Think of it this way. Has your diet also changed over the years? Do you still eat the way you did when you were a little boy or a teenager?

This can go either way. If you become more nutritionally aware and eat a balanced diet with plenty of fiber, sometimes the quality of your BM's can improve and the unloading process itself easier to manage.

On the other hand, a diet filled with fast food/junk food and alcohol binges can take its toll on your system over time.

I think what and the way we eat has more of an effect on our bowels than chronology, barring some sort of disease.

I'll convey that when I would drink way too much, my system was buzz-sawed all the way to the tooter. It was worse than a two week old chile verde that was bad to begin with.

This stated, I have to say that, like the fine wine, the state of my shitting has mellowed as the years have progressed. It's back to being as it was when I was a youth.

I believe the improvement to be a by-product of lifestyle choices, i.e., all things in moderation.

And as usual, Your Shitting May Vary.

Best Regards,

Prairie Dogger

TBW is right, but as you age, your internal sphincters get weaker as well. The pyloric valve at the base of your stomach controls how much acidic stomach contents go into your small intestine at once. Normally, it lets in little bursts and your bile neutralizes it pretty quickly. But sometimes when you get older, you have a weak pyloric valve that lets too much acid out at once. And too much acid in the small intestines signals your entire gut to empty out ASAP (it's kind of a survival thing). So I know a lot of older people (like my mom), who sometimes find they HAVE to go all of a sudden.

An apple a day keeps the ExLax away!

runninggrrl2: you gave us the kind of input there that poonurse used to give. Nice post!

I can't remember how my dook looked at a young'n. But, I can tell you that since becoming a practicing bunny hugger, my toilet is happier. No skidmarks.

That's about the only thing I can recall. I may think of something else later......hugging bunnies since 1969

I wonder if the poster is thinking more about when you get really old. I remember a scene in Zoolander when Jerry Stiller is talking to his wang, trying to coax out some urine. I imagine the bowels fail you as much as the bladder does... I don't know of any specifics, though, and I don't want to ask my grandfather because I just don't need that image in my head.

When I think of really old, I think of incontinence, adult diapers, that sort of thing. My sense is that Ben was talking maybe middle-aged older or something like that.

Dave-O, I do recall a rather amusing (at my expense) incident that occurred once when I was visiting my great aunt years ago. My cousins just sat around smirking as she gave me a blow-by-blow account of what had happened because she had eaten some raw oysters the night before.

Now, you know me. But shall we say that this was just definitely way too much information?

If she's older, then enjoy every story she tells you, because she's not going to be around forever.

But, I bet you already know that?.....hugging bunnies since 1969

well i think that bowles definitely loosen with age :s

*Elphaba))

All I know is, as I age, I'm having more frequent hershey squirts. Never had this problem when I was younger, diet seems to be the same, i dunno anymore.

The Big Wiper, why don't you submit your account with more detail? It sounds like your Great Aunt would make a good poopreporter (if she's still alive). We can call her Auntie BM.

dear poopreaport,
my poop has been really wierd lately the other day i was pooping and i looked down and it was a yellow/greenish kinda color.it was very wierd,and so then i picked it up and squashed it to see what it felt like and it was very hard.why is this happening, and what is happening?
Love,Matthew Stone

Hell yes.

When I was a kid, normal shits would be predictable, solid, healthy and a great pleasure. Diarrhea would be uncontrolable explosions.

Now, in middle age, I have to take good care of my diet or suffer horrible consequences. A healthy, solid, clockwork shit is a rare thing nowadays, but on the upside so is uncontrolable diarrhea. I do okay if I stick with fiber.

Now, as a teen I could endure ANYTHING. I could drink a 24 pack of beer and chase it with rancid chilli and only suffer a bit of gas.

These days, if I have more than 3 beers I get the sticky shits for 2 days that come at any hour. If I eat more than 3 eggs a week I will get cramps. If I eat popcorn, I will writhe in agony and shit blood. If I even look at chilli I will shit my pants.

I am only 33.

Fart Poopie, my great aunt died many years ago. My recollection of this incident was that I wanted to get away from the endless details of her conversation, but being the polite Southern boy that I was brought up to be, I just kept on smiling.

It wasn't as interesting a story as you might think, however. Way too much rambling. She wouldn't stay on point long. Once, I remember her raving for what seemed like hours about the animals she had seen on 'Daktari,' the night before.

She was a dear person, but she was very old, and her mind wasn't always focused. But whenever she cornered me with one of her stories, I just sat there, smiling and listening.

Interesting. A friend of mine who is a nurse in an old person's resthome told me that some elderly people (over 70) do tend to suffer from weakness of the sphincters but usually it is the urinary tract that suffers rather than the bowels and the person has to endure wetting accidents, hence the need for many old people female and male to wear "Depends" or other Incontinence underpants.

What more often happens is that the muscle tone of the bowels becomes weaker and if the old person lives a sedentary life large fecal masses accumulate in the colon. This can result in chronic constipation, which may relive itself after a few days with no further problems by the passing of a large log. However sometimes if the person is constipated for more than a few days a condition called "Spurious Diarrhea" can occur. What happens is that behind the large solid mass of poo in the rectum and ascending colon there is a load of softer loose and even watery stool. This comes down past the hard lump and can leak out and it appears that the person has diarrhea but they have actually been very constipated. Sometimes this relieves the blockage and the big hard turd comes away with all the mush and diarrhea but sometimes it is necessary to administer an enema or suppositories to move the blockage. She told me that some of the old women she looked after produced some huge logs hopefully into the toilet pan or commode, but unfortunately for her as she had to clean them up afterwards they would sometimes ignore the need to go to the toilet and load their panties heavily having a big accident. She looked on this as just part of her work and was very gentle with them, after all we will all be old some day.

I have nothing but the utmost respect for nursing home employees. It's not a job I could do, that's for sure. I'm not patient enough and I probably would get really sick of changing adult diapers and whatnot. It's true though, that once you're old, besides the internal sphincters going, the peristaltic muscles lose tone and you get a similar effect to being on a narcotic (ie, brick-poop). I guess that's why they used to tell old people to drink prune juice and stuff. Also, old folks usually can't take the chewing action of most fruits/veggies, so most of them probably don't get enough fiber. My sister told me about "Power Pudding" that she used to have to prepare when she worked at a nursing home: Pureed prunes, bran, and Metamucil, all blended together to make some SERIOUS butt Drano.

An apple a day keeps the ExLax away!

The Big Wiper, I am impressed. Not many people take the time to visit their elderly relatives. Some folks don't visit their grandparents, much less their great aunts/uncles. She probably loved to "corner" you with her stories because she knew you would sit and listen. I bet she appreciated you. :-)

Yes, she was quite fond of me, as a matter of fact. I was particularly interested in family history, which pleased her no end.

As a writer, I do find that having an interest in history in general (I minored in it at college) is very helpful. You cannot write believable characters from any period of time without a working knowledge of history. I'm frequently at the library doing research along those lines.

Anyhoo, my great aunt was a dear, and I still remember her fondly despite her ramblings.

I was talking about this a few months ago in the forums when I had the flu.
I experienced some sharts and it made me aware of how my vault doors had somehow developed a security breach.
This unwelcome leakage continued even after my flu was long gone.
I completely attributed this to age.

After my anger and denial, I accepted the shituation. Just one step closer to those Depends I've been longing for.
Jesus God, I'm kidding.
I only want Depends for when I'm drinking beer and too lazy to constantly get up and pee.

As for the consistency changes with aging, I find my craps easier to pass. Is this because of a steady diet of hot sauce and beer?
I would think so because I consider hot sauce to be my intestinal Liquid Plumr.
As always, I prefer liquishit over rockpoop any day of the week.

I guess everyone is different. Things have not changed for me. I'm 39 and still happy down there. Bummer PINWORM! I LOVE chili, beer, etc. Its still the same (as my youth), depending on how much of the above I consume. Just survived 3 days of Vegas...12hrs sleep total. Headache....yes. Buttache...no....OK maybe a little. Too much prime rib and Jack.
Long live the sphincters!(!)

Looking for advice. I am 50 and have had IBS off and on for life. About 5 years ago I was physically assaulted in public which led to panic attacks and involuntary colonic spasms every time I sent out on public for 5 years. Long story short, for three years after I had to "dump" my colon completely every day (Miralax, enemas etc.) so as not to shit myself. Spasms are now done but my insides are a real mess. Have very little nerve sensation left in rectum, and have to strain to poop. This has left a real limitation on my work and social life. I never know if it's shart or air. I have had a complete work up done down there. A minimum of nerve sensation remains, have learned kegel excersises, and the end result is the doc says I "should just live with it."
So, looking for advice. Might the nerve sensation return. Any suggestions for other treatments? Please help

Sorry about your problem, ubetcha. It sounds very uncomfortable.

I'm not in medicine, just have a background in biology. It may be that the spasms and the numbness are connected: the trauma of the assault might have triggered a severe "fight or flight" adrenaline reaction in you that kept repeating itself like a chain reaction. In other words, you associated the trauma with colonic spasms, and the anxiety you felt whenever you thought of it caused the spasms to return. The numbness may be exhaustion of the nerves from overstimulation for such a long time.

Your doctor doesn't sound very sensitive, or maybe he is just ignorant of the powerful effect emotional distress can have on the body - especially the bowels. I think I would try to find a really good, caring nurse practitioner who specializes in psychological/psychiatric health, and explain your problem to her/him. They may have advice that will help.

In the meantime, while I know it sounds trite, have you considered using Depends or an adult incontinence aid like that? I know of a number of people who use them, and they say it gives them confidence because they don't have to always be worried about soiling themselves, or trying to figure out whether it's a fart or shart.

It would be one less thing to get anxiety from, and that might be enough to bring some life back to your rectum! Good luck.

PooperGal
"Searching for the Origin of the Feces"

Forget to add-- the extensive use of enemas and other "flushers" can cause numbness, though I've never heard of it being permanent. Just a thought.

Drinking lots of water every day, and avoiding too much caffeine, may help reduce the constipation. A lot of constipation is caused by dehydration (another byproduct of enemas, but also of too much coffee or alchohol...or just not enough water in the diet).

PooperGal
"Searching for the Origin of the Feces"

Yes, this has happened to me, too. Before I turned 25 I had the massive shits and some people even asked me to clog toilets. A toilet clogging freak for hire. Now I hardly ever get the giant shits (except that one time, you've read already) and most of the time my shits are million wipers. I eat a balanced diet and don't have a problem with fat or grease, so that is not the cause of them. All I can figure is that this stupid antibiotic I took fucked up my system. Or I aged.

Anyway, I shit myself for the first time in 20 years last year. Maybe more aging bowels. I hate to see what my bowels will do when I'm 50.

Shit Volcano,

I sympathizes with you. In my 20's, I used to have giant firm shits. Not that I had to strain, but the exit stretch was always felt. Logs were long and came at most in 2 or three pieces. (I used to put a mirror at the back of the seat to admire my beautiful creation.)

All that changed around 33. I remember that because I went back to grad school. The shits began to be looser and broken into many pieces. Gone were the firmness and the width.

Then, about 38, the change became more drastic. Long gone were the days of firm shit. The daily download became a gluey, oatmeal consistency. The urgency to unload became more intense. Splattering began also.

After an unfortunate episode of leakage, whenever I had to breakfast out,which is often, I would put several layers of paper towels in my underwear. WHat happened was I was at an unending breakfast meeting. Though I felt to urge to unload while sitting down, the urge was not desperate till I stood up(had Indian the night before). Soon as I was able to take leave, I took a dash to the men's room. All the stalls were taken, and nobody was in a hurry to vacate, plus I was too embarrssed to knock. The flood gate was no longer strong enough to hold the screaming exit. Mind you, it was NOT diarrhea. I remember trying to use my finger as flow stopper.

Soon as the door to a vacating stall opened, I made a mad dash. But the explosion began when I had my pants half down. Panic set in as I went into a semi squatt. I did have the coutesy to clean up the seat the best way I could before leaving.

Thus, the sad tale of my aging bowel with no illness nor diet change.

I did discover psyllium husk but it made me very gasy. Big shits returned though but so did hemmorhoids!!!

I guess it depends on activity, and diet. MY bowels changed around 19. Aside from random incidents with my IBS, I began to have monster logs that would make my toilet beg for mercy. I even had to come up with a turd chopper, and boy did I. (For a future story).

I have a very alkaline diet, rich in whole wheat, fresh fruit, and vegetables. I also detoxify my system with "Sonne #7" twice a year. I eat almost 0 processed foods. A product called Digestrol has regulated my bowels.

Now, at almost 30 years old, I still have very large, firm, one piece, easy sliders fairly regularly. I also drink at least 8 10oz glasses of fluid (mostly organic fruit juice). I also lead a fairly active life.

Hopefully, my secrets above will be tried, and I hope that my post helps to erase some evolution for the people who try my secrets. _______
Jammin' lo'flo's since 1977.

Oh, and another major player in the bowels is a person's stress levels.

I notice drastic changes in my bowels, when I am under constant stress.
_______
A man who farts in church, sits in his own pew.

I have to interrupt this thread to bring you a word I just learned: BEZOARS. According to the Merck Manual, bezoars are "tightly packed collections of partially digested or undigested material." Fascinating.
The reason I mention it that bezoars are a possible cause of constipation.
I'm sorry, maybe it's just me, but I love that word. For some reason, it conjures up images of camel caravans in the desert...or is that "bedouins"?
Well, anyway, thanks for listening.

_______
Busting Bezoars loose for mankind.

I'm 65 now, and it's hard to remember exactly how things were poopwise 50 or more years ago; however, I do remember in college producing mostly long, firm stools, No. 2 on the Bristol Scale (a marvelous tool, by the way). For the most part, I kept up that style of turd until just a few years ago. Then came two surgeries, one for bladder stones (enough to pave a small parking lot), the other for a kidney stone (pain beyond pain). After the second, I could not defecate at all for 4 days because the pain medicine deadened my poopchute nerves. Percocet is both wonderful and awful; that b.m. after 4 days required manual extraction--bloody, hard, and finally huge. Since I was wearing a Foley catheter, I had to stoop rather than sit to poop, which made it even harder. After that I resolved never to have another kidney stone if I could avoid it. My regime has been 64 oz. of water a day whenever I can manage it. It makes for some challenging moments getting to toilets fast enough to urinate (oh, by the way, if you have not had urinary retention, please don't--you won't like it). Anyway, with that amount of water, my poop is softer. No longer do I have long, lumpy, thick logs; I have sometimes long, somewhat softer, though still formed turds that usually break off while descending. Pooping is still a pleasure, but it no longer has the feeling of incredible stretching of my anus that it used to. I miss that--but I would not return to it if it meant risking more stones. So far no signs of weakening of the sphincter, and I am quite easily regular (1 or 2 nice movements a day), so I am keeping it in trim, as best I can. No laxatives; just good amounts of fiber.