Can PNE complications be predominantly bowel related?

[Violet M]

When kids in school have fecal incontinence the current thinking is that due to constipation their BM's are painful or uncomfortable so they start to hold it in. Eventually they stretch the bowel and start to lose the sensation of needing to go and they lose control of their BM's.

Since the underlying problem is constipation, typically pediatricians prescribe miralax and recommend stools be kept the consistency of applesauce. It's no longer thought that the problem is psychological although certainly there is a psychological component due to the embarrassment associated with soiling yourself at school but again, the underlying problem is constipation. Over a lifetime of constipation and tensing of the pelvic floor to try to evacuate stool the pudendal nerve becomes damaged and you end up with pudendal neuropathy.


I guess diet can play a role in symptoms because a low fiber diet and not enough liquids contribute to constipation. There are some people, like myself, who can eat straight fiber and still struggle with constipation. No idea why some people have constipation worse than others but my guess is that your genetic make-up could play a factor just as it does in other health problems.

[tummydepressed]

Wow - thanks for that post. Seems to make sense. I do definitely struggle with symptoms in that area.

Can I ask what, in a nutshell, is the difference between PN and PNE?

J

[Violet M]

J, on this forum, PN typically stands for pudendal neuropathy and means that your pudendal nerve is damaged. PN can also stand for pudendal neuralgia which is a term that describes the pain associated with pudendal neuropathy.

PNE stands for pudendal nerve entrapment and is only one of the causes of pudendal neuropathy. Pudendal nerve entrapment typically refers to the nerve being compressed or entrapped between ligaments or within fascia (the covering around the muscle).