The hardening of stool between the large intestine and the rectum is called fecal impaction. It may create a blockage in the gastrointestinal tract causing little to no relief during bowel movements. The longer the fecal impaction remains, the more it disables the body from defecating. Thus, the more severe pain and pressure will become in the abdomen. The correlation between abdominal pain and constipation as possible symptoms of fecal impaction is often mistaken as a bad case of the flu. In fact, since the blockage only allows watery waste to pass through the body, most of us tend to ignore the problem, thinking the diarrhea is a result of the flu, and will pass in a few days. Little do we realize that the opposite of the problem is true.