Thin and small stool all the time

[Shn12345]

I have thin a small stool all the time some times it’s normal but it’s thin a lot lol the time. I had a endoscopy and colonoscopy 2 years ago everything was normal had like 6 ct scans so many my dr won’t give me any more. Like 4 ultra sounds all normal. I know thins stool is normal with ibs but I’m just wondering when should I be alarmed. Or is that just normal for a lot of people with Ibs

[Viklou]

It can be normal. The question is if it's normal for you then try not to be alarmed. It's good to know that all scans are clear.

Red flags are blood in stools, weight loss for no reason, vomiting, extreme pain and if you can't pass anything including gas

[Shn12345 in reply to Viklou]

No I can pass everything I go multiple times a day with out warnings just hits me and I have to go. No blood thank god and I’m a big dude no weight loss

[Maureen1958 in reply to Shn12345]

When I was going a lot during the course of the day, my stools tended to be thin!

[xjrs]

The type of stool isn't anything to worry about. You are having stools which is a good thing. If you want to have more control over your IBS and how often you are having to go here is some information about IBS that I have shared with others in this group:

IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are lots of free webinars online at the moment regarding mindfulness meditation which might help. Plus you can ask to be referred for CBT or something similar to reduce your anxiety - I would have thought online appointments are available. Exercise can play a major role in IBS in terms of reducing stress, helping your gut microbiome and regulating bowel movements.

There is also not absorbing certain types of carbohydrates called FODMAPs very well, the residue ending up in the colon and bacteria feeding off them causing symptoms. Ordinarily feeding gut bacteria is a really good thing - when you feed good gut bacteria these produce by-products that have great health effects in the gut and throughout the body. However, in some people with IBS bad bugs might have the upper hand over good - these bad bugs may cause symptoms such as pain or disordered bowel movements. There is an interesting infographic on this here:

gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/....

This is why it’s worth trying probiotics such as Alflorex (which has been scientifically studied for IBS) or Symprove to crowd out the bad bugs and make their numbers die down. If that doesn't work you can try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. This is normally under the guidance of a nutritionist via GP referral - this may not be possible at the moment so you can read about it online. If you download the Monash University FODMAP app it will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. Last year all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.

If you are also suffering from pain, you may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:

iffgd.org/lower-gi-disorder...

It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, neglect or abuse in childhood, extreme stressful events etc. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide (for IBS-C only) & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.

You may also find assistance with anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.

You can find some info on self management here:

theibsnetwork.org/the-self-...

[eyeborg]

With me the 'pencils' are also connected to going many times a day with sudden urgency, and having to push a fair bit, like squeezing toothpaste out of the tube. Stools too soft, and never quite feeling done either. Right now I'm ill with something else and on antibiotics (and probiotics to keep my gut in order). And voila, I suddenly have a well behaved gut again, going once a day with normal stools. I wonder if I had SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), because since being ill I haven't had much appetite and therefore haven't snacked between meals. Snacking is my usual bad habit. I think the thin stools and needing to go all the time might be connected to SIBO which can be caused by snacking and never giving your gut a rest between meals. I'm hoping the antibiotics killed off some of the excess bacteria, but only time will tell. Do you snack?