Table 1.

Themes and Terms Used by Community-Living People to Describe Their Fecal Incontinence

Theme (number of statements with term/number of participants stating term)

Stool Characteristics (26/22)

loose stool

runny stool

loose bowels

wet feeling

dribble

water coming out

Depersonalization/Slang (24/19)

it

when it leaks out

this problem

a bowel spell

when things really get bad

drainage

poop

skid marks

mess my pants

Incontinence related (15/15)

fecal incontinence

incontinence

leak, leaking, or leakage

soiling my underwear

Gastrointestinal Problem (14/11)

diarrhea

IBS*

Colitis

Loss of Control (12/11)

accidents

when I can’t make it to the bathroom

when I can’t control my bowels

pass feces without knowing it

Stool Pattern (12/11)

urgency

frequency

when I go to the bathroom a lot

BM‡

^*This abbreviation was used referring to irritable bowel syndrome

^‡for Bowel movement