# Question about bowel movements

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-bowel-movements/298388>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 8, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-bowel-movements/298388 "2005-04-08T14:12:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-bowel-movements/298388/1 "2005-04-08T14:12:03Z")

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I have IBS, but it is largely not a problem unless I eat spicy foods (like Indian foods). Last night i ate spicy foods at a fast food restaurant and now I have IBS (in my experience, it goes away within a day or so).

However, there are little green ball things in my stools, does anyone know what they are? Like I said, my IBS goes away in a day so i’m not really worried about it, I’m just wondering if those are bile or gallstones or what.

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**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-bowel-movements/298388/2 "2005-04-08T14:28:02Z")

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Are they peas? Many vegetables and grains can pass through your body reasonably intact.

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-bowel-movements/298388/3 "2005-04-08T14:29:33Z")

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Didn’t eat any peas. It may be bubble gum as I had several pieces of apple bubble gum (I swallow my gum) the day before.

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**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-bowel-movements/298388/4 "2005-04-08T14:41:10Z")

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> [@Wesley Clark](#):
>
> I have IBS, but it is largely not a problem unless I eat spicy foods (like Indian foods). Last night i ate spicy foods at a fast food restaurant and now I have IBS (in my experience, it goes away within a day or so).

An MD can probably prescribe something. OTOH eliminate the cause and eliminate the distress. 😉  
Second option is to eat whatever you prefer and suffer the consequences. :eek:

> [@](#):
>
> However, there are little green ball things in my stools, does anyone know what they are? Like I said, my IBS goes away in a day so i’m not really worried about it,

WAG Are there little green men in there somewhere?

> [@](#):
>
> I’m just wondering if those are bile or gallstones or what.

Bile gets inolved in the digestive process and wouldn’t pass through in stools.  
Large gallstones would stay in the gall bladder and cause much more distress than IBS.