can also trigger diarrhea. This condition is called a food intolerance. An example of a food that often causes intolerance is milk (lactose intolerance).
2. Infection
Viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections are one of the causes of liquid bowel movements that occur quite often. Diarrhea caused by infection generally occurs due to consumption of water or food that has been contaminated with viruses, germs, or parasites. In addition, diarrhea due to infection can also occur due to the habit of not washing hands before eating or cooking.
Some examples of viruses that can cause diarrhea are norovirus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), hepatitis A virus, adenovirus, and rotavirus.
Diarrhea due to bacterial infection can be caused by bacteria Eschericia coli, Salmonella, and Shigella, while the parasite that can cause diarrhea is amoeba which causes dysentery.
3. Digestive tract disorders
There are several types of diseases in the digestive tract that can make you experience diarrhea, namely: irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease.
4. Drug side effects
One of the drugs that can cause side effects in the form of loose stools or diarrhea is antibiotics, especially if the antibiotics are used in the long term. Not only antibiotics, loose stools can also be caused by other drugs, such as chemotherapy, antacids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Apart from the above reasons, liquid bowel movements also usually occur in people who have recently undergone surgery on the digestive tract, such as surgery for the appendix, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, small intestine, spleen, and large intestine.
If you experience loose stools after surgery or taking certain drugs, you should consult the problem with your doctor so that your condition can be treated appropriately.
Simple Way Mhandle liquid defecation
Although diarrhea or loose stools usually go away on their own without medical treatment, there are several ways you can follow to relieve symptoms and speed up recovery, namely:
Drink enough water
To replace fluids lost due to diarrhea and prevent the risk of dehydration, consume at least 8 glasses or 2 liters of water a day. You are also advised to consume special electrolyte drinks for diarrhea after defecation or vomiting.
If your baby or child has loose stools or is vomiting due to diarrhea, you can give him breast milk more often than usual or an electrolyte drink every time he vomits or has a bowel movement. This is important to prevent your baby or child from becoming dehydrated.
Also make sure the child gets plenty of rest and reduces his activity so that the diarrhea he experiences quickly recovers, especially if the loose stools are accompanied by fever, nausea, vomiting, or if the child looks weak.
Pay attention to food intake
To facilitate digestion and meet energy needs, people who experience liquid bowel movements are advised to eat foods that are soft in texture and low in fiber, such as eggs, rice, or chicken meat.
Diarrhea sufferers can also consume foods or drinks that contain probiotics to speed up recovery from diarrhea.
During recovery from diarrhea, avoid consuming fatty foods, spicy or spicy foods, dairy, or high-fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Certain drinks, such as coffee or energy drinks that are high in caffeine and alcoholic beverages, should also be avoided during diarrhea.
Avoid excessive exercise
During the recovery period, it is recommended that you limit sports activities. The reason is, exercising too often can cause your body to become weaker and at risk of becoming dehydrated.
If you want to exercise when you have diarrhea, talk to your doctor about the duration and type of exercise that is safe to do according to your condition.
If liquid bowel movements do not improve after 2 days or even symptoms of dehydration appear, stools with blood or dark color, vomiting, and no appetite at all, immediately consult a doctor to get the right treatment.