COLOR
& TEXTURE
Stools
come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures.
These vary from person to person as well as varying from
stool to stool from the same person. Though many different
stool appearances are considered normal, any change from
you "usual" bowel habits should be considered abnormal.
If the change persists for more than a few days, and you
can't attribute it to a significant change in your diet,
you should contact your physician for advice. That
said, lets look at some of the common abnormalites of stool
properties.
RED
STOOL & bright red BLOOD in the stool
Be worried. Though bright red blood in the stool or
on the toilet paper is usually due to hemorrhoids, it is
abnormal and should be considered a serious problem unless
your doctor evaluates you and tells you otherwise.
Blood in the stool is not normal. It means that something
in your gut is bleeding. If you see bright red blood
in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement and feel weak
(not just from the shock of seeing blood), seek medical
attention promptly. If you see a little bright red
blood on the toilet paper after you wipe, you should mention
this to your doctor. Even though it will likely turn
out to be hemorrhoids, blood in the stool can come from
something that can be an emergency, like a bleeding ulcer
or a dead section of bowel, or from something equally bad
but not immediately life-threatening, like cancer.
The point is, you can't diagnose yourself, and more serious
causes must be ruled out. Call your doctor.
BLACK
TARRY STOOL
Be worried. Iron supplements can cause black stool, but
the other, more alarming cause is digested BLOOD.
Blood can turn the stool black, called "MELENA". The stool
may also be tarry and sticky, and may smell especially bad.
This is SERIOUS. Call your doctor promptly; you may need
to go to the emergency room if you feel weak. Be sure to
tell the medical staff if you have conditions like heartburn,
ulcers, cancer, any GI disease, as these may be the source
of the bleeding.
STRINGY
STOOL
If your stool comes out in a long thin string despite a
normal appetite and normal eating patterns, this may be
a cause for concern. You could have a parasitic infection
(worms). Contact your healthcare provider; they will probably
ask you to obtain stool studies to better identify the cause
of the problem.
SMELLY
or GREASY STOOL
You
are what you eat, and so is your stool! Changes in
your diet will cause changes in the smell (and texture)
of your stool.. Some say a vegetarian diet causes less odor
in the stool, since fat seem to cause smellier stools.
If you have particularly greasy, smelly, floating stools,
you may have a problem absorbing fat from your gut.
The problem may be in your pancreas or small bowel.
You should alert your physician about this problem.
FLOATING
STOOLS
Generally means your stool has a high fat content. See above
for smelly greasy stools.
SILVERY
WHITE, GRAY or PALE YELLOW STOOLS
If your stool lacks the normal brown color for more than
a day or two, you need to alert your physician as disorders
involving your liver, gall bladder or pancreas may be the
cause, and may represent a serious disease.
