These cellular abnormalities may be associated with colon cancer or precancer. With the increasing publicity about colon cancer, there’s an increase in anxiety over this in people who have taken to inspecting their stools.Ĭologuard is a non-invasive screening test for colon cancer.Ĭologuard uses the latest advances in bowel movement DNA technology, thus detecting the altered DNA from abnormal cells in the stool sample. “If a person is concerned, they should always discuss with their physician before drawing conclusions and to know what is normal and what to expect moving forward.” Fear of Colon Cancer “Consistency of the stool and size are not as important as some place on these changes. Binderow says, “Most persons will see their stools vary in thickness throughout their life, which is considered normal. You squeeze the tube hard, and the paste comes out with difficulty - and it’s much narrower than normal, because the hole that it comes out of is partially blocked by the dried toothpaste.ĭr. It’s the same principle when the opening of a tube of toothpaste becomes obstructed by dried, caked-on toothpaste. The stools would then be compressed into a thinner diameter.

If there’s a cancer mass near the anus or rectum, then the bowel movements that are on the way out would have to go through a narrower pathway or channel, as the tumor would be obstructing the pathway. “Colorectal cancer wouldn’t cause the thickness of stool to change, but a tumor in the lower anus or rectum could.” How does cancer make stools come out thin?īMs come out the anus, which is of a certain width range when normal, allowing the stool matter to come out. If a person has a tumor, the stool can become thinner from obstruction, but this is NOT common. He continues, “It is an overall non-specific variable. Binderow, MD, FACS, FASCRS, with Atlanta Colon & Rectal Surgery. “The reason that a stool changes from wide and then thin can be caused by what a person drank, ate or what environment they have moved to,” says Sander R. He just did not understand my obsession with a normal BM.So many people are scared of seeing the so-called pencil-thin stools-even if the day before, their bowel movements were thick or fat. I said come and look at my poop! He came in and said yep it's poop! I do that too once a day. Funny story about this.when I got my first back to 'normal' BM after reversal I screamed 'Woo Hoo' My son got concerned and ran and knocked on the bathroom door. I am very happy with my straight connect. Most of the studies I have read stay that J-Pouch's rebound faster but a year out the results are pretty much the same. I had a straight connect and not the J-Pouch. Yes, if I eat unhealthy junk food my stools are affected but they were affected the same way pre-cancer.

A reversal in October 2012 and a month after reversal my stools were consistently coming out in the 'S' shape people always talk about. How were you reconnected, what they actually removed in the first place. There are a lot of factors that come in to play. I have come across people like you and I have come across people who now have normal BM. I think everyone is different so I would definitely discuss it with your doctor. Anyway, you're still fresh after surgery so there's plenty of time for it to improve too. Which leaves me concerned about my upcoming colonoscopy. At my last visit with the surgeon he had to use a pediatric anoscope to check thing out.

Add to that normal scar tissue from surgery that doesn't expand and it could be very narrow. Unfortunatley, intestines do not expand like the rectum so the stool doesn't stay there long enough to grow in size. This acts as a makeshift collecting area so fecal waste doesn't come straight out. In my case, my rectum was completely removed and they used the intestines to form what is called a J pouch.

This narrows the intestines at that area. The reason is when the rectum or even part of it is removed the connecting ends must be stretched to reach each other. It has been 6 months since my reversal and I have the same thing, just not every day. Hi Jack- Like others have said, this is mostly normal.

Pencil thin stool