# Stool colour



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

Hi thereNew to this forum and have had IBS for two years. Had a bereavement last year that has really set my IBS off,, coupled with some penicillin which the doc said could have triggered it too.I am a big worrier about cancer and the doctors have told me not to worry about it so much. My IBs seems to be getting better now as i have started to eat more fruit and excercise. Tonight I have had a scare as I have passed a normal stool but it is slightly clay coloured and me being a hypochondriac I think its pancreatic cancer. The stool sank and had undigested poppy seeds in it from a sandwich I eat on Tuesday.My question is, does IBS cause clay coloured stools during a period of getting better.I did pester my doctor that it might be pancreatic problems but she said to wait for the results of blood tests.Thanks AllWorried UK guy


----------



## Screamer (Aug 16, 2005)

I frequently have clay coloured stools. Most often after a diarreah flare up and when I'm on the mend a little. Try not to worry so much about it. I know that's easier said than done but all it does is make our symptoms worse from all the stress. Hang in there for the test results.


----------



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

Thanks but i worry like crazy. I had a fecal test which was normal, and she prescribed me acid reducing pills for the indigestion i was getting in the evenings.Should know my Friday how the results come back.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Are you talking yellow, or ecru? Yellowish is a normal color (the bile just didn't have time to turn brown) lacking any yellow or green from the bile is what makes it clay colored.Sinking just means there is not enough gas trapped in the stool. to make it float.Anything hard like a seed that you do not chew up in your mouth will come out the same way it went in.K.


----------



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

it was sort of a very light brown. Not grey in anyway, just very pale brown i guess.Am i honestly fretting over nothing here?


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Light brown is OK, it's the grey that is not.I think you are probably worrying more than you need to. However, it is very common to do so and most of us only start an in depth study of stool after the symptoms occur so it is hard to know what is normal range and what is something new and troubling.K.


----------



## 13621 (Jan 3, 2007)

My stools would come out dark brown then light brown, then back and forth. My doctor said that because of this it sounded like I had some sort of blockage and that the reason why it was coming out like that is because my intestines are having trouble and don't know what to do because of the blockage.He put me on some fiber pills, Prevacid, and Xanax to help with the anxiety which can make things worse.I took the fiber pills last night and also had oatmeal for dinner and breakfast, and although I am not 100% yet, I am feeling much better.But, the light brown stool is nothing to worry about. I'm guessing it was loose or spongy too?


----------



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

No stool was perfectly formed. Awaiting blood results tomorrow i am very worried. But thats me lol.Had loose stools again today, probably with all the worry. I assume clay coloured is actual grey colour that is worrying, right?


----------



## 16772 (Apr 3, 2005)

> quote:Originally posted by Kathleen M.:Anything hard like a seed that you do not chew up in your mouth will come out the same way it went in.K.


then why do I pass corn whole?


----------



## SJ1985 (Apr 1, 2006)

Don't worry about it mate, the IBS is probably just making you anxious. The colour and consistency is all over the place for people with our condition and worrying just brings it on more. I mean sometimes it can be black, sometimes yellow, it's all over the place.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

The skin of the corn kernel is tough enough that it like seeds will come out the way it goes in.We have no organ to grind things up other than our teeth. Yep there are acids and stuff but skins and peels, etc. don't get dissolved by that and tend to come out the way they go in. Some birds have a crop to grind up things like seeds with the help of small rocks but we don't have anything like that.Everyone passes corn out the way it went down. One of the usual at home transit estimation tests is to not eat corn for a week. Eat a bunch of it and see when it comes out. If you don't want to see it in the stool you have to make sure you chew it up enough before you swallow it. It doesn't get put back together in there, but many things do not fall apart either.Every single person has undigested bits of stuff in the stool (and most animals). Sometimes the easiest way to find out what something eats is to get the stool of an animal (either because it is fossilized or the animal is uncommon enough you can't observe it eating) to figure out what it eats from the undigested bits.K.


----------



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

The blood tests are normal, and I had a normal stool today (colour and shape). I guess i'll try and stop worrying about cancer now and get on with the rest of my life.Do IBS stop permanently ever?


----------



## meckle (Mar 5, 2003)

okwhat about orange stools? orange like a carrot (well a little less bright than that but orange enough not be tan and not to be light-brown)I get this quite often and I've never yet heard an adequate explanation. I also tend to have a slightly backed up feeling when this happens and said stools tend to be low in volume (I suspect I get mild pseudo-obstructions but I've never had it checked out).


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

http://ibdcrohns.about.com/cs/otherdisease...stoolcolors.htmCauses of orange colored stools some medications (such as beta-carotene and rifampen) foods high in beta-carotene: carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, winter squash, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and mangoes


----------



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

Well my symptoms are abating slowly. I am on omeprazole got acid in the evenings. I am still worried I have cancer and am seeking help for my hypochondria. I have pains under my left ribs and stomach pains occasionally still. Should I be satisfied with the docs diagnosis after the bloods came back normal?I am scared I have pancreatic cancer, as i sometimes have an intermittent only sometimes (hardly noticeable) pain in the middle of my back sometimes. I have been going to the gym so maybe its muscular. Thoughts please, thanks.


----------



## 14856 (Apr 17, 2006)

The pain in your left side low down under the last rib? If so then that is clasic IBS pain spot, the pain-discomfort can travel through to the back region as we are 3 dimensional creatures and bowel pain can be felt from either side (this is a slightly jokey answer but many people forget that back pain can be bowel related)I too was convinced I had some form of cancer, In fact i would say that 99% of the people with IBS have had this fear, one sould even say that this irrational fear is one of the triggers of IBS.Hypnosis will help with this UK guy so get a tape and learn to chillax


----------



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

Thanks for your reply. Am trying to cope with this fear. Bereavement can make you think all sorts of daft stuff.


----------



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

I was just wondering if those on this form think this is enough testing and to be happy with the diagnosis?1)Fecal test -normal2) Blood tests normalEndoscopy last year with biopsy....completely normal. Should I request a colonosocopy and a test for celiacs?Just curious to know others opinions. My stools are normal colour now but i had another loose movement today. Thoughts please, thanks.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

The biopsy with the endoscopy (tube down the throat) tests for celiac and is usually used to confirm the blood tests for celiac, so I don't know that you need to backtrack.Were you eating a gluten free diet at the time of the biopsies? If you were that could mask celiac as the treatment of not eating gluten reverses celiac damage 100%.Usually the things they check for with the colonoscopy also tend to make your blood work abnormal, so normal blood work tends to argue against it. Occasional loose stools are pretty normal for IBS, and not a red flag for other problems. If you have times when you have a lot of watery diarrhea, especially if it hits at night a lot, or you have pain that wakes you up at night then I would push for the colonoscopy. Depending on symptoms sometimes the chances of finding something is so low it makes the risk of emergency surgery from a perforated colon really not worth it. The risk is low, but there is a risk with any invasive test which is why they often don't do them when it is highly unlikely to change the diagnosis.K.


----------



## 18110 (Jan 3, 2007)

Thanks for putting my mind at ease. I never ever wake at night with IBS problems. I was not eating a gluten free diet at the time of the endoscopy. My IBS is mild but as you can understand for a hypochondriac it can be very worrying.


----------



## 17169 (Oct 15, 2006)

You worry wayyyy too much, just like me. The more you worry about it the more your symptoms will flare up. It is ok to be concerned, but worrying about it is different and can cause problems.Kathleen it is interesting you brought up the Celiac and Gluten thing. I tried removing it from my diet this week and noticed some changes in my BM, perking my interest if it could be a problem for me.


----------

