# Why does IBS cause narrow stools?



## MrsT15 (May 19, 2016)

My Dr never explained to me why IBS or what about IBS causes narrow stools? My stools are all soft and really narrow, but have been breaking up inyo small narrow soft stool.Always a light brown color, no blood, but straining and hard to pass
What causes this to happen?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

straining can cause narrow stools. it's not good to strain--it can cause or worsen hemorrhoids and it's counterproductive since it just locks up your pelvic floor muscles and makes it even harder to go.

here is a good u tube video on how have a bowel movement with out straining. as the physical therapist in the video says, when you go, make your waist wide and push from there. don't push with your rectum.


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## MrsT15 (May 19, 2016)

Thanks so much, I'll look into that


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks--you're more than welcome









i just noticed that you're taking miralax. that can also cause skinny stools because it makes them softer.


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## MrsT15 (May 19, 2016)

That's what I was thinking so I took a break from it and have had hardly any changes. Still always soft, but hard to pass.I've been trying those relaxing methods and have helped some, thank you!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i'm glad the relaxing methods have helped some.

have you tried elevating your feet on something like a foot stool, overturned waste bin, large shoe box or a squatty potty. elevating the feet while sitting on the toilet helps straighten out the anorectal angle to allow a more complete evacuation and makes it easier to pass stools. it might take some experimentation to find the height that's right for you. i first used a foot stool, then a very large shoe box and then finally bought a squatty potty on amazon. it does help.

have you tried adding a little fiber to your diet to help make your stools firmer and then possibly easier to pass? sometimes that helps. go slowly when adding fiber. too much too soon can make you gassy and too much fiber can also back you up if it's more fiber than you need. keeping a food diary helps.

if you find yourself straining because you have problems getting your stools out, you could have pelvic floor dysfunction. with pfd, the pelvic floor muscles do not coordinate and/or relax properly to allow easy passage of stool. a defecogram (defecatory proctogram) is a test that will dx this. biofeedback with a specially trained physical therapist can help correct it.

are you lactose intolerant? that can cause soft or loose stools. so can gluten intolerance.


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## William Hobba (Jan 17, 2014)

In IBS your bowl is cramping and this squashes your stool. You can increase its thickness by eating more fiber, but don't go overboard as too much fiber will increase bloating and slow transit time - its a matter of the right ballance.

Mine actually vary - I get thin stools, squashed stools, all sorts of funny shapes, even the occasional near log. The reason I don't get big logs any more is I take Miralax which softens stools so they squish more.

You may also have a pelvic floor issue - 36% of people with IBS do:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/clinical-updates/general-medical/treating-patients-with-pelvic-floor-dysfunction

That also causes thin stools.

Thanks

Bill


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## sara1991 (May 13, 2017)

I also have the same problem and feel like I'm back to square 1. When my IBS first started I got on a bland rice & chicken diet with bananas and walnuts and drank mastic gum as well as chamomile tea and for some reason my stool was normal and I could have a decent BM every other day. Since then, I got on a round of Rifaximin + Metronodizole and this made me gassy & more constipated than ever so I stopped immediately & started a 100 Billion probiotic along with JArrow Formulas which gave me diarhhea a week then back to pencil thin stools. I've been trying to bulk up my stool using Psyllium husk and flaxeed oil and still get very thing & stringy stool (Currently back to the same diet but using Miralax as well incase things get blocked up). I used Magnesium Citrate powder for a week but it gave me severe diarhhea so now I've ordered some Mag Oxide to try, instead.

My question is I was doing so well with the BMs consistency and frequency but still had lots of gas but now can't even have BMs and pass gas all day long - This is on top of the annoying anal discomfort and cramping without actually being able to evacuate.

Is this common with IBS? or am I doing something wrong with my diet/supplements?

Seriously feel like I'm at my wit's end with this illness, it hasn't even given me a break for a day for 7 months now!!!!!


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## ♧Pandora☆ (Jun 23, 2017)

Hi sara, alot of people find pencil thin stool is due to food intolerances.

Some unfortunately find its from far more serious conditions. So keep your gp informed of your symptoms regularly so he can order any tests he feels you need.

When you say...
but now can't even have BMs and pass gas all day long - This is on top of the annoying anal discomfort and cramping without actually being able to evacuate.... mine was from food intolerances, low digestive enzymes etc.. food goes in what your intolerant to so then cant digest so sits there and ferments, bad bacteria feeds off it producing gas and constipation.
Even foods i wasnt intolerant to was not getting digested as i had low d/enzymes so same thing as above can happen.

Before worrying about probiotics its best to sort out underlying root causes. 
Otherwise you go round in circles of causing yourself unbalanced bad bacteria then add good then back to unbalanced and so on. I didnt even need probiotics once i sorted root causes.

Bland diets are bad as the less you eat the less your body will know how to break down long term. Get food intolerance test and cut them out. Find an alternative for each 1. Then add back 1 at a time after a min of 3 months. 
Restricted diets causes deficiencies which will cause even more problems.

Why did you get put on antibiotics etc ? Magnesium ?
How do you know your not intolerant to bananas ? Etc. I was.

Testing is the only way to know for sure what you have and how to treat it. 
Otherwise you can end up buying/trying every supplement/diet out there without ever becoming symptom free.

Certain Parasite tests, ibd tests, low/high stomach acid test, celiac test etc is good to get to.

Make sure you drink 2l filtered water daily.


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## Rhart97 (Jul 1, 2017)

sara1991 said:


> I also have the same problem and feel like I'm back to square 1. When my IBS first started I got on a bland rice & chicken diet with bananas and walnuts and drank mastic gum as well as chamomile tea and for some reason my stool was normal and I could have a decent BM every other day. Since then, I got on a round of Rifaximin + Metronodizole and this made me gassy & more constipated than ever so I stopped immediately & started a 100 Billion probiotic along with JArrow Formulas which gave me diarhhea a week then back to pencil thin stools. I've been trying to bulk up my stool using Psyllium husk and flaxeed oil and still get very thing & stringy stool (Currently back to the same diet but using Miralax as well incase things get blocked up). I used Magnesium Citrate powder for a week but it gave me severe diarhhea so now I've ordered some Mag Oxide to try, instead.
> 
> My question is I was doing so well with the BMs consistency and frequency but still had lots of gas but now can't even have BMs and pass gas all day long - This is on top of the annoying anal discomfort and cramping without actually being able to evacuate.
> 
> ...


hi! I wanted to know why rifaximin and metronodizole were prescribed to u?


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## sara1991 (May 13, 2017)

Thanks for replying to my question. Ive actually done the lactose & fructose intolerance tests and both were negative. May I ask which food allergy test did you get to figure out your specifc allergies? Also im looking into getting tested for pfd next week i am doubting i may have this issue.

Also to answer your question, i was put on antibiotics as my dr wanted to rule out SIBO and clear out my bad bacteria and sort of start over after which i started a heavy doae probiotic but was still suffering from thin stool. Problem is i pass two narrow pencil thin stools every hour for 5 hours every day and still feel like there's some left and this feeling lasts all day &#128553;&#128553;&#128553;&#128553;


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## sara1991 (May 13, 2017)

Ive also tried adding fiber like flaxeed and payllium husk but it just made me gassy and bloated. The weird thing is that the only time I pass normal stools is after I cry lol. I was thinking maybe thats because the digestive muscles relax when im stressed (fight or flight response) and then its not thin anymore. Maybe its crap but thats my observation.


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## ♧Pandora☆ (Jun 23, 2017)

1st thing allergy is not the same as an intolerance.

An allergy is when the immune system sees something as an invader. Symptoms can be life threatening for some. Other symptoms can be swollen tounge, face etc. Breathing difficulties etc. Hives etc.

An intolerance is when the digestive system sees something as an invader. Symptom list is massive.

I had a non invasive intolerance test. It was cheap and accurate. Some say they are not. so i went for 2 separate tests at different clinics. Results were the same. Over 20 intolerances.

I would also get an allergy test for free from gp if you live in england. You may have to keep asking them.

Have you had checks for hernia ?

Fiber didnt help me. I kept telling doc it just made me worse.

on my recovery plan i didnt even have to pay attention to how much fiber i ate.

No.. body goes into rest and digest mode (the opposite to fight/fight mode)

That sort of crying will allow the body to relax, digestion starts to function, body begins to heal, the body eliminates toxins etc, so naturally allows you to go toilet.

I actually had appox 6 root causes to my symptoms.
1 of them was my body was in constant fight/flight mode 24/7.
For my recovery i had to follow alot. 8 hours or more sleep, no coffee etc, breathing techniques, rest and digest mode after eating so no baths, No vid games, no walking/exercise etc just relaxing. (But not laying down lol)
I have the adrenal body type so i will always have to be careful. And take time out to rest and digest.

Il send you some links on intolerance testing, rest and digest mode vs flight/fight mode, etc.


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## sara1991 (May 13, 2017)

Perfect, thanks for the thorough explanation. That'd be great actually, I'll wait for these


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