Surgery for anal control

Dear Ask The Doctor:Good Morning. I suffered for over a30 years with explosive diarrhea there was never any cause for it found. I am now free of it but am now extremely loose anally. I will sometimes leak for no reason and was wondering if there is a surgery to tighten things up in the anus or the rectum.

Dear Dustin: Fecal incontinence can be a distressing problem especially since it may cause social embarrassment. There are a number of treatment options available to treat this problem, including surgical and non-surgical remedies. Significant improvement of symptoms can sometimes be achieved by simply increasing the fiber in the diet.  Increased fiber makes the stool more solid and thus reduces episodes of incontinence. Reducing the intake of substances such as caffeine, which relax the anal sphincter may also help.  Try to avoid spicy foods, alcohol and dairy products which tend to cause loose stools.

Surgical treatment for fecal incontinence includes a number of procedures which are all aimed at restoring the function of the anal sphincter muscle. As with any surgical procedure these are not without possible complications.

Kegel Exercises have been found useful in reducing episodes of fecal incontinence. These exercises strengthen the pubococcygeus muscles. These exercises can be done at home.

The easiest way to find them is to stop your flow of urine next time you go to the bathroom.

session 1

Exercise A
Sets: 3
Quickly clench and release repeatedly for 10 seconds.

Take a 10-second break between sets.

Exercise B
Sets: 10
Clench and release repeatedly for 5 seconds.

Take a 5-second break between sets.

Exercise C
Sets: 3
Tighten and hold your PC muscle for 30 seconds.

Take a 30 second break between sets.

Repeat these exercises daily for one week.

session 2

Exercise A
Sets: 10
Clench and hold your PC muscle for 5 seconds.

Release and repeat.

Exercise B
Sets: 3
Quickly clench and release your PC muscle 10 times.

Exercise C
Sets: 3
Clench and release your PC muscle alternatively in long and short bursts for counts of 10.

Exercise D
Sets: 1
Tighten your PC muscle and hold for as long as you can. Aim for 2 minutes

 session 3

Exercise A
Sets: 30 (work your way up to more than 100)
Clench and release your PC muscle over and over again.

Exercise B
Sets: 5
Tighten as much as you possibly can (ensure that you are only squeezing your PC muscle).

Hold for 20 seconds.

Take a 30-second break between sets.

session 4

Exercise A
Sets: As many as you like.
Clench and release your PC muscle for 2 minutes every day.

Work your way up to doing 20 minutes 3 times a day.

I suggest trying the non-surgical methods before considering surgery. Based on the description of your symptoms I suspect that you will have good response to these non-surgical methods