Tips for dealing with MS bowel problems

Medical treatments and support from health care professionals aren't the only things that can help you deal with MS bowel problems. Here we look at tips to do with what you eat or drink, your use of toilets, and where you live or work.

One important thing to remember is that a bowel symptom might not be because of MS. Blood or mucus in your poo could be a sign of something serious but nothing to do with MS. Tell your doctor or nurse about any symptom that you can't explain.

Drink and food

alcohol and caffeine (in cola, coffee and tea) can irritate your guts, making faecal incontinence (poo leakage) worse. It might help to avoid them
eating more fibre can make your poo firmer. But for some people fibre can cause diarrhoea or bloating

Finding and using toilets

carry our free ‘I have MS’ card. It tells people you need a toilet because of your MS.
find a public toilet here or download one of the public toilet apps
join the National (RADAR) Key Scheme. For a few pounds you get a key that lets you into over 9,000 locked accessible toilets in the UK.
find toilets that are bigger than standard accessible ones, or have hoists on the Changing Places website
contact your council to see if there’s a Community Toilets Scheme locally. It lets you use toilets in shops, restaurants and pubs without paying.

Going to the toilet

These tips can help you poo:

keep your feet apart and on the floor, or resting on a foot stool (especially if you’ve fitted a raised toilet seat)
knees should be a bit higher up than your hips
lean forward a little with elbows on knees if you can, but keep your back straight when you push
brace the muscles in your abdomen (belly), then bulge the abdominal wall outwards
don’t strain or hold your breath when you push. That makes muscles tense - you need to relax them
give up after 10 minutes if nothing happens. Try again the same time the next day
make it easier to get to and use the toilet. Wear clothes you can get out of in a hurry
make changes at home that let you move around more easily
look for places you can get emotional support from

Making changes to your home

fit a raised seat on your toilet to make it easier to get on and off
think about alterations to your home (called ‘adaptations’) like fixing grab rails to the wall by your toilet

Look after your skin

look after the skin around your bottom. A barrier cream shields skin from pee or poo. Examples are Medi Derma-S or Cavilon
poo left on your skin makes it sore. It can become infected with bacteria and fungal infections.
with dry or irritated skin use a gentle skin cleanser, not soap. Use an unperfumed moisturiser twice a day, but no talcum powder
avoid skin products with alcohol, disinfectants or perfumes in them. They make skin dry and inflamed
after a bowel accident, wash skin as soon as you can. Unscented soap is best, or just water. Don’t rub skin dry. Gently pat it instead

A ‘reasonable adjustment’

If you work, would being nearer a toilet help? You can ask for this as a ‘reasonable adjustment’. This is a change that the law says your employer has to make.