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2 toned stool

Posted , 7 users are following.

laura37625
laura37625

Can anyone help me i am having stools which are light colour may be normol then dark poo stuck together like play dough.. I am getting worried as really unsure what it means

Many thanks

0 likes, 17 replies

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  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 laura37625

    Posted

    Stools come in all shapes,sizes and colours.  It could mean any number of things.  Have you eaten anything you would not normally eat? Are you including fibre in your diet? Don’t worry, try a food diary to see if a particular food is causing these changes.  Sometimes diet cam change your stools.  If monitoring your diet doesn’t tell you anything, speak to your doctor who will be able to reassure you and calm your anxieties.

    Are you alternating between constipation, loose stools or diarrhoea?  How long have your stools been like this?

    • laura37625
      laura37625 pippa58442

      Posted

      I have replied back but on the discussion.. sorry I am new to this 😢 what would you call constipation as I do go once a day may be twice.. the last day or so has been a little harder to go with a little push but usually it's soft

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 laura37625

      Posted

      Constipation can range from not going at all to passing tiny pellet size amounts that are rock solid and involve a lot of straining and pushing.  However, most people do have to push a little to release a stool.
  • Lotsofpain
    Lotsofpain laura37625

    Posted

    like pippa said stool colour c an be caused by any number of things mostly quite benign even if there is more than one colour.   What you put in your mouth is a big determinant , so have there been any changes in food you eat or medicine you take.

    On the whole unless your stool is completely white which suggest a lack of bile, or jet black which suggests blood in the stool, then stool colour is not an indicator of anything to worry about.  Stools that pass though you quickly will be lighter than those that hang around so a mixture of diahree (I'll learn to spell it one day) and constipation can cause mixed colours

    If it carries on and you cant see any obvious cause ask your GP to get your stool anaylsed

  • laura37625
    laura37625

    Posted

    Thank you I have been the doctors 3 times over my bowels I have had all bloods done and nothing has come back un normal so my doctor isn't worried I haven't told them about this yet as only happens 3 times..

    All my bloods even CEA came back normal but there sending me for a colonoscopy purely for reassurance as I worry so much.. They won't mark it as urgent as they don't think it needs to be.

    I have soft poo everyday which I think is normal but did had diareah for around 3 days last week which may be through worry.. It has gone a little harder the last few days tho which worry me but I have still been the toilet everyday. I am just worried as when I looked at it o felt sick with worry as it wasn't black at all just more dark brown

    Many thanks

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 laura37625

      Posted

      Do you get any stomach pain that moves about? Alternating bowel habits along with pain could point to IBS if nothing else shows up in tests.  Tell your doctor about the changes in stool colour because this may be connected to the changes from soft/diarrhoea to hard stools.  The more your doctor has to go on the better.  

      I have IBS, and started with constipation, loose stools that changed to a thin shape and became light in colour acompanied by gerneralised stomach pain that moved about, nausea and back pain. I have also had bouts of diarrhoea.

    • laura37625
      laura37625 pippa58442

      Posted

      No i don't have no pain at all anywhere.. I did have back ache and still do very lightly but I think that is sometimes could be through stress.. I feel really worried about it.

      What would you say constipation is as i go everyday...

      I just have soft poo or diareaha and now the last few days they are 2 tonned 😢

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 laura37625

      Posted

      Constipation can range from not going at all to passing tiny pellet size amounts that are rock solid and involve a lot of straining and pushing.  However, most people do have to push a little to release a stool.  

      People with IBS will either have exclusively diarrhoea IBS D, iBS with constipation IBS C or a mixture of both, IBS A.  Back pain can be an IBS symptom and anxiety is also a a key factor.  Keep going back to your doctor and mention all these bowel problems, including the back ache and your anxiety.  It was my anxiety that helped my doctor to identify my IBS after 7 previous attempts had failed.

      Howeer, try not to worry because anxiety will make your bowel symptoms worse.  Ask for more tests such as an abdominal ultrasound if your colonoscopy turns up nothing.  If nothing at all shows up on any test, IBS is diagnosed.

    • laura37625
      laura37625 pippa58442

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply i really have been worrying over bowel cancer even though my doctors said they are not worried at all. I have had all bloods done and my stool samole should be back tomorrow.

      I keep thinking of the worst out come. I don't have thin stools there either small sausage look or broke up...

      😢

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 laura37625

      Posted

      If you don't have red flag symptoms like unexplained, rapid weight loss or bleeding, then you should not worry about bowel cancer.  Your doctor is not worried, so this is good news for you. You were not put on an urgent list for a colonoscopy which means your doctor doesn't think anything very serious is going on.  This is another important reason not to worry?  If you had red fllag symptoms you eould be on an urgent referral.  This has not happened with you.  Trust your doctor 

    • laura37625
      laura37625 pippa58442

      Posted

      This is the thing though my stools have been dark brown as soon as I put that on to Google it says blood! I am getting so down about it... It's ruining my days now as o don't no what is the right colour or wrong colour 😢

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 laura37625

      Posted

      Dark brown is not the same as black or tarry stools. Do not google anything medical because Google will give you generalised symptoms which do not concentrate on the individual’s particular case. What google says can be inaccurate. Concentrate on what your doctor tells you and only trust what he or she suggests. Keep going back to your doctor and if necessary change your doctor. I went eight times to diffeent doctors and only one was able to diagnose IBS.  It took three and a half months. In the end I felt like a broken record as I listed the same old symptoms again and again with no result.

      When you get your colonoscopy, this will be done by a GI specialist who sees these problems regularly and will be able to help you. Ask the specialist lots of questions and emphasise your anxieties.

    • laura37625
      laura37625 pippa58442

      Posted

      Thank you yes i have changed doctors and he doesn't sound concerned either.. he said it could be ibs but again I don't have no pain for it to be ibs.

      I have just had my stool sample back and it is completely normal..

      Do you know if there was blood do they detect it on a normal stool test do you know

      Many thanks

    • Lotsofpain
      Lotsofpain laura37625

      Posted

      I cant guarantee it bit i am sure that they would have looked for blood in your stool test as that is the principal indicator of problems
    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 laura37625

      Posted

      You could have a fecal occult blood test to look for blood.  However, if a second doctor is also not concerned this is still good news.  Since your stool tests are normal this too is a positive outcome. 

      There is another condition called Functional diarrhoea syndrome which is often lumped in with IBS and people who have it experience no pain with it.  If you have frequent bouts of diarrhoea, maybe this is the cause.  

      Keep going back to your doctor and ask why he or she thinks it could be IBS since you have no pain. It could be you have atypical IBS which means you have IBS but your symptoms are not typical of the condition.  The other possibility is that you are experiencing pain but it is so mild you haven’t noticed it.  Some people describe pain as mild discomfort, pressure or tightness.  Have you had these sensations along with your bowel symptoms? 

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