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Is Change In Color And Texture Of Stool Normal?
Question: Hi I wanted to ask about blood in stools, I've had stomach issues for the past couple of months now and I've noticed that sometimes my stools have darker areas in the stool. Most parts are normal brown colour but some especially the first part of the bowel movement are darker brown colour. The consistency is soft but the stool is hard to separate. It was hard separating smaller pieces for a stool sample because the stool stays together almost like a mozzarella cheese consistency. What can cause this? Also I was desperate and have some urin sticks for testing at home and tried to use it on my stool sample and in the water Nd both times the pee stick reacted on blood. Is it possible to test this with a urine stick or is the sample reacting on other things?
Brief Answer:
Color and mild change in consistency are very normal things.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Have seen your details and I appreciate your concerns.
Stool can have a range of colors. All shades of brown and even green are considered normal. Only rarely does stool color indicate a potentially serious intestinal condition(for eg. tarry black). Stool color is generally influenced by what you eat as well as by the amount of bile a yellow-green fluid that digests fats in your stool. However there are a few things to consider when a person suspects she has blood in the stool.
The first thing is if it is really blood. There are some food and industrial chemicals that might be in stool and give the impression of blood and in fact, it is not. Unless it bright red blood (which is clear that it is blood). Other times the way to know if you are bleeding or not is having a stool occult blood test or a stool microscopy that will confirm the presence of blood with the stools. No urine stick is designed for the ph urine and fecal Ph is very different from that of urine.
A CBC would be a good test to be done if you suspect bleeding to see if you are developing anemia as a complication of bleeding and need treatment for it or not.
So to conclude:
1. we need to be sure you are bleeding or not- a stool test like fecal occult blood test and or stool microscopy for blood will help in this.
2. if it is confirmed that you are bleeding then you will need a colonoscopy to find the cause of it.
3.Take a probiotic and fibers to improve consistency of stools.
I hope this is helpful and answers your questions but please feel free to reply in case any more clarification is needed on this.
Regards,
Dr. Ramesh Kumar
Color and mild change in consistency are very normal things.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Have seen your details and I appreciate your concerns.
Stool can have a range of colors. All shades of brown and even green are considered normal. Only rarely does stool color indicate a potentially serious intestinal condition(for eg. tarry black). Stool color is generally influenced by what you eat as well as by the amount of bile a yellow-green fluid that digests fats in your stool. However there are a few things to consider when a person suspects she has blood in the stool.
The first thing is if it is really blood. There are some food and industrial chemicals that might be in stool and give the impression of blood and in fact, it is not. Unless it bright red blood (which is clear that it is blood). Other times the way to know if you are bleeding or not is having a stool occult blood test or a stool microscopy that will confirm the presence of blood with the stools. No urine stick is designed for the ph urine and fecal Ph is very different from that of urine.
A CBC would be a good test to be done if you suspect bleeding to see if you are developing anemia as a complication of bleeding and need treatment for it or not.
So to conclude:
1. we need to be sure you are bleeding or not- a stool test like fecal occult blood test and or stool microscopy for blood will help in this.
2. if it is confirmed that you are bleeding then you will need a colonoscopy to find the cause of it.
3.Take a probiotic and fibers to improve consistency of stools.
I hope this is helpful and answers your questions but please feel free to reply in case any more clarification is needed on this.
Regards,
Dr. Ramesh Kumar
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
As always you help me out, thank you.
I just wish these things issues would stop or a cause would be found, but there seems to keep coming something new all the time.
Just to be 100 % sure, the urine stick I have also shows other things than just the pH, it also test for blood, density, and many more are you sure that this test that got positive on contact with my stool is not useful?
Alright so I should make them test my stool for 2 things? Do I need to sample more than one or is one sample enough? (They gave me only one test tube).
I just want to be sure I get all the tests done, because they only test very specifically and then I have to keep coming back to get new tests done over and over.
I just wish these things issues would stop or a cause would be found, but there seems to keep coming something new all the time.
Just to be 100 % sure, the urine stick I have also shows other things than just the pH, it also test for blood, density, and many more are you sure that this test that got positive on contact with my stool is not useful?
Alright so I should make them test my stool for 2 things? Do I need to sample more than one or is one sample enough? (They gave me only one test tube).
I just want to be sure I get all the tests done, because they only test very specifically and then I have to keep coming back to get new tests done over and over.
Brief Answer:
Follow up answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
These are all biotechnologically developed things so i don't think that a urine dip stick would be sensitive for stools.
One sample of stool is enough.
Just go for stool for occult blood and stool routine and sensitivity test. If they are normal every thing is normal.
Follow up with reports.
Thank you.
Regards
Follow up answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
These are all biotechnologically developed things so i don't think that a urine dip stick would be sensitive for stools.
One sample of stool is enough.
Just go for stool for occult blood and stool routine and sensitivity test. If they are normal every thing is normal.
Follow up with reports.
Thank you.
Regards
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
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