Almost everyone in this world has the potential or has experienced diarrhea at least once in their life. A person can be called diarrhea if he has more than three bowel movements with increased consistency. In general, diarrhea can occur due to bacterial, or viral infections, or an inability to tolerate lactose in foodstuffs/drinks. Although diarrhea is often acute or resolves quickly, it has the potential for dehydration because the body loses too much fluid. Therefore, symptoms of diarrhea must be treated immediately before they get worse in order to prevent complications such as electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, or organ damage.
What Are the Symptoms of Diarrhea?
There are several symptoms of diarrhea that adults can experience, including:
- Increased frequency of bowel movements (Defecation)
- Stool consistency that is softer, such as mixed with water or liquid
- Cramps or pain in the abdomen
- Nauseous
- Vomit
- Bloated
- Fever
- rectal bleeding
How to deal with diarrhea at home?
To deal with diarrhea yourself at home, you can take the following steps:
- Consume lots of fluids
The main function of consuming lots of fluids is to prevent dehydration which occurs due to too much fluid and electrolytes leaving the body. The liquids that can be consumed are water, broth, and fruit juice at least 8-12 glasses per day. Meanwhile, as an effort to replace lost body fluids, you can make an oral rehydration solution (ORS) from water, salt and sugar. - Be wise in choosing the food consumed
When a person with diarrhea consumes inappropriate foods, the intestines will work harder and the symptoms of diarrhea will get worse. Therefore, the recommended foods for people with diarrhea are foods with low fiber so that they are more easily absorbed by digestion. In addition, foods with a plain taste without a lot of spices are also recommended to suppress nausea during diarrhea. - Consume probiotics
Supplements or food products that contain probiotics in them can be useful for reducing symptoms of diarrhea. This is because probiotics themselves are good bacteria and fungi that function to maintain the health of the digestive tract. An example of a product that contains probiotics is yogurt. - Take diarrhea medicine
Some cases of diarrhea may be resolved without having to take medication. However, in some cases that have caused weakness in the body and difficulty in food intake as well as moderate to severe dehydration, more complex treatment is required so that a doctor's consultation is needed.
Those are some steps you can take at home to deal with the symptoms of diarrhea. If the symptoms have not gradually improved for 2-3 days after taking the steps above, get checked out immediately and consult the nearest doctor at a trusted hospital to get further treatment.
Article was written by dr. Lucrezia Renata, Sp.PD (Internal Medicine Specialist at EMC Pekayon Hospital).