[Tracey Heynes]

Has anyone else had this?I occasionally notice when I wipe my bum that there is a stringy thing like a piece of skin or membrane attatched to the stool. (sorry,I know it sounds disgusting).I have had tests for parasites so don't think it's that.My gastro.told me next time I saw one to put it in a special container he gave me and then give it to his surgery straight away.Unfortunately,the few times these things have appeared,it's been at a weekend or when I've been away somewhere.Anyway,today I noticed a particularly long one attatched to a stool as it sank down the toilet(so,too late to grab it !).Does anyone know what this thing might be?When I've looked closely at other ones they don't look like worms or anything,more like stretchy bits of skin.I'm wondering if they could be from the lining of the intestine.If so,is this normal?I don't see these things very often,just from time to time.I'd be grateful for any feedback on this.Apologies again for the graphic description but,hey,how else to communicate this ?

 

[Kathleen M.]

I would think if you were loosing colon lining in long strips in a noticable way you would probably be quite sick, so if your generally healthy I tend to think that it is some undigested bit of something or other that you ate.There is always some undigested food in the stool. This is one way to determine what something ate is to look at the stool and see what bits one can find in it.K.

 

[Tracey Heynes]

But what do you mean by "quite sick" ?I'd really like something a bit more specific because,as it happens,my general health isn't that great."Quite sick" could mean different things to different people.I had the same problem when I had to go to A&E recently for a minor accident.The doc. said "Are you in good health?" and I kind of thought to myself that,from my point of view I'm not but he'd probably see it quite differently !I'd be grateful if you could reply.These long stringy things really don't look like they could be anything I've eaten.They really are quite stretchy,like skin,and they are very difficult to break apart or tear,being soft and viscous,a bit like chicken skin (which I don't eat !)

 

[MzBunkin]

I was just reading about how sometimes people w/IBS have a mucus-type of thing attached to their stools after being constipated. I get that - just like what you described. Nothing to be worried about

I thought for sure I had worms or something...lol.

 

[Kathleen M.]

I think the mucus may be a likely possiblity given the discription. Think Snot.The only thing I could think of that would cause lining to slough off would do things like cause a lot of blood loss (lack of blood flow to the colon can do this and you usually have much blood with this)and/or potentially cause the bacteria in the colon to get into your abdominal cavity which makes typically makes you fatally ill, high fever, need massive IV antibiotics to survive kinda thing.K.

 

[carolauren]

Ibsed, I had exactly what you describe just one time. It looked like a bunch of skin that peeled off somewhere, and it was stretchy. Freaked me OUT!! I thought that it must be a membrane/lining from my colon or somewhere. I wasn't feeling sick (other than IBS), and I've never seen it again.What in the world IS it?

 

[Tracey Heynes]

Thank you all for your replies - I feel a bit more reassured now.Kmottus - thanks for explaining about "really sick".I'm definitely not then !

 

[Rachel Carter]

It's Rope Worms. Look it up. They look like brownish threads twisted together like yarn and blend in with your stool. Often undiagnoised because they do not move while outside the body and most stool test for parasites test for live round and tape worms and their eggs. People will try to tell you it's intestinal lining, its not. http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1301/1301.2845.pdf