incomplete passing of stool

[Nerissa]

hi this very hard to explain but I find that every time I go to the toilet some stool stays behind and very uncomfortable. Then next time I have to go the little balls of stool pass before the main part of the stool and the same thing happens again. Has anyone ever experienced that ? Thanks sorry for the description 😂

[Chocolate41]

Hi this happens to me all the time.I never go properly unless I have diarrhoea.

I do use glycerine suppositorys which helps .Sometimes I use dulcolax gastro says that’s ok.Hope that helps a bit.

[Nerissa in reply to Chocolate41]

Oh, thank you, it's horrible, isn't it? I can't use laxatives or suppositories as make me feel so ill for days after. Thank you for your reply.

[Steyning]

Yes, I have the same problem. Although I eat a lot of bran

[Nerissa in reply to Steyning]

thank you I’m eating a lot of fiber but gives me trapped wind as I have a very long bowel apparently 🙈

[grumpyold]

I get that too. Feels like I'm sitting on a small brick afterwards. I have yet to find a solution unless I have diarrhoea as Chocolate 41 says. 2 kiwis a day has helped slightly. That, and drinking loads of water.

[Nerissa in reply to grumpyold]

I know it’s awful I’ve just started eating kiwis they do seem to make me go but just need to try a find balance without the extra wind thanks

[Gold22]

I have the same problem. I have a small rectal prolapse and piles which means that stools get caught in the prolapse and stay there until the next large bowel movement. They get harder the longer they are trapped and give the symptoms you are experiencing. Long term constipation and child birth have caused my prolapse and piles.

[Nerissa in reply to Gold22]

they said I have small prolapse too but they won’t do anything about it unless it becomes a problem. It already is a problem 🤪thanks for your reply

[Gardenlover2020 in reply to Gold22]

I get this too ,it’s awful and some days horribly uncomfortable I didn’t know it was a prolapse

[JanetJAM]

hi I get this all the time I usually have to go back to pass the rest after about an hour. I find this very difficult especially if I’m just going out as I also have urgency and find it difficult to hold on for more than about 5 mins.

[Nerissa in reply to JanetJAM]

me too. I get very embarrassed by it if your other people company. Must be solution somewhere for us. Thanks

[Allot]

I have the same problem and have been referred for biofeedback as it’s due to pelvic floor/sphincter muscle problems.

[Edgar77 in reply to Allot]

I get this and sometimes have to pass the rest approx an hour later Very inconvenient and worrying if you are travelling far. I am prescribed fybogel it can be bought over the counter. At first I thought it didn't work but have to take it regularly for at least a week. It is only a high fibre drink mutch kinder that a laxative.

[Nerissa in reply to Edgar77]

yes tried that but my stomach bloated hugely so was leaning on my bladder I took it for 2 months

[Nerissa in reply to Allot]

what’s biofeedback? I think mine is from small prolapse from child birth too thanks

[Tiggyfudge]

omg yes every day🤦‍♀️ it’s a nightmare, doesn’t matter how much I push or stay sat on the loo, I can never finish properly.. I’ve had a tummy bug these past two days, apart from being in absolute agony, I am actually relieved that I can finally clear my bowel 😂

[Nerissa in reply to Tiggyfudge]

oh no you poor thing. That’s awful. Get better soon

[redberrymam]

This is precisely the kind of constipation that runs in my family - and since you can't handle enemas/suppositories I can't recommend anything except massage and manual extraction!

[Nerissa in reply to redberrymam]

thank you

[Missus835]

Yes. I try to eat a fair amount of fibre and so stool tends to be softer and so I never feel completely cleaned out. Next time around there are a few rabbit turds and then some softer stool again. Seems normal for me.

[Nerissa in reply to Missus835]

I wouldn’t mind but the small ones so uncomfortable till you can pass them thanks

[Alloagirl]

Also have diverticulosis. It wasn’t a problem until I was put on Solifenacin. This caused constipation, now eat a high fibre diet and drink plenty of water also Lactulose. Still cannot clear out and as I have haemorrhoids it is so uncomfortable. Drink prune juice, now too. Hoping for an answer too. Can you use the small Miralax enema after having a bowel movement to get rid of the rest. Sorry no answers for you, seems so many of us with the same problem.

[Nerissa in reply to Alloagirl]

I know didn’t think there would be so many of us. I could try that thank you

[maccafan1954]

Oh heavens yes. Its so uncomfortable isn't it? I am mostly IBS d & get fed up with that . Then I will have a couple of days when its like you say & then wish I had got the d again as so uncomfortable. Never satisfied....lol

[Nerissa in reply to maccafan1954]

I know I used to be ibd and I thought at the time I wish I was constipated but now I don’t know what’s better. Like you say we never happy unless we can be like normal people as I call it. 😂 thanks for your reply

[Misspomfrey]

Hello NerissaThis is a common problem of IBS and Ive been having it on and off for years. The main thing is fibre, but don't over do. I've found lately that increasing fibre, but just enough seems to have got the problem of not evacuating properly, under control. I've introduced a little bit of sweetcorn into my diet, which I haven't been able to eat for 15 years. I used to try the tinned, but it played havoc with my bowels so I got scared to eat it again. Recently though, I am eating the frozen sweetcorn, just a tiny bit, it doesn't take much, and I'm ok with it and having regular bowel movements with nothing staying behind. I can't tell you the difference it's made, along with a good probiotic and a milk thistle tablet once a day before a main meal.. also, smaller meals are best. If you can eat fresh fruit, do so, every day, plenty of plain water as this softens stools. I also have 4 or 5 prunes and 2 dates each day and I've recently incorporated a few dried cranberries into my diet with no ill affects and they're delicious. Get plenty of exercise. In all the years I've had IBS, I've never used suppositories or enema, I just refuse to resort to it, do it naturally, it's the best way. Good Luck🙂

[Gardenlover2020 in reply to Misspomfrey]

which probiotics do you take please ? I’ve taken them for years but I’m not sure if they help , but I could be taking the wrong ones because there are so many

[Nerissa in reply to Gardenlover2020]

I took proven probiotics from Amazon quite is expensive not really sure if they worked. I’m also getting problems with uti so stopped taking them as I had to take supplement for uti and thought both might not work if I took the 2

[Gardenlover2020 in reply to Nerissa]

thank you it is difficult to tell if they help and there are mixed thoughts on probiotics for IBS & Sibo

[Misspomfrey in reply to Gardenlover2020]

HiThere's hundreds of different ones on the market and over the last 15 years, I've tried dozens of them. The ones that suit me are Superself Bio Cultures Complex 50 billion CFU. It suggests to take 2 a day, but I find one is enough for me. If you don't get the strains right or take too much, they can cause diarrhoea, so it's a case of trying things. Most of the probiotics suggest two a day but I would suggest to start off with one initialy no matter which ones you try. They are best taken in a morning ten minutes or so before eating.

[Gardenlover2020 in reply to Misspomfrey]

Thank you , I agree it is a case of trial & error

[Nerissa in reply to Misspomfrey]

thanks for your reply

[iloveglee]

Goodness I was beginning to think I was the only person this happened to. Yes it happens to me all the time. Yes I also have a slight rectal prolapse, which they were reluctant to operate on at the time. Yes I go, then have to go again about an hour later, and sometimes again and again and again. Which makes the haemorrhoids very painful and sore.

Someone mentioned fybogel, which it is believed make the stool bigger and more bulky and less likely to leave any behind. This is worth a try. I tried it, and for a while things were much better, but then went bad again. Plus it's a bit of a pain having to make it up with a drink if you're going to be out and about. I bought some fibre tablets from Holland and Barrett. I get free prescriptions so there was a cost for me but most of the time it has been worth it. I take one of these a day, and be a little bit careful how much fibre I eat. Judging enough but not too much is not that easy.

Something also to consider, this affects me, it may affect other people. My symptoms are much worse if I'm anxious or stressed about something. It's not surprising as the gut and brain are so closely linked. So I take Kalms, again you have to buy them as they're a herbal remedy but they work for me.

With something like this, you have to try all kinds of things to find what works. And even then it doesn't always. I find, if it's hard to wipe the remains away (sorry I know tmi), use wet wipes and treat them like you'd treat a baby's nappy, wrap them, bag them and bin them. Even the ones that are sold as flushable, aren't. We should go in for bidets. I read the other day that 75% of the world's population wash their bums, not wipe them on loo roll.

[Nerissa in reply to iloveglee]

thanks for your reply. I tried fibre gel for awhile too but makes my bowel so bloated had to stop that as I was born with bowel twice size of normal bowel with some loops redundant. Were the fibre tablets the same as fibre gel? Thanks for your reply

[iloveglee in reply to Nerissa]

Yes the tablets are the same stuff as the fybogel, ispaghula husk. Instead of making it up in a drink, you just swallow the capsule with a large drink of water. As it takes a little longer to swell up than the powder, maybe for me this is why it seems to work a little better. But there is no doubt trial and error is the thing.

I too get a great deal of bowel gas, which makes me feel very bloated. For that, if it gets bad I take activated charcoal tablets. You have to be careful with these though, if you are taking other kinds of medication, as the nature of them is they absorb gas via the gut, and it's possible they may absorb some of any medication being taken, especially if it's a slow release one, as some of that may be absorbed via the colon. I do find it helpful though when it's really bad.

Best of luck with this. It's awful. I am due at the GP in a week's time, I think the prolapse has got worse since I was under the hospital and I dread the idea of having to have surgery, even though putting up with it is bad. The consultant told me they don't like to do surgery if they can improve things in other ways, due to the effects of the surgery. He didn't go into detail of what those effects were, but he was most adamant that we have to try everything else first.

[Nerissa in reply to iloveglee]

thanks for that perhaps I try the tablets. Unfortunately can’t take charcoal ones due to medication as have blocked carotid artery too dangerous to operate so have to take blood thinners. Hope you get help at your gp. Good luck

[iloveglee in reply to Nerissa]

Oh absolutely you couldn't take charcoal then. I am fortunate I am not on any other medication that matters. I did join a website called ibs network, you just pay an annual fee for access to the website, which I must confess did have very useful information and access to a question helpline, either online, or once a week by phone. When I joined they sent a free set of can't wait cards, in several different languages. They're to show when you're out and about, if you have to go urgently, they explain that you have a medical condition and need a toilet immediately. I used it once, in Spain, they were brilliant. It was just a small shop, and they ushered me through to their staff loo and were so kind.

It's only when you come onto a website like this, that you realise you are not alone, and so many people do suffer with this. Although men do have it, generally speaking it's women who suffer the worst, especially with urgency, due to their anatomy, and on getting older everything travelling south. You wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy but sometimes I wish people who could organise the funding of more and better research would have it!!

After pointing out that the consultant didn't go into all the bad effects of surgery for rectal prolapse, I decided to google it. Mistake. Doesn't sound very promising at all as an option. Maybe the gp might come up with some solutions that I didn't think of.

[Nerissa in reply to iloveglee]

Oh thank you so much for your reply. I will try joining the website. I have the key for disabled toilets and the cards but they help would be great. Thank you I really hope your gp can help. Take care

[iloveglee in reply to Nerissa]

Thank you I hope you find it helpful. I hope the GP is helpful too, but my worst fear is that he may want me to have a colonoscopy. Not so much the actual procedure, you can have heavy duty sedation for that, it's the prep you have to do. Horrendous, I wish they could find a kinder way of doing that.

[Nerissa in reply to iloveglee]

or me to it’s horrible the day before and getting to the hospital is a nightmare. Good luck to you too

[iloveglee]

thanks. Fingers crossed it won’t come to that

[Nerissa]

update when to bowel specialist they do not want to do colonoscopy due to how long my bowel is. so she's trying stool softeners. they took a week to work then 3 days back and fore toilet unable to leave the house. so we left it a week and now I can't go toilet great but now I feel like something is stuck and when I go to the toilet I only have brown mucus trying to come through. I would get in touch with the specialist but she's now gone on holiday. Any help would be great, Thanks