How not all bowel incontinence is caused by constipation

It is commonly presumed that people with MS are motility deficient, e.g. constipated; that any bowel incontinence is necessarily caused by the back up of constipation and is the leakage of the stool behind the dam. I can only believe that this is not the case.

Many years ago when I was working at the NMSS, I led a group called 'Exploring Wellness' where we studied alternative ways to living well without the focus being on MS. At this group I met a woman who had an "accident" at Frederick and Nelson's department store. She had a BM while shopping. I know! Mortifying, right?

The clerks were very helpful, shuffling her to a private bathroom where she could clean up and change her clothes (they shopped for her and replaced what was soiled), and they brought her everything she needed at the time. She was forever grateful to them for their kindness, but she assured me that she would never step into that store again!!! LOL

This was a young woman in her 20's who was newly diagnosed. What a crash course into what MS has to offer her. How's that for a segue?


Many years ago I started to have issues with bladder control. It was a slow progression with many treatments with meds and catheters so it didn't surprise me that I ended up here when I found this during my search through the interwebs:

"The close proximity of those neural pathways which control the bladder to those which control anorectal function might be expected to lead to a high coexistence of bladder and bowel symptoms." ... and yet, "The pattern of bowel symptoms did not correlate with the pattern of urinary disturbance, or the duration of MS, or the degree of disability." [J Neurol. 1995 Jan;242(2):105-8]

I found several articles about MS and fecal incontinence and they said that, as far as I could tell, the prevalence was in the range of 3 to 8% of people with MS to succumb to this symptom.  [Bowel dysfunction in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis   1. Elsie E. Gulickand Marie Namey 2. Rutgers,  State University of New Jersey, Mellen Center for MS Treatment & Research Cleveland Clinic.


 I guess I among these lucky ones; I may not to be in the top 1%, lol, but in the top 3% of those with MS who have this problem.

And you may not feel sorry for me because this is how I feel about it: It is what it is, and that's all it is. I have had MS for 34 years and only now since after my rough start with this disease am I finally bedridden or I use a wheelchair, But I have much to be grateful for in my life. I have a husband who tells me daily that he loves me; I have a caregiver who I love and who has told me that she loves  me as well; I have pets who love me unconditionally -- well, maybe not my cats, but certainly my dog; I go to lunch with friends; I have hobbies I enjoy; I live in a home that I own outright; I have adequate healthcare. I am sure you are getting the idea that there is more good in my life than there is bad. And on that happy note I am ending this post.

Good Night, TTYL, and Be Well,