# So could you guys explain exactly why ribbon like stool is nothing to worry about for colon cancer?



## dothackzero

And why they haven't updated the medical book to not include this symptom for colon cancer?


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## Kathleen M.

A lot of medical myths take a really long time to get out of text books.Here is the recent article I use to say it is a MYTH not a FACT.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1868305...Pubmed_RVDocSumI've read the whole article. Some doctor in the 1800's thought it was logical, and it does sound logical enough a lot of people just repeat it without investigating if it is true or not.Here is a quote from the article


> In my long experience as a gastroenterologist, I havenever encountered a patient complaining of ''low caliberstool'' who was later found to have cancer of colon, andthose who had colorectal cancer (CRC) never mentioned''low caliber stool'' as one of their complaints.


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## BQ

You would have to have days and days... months *****in a row**** * of thin stools for one. Have you had that?? Not from what you have said, you haven't.Ribbon like stools for _EXTENDED_ periods of time with _NO_ regular width bowels movements _AT ALL _in between, MAY.. (_emphasizing MAY_), mean you have a problem in there that warrants attention. (You would be defying extremely LONG odds for this to even be colon cancer.)If you haven't had this..... you are OK. Hack.... you need to stop worrying about this.You are much more in danger of allowing Anxiety to rule your life than you are of colon cancer.So I would urge you to seek and maintain treatment for your anxiety instead of obsessing on this.Ask your Doctors.. _both of them_.... to help you let go of this fear.BQ


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## Guest

I quite agree BQ. You really, really, really have to STOP this. I ended up in a psychiatric unit for SIX WEEKS because I could not stop obsessing about my health.Take some things on faith.Sue


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## dothackzero

Are there any other articales saying the same thing?


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## Kathleen M.

That is the main one I've found and it is pretty recent.Myth-busting isn't something doctors tend to spend a lot of time on.While it is in the text books the people who reviewed the literature for that article found zero evidence for the myth.If you can't calm down the anxiety that you must be dying of cancer you probably want to talk to the doctor about that.


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## dothackzero

Apprently the my new med for my anxitity should be coming soon, and apprently it's more directed at fighting the anxitity it's self. They type I'm taking now is more directed at depression with helping out with anxitiy as a side effect.


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## dothackzero

So yeah, after a few days of having normal #### it's a wide and fat ribbon like again. So should it be even less to worry about since it changes so fast?


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## Kathleen M.

Yep, quick changes from one thing to another really points to IBS rather than anything else.


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## dothackzero

and it back to normal again...Anyway I've started on my anxitity meds today. It should take 2-3 for it to become fully active.


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## Kathleen M.

I hope they help. Dealing with anxiety isn't any fun.


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## Guest

Oh - I think thats wildly optimistic - I'd be inclined to think nearer 6/8 weeks - but lets hope you get lucky.Happy Christmas - please try at least to enjoy the holidays - have you got friends and/or family who you are spending it with?Sue


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## dothackzero

Actually, I took a at the notes about the meds and it said 4 weeks for it take full effect. >_<So yeah, I found a little bit of blackness on my poop. Does it have to have to be everything before it's a problem, or could it just be something I ate?


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## Kathleen M.

There are a number of foods that can cause blacker or darker parts to the stool. Usually the concern is when it happens all the time, not when it is a one off sort of thing.http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/otherdisease...stoolcolors.htm has info on some of the foods that can cause every single scary/unusual color. So even the "something bad happened" colors all have some food that could cause it. About the only one that is hard to cause from food is the pale clay colored/whitish stool although even that can be caused by something you need to take for medical reasons.


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## dothackzero

It was probably the bluebarries then.


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## dothackzero

light red blood means hemeroids right? And it looks over the past few days my poop has been normal again. Though for some reason when I took a poop again today it started out normal then it was got a bit flater. So, Overall a lot less to worry about?


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## BQ

Yes on the hemmies.And another YES definitely aLOT less to worry about.Breathe easy...BQ


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## dothackzero

and I'm getting flatish stool again. >_< Just when I starting to not worry about having colon cancer again, then this starts up again.


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## Guest

Well if I was you - I'd stop looking - you are just going to get yourself into a state again - believe you me, I've had all sorts - mine get right clayish around when I've got my period and I've had all sorts of strange shapes and bits and bobs - its nowt - its your anxiety that worries me. What do you do - do you work or something - surely you don't spend all day and every day fretting like this do you? Give those anti-d's time to work but do go back to the GP if you are still fretting like this in the not too dim and distant - you're going to make yourself mentally ill aren't you.Sue


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## dothackzero

You mean I'm not mentally ill already?


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## Kathleen M.

You have anxiety bad enough to need treatment, but right now you are at least functional enough to be out and about and posting on an internet board. Since you've been told multiple times that the occasional odd shape does NOT mean anything, you really need to stop trying to analyze your stool as you seem to be doing it only to feed your anxiety. Anxiety can be like that. However feeding the anxiety over and over can make it worse.While waiting for the pills to start kicking in try flushing the toilet before you look at the stool, if you can.


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## Guest

Well I couldn't possibly say - you are definately over-anxious but I don't know you from a hole in the head as it were and I'm not medically qualified. However, as you know - I have had bouts of clinical depression so what I would say - if you have had a low mood constantly for at least 2 weeks, take no pleasure in the things you usually do, dread everything, have panic attacks, have interrupted sleep, appetite and are "off" sex - then I'd say you definately need some proper medical intervention. You are on anti-depressants aren't you - well as I've said before - you need to be patient, you need to probably give them 6/8 weeks - so patience but work closely with the doctor and try to put these incessant health panics into a proper perspective if you can.Sue


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## dothackzero

Having a lot of chocolate in one day and not much else can make your #### penceilish thin right?


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## Kathleen M.

Diet will effect stool consistency, so will determine whether it is narrow or not.A lot of chocolate could make your stool come out that way, as could a lot of other things you eat.Every single time you ask this question you will get the same answer.It is your stool consistency not some tumor causing the changes in width. Just flush without studying the stool, it isn't good for you to obsess over it like this. If you are going to eat badly you have to expect it will look funny when it comes out. When healthy people who never had any anxiety or any health problem ever eat really bad like that it makes their stool look different than usual. Hopefully the doctor can help you with this obsession that every stool must always be totally perfect no matter what you eat.


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## dothackzero

and I'm guessing peanut butter is another one of the main that changes stool consistency?


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## Kathleen M.

Every single food you could ever eat effects stool consistency in some way.How much fiber, if any, a food has is a big part of it. People have noted that how much fat they eat can effect stool consistency as well.


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## dothackzero

blah, I'm starting to worry about this again. >_<The overall fear of having colon is weaker than I used to be though. Since I can still work on my game while I'm waiting for answers, but it's still there enough for it to be a pain in the arse.


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## Kathleen M.

I though you had an appointment for today? Did that go well?Just remind yourself that since you now have IBS that means you have more variation in stool consistency than you did before it started.Even healthy people can have some funny stools when they eat foods that really effect the consistency of stool in anyone (like eating a lot of raw fruit can cause diarrhea from the sorbitol even in totally healthy people).I really don't think it is normal for every single stool to always be perfect.


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## dothackzero

Sadly the appointment was changed to monday at 2:00. Even that one is just find out which phycologist I need to goto. Either way, I can't wait till finally ge the help I need.


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## Guest

Look be under NO illusion here - some guy is NOT going to wave a magic wand and make it all better - YOU are going to have to put in alot of work here. LISTEN to what he/she says to you - anyone decent is going to provide you with some coping tools and hopefully make you see the world in a less black and white way but this is about you working hard, very hard to set yourself on the road to recovery - its not going to be easy but please be realistic about how much a psychologist or psychiatrist can do - alot of this is down to you.Sue


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## dothackzero

I know that fixing my anxitity is a process and not instant thing 95%, but I doubt I'm gonna be one of the 5% or it probably would have already happened. Anyway, I even my mom is starting to think my flater stool is being cause by the peanutbutter.


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## M&M

I have to echo what Sue says. It is going to be a lot of work to over come this. You are going to have to do the work yourself, and it is going to be hard.We cannot enable your obsessive thoughts by reassuring you multiple times a day. It is like giving cocaine to a drug addict."The help you need" is just going to be giving you the tools you need to do the work YOU need to do by yourself. Getting better will only be up to you - pills and therapy are not going to "cure" you. You are going to have to force yourself to do things that are uncomfortable for you, and are going to have to force yourself to avoid doing things that currently give you momentary feelings of "relief" (like posting here and other places about every little thing going on inside your body).Let me reiterate - coming here (and going to other message boards) multiple times everyday looking for reassurance you are fine is VERY bad for you. It is only making you worse by engaging your obsessive thoughts.I am not trying to be mean to you, but you need to hear from someone honestly that coming here asking about your bowel movements, your moles, your butt, (and the list goes on and on) is not good for you. I know it gives you a momentary feeling of being "safe" and "ok", but it is only feeding the cycle of anxiety inside you. You have to come to terms with the fact that you can't keep doing this if you REALLY want to get better. You're going to have to use every ounce of strength in you to fight the urge.You see, you come here, and ask your question. Multiple members tell you "it's nothing to worry about" and give you detailed answers as to why you're fine. You don't listen, you don't believe them, you keep worrying about, AND find 5 other things to worry about. In fact, even when you see a doctor about 1 of your issues (your moles, for example) they tell you that you are fine, but you don't believe them. Explanations and reassurance are NOT helping you. Coming here and getting that feedback is making you WORSE not better.You are going to have to learn how to comfort and reassure YOURSELF.


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## dothackzero

Okay, I think I've got it. A idea, not colon cancer. So I have been worrying about colon cancer off and on for over 3 months right now. From what I've been hearing getting symtoms with colon cancer usually doesn't happen later on right? So let's assume ribbon/penceil thin stool is a symtom of colon cancer like everyone else says it it. If I had colon cancer since I started worrying about it, wouldn' things have gotten a lot worse for me by now and I would have a lot of the other symtoms by now too?


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## Guest

ENOUGH


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## dothackzero

Did you even read the post, it actually was not really about me worrying about it. It more like me though what I was worried about logicly.


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## M&M

Yes, you are right. This is another good conclusion to come to. This is a great way to think about these things that are nagging you.


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## BQ

YES!!! DHZ now you are really doing the work of changing your thoughts. Congrats hon.. you are on your way!You should be right proud that you thought this through logically and came to a good conclusion!Standing O for you!BQ


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## dothackzero

BQ said:


> YES!!! DHZ now you are really doing the work of changing your thoughts. Congrats hon.. you are on your way!You should be right proud that you thought this through logically and came to a good conclusion!Standing O for you!BQ


Acutally, I think it was God that helpped with this one since I thought of when I was praying. Anyway, I still would like to know Kathleen M. thinks about this.


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## dothackzero

So from what I've told you guys. Do you think I have IBS?


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## Kathleen M.

Most likely thing with those symptoms at your age is IBS.


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## dothackzero

That's still pretty depressing. >_<Is there a chance it's pure diet, and not even IBS?


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## Kathleen M.

Some people have some dietary intolerances, but that does not cause all the symptoms of IBS.Diet will effect stool consistency whether you have IBS or not.


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## dothackzero

Kathleen M. said:


> Some people have some dietary intolerances, but that does not cause all the symptoms of IBS.Diet will effect stool consistency whether you have IBS or not.


So then it's probably just my diet?


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## Kathleen M.

Is the only thing you have is slightly too soft stools after you eat starchy foods, or fatty foods, or fruits with sorbitol, caffiene, or alcohol?No pain or discomfort of any kind what-so-ever? No farting (other than the normal amount of easily controlled farting all humans have, if you can't hold it without pain, that is IBS), no bloating, no cramps no pain, no nothing other than once every so often you have a stool that doesn't measure up to whatever standard of perfection you think it should?Now most people without IBS generally handle those dietary insults with moderate consumption, but if you eat enough prunes or enough greasy fast food anyone can have a looser than normal stool.IBSers generally have more discomfort with dietary things than non-IBSers, and amounts that don't normally bother people will bother them. Some people with mild IBS can control it with diet. Usually if you are in pain to where you can't do anything but curl into fetal position and whimper after every meal, diet alone is not going to fix that. IBS ranges from mildly annoying to extremely debilitating.


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## dothackzero

Kathleen M. said:


> Now most people without IBS generally handle those dietary insults with moderate consumption, but if you eat enough prunes or enough greasy fast food anyone can have a looser than normal stool.


I do tend to have a lot of fast food.


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## Kathleen M.

I'm sure it isn't colon cancer.Virtually no symptoms of anything is not a sign you are about to drop dead of cancer.A mostly fast food diet will disrupt a lot of people's stools. Try cutting back on the fast food and see if you are back to perfectly healthy.


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## dothackzero

What does it mean does it mean when your left side from you bellybutton down to your left ball hurting mean? Could it just be a muscle thing I hope?it hurts, but it feels better warmth.


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## dothackzero

oh yeah, I also haven't been able to #### all day.


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## Kathleen M.

Sounds like IBS.


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## M&M

These repeated health questions are for your doctor.


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## dothackzero

We are sure it isn't sometime like colon cancer casuing this, right?


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## M&M




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