# Oh no, now read about sticky stools



## Momma111

I am freaking out. I did a little research through past posts, and it seems that my "sticky" stools are not what yours are! My stools are very loose and they actually stick to the toilet bowl. After five flushes, there is still some residue left!


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## Kathleen M.

There is no particular stool consistency that is "bad" compared to others in that it means something is wrong other than IBS. IBS can cause every stool consistency imaginable (and probably a few you can't imagine until they happen to you







)Usually people find the can't get it off of them more annoying than it won't go down the toilet right away, but you can see either one, or both with IBS. Just depends exactly where in the spectrum of soft to loose you are.


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## Momma111

Kathleen, thank you for responding. I am so worried. This is all such a drastic change for me - which is of course a warning sign in itself. But now I can't seem to get past the sticky thing, as I think that is what is meant by tarry. I always went past tarry before, thinking is was just referring to the color of tar, but now I realize it means that it would stick to things. And I don't see anyone else describing it.


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## Kathleen M.

The tarry is both black and tarry, not just sticky.The blood that gets that sticky thick gooey will also be black.I sometimes have stools that leave skid marks in the toilet when I don't have IBS acting up.


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## Momma111

My stools have been getting darker since I started taking iron about a week ago. So I wouldn't know if there was a color change. I've had diarrhea/loose stools for two solid months now, with the one exception being one small, constipated bm yesterday. I was so relieved, even though I figured the iron was doing it, but now I get this today and I'm thinking that it wasn't the iron at all.It's kind of distressing that so many people read my posts, but don't respond. I take from it that none of them can relate to what I am writing...Thanks Kathleen. My whole family is a mess over this.


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## Kathleen M.

Don't take a lot of people read to mean no one has the same problem.We have a lot of unregistered guest and the number of views I think includes all the people who will read, but will not post.Right now we have like 75 guests on the site for 15 members (which means you can post, not that you do post).Iron will darken stools and can constipate. I haven't seen any medical opinion say that "sticks to the toilet" is what they mean by tarry or that is a bad symptom. Like I said, I can get that sometimes even when the IBS isn't acting up.


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## Diana63

My stools stick to the toilet bowl sometimes and they come in all different shapes and a few colours to!


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## overitnow

Mine used to be that way, as well. (For me it was a sign of improvement.) The colour change may well be due to the iron.Mark


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## Momma111

Thanks Kathleen, Diana, and Mark. I appreciate your responding. Trying to let the sticky thing go...


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## faze action

My stools are _always_ sticky and most of the time somewhat greasy/oily as well. It generally takes me two flushes to flush everything, and sometimes three. Once in a blue moon I pass a stool of more "normal" consistency, but not often. I eat a lot of fiber in my diet, whole foods (little to no processed or junk food) and exercise. Sticky stools are just part of IBS I'm afraid.There are only two things that have given me relief from this:1. rifaximin antibiotics (I have a bacterial overgrowth), but this was temporary only2. fiber supplement such as Citrucel, but again it didn't help 100%. You may want to consider adding a fiber supplement to try to bulk up your stool just to see if it helps.I also take iron supps and my stool is chronically dark-colored from that (nothing to worry about there).


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## mascott

My IBS came up over a year ago. I have had loose frequent BM's and they are usually very 'sticky' and messy. Recently I was on Cerfuroxime 500mg antibiotic for bronchitis and it cleared me up completely for 7 weeks. Then it all came back again. Has anyone else had this kind of results? What kind of infection would cause this, then come back again?


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## Kathleen M.

Not really an infection but you may need to be tested for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.They see it in some IBSers, although classically it is seen in some more serious diseases or after surgeries.For one reason or another the totally normal not infectious at all bacteria that live in the colon migrate and start hanging out in the small intestine.Antibiotics clears it out, then over time the bacteria migrate again and symptoms come back.


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## Bonzi

I used to have issues with sticky BM's a year or so ago, but started taking multivitamins when I was lifting weights and the sticky BM issue went away. Not sure if that issue was ever IBS related, but I hated it. I had to always carry baby wipes around in case I had a BM that wasnt at home. (I now do this all the time, as I have grown used to being super clean after BMs)


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