# For Those Worrying about Stool Size and Shape



## clfergus (Jan 16, 2012)

I just wanted to shed some light on stool size and shape after talking to my GI Dr. today in a casual conversation. If your one of those people who worries that stool shape and caliber are signs of colon cancer....they are not so much.I am prime example of a person who was 100% normal, has a hemmorroid that cuase me to google anal pain and boom....colon cancer, IBD etc popped up. This sent me into a tail spin.My stool has always been softer, I ahve never had the normal 1 piece log per say. Mine is usually softer pieces. I noticed that some time they tended to be flatter which got me worried. I worried to the point that I tried bulking using fiber and even withholding my stool for a day so it could bulk up.what happened....It bulked up to normal. I am fighting some abdominal pain now which I think is related to my stress that started with this.My GI dr. said that stool size and shape have no bearing on colon cancer. Everyones stool differes day to day based on what you eat and daily conditions. The #1 sign that they look for is a long term change in stool. So if you are normal and have diarrhea for a couple of weeks of start to become constipated out of nowehere for weeks when you were normal.Blood in the stool is also a sign but not a immediate caution. If you have pencil thin stool all the time then possible thats a cuase to call the Dr.But if you have stoll that is flatter or doesn't look like a log its not a indicator. Your rectal and anus area could be shaped a certain way and the firmness of your stool gets shaped by your anus as it doesn't open all the way unless your stool is hard enough to force it open.Just thought I would share in case some were worried like I was.


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## slowe271 (Feb 2, 2013)

Thank you for posting. I have been worried about my stool being "flatter" and have been fearing the worst. Ive been scouring the medical websites and it only made me worry more, but after reading your post I was able to realize that its when the stool is soft that I really notice the change in shape. This makes me believe its the anal canal shape causing the issue. Cant thank you enough, my worries are relieved.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

There was a recent paper that tried to track down the "it must be cancer data".

What they found was the data doesn't exist. That a tumor could change the stool shape was proposed as a theory in the late 1800's and people just thought it made sense and it got repeated enough that people figure someone actually collected data.

The data we have indicates what the doc said. It has to do with stool consistency more than anything. Softer stools do not hold their shape so however they get squeezed by your anatomy is what they end up coming out as (think playdoh and one of those things that could make shaped logs of doh).


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## adam4little (Feb 10, 2011)

What do you mean when you say the number one thing they look for is long term change in stool? Isn't that what IBS is all about? Im freaking out here


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I think they meant it changes in a particular way and stays that way rather than every day no matter what rather than every day being a new adventure in stool shape, consistency, with normal not being the usual.


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