The symptoms that stand out the most are pretty obvious when they start happening to you:
1. If you have fewer than three bowl movements per week, you are probably constipated.
2. When you do manage to go to the bathroom, if the stool is hard and painful to pass, you are most likely constipated.
3. If you must strain a lot and very hard during your bowel movement, that is one of the constipation symptoms.
4. Feeling like there is a rectal blockage is also a common sign of constipation.
5. Do you feel like you had an incomplete bowel movement afterward? If so, you’re most likely constipated.
6. A final symptom would be having to use manual evacuations such as finger evacuation or pushing on the abdomen in order to have a bowel movement.
These are all very common constipation symptoms and can be easily recognized, particularly if they go on for very long. It is quite important that you keep up with these symptoms and if you are able to deal with them on your own or not.
There are times when these symptoms may turn into something more. If that happens, you will need to see your doctor. Symptoms that mean you need to contact your doctor include:
1. If your bowel movements are still not any more than they were before you started diet changes, you will probably need some extra help from your doctor.
2. Intense abdominal pain is a one of the constipation symptoms that will send you to your doctor.
3. Blood in your stool should send you RUNNING to your doctor.
4. Constipation that alternates with diarrhea is not a good sign.
5. Weight loss you cannot explain is also worrisome.
Any of these symptoms should be checked out with a doctor so that you can be sure that there isn’t a more serious problem.
