HomeAnswersFamily Physicianirritable bowel syndromeWhat is the reason for thin stools with excessive gas and burping?

I experience excessive gas formation and burping with thin stools. Please help.

Share

The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Vinodhini J.

Published At January 8, 2021
Reviewed AtSeptember 16, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

What can cause your stools to be thin in width? Also, I have lots of gas and burping.

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Narrow or pencil-thin stool may result from constipation, travel, use of some medications, changes in hormone levels, etc. Constipation is usually caused by a lack of fiber in diet or lack of daily exercise. Again, inflammation in the colon like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis may cause loose, thin, and diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may cause thin stool. IBS also can cause mucous in your stool that may provide a stool a stringy shape. Constipation altering with diarrhea along abdominal cramps that worsen after meals and relief by defecation may be found in IBS. A lot of gas or bloating with harder or looser stools like pencil-thin or flat ribbon may also find in IBS.

The stringy stool is when stool appears thin or narrow, often take a ribbon-like appearance. It has resulted from temporary and not serious causes like changes in eating habits or poor diet and hopefully tends to resolve on its own.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

I am just worried that it is a blockage. Are blockages painful cause I do not have pain, just really bad gas build up until it comes out and nausea? Do I have anything to worry about? Will my stool go back to normal?

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I think it is not a cause for concern, and it will subside over time without any medical treatment. Other underlying health conditions that may cause such type of symptoms are delayed gastric emptying time due to many causes, distended colon, growth or polyps in the colon, food allergies, parasitic infections, gastroenteritis due to bacterial infections, fecal impaction, abdominal hernia, etc.

Suppose you think that you may have a blockage in your gastrointestinal tract (GIT), then you can undergo some investigations like stool sample test for detecting bacterial or parasitic infections, occult blood test, endoscopy of upper GIT, CT abdomen, colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, etc., to detect the exact underlying causes for your present sufferings and then treat them accordingly or according to your gastroenterologist's advice. So, consult with a gastroenterologist to get a online prescription.

I think the causes of your problems are simple, nothing serious at all. Exercising regularly, diet menu changes, lifestyle modification, removing anxiety or stress, good sleep hygiene, etc., may help relieve you from gastric problems. You may suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or IBS, or both if I think you have any disease conditions. Otherwise, your present sufferings may result from minor causes that I have already mentioned.

It is important that some flare up symptoms may develop in IBS or GERD like yours, which lasts for three to five days.

I hope this helps.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Muhammad Zubayer Alam
Dr. Muhammad Zubayer Alam

Pulmonology (Asthma Doctors)

Community Banner Mobile
By subscribing, I agree to iCliniq's Terms & Privacy Policy.

Ask your health query to a doctor online

Family Physician

*guaranteed answer within 4 hours

Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. iCliniq privacy policy