# Ribbon-shaped stool.



## MadeInMichigan

I'm 22 years old with a bit of a family history of gastro issues. My grandma has Crohn's, and my mom has had colon cancer twice. Recently it seems that my stool is pretty flat. I don't know how long it's been going on exactly, and maybe I'm just getting more and more paranoid because my mom's had stage IV colon cancer for 2.5 years. Should I wait a couple weeks before going to a doctor? I read that stress can easily cause a change in bowel movements, and I'm giving myself anxiety when I worry myself over this. The stool is almost always very easy to pass, but it's solid. I've also noticed that I've started to have a bowel movement right when I wake up the past few days, but again, I could be "making" my body react that way.

Here's a picture for anybody who's brave enough.

http://oi44.tinypic.com/15i44jn.jpg

t's worth noting also that the past few days after my first bowel movement in the morning, I get the urge to go again just a few minutes later. The urgency is like that of diarrhea, but it's a lot of sinking "fluffy" stuff. I've tried changing my diet a bit the past few days with more fruits and vegetables, but nothing seems to have changed anything.


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## MadeInMichigan

*Unneeded post*


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## MadeInMichigan

Bump! I hate doing this, but I figured an update.

I've decided to not worry about my stool, so long as it's variable. I see no reason to worry about stool shape if it's not just getting smaller and smaller. I do have ribbon-shaped stools sometimes, and then I have even pencil shaped ones, but then I have a relatively "normal" looking bowel movement, and my worries are gone. I figure that until I feel pain or notice blood or mucus in my stool, I have nothing to worry about.

I HOPE I'm okay with making that assumption. I don't want to go waste a doctor's time because I'm paranoid -- I made that mistake three years ago. -_- Just thought I'd share this with anybody who Googles "RIBBON SHAPED STOOL" and reads this thread.


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## Kathleen M.

While there is a lot of medical myths about stool shape (most of which will send anyone into a panic) the best evidence I've seen in the medical literature is that stool shape is rarely something to be concerned about as it has to do with stool consistency being on the soft side, not some tumor squishing it like one of those Playdoh presses no matter what the consistency is.

When it is a bit soft it can't hold it's shape and it is being squished and squeezed to move it along.


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## MadeInMichigan

Interestingly enough, I've used the bathroom four times in the past 90 minutes -- it's a good thing I don't have anything going on today. Ribbon-like, pencil thin, small pieces, and then even smaller pieces that included mucus... no straining, and none of what I'd consider diarrhea. That sort of "schedule" has happened three times the past month.

...the bits of mucus that I get time-to-time actually reassure me that whatever's going on with me is nothing too serious, even though I'm generally pessimistic. I do have a question though: Is it possible to have Crohn's or IBS or a similar ailment without having abdominal pain?


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## Kathleen M.

There are functional bowel disorders that are basically part of the symptoms of IBS (like stool issues) without all of the symptoms of IBS.

IBS is both stool issues (consistency or frequency changes) and adominal pain/discomfort (so bloating and urgency count as discomforts).

You can also get all the pain or discomfort of IBS without the stool issues as well as stool issue but little to no discomfort/pain.

Large volumes of painless watery diarrhea may be something other than IBS/functional bowel so that needs more testing than someone with standard IBS symptoms or a subset of IBS symptoms.

Many doctors call any of the functional bowel (or sometime any functional GI) disorder IBS as it doesn't matter much for treatment which one is causing the stool issue or the discomfort.

Chron's usually is all the symptoms of IBS AND more symptoms, not fewer symptoms of IBS and no symptoms of Crohn's.


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## MadeInMichigan

Hm... thanks a lot. I know a person should never self-diagnose, buuut I don't think it's coincidental that I get mini "flares" the more I worry about my mom -- or stool, even. I'll attribute my erratic bowel habits to stress for now, and try and stop stressing about my stress. Phew, sounds stressful.


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## MadeInMichigan

This is entirely gross, but my curiosity got the best of me. Prepare yourself.

After my BM this morning, I noticed a "vein" or something in my stool that looked really unusual to me (not the color of a vein, just the shape). I decided to poke it out (with a hanger) and discovered that it seemed to be a thin string of really thick mucus banded in ... almost like a rubber band, or when you eat chicken wings and you get those veins.

Interestingly, I also saw a bit of a carrot from a salad I had the other day. I want to think what I have is "just" IBS, but I don't have any abdominal pains. Any suggestions out there?


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## Kathleen M.

Hard things like bits of carrot come out looking about like they did going down. You have nothing to grind them up in there, just your teeth at the start.

Every human has some mucus. IBSers often have more than usual so it really doesn't mean you immediately need a lot of testing for other things. It is probably just the IBS.


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## MadeInMichigan

I'm merely self-diagnosing though, based on some of my immediate family (sister and grandma both have IBS, or if not IBS, some weird bowels). I saw what could have been blood in my stool once (not sure), but haven't seen anything like that since that time.

I don't think I need to worry myself unless I have constipation, non-stop diarrhea, blood, or abdominal pain.

Thanks for the responses by the way. /)

(That's a thumbs up...)


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## MadeInMichigan

Me again. I've had pretty normal stools for the past week or so, but I'm a bit confused. My "initial" bowel movement is what many people would probably consider to be normal/healthy. After that, there are a few nearly pencil thin nuggets that come out. I've actually had this happen to me on some level since at least several years ago. Would spasms be causing that?


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