[Variable]

I don't so much sufer from "IBS-C" as "IBS 'slow transit'" - have had this for about 20 years now and am rarely constipated, the main problem being bowel evacuations that don't appear to eliminate the last 24 hours of waste material.I have 'regular' bowel movements, but I don't seem to pass all that I should and, after a few days, know that my system is 'backing up' and I'll need to take a very mild laxative to get things moving.The thing is (hence the topic title) I seem to produce an inordinate amount of faeces given that I barely eat anything! I eat only very tiny amounts of food (I think that my cat eats more!) and get my main nourishment from a food supplement drink called Ensure Plus. I do this because eating even moderate amounts of food causes much discomfort. Given all that, I'm fairly healthy.I'm just extremely puzzled as to where all the faeces is coming from, as evidenced by the fact that, even though I pass a moderate amount each day, when I take a mild laxative about once a week I produce copious quantities of faeces.Where on earth is it coming from?!? It's like my body is making it out of thin air.I'm sure this is the root cause of my problem, ie if I didn't produce so much waste material I wouldn't have such a problem with IBS.It's most pecualiar.Any thoughts anyone?

 

[Kathleen M.]

I believe at least some kinds of Ensure have fiber. Stool is made up of a few things, some will be there no matter how much fiber you eat.1. Water2. Fiber/indigestible parts3. Shed lining of the colon (it is like skin it constantly renews itself and sheds the old cells).4. Bacteria that feed on the left over foodYou can have from 16-72 hours worth of left overs in the colon at any one time and be normal. It isn't always a perfect 24 hour cycle where you dump everything out each morning and then refill the whole colon.

 

[alwayshappy]

I don't so much sufer from "IBS-C" as "IBS 'slow transit'" - have had this for about 20 years now and am rarely constipated, the main problem being bowel evacuations that don't appear to eliminate the last 24 hours of waste material.I have 'regular' bowel movements, but I don't seem to pass all that I should and, after a few days, know that my system is 'backing up' and I'll need to take a very mild laxative to get things moving.The thing is (hence the topic title) I seem to produce an inordinate amount of faeces given that I barely eat anything! I eat only very tiny amounts of food (I think that my cat eats more!) and get my main nourishment from a food supplement drink called Ensure Plus. I do this because eating even moderate amounts of food causes much discomfort. Given all that, I'm fairly healthy.I'm just extremely puzzled as to where all the faeces is coming from, as evidenced by the fact that, even though I pass a moderate amount each day, when I take a mild laxative about once a week I produce copious quantities of faeces.Where on earth is it coming from?!? It's like my body is making it out of thin air.I'm sure this is the root cause of my problem, ie if I didn't produce so much waste material I wouldn't have such a problem with IBS.It's most pecualiar.Any thoughts anyone?

hi,about your incomplete bms, it could be you have some sort of a pelvic floor dysfunction, have you had an anorectal manometry or a defecography? these test, esp the defecography should show exactly why your bms are incomplete. it could be one of several reasons or even a combination of'm:rectal prolapse intussusecptionrectoceleentetoceleanismusgoogle these and learn more about them. find a gastro dr, tell him your bms are incomplete and you want to have these tests done.

 

[QuiQui]

Sometimes I wonder this, too, but then I think about the fact that babies poop a lot, and they don't even eat solid food. It's probably just natural, but I don't understand it either!

 

[alwayshappy]

Sometimes I wonder this, too, but then I think about the fact that babies poop a lot, and they don't even eat solid food. It's probably just natural, but I don't understand it either!

our systems produce bile ALL THE TIME - bile from the gallbladder, pancreas, stomach and from the small and large intestine - all of this bile goes through our digestive systems and has to come out, so there's always stuff that needs to come out even w/o food. that is how my surgeon has explained it to me.

 

[Variable]

Thanks for all of the replies, most interesting.