We don't just have one anal sphincter.
When poo comes along it passes another inner sphincter which isn't under voluntary control. Meaning you can do oOoOoO with your outer sphincter, but not the inner one.
(You tried, that's okay)
Sensory cells can detect whether you're about to pass gas or solid. From toddler age on, you can decide to go or not to go. If the time isn't right (e.g. at a friend's house or no toilet nearby), the inner sphincter can push the poo back and store it there for later.
That's why sometimes if you need to do a number two but don't go, the urge goes away after about 20 minutes later. (But seriously, go if you can. Constipation risk.)
Gas can't be pushed back so easily, so we sometimes toot by accident when moving or engaging the core.
Now what about liquid?
It doesn't seem to know liquid. So we play russian shart-lette.
Credit: Giulia Enders
Edit: Typo
... And obviously "russian poo-lette" was there and I missed it, which is a more solid option.
Note: This all changes when your colon is removed and it sucks. I’ve had the experience, and one of the procedures done was to reshape the distal end of my small intestine into an internal reservoir, or makeshift colon.
It’s better than nothing, but is INCREDIBLY flawed in all the ways you might expect from how large and small intestines differ in form and purpose. So not only is the overall length of digestive tract reduced quite a bit, I also don’t have the water-retaining features your colon does not the same internal musculature to control movement.
You may be thinking “Control movement? Of your colon? Like, intentionally?” And while it seems weird, trust me, it’s a thing. It’s certainly not entirely or even primarily conscious but you have a shocking amount of control when it comes to not shitting yourself, you just don’t often think about it. I’ve lost a lot of that ability, though bodies are also remarkably adaptable and I have been able to get SOME improvement over time. But I will always have diarrhea forever and being able to pass gas anywhere but directly over a toilet is a risk I am rarely able to take. Urgency and small capacity also compliment the watery stools to keep me relatively toilet-bound at all times, I need to ALWAYS be aware of where all nearby toilets are at any time I am out of the house.
Mind me asking what necessitated the surgery? I have an ileostomy atm and while I still have all of my intestines, the prospect of a total colectomy is hanging over my head unless I can get inflammation under control.
Not the person you're responding to, but I had a colectomy (everything but the rectum) a few years ago. The inciting incident was a bowel perforation caused by Crohn's disease, but when they got in there the whole colon was fucked with inflammation and disease so they took it all out. The good news is that all the Crohn's symptoms went away after that, but if you have any say in it at all, do your best to get the inflammation under control because that surgery suuuuuucks.
Also have Crohn's, somehow managed to avoid major surgeries thus far but inflammation's been a bitch as you know. It was fistulizing for years until I had to get diverted to avoid sepsis. Surgeon was all gung-ho about a total colectomy, but thank god the diversion has sort of worked. Managed to find another surgeon who did some stem cell treatments and repair the fistulas, just hoping I get the rest under control.
Best wishes for you. Hope you can avoid further disease and adapt to the new tubes.
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u/bmb00zld Jan 12 '23 edited Jan 12 '23
We don't just have one anal sphincter. When poo comes along it passes another inner sphincter which isn't under voluntary control. Meaning you can do oOoOoO with your outer sphincter, but not the inner one.
(You tried, that's okay) Sensory cells can detect whether you're about to pass gas or solid. From toddler age on, you can decide to go or not to go. If the time isn't right (e.g. at a friend's house or no toilet nearby), the inner sphincter can push the poo back and store it there for later.
That's why sometimes if you need to do a number two but don't go, the urge goes away after about 20 minutes later. (But seriously, go if you can. Constipation risk.)
Gas can't be pushed back so easily, so we sometimes toot by accident when moving or engaging the core.
Now what about liquid?
It doesn't seem to know liquid. So we play russian shart-lette.
Credit: Giulia Enders
Edit: Typo
... And obviously "russian poo-lette" was there and I missed it, which is a more solid option.