Negative colonoscopy BUT still flat stools diarheea and grooves on stool

Hi there,

And yes, IBS can be very annoying and I can hear your desperation and your wondering. My opinion is that you most certainly dont need to do another colonoscopy. You can ask them to check your stomach, which means they can probably do an endoscopy (same as gastroscopy) and see if there is any inflammation/ulcers there. But you would probably have pains if you had that.They go in with a camera thru your mouth. Why I am saying this? 

It is probably a good way for you to calm down, anxiety just aggravates all your symptoms, and if you get the stomach checked and they dont find anything, ( I am guessing they wont)  then you can just calm down and trust that you are suffering from "only" IBS.

I just had both an endoscopy and colonoscopy and they found a minimal gastritis, a small hiatus hernia in the stomach and lots of pockets in the large intestine. Nothing of it is dangerous, but gives me really bad symptoms from time to time. I am happy that I have that done now, because even if my symptoms havent subsided, they are there with alternating diarrhea and constipation, heart burn, skinny stools, just to mention some of them. But at least I know I dont need to worry for anything worse and thats a great relief.

My symptoms get very bad with anxiety and there are lots of explanations for that. The whole body goes into an alarm state of mind and that affects the body in hundreds of different ways. The stress hormones take over. Skinny or flat stools can be a product of that all the muscles are involuntarily straining and contracting due to the stress/anxiety.

I think you should trust the doctors and try to keep the good results of the colonoscopy in mind. 

Hoping this helps

Hi romeo:  NO you DO NOT need another colonoscopy. Believe the doc when he told you you were fine.  Gastros do not usually miss anything while doing that test.  I know because I was awake and watched the monitor with the doc as asked questions.  He said he could see everything even the smallest polyp because the camera is so sensitive.  I also watched him do an endoscopy we saw a small hernia -- no problem unless I experience a lot of GERD.

Sounds to me as tho you are in very good health and what you may want to try first is the low FODMAP diet to see if you are sensitive to what you are eating -- the diet is available/printable on line.  Also, I would suggest  that you counseling for OCD = obsessive compulsive disorder.  Just a thot  but if you continue to worry, you'll make yourself a wreck and then you will need intervention.

Whatever you decided KNOW that you are OK and if you don't believe us here, then all I can think of is therapy and anti-anxiety meds. to calm you.  

Good luck on whatever you decide.

Whatever you

So I think what is happening to you is what my therapist called "stinkin thinkin."  Over thinking and causing yourself more anxiety which ends up in more gut problems.  Stress is a HUGE trigger to IBS symptoms and all kinds of maladies.  You are obsessing over a doc possibly making a mistake.   Ask yourself why? 

Don't be concerned about the ridge(s) in your poop.  I never know what my poop is going to look like.  Curled fingers, rabbit looking droppings, floating rabbit looking droppings, floating mucus, liquid or small rocks.  If I began obsessing over what my stool looked like, I'd have to be institutionalized.

Here's the deal buddy your fine been dealing with it 20 years including blood pain flat stool etc at the end of the day it was hemmeroids and ibs and gastritis at times the stool forms in colon and is shaped by rectum some of us have tighter rears that others lol it happens so relax

Your story and situation seems almost identical to mine. A little over a year ago, i got sick durig vacation with friends and thought it was a hangover. A lot of vomiting and diarrhea and then after it passed there was some constipation. I got back home, felt bloated all the time and constipated. Once i went to the doctor, he gave me a bottle of magnesium citrate to drink and that was it. Figured it was an isolated incident and after taking laxitives for a few days I figured everything was fine. In the next coming months, my bowel movements became inconsistent from what they used to be like (quick, healthy, frequent) now every once in a while constipation became a thing and then so did flat stools sometimes. I never had constipation in my entire life until then and i was only 18. I don’t think you are wrong for being suspicious. I have had stool test, EDG AND colonoscopy; also from two different GI specialists. First guy that gave me the colonoscopy just insisted more fiber and when i told him i took metamucil he pretty much just said to keep doing that. When i got the EGD, the doctor said i had GERD and esophagitis. From once a week or so to now almost every single BM, my stools are flat (sometimes normal width but not round). The metamucil works but i either poop a clump of free mass that isnt a log or its flat. I would love an answer and I hate to say it but i doubt we will find one besides “oh its ibs”. 

i thought I share with you my own health concerns which are somewhat similar to yours. 

I have consulted both the western and eastern doctors. The former sent me to various tests such as blood work and ultra sound. All came back being okay, no serious issue. The latter has a different prognosis.

My eastern doctor is a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, told me that my liver and spleen are malfunctioning due to inflammation or heat. However, my stomach is cold or damp.The treatment was long and arduous due to conflicting heat and cold organs.

I had to change my diet 360 degree. No raw salads, no nuts of any kind, no cold drinks, coffee or tea even green tea, no deep fried food, no eggs, no seafood, no whole-wheat and spicy food. So this is the diet part.

Stress can kill. I lost one side of my eye brow and the other brow, half way gone. Try to stay positive so as not to stress the organs. It is a no win win situation. A malfunction liver can cause stress; stress can cause the liver to malfunction. 

Also so try massaging. Look up on the acupressure and meridians points on the body to help the daily needed massage. I do that daily. Of course, acupuncture is good but too costly and may not find one that is not milking the bank account. 

Long story short. Google for organs health under the heading Tcm, and  You will be quite amazed with the online educational info you can get, free of charge.  Better still, find a TCM practitioner in your area. Again, it is not easy because few are genuine to heal.

Interestingly i massaged my feet where the duodenum points were last night, and noticed this morning that I did not have flat poop. Is that a coincidence? BTW, I drink amazake for gut health, and notice my poop colour is better. 

God bless. 

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So hello This is Romeo11265 the person who originally posted this , I am also the person who had a bunch of stool issues like flat stools grooves in stool explosive dhaierrea  narrow stools, blood in stool etc. A LOT of cancer symptoms. I had  a clear Colonoscopy 18 months  ago and they diagnosed me with IBS just like that and I want to say IDIOTS but I did not. In my mind I knew someting was wrong  . after multiple tests and CT scan and  blood test etc, multiple doctors nothing they still said IBS. I wanted to get another colonoscopy   at my 1 year mark BUT I did not as I thought ALL was well, man I wish i did maybe now I would have not had this polyp. .  I had a colonoscopy this Monday by a different gastro doctor and it showed I had a pre-cancerous polyp. called serrated adenoma.   He removed it. BUT this shows  you that stuff can be missed. First doctor done a colonoscopy  and said all crystal clear and then said IBS no further test. I fought with doctors to get more test done as I knew something was wrong.  So after second colonoscopy  18 months later Doctor found a Polyp in my colon which he removed. I am not trying to scare you but I am trying to raise awareness. Doctors can miss polyps in colonoscopies. It happened in my case. IF you think something is still wrong with you  don't wait cehck it out before it's too late. God Bless  

Hi Romeo11265,

I have almost no flat stools these days. Most of the times, I have about 2" wide quite round stools.

I did the colonoscopy test last year, and came back negative except for a few polyps which were non cancerous.

Because of my age I do suffer from chronic constipation. Very rarely do I have flat stools these days. So these 2 issues have been to a certain extent resolved if only I adhere to the followings:

1. Massage on the abdomen where the organs are located. I use a hand held massager on low for a good half hour in the morning before getting out of bed. Even massaging near the rib cage which I have pain, would also help minimize blood stasis. On the left side of the stomach beside the belly button, about 3 fingers away, massage on it. This helps to 'poop'.

2. My diet does not have deep fried food, cold food such as salads, no nuts and diary, and preferably not too much meat.

3. Stretching on the hamstrings for 10 mins daily. It can be quite difficult initially, using both hands to cover the soles of the feet. But the pain is always there. Discipline is crucial. Basically, this is to help with the kidneys meridian. As I was told by my TCM physician that the Kidneys are the mother, and the rest of the organs are the children. Meaning to say if the mother is not well, 'it' cannot look after the children well.

4. Kombucha tea and kefir milk are in my diet as well. Kefir Milk is diary but fermented. My TCM physician does not think too highly on them, but I still took them every now and then.

I had spent quite a bit on TCM and acupuncture. They are all very good but most of them would like milking patients. It will be wonderful if they are not mercenary at all!

If I have the means, I will still seek TCM for healing. However, most TCM would ask, in my case, that I have blood work done first to confirm the TCM diagnosis, a parallel approach, an East & West approach.

If my stress level is up, my sleep is affected accordingly. Basically our health is so depended on diet, sleep and stress. Research on the body clock. I find myself waking up from 3am onwards these days as I am still grieving the passing of my beloved mother almost 2 years ago. According to the body clock, it is the lungs which deal with emotions such as grief.

In the TCM world, it talks a lot on inflammation, dampness, and heat. Here the definitions of dampness and heat are the same literally. It also talks a lot on moods, emotions, sleep and diet. Get more information online on such topics.

The above is based solely on my own personal experience. Hope it helps.

God bless.