# Pencil thin stools



## jasonibs9 (Dec 1, 2008)

So I'd like to know the meaning of this. When you always have pencil thin stools every morning when you first wake up , what is this a sign of? I tried to google this but you don't get much specifics on it.. Is it a sign of ibs? stress? anxiety? On days when I have some things on my mind a little more then usual , I can be pretty sure that this will happen first thing the next morning.


----------



## Guest (May 21, 2009)

D'you know - I've seen this thread or a similar one SO many times, I'm going to manage a rock group called Pencil Thin Stools. It doesn't mean owt - leastways not from where I'm standing or s***ing!!!!! If you have a stroppy colon - stands to reason that your poos are going to come out all shapes and sizes - I've had pencil thin stools (with round hard pellets on lead guitar) more times than ManU have let a goal in - its summat and nowt - I really wouldn't give it the time of day.When you off on that tropical hollie then????Sue


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It means your stool is on the soft side of average.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1868305...Pubmed_RVDocSumIt doesn't mean anything other than the stool is the right consistency to come out thin, and that is often something you see in IBSers as they often have variable stool consistency.Which is the EXACT same answer you got the last time you started this topic. http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?s...c=96084&hl=Did you really expect some completely new explanation never known to medical science before now? It will be the same answer if you ask today, tomorrow, next week, or next year.Do you have issues with anxiety? Have you discussed this with your doctor? Just when someone keeps going over the same thing over and over and wonder if they have some anxiety, or maybe a bit of OCD and both of those are worth talking to the doctor if they in any way disrupt your life. I mean most people with IBS get a bit obsessive about their stools, but usually they don't need to be reassured every so often that it still doesn't mean anything.


----------



## jasonibs9 (Dec 1, 2008)

sorry to be such a pest Kathleen...







Yes I do remember posting it before now. I won't do that again..


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I do worry when people get repetative with questions. Sometimes it means they do have some anxiety or OCD that can make it much harder to cope if that stays untreated.


----------



## jasonibs9 (Dec 1, 2008)

well I've been to my dr.'s as well as 5 others trying to figure out my problems. I'm sure one of them would have told me if I had a OCD problem by now. But I'll trust your word that I have it. That's just one more thing on my list to worry about now. It seems you know for sure that I have this.


----------



## ksymonds (Jan 16, 2009)

My son who is 23 has OCD. It's not some big medical disaster that you need to worry about. It is an anxiety disorder and the one thing he CANNOT do is read health boards such as this or he would be worrying over everything! He has been taking zoloft since he was 12 and he does just fine as long as he remembers his meds. The internet is a wonderful thing but if you have anxiety it could make things so much worse for you. Talk to your doc and feel better soon!


----------



## jasonibs9 (Dec 1, 2008)

Well I shouldn't listen to my doctor who examines me all the time. Instead I'm just going to listen to Kathleen on here. she has all the answers and gives her opinion even when she doesn't know a thing about that person.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I'm not qualified to make that diagnosis. But that you decide you have to worry about something based on a comment on a message board that might be telling. We get a lot of people with anxiety or obsessive thought issues who no matter how often they are reassured cannot let go of the worry that maybe this time the exact same thing means something completely different than all the other times it happened before and they got the "it's just IBS" answer.If you've never talked to a doctor about worry, anxiety or an inability to let something go, they may not be looking for it or trying to treat it.A lot depends on how bad something is and if it interferes with your life. Anxiety, worry, or obsessive thinking (and any derpession that goes along with any of those) can make it much harder to cope with the physical symptoms in addition to sometimes making the symptoms worse.I was just suggesting that IF this is a pattern in your life and not just a one off I forgot it may be something to discuss with your doctor if you haven't done so.Sorry I bothered. I won't answer any questions of yours again if you really find me that obnoxious. I also know that this is a very commonly asked question on this board, and sometimes I do get tired of having to repeat myself every single day.


----------



## Thai (Aug 22, 2007)

Hey Jason,Chill a bit there, eh?Kathleen is an invaluable part of our forum here.I read her answer to you and she did NOT say you had OCD.She did offer it up as a possibility based on your post and previous posts.We are all here for help......let's not alienate our helpers, OK???Thai


----------



## idkwia (Feb 26, 2009)

Hi Jason, I know exactly what you mean about pencil thin stools. I made a similar post. I think that certain people have to remember that not all of us have been members for several years and so we may not have seen previous posts on a certain topic. Equally if something is concerning us we may feel like asking the same question again as we are hoping that someone different may answer and perhaps provide some useful information. At the very least we should expect support and certainly not sarcasm. However, with regards to Kathleen, I am sure she was trying to be helpful.Anyway, you may be interested to see the post made by Samc 302 in the Constipation section as he/she has pencil thin stools which are apparantely now corrected.In addition, if you need reassurance regarding pencil thin stools then maybe the best person to ask is your gastroenterologist, this is what I did. Good luck.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I don't require every poster to read every thread before starting a new one. Like every message board we do have a search function, and sometimes I notice when a particular individual repeats a question.


----------

