The small intestine sucks the nutrients out of what you eat and then pours the leftover sludge into the cecum. This sludgy waste then moves from the cecum to the colon, which absorbs water from the sludge while transporting it toward the rectum. Once stool is no longer in its slushy phase and begins to take shape, how it looks when it leaves your body can provide clues to what's going on inside.
Common Causes of Thin Stool
If you have a habit of looking in the toilet after you defecate (and yes, you should), you may have noticed that your stool varies in shape, density, and even color from day to day. That's a pretty normal occurrence. What you eat, how much you drink, and how much time has passed since your last bowel movement can all impact the characteristics of your stool.
Thin Stool as a Symptom of Cancer
Thin stool can sometimes indicate that your stool had to squeeze by some sort of obstacle on its way out. Imagine a three-lane tunnel full of cars, all driving along with ease. Now imagine that two big rigs decide to block the left lanes in tandem then slow to a stop. What do the cars do? They start filing to the right so they can get around the obstruction in the road, causing a narrower stream of traffic.
The same sort of thing happens in the bowel. Everything is flowing fine and dandy until a tumor starts to grow, causing an obstruction. As the obstruction gets bigger, the space around it gets smaller. So, as you might expect, tumors toward the "tunnel exit" tend to cause the formation of thin stool.
Medical Attention for Thin Stool
According to the Mayo Clinic, having thin stool every once in a while probably isn't an indication of a serious underlying problem. However, in the absence of other colon cancer symptoms, you should consult your doctor if your stool is consistently thinner than normal for more than two weeks.
I'm glad the Mayo Clinic provides a timeframe, but please don't think of it as a waiting period. It's my personal opinion that you should consult your doctor any time you feel as though something may not be right with your body -- whether you've had thin stool for two days or two weeks.
Related Articles:- Overview of Colon Cancer Tests
- How is Colon Cancer Diagnosed?
- How to Avoid a Delayed Colon Cancer Diagnosis
"Narrow Stools: Should I be Concerned?" Mayo Clinic 26 Apr. 2007. Accessed 29 Aug. 2007. [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narrow-stools/AN01567].
"What You Need to Know About Cancer of the Colon and Rectum: Symptoms." National Cancer Institute 26 May 2006. Accessed 29 Aug. 2007 [http://nci.nih.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/colon-and-rectal/page6].
