Should i be concerned with this kind of stool? (photo included)
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi, everyone. First of all, you can call me Lilo. I am a 20-year-old female.
So, for almost or probably a month now, I have been having watery stool. I also experience stomach gurgling, although not so often now unlike when it first started. I have acid reflux which I take PPI for. There is also an occasional ache in my abdomen that tends to move around. Today, it would be in my left abdomen and the next, it's my the right side. But I am not too concerned with that as it is not really severely painful. My main concern is my watery/unusual stool. There is no blood that I could see either, but there are times when my poop would look a bit darker. I've been very worried about having bowel cancer, but a lot of people here say that it's very rare for my age group. I also searched up Mr. Google (which only increased my anxiety) and came up with IBD, hernia, intestinal blockage, but almost all of them cause severe pain and again, i do not have severe abdominal pain thankfully.
so, does any of you think this warrants tests and should be a concern? I hope somebody replies, i am really very frustrated and worried which only aggravates my situation. I could use some help, or just some casual talk to take my mind off it. 😦 Thank you, i hope you are all doing well.
0 likes, 9 replies
j98797 lilo54553
Posted
i have had very similar for 1.5 years. I have had multiple tests already and still waiting. the reflux comes and goes, the stools have never gone back to normal. Stay off Google it just makes it worse. Anything that is not your normal, that lasts, warrants a doctors visit. They will likely send you for a scope.
lilo54553 j98797
Posted
hi! can i ask for your specific symptoms and what tests you got?
j98797 lilo54553
Posted
i started getting consistent loose stools at the onset. Often my movements were pale and thin. my daily habits changed as well from once every couple of days to daily, sometimes multiple times a day. originally i thought nothing of it but they persisted. 5 months in i developed very bad indigestion and reflux that lasted all day. during this time i started taking a PPI. i have had numerous blood tests, colonoscopy and abdominal ultrasound. im on a wait list for an endoscopy. So far everything is normal and advised it could have been some type of infection that triggered IBS. i have been able to manage lots of the symptoms with diet, gluten and dairy free manages that gas, bloating and for the most part the indigestion, but my stools have never returned to normal. Still thin and looser, light light brown most of the time and sometimes can be yellow. I have not had to take the PPI since last year, but lately the indigestion has come back.
lilo54553 j98797
Posted
do you also have stomach rumbling/gurgling? it's been bothering me so much and i can't get tested yet as a lot of things are going on in my family and i don't have my own money to afford the tests (i'm still a student without work)
j98797 lilo54553
Posted
i have for the last month or so. it is not something that had bugged me much in the past but lately it seems to be all the time and makes it hard to sleep. Which just exacerbates the issues, sometimes i feel the stress of not having a diagnosis triggers worse symptoms and flares. are you still on your PPI?
lilo54553 j98797
Posted
yes, i was advised to take PPI for a week. I'm planning to go to to a gastroenterologist, and thinking about the possible outcomes is stressing me out. i wonder if stress makes your symptoms worse? i think it's because of constantly worrying about having bowel cancer that makes mine worse. 😔
j98797 lilo54553
Posted
yeah i hear you. the stress can be debilitating and if you are like me and it makes your symptoms worse then it just feeds our worry. Stress can manifest in so many ways and the impacts on your digestive system can be amplified. When my symptoms really flare up i try and go to a supporting diet i.e a low fodmap diet for a while which tends to help. good luck with everything.
lilo54553 j98797
Posted
hi, just checking. how are you now?
j98797 lilo54553
Posted
feeling a bit better. went for blood work and everything came back fine. they still think i have developed some type of IBS. i started seeing a naturopath, which i have noticed some better days within the last week, but no significant changes. how about yourself