Narrow stools??
#232264 - 12/17/05 12:37 PM
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hi all- my stools have been much narrower then they used to be - does this mean that my colon could be lined with accumulated waste? sorry for the graphic cquestion :-)
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Are you taking any fibre supplements?
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i just started taking digestive enzymes and have been eating mostly dietary fiber- occasionally i take psyllium or acacia
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Try taking the Soluble Fibre more regularly. I think the psyllium might be a little more harsher on your system IMO.
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yeah i think i will- doesnt psyllium have more of a cleansing effect than other fibers? also, do you know if triphala works- i read some posts on that?
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I've read that the psyllium may irritate your intestinal walls. I don't know anything about triphala so I cannot comment on that.
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Do a search on triphala.
Psyllium is a harsh SFS. It can be good for C, but it does cause gas and bloating all on it's own.
The skinny stools are typical with IBS...it's to do with your GI tract moving too fast and cramping - nothing to do with waste!  Try taking the Acacia regularly (everyday) - this is what you need to do for SFSs to work properly.
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I agree with Linz. I have narrow stools all the time. I am just thankful that I have them. I also take three cooking tbs. of Acacia per day, so far so good.
Hang in there, this too shall pass.
Lene 
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God never promised life would be easy, but he did promise to provide a way out!
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Triphala works. I had a complete blockage in July and when I got out of the hospital I took 1000 mg of it daily. You can take more. It is harmless. Dr. Weil recommends it. I have skinny stools, too but the doc said that was ok. Bette
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(cool)
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When I was relying on lactase enzymes only for my IBS care, they gave me narrow stools too. They tranquillized my rectum and made all my stools skinny and uncomfortable to push out. It's like all the muscles and elasticy in my rectum and anus was gone-- sorry if this is tmi, btw  .
The enzymes made it difficult and painful to push out stools. I used them on and off because of this, and then just abandoned them completely. I now use opiate therapy, with imodium, donatol, hyocyscamine, and codiene as well as significant lifestyle changes and diet restrictions to manage my IBS and improve my quality of life! So far it's the best thing that's worked for me.
Good luck with the enzymes, and be sure to post back with any developments! They've worked wonders for other people on these boards, and I hope they work wonders for you. Best,
~nelly~ 
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if you're using lactase enzyme for dairy, i doubt the enzyme is causing the narrow stools - its probably the dairy itself.
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I wasn't eating any dairy, just using the enzymes to control attacks. The enzymes gave me narrow stools, a condition I've never before or after experienced; it was only when I was on that particular kind of therapy. Eventually I could not stand the effects of having my rectum tranquillized, so I ditched the enzymes completely. 
In all I'd used I used the liquid kind (which was the strongest) as well as the pills, after the pills stopped working for me.
FYI dairy gives me liquid D (no solids to be narrow, lOL!) and explosive, painful gas, so I gave up on it a long time ago, even before the enzyme therapy. I'd be crazy to eat that stuff, with the D and PAIN I get. Even now with the opiate therapy I'm on, I can tolerate only the smallest very occasional bite of dairy, and certainly no liquid! It's a decent trade-off for the stability the drugs have afforded me, IMO.
~nelly~
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I take regular digestive enzymes and also have narrow stools. I thought the enzymes would be a good thing...but now I'm wondering.
Does anyone else who takes enzymes experience the narrow stools?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Have you ever tried normal digestive enzymes? Did they do the same thing as the lactaid?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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I'm here!
#233132 - 12/21/05 01:22 PM
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Nelly
Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
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I tried the acidophillus (sp?) but I had the same tranquillizing of the colon so I stopped. It's bad enuf I have painful D but trying to push it out through a rectum that feels like its walls are encased in cement was even harder. Ther lactaid liquid+pills was def worse, tho. I don't know the comparitive doses, but taking bacteria pills seemed wrong for me so I stopped.
Maybe this is better for C or A people? I don't know.
Diet and lifestyle changes. Can't stress this enough. Hey, I'm not Supernelly, I take pills for pain. But fiber pills and probiotics, I've sworn them off. There's TONS of stuff I don't do anymore, little things, and identifying this stuff and cutting it out has made my life easier. I don't chew gum, I regulate my enviorment (noise, hot/cold), I don't wear tight things around my waist, and I avoid all foods that cause pain no matter how much people tell me I'm crazy for not trying the boss's homemade pumpernickel banana honey loaf (IF, bananas, honey = All Bad Things for Nelly's Tummy).
There's no one pill miracle, I'm sad to report. Anyone who tells you opposite is selling something. Good luck, and keep trying stuff! Just know when to abandon things that mkae you no better.
~nelly~
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I have narrow stools just about all the time and haven't
ever taken digestive enzymes. The thin stools as Anthem
pointed out just before he took his hiatus from the boards,
are due specifically due to the colon spasming down,i.e., a
muscle ring or more contract and narrow down the diameter
of the colon substancially, as much as pencil thin. Also,
there is a variety of things that can trigger spasms,eating
trigger foods is one for example. Now, enzymes won't do this
unless they contain triggers, and some do. There are brands
that contain mannitol for example. Perhaps, Nelly's brand
did. Additionally, yes, these stools are difficult to pass
out, that along with high BP is what lead to my stroke.You
can lessen the straining by taking more miralax which is
what I'm doing now. Other problems like perineal descent,
which I have can make the problem worse. In additon to
the rectum feeling(being) tranquilized, as Nelly described,
it is obstructed by the perineum that has descended behind
the rectum.
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<img src="http://www.math.mtu.edu/~rwkolkka/BritPicA.jpg">
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Nelly, I tried the fiber thing and it actually made things worse--just more D quantity wise with a stringy texture & funny colour.
The probiotics actually caused me more problems--pain & trapped D, if that makes sense. It's kind of like the cement casing metaphor you used. actually. I've stopped with the enzymes due to the narrow stools. Beano, however, works just fine for me. Ditto for simethecone.
I am highly D prone if I wear tight waisted clothing. If I chew gum I pay the price. I had to stop smoking because it make my D worse from the air swallowing/sucking. I also have a list of "acid fiber bombs" as you call them.
Interesting.
Kate.
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I hear ya about the fiber. Made my D "weird," kinda orange and puss looking, for lact of a better gross-out comparison.
I love simethecone, and have never (yet) had a problem with the sorbitol (sweetener) that's in Imodium Advanced. Love that stuff!! I always joke around about buying stock in imodium, but with the rise in geriatric patients and the fact I go thru it like candy, I just might throw some disposable income that way, once I get some throwing around cash that is!
Ugh, swallowing air SUCKS. If I'm stressed I do it in my sleep which is rough!! I can control doing it while I'm awake, then I sleep and sabotage myself!?! Booooo!
That tight clothing revelation was a real life changer! I cut my attacks in HALF easy when I stopped wearing junk around my waist while sleeping!
~nelly~
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Good point, Bob
#233160 - 12/21/05 03:43 PM
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Nelly
Reged: 08/06/04
Posts: 4381
Loc: Within stray mortar fire of DC
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The SFS I took was lactaid (liquid and in capsules) and then one the doc prescribed me while I was in France... I'll look up the name of that. But it was acidoph... however you spell that.
Glad you're up and about, Bob! There was a post her recently about drinking large amounts of water. Maybe you can reply to that one and tell your experiences. Think it was on the diet board.
~nelly~
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Probiotics def help me as a C person. BUT if I take too much (esp. when taken with too much magnesium!) I will get D!
So if you decide to do probiotics, I encourage you to ease into it. And try to find one that is lactose free!!
*hugs*
P.S. And no tight clothes for this chiquita! Youch!!!
--------------------
Formerly known as Ruchie
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Ruchie...
#233204 - 12/21/05 06:56 PM
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Augie
Reged: 10/27/04
Posts: 5807
Loc: Illinois
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...what kind of probiotics do you take to help the C?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Has your doctor confirmed that narrow stools are caused by spasms? My doc never heard of this. But I would believe it if your doctor said it did.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Is it possible you were just using the wrong kind of probiotics? I remember about a couple of years ago in a health food store, the person there was telling me that some probiotics are made out of bovine products which some people can't tolerate - she gave Udo's brand as an example, and others are made out of products more similar to our natural occuring flora. Does this make sense to anyone? I was kind of confused when she told me this and I'm still not 100% clear. I know I've tried different probiotics in the past and the one I live by is Primal Defense. It contains homeostatic soil organisms so I don't believe it's made with any bovine products.
Wind, have you tried low rise pants instead of tight high waisted ones? You don't need to get the very low ones like the teens use these days, you can get a pair that sits just below the belly, yet will not show butt crack.
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Hi Beth, Anthem found it in a book he has on IBS. I think
the author's last name is Salt, but it may be spelt Sault,
I'm not sure. And yes, both of my GI doc's say they are a result of
the spasms. The problem is the antispasmodic med's don't
always work completely or continuously, as we all have found
out unfortunately.-Bob
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<img src="http://www.math.mtu.edu/~rwkolkka/BritPicA.jpg">
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Hi Nelly, Thanks very much. I'm down in Chicago now staying
at my sister's place for Christmas and New Year's. I was
just using my sister's laptop, but it so foriegn to me that
I decided to go over to the local branch of The Chicago
Public Library where they have PC's that I'm familiar with.
I'm not doing too bad but I'm still hobbling around like
Capt.Ahab. It seems like I'm in slow motion. I'll search for
that post you mentioned as I still have 46 minutes left on
my computer time here. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year! -Bob
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<img src="http://www.math.mtu.edu/~rwkolkka/BritPicA.jpg">
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Beth, When I refer to "they" in the previous post, I mean
thin stools. My sister's laptop wouldn't let me edit it,
that's why I'm using a PC at the local branch of the Chicago
Public Library.-Bob
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<img src="http://www.math.mtu.edu/~rwkolkka/BritPicA.jpg">
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Thank you, Bob! Merry xmas and happy new year to you too!
And +2 points for the Moby Dick reference.
~nelly~
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