1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Abdominal Disorders

Stool Colour and Consistency Possible Causes Query

Posted , 4 users are following.

paul75665
paul75665

Hi Everyone

For the past few months my stools have been quite pale in colour, almost like a mixed peanut butter / mustard colour, plus they come out in a consistency that resembles toothpaste. On top of that there seems to be a slight white, slimy film that sits on top of the toilet bowl water. My bowel movements are also inconsistent in regularity. I have changed my diet recently and am eating less fibre and cut out dairy foods, which seems to have helped ease my symptoms slightly. Does anyone have any ideas why my stool colour and consistency are like this?

I do have a history of health problems and recently been diagnosed with IBS, CFS and Fibromyalgia. About 2 to 3 years ago I had an upper abdominal ultrasound, faecal elastase and faecal blood test, endoscopy and colonoscopy and all the results were good, no problems detected, even colonoscopy biopsies were fine. However I never feel 100%, always a slight feeling of sickness and nausea that can get quite bad a points, I also feel quite lightheaded and unsteady at times, usually when I'm feeling more sick than normal.

I'd be grateful if anyone can share their views and thoughts on this, I'm putting it down to IBS, but any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • fernando90225
    fernando90225 paul75665

    Posted

    Did you have your gallbladder checked. The floating film in bathroom toilet are fats. And color stools are from food not digesting right. Also bile can cause your stools to be yellow. I think you your gallbladder is diseased. Also nausea and a sick feeling everyday are also signs of this. I had all of those problems too. Had to have it removed. So in the meantime stick to fat free diet. It will minimize your symptoms. Next make an appt. To see a GI specialist. You will need Ct scan to check for stones and sludge. There are a few tests the doctor will probably do. You will need an ultrasound too. There are a few more tests the doctor can do to prove gall disease. Hope I helped you. Good Luck.
    • paul75665
      paul75665 fernando90225

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply.

      I will mention it to the doctor again, but in the past he has said this is very unlikely. Blood tests and my upper abdominal ultrasound have all come back fine in the past  Looking at the symptoms list for Gallbladder disease I don't seem to fit the bill, I don't experience pain often and when I do it's mainly around my belly button area, not upper abdominal pain, I never get fever, chills or rigors, my bowel movements have only changed since changing my diet and have been consistent with the description I have mentioned, I don't have any abnormal darkening of my urine and I don't get jaundice, all of which are associated with gallbladder disease. My diet is very much fat free as well, however it won't do any harm mentioning it to my doctor though. Thanks for the suggestion.

  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 paul75665

    Posted

    Stool colour change and changes in consistancy along with mucus are common symptoms of IBS.  Bowel habit change is one of the main symptoms of IBS.  Since all your tests have been negative, accept your IBS diagnosis.  IBS doesn’t show on scans.  I didn’t feel great for three and a half months before my disgnosis but once IBS was identified, I started to have many good days and months.  Keeping as calm as possible really helps to keep IBS at bay. Try distraction techniques to take your mind off yout stomach.The slimy substance sounds like mucus. Diet change can slso cause stools to change.

    Doctors don’t take  time to explain things to patients anymore and only hand out information leaflets on their diagnosis often with little advice on how to cope with symptoms.  Often we are left anxious and fearful and end up having to do our own research.

    • paul75665
      paul75665 pippa58442

      Posted

      Thank you for the reply Pippa.

      I have been siding more with the fact that this is all a part of my IBS, it's just I don't seem to be getting a break at the mo, I've felt ill for months, and its not constant either, one minute of the day I can feel quite rough, and then an hour or two later I feel fine, I have noticed that the days I do have a bowel movement I feel worse for a number of hours afterwards, and my bowel churn and gurgle a lot.

      You are certainly correct when we are left feeling anxious and fearful and very uninformed, when I was diagnosed I wasn't told what to expect, but the more I've researched IBS the more I've discovered that it can actually make you feel really ill, and give a whole host of what seems to be unrelated symptoms, I've even heard of people feeling dizzy and faint and other experiencing problems with their vision, none of which doesn't seem to make any sense.

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 paul75665

      Posted

      My only experience with IBS in the past had been my brother having it but his symptoms were different and so I didn’t recognise IBS in myself.  So I had nothing really to go on other than trying to find a doctor who could identify it.  Googling symptoms was disastrous for me so I was left in limbo.  I was just lucky that I found someone eventually who could give me answers.  However, even with this doctor, I wasn’t given any real help to cope with it other than to eat more fibre which I was doing anyway.  A lot of the advice on the leaflet I was given didn’t apply to me either.

      I think IBS is one of these conditions that is still poorly understood and once diagnosed, other people’s experiences offer the best hope for dealing with it. Doctors really only have textbook, general knowledge which dosen’t apply to everyone. We have to be our own advocates.

    • paul75665
      paul75665 pippa58442

      Posted

      I totally agree with everything you have said Pippa, the thing is we're also told to not self diagnose but when you aren't well informed then what else can we do. The other problem is everyone is different and we all seem to react in different ways to IBS, so asking for help and advice can be a pointless exercise as what works for one, more than likely won't work for the other. I'm currently waiting on a faecal calprotectin result to come through, if this one comes back positive then they are going to suggest a small bowel MRI scan, which I really don't want to have done, I'm praying it comes back fine!

      Anyway, thanks again for your help, I do appreciate it.

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 paul75665

      Posted

      You seen to have been waiting for the fecal calprotectin result for a long time.  I had to wait four days which I thought was too long when you are anxious so I chased it up.  Maybe get back to your doctor as to to why it is taking so long.
    • paul75665
      paul75665 pippa58442

      Posted

      I only handed a sample in on Friday, this test is a follow up after eliminating foods that I'm supposedly intolerant to following an intolerance test. My doctor and I want to see if my recent, generally slightly better health is due to the elimination of these suspect foods, the main ones being dairy, sesame seeds and yeast. I'm not hopeful of a clear result, but I'll be over the moon if I get an all clear!

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.