Contributing

What does it mean when your bowel movements are narrow?

by Bobbi Devlin

What does it mean when your bowel movements are narrow?

Narrow stools that occur infrequently probably are harmless. However in some cases, narrow stools — especially if pencil thin — may be a sign of narrowing or obstruction of the colon due to colon cancer.

What causes narrow soft stools?

Narrowing of the stool may be due to a mass in the colon or rectum that limits the size of the stool that can pass through it. Conditions that cause diarrhea can also cause pencil thin stools. Persistent pencil thin stool, which may be solid or loose, is one of the symptoms of colorectal polyps or cancer.

Is soft thin poop normal?

Stringy poop may also be referred to as stools that are pencil-thin, ribbon-like, thin, or narrow. Normal stool is about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Stringy poop is narrow and, in some cases, almost flat, giving it a stringy appearance. It may be solid or loose.

How to improve my bowel movements?

Eat more fiber. “Constipation is almost always due to inadequate fiber and liquid,” Magun says.

  • Eat fewer low-fiber foods. These include ice cream,cheese,meat,processed foods,and sugary foods such as soda and candy — which can all cause constipation.
  • Drink more.
  • Don’t rely on laxatives.
  • Reduce stress.
  • Don’t ignore the urge to go.

    • What causes very large bowel movements?

    Diseases that affect the digestive tract can cause large, bulky, often foul-smelling stools. Disorders such as celiac disease, which affects digestion of foods that contain gluten, or cystic fibrosis, which affects the production of enzymes that break down food, can both cause larger than normal stools.

    What causes narrow stools Besides cancer?

    The return back to normal-appearing bowel movements would simply be due to the tumor shifting position. “Narrow stools can result from a very low rectal cancer or an anal cancer that is partially blocking the exit of bowel movement,” says gastroenterologist Sander R. Binderow, MD, FACS, FASCRS of Atlanta Colon & Rectal Surgery.

    What is considered excessive bowel movements?

    Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) In these cases the abnormal bowel habit, often accompanied by abdominal pain, is diagnosed as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) which was previously referred to as spastic colon. IBS is considered to be caused by an abnormality in movement through the bowels but is not due to any disease.