You may not feel poop coming out primarily due to disrupted nerve signals between your colon/rectum and your brain, often caused by damaged nerves.
Understanding the Lack of Sensation
The feeling of needing to have a bowel movement (BM) and sensing when stool is exiting relies on intricate communication between your digestive system and your brain, facilitated by nerves. When these nerves are damaged or their signals are disrupted, this communication breaks down.
According to the reference provided: "Damaged nerves disrupt your rectum's ability to store and get rid of waste. Because of disrupted signals between the colon and the brain, you may not feel the urge to have a BM. This often causes constipation and BM accidents. Reflex bowel problems may cause a sudden, unplanned BM when the rectum is full."
How Nerve Damage Affects Bowel Function
- Disrupted Signaling: Nerves send messages from the rectum (which stores stool before a BM) to the brain, indicating fullness and the need to defecate. When these nerves are damaged, these signals are weakened or lost.
- Lack of Urge: Without proper signals, the brain doesn't receive the message that the rectum is full, so you don't feel the urge to have a BM.
- Impaired Rectal Function: Damaged nerves can also affect the muscles in the rectum and anus, impacting their ability to hold stool effectively or to expel it properly.
Potential Consequences
The inability to feel the urge or the movement of stool can lead to several issues:
- Constipation: If you don't feel the urge, you may not attempt to have a BM regularly, leading to stool hardening and becoming difficult to pass.
- Bowel Accidents: Without the sensation or the ability to control the anal muscles properly, stool can leak out unexpectedly.
- Reflex Bowel Problems: In some cases, the bowel can still empty reflexively when the rectum is full, but without conscious control or sensation, leading to sudden, unplanned bowel movements.
Causes of Nerve Damage
Nerve damage affecting bowel function can result from various conditions, such as:
- Spinal cord injury
- Multiple sclerosis
- Diabetes (diabetic neuropathy)
- Stroke
- Pelvic surgery
- Childbirth
If you are experiencing a lack of sensation during bowel movements, it is important to consult a healthcare professional to determine the underlying cause and discuss potential management strategies.
