Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: clio on September 22, 2018, 07:56:20 PM
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Hi ladies, I'm concerned about my poo (sorry), about 5 months ago I noticed a big change in my poo and bowel habits. I never feel like I've completely empty my bowels, it's lighter in colour and alot softer. I use to go every morning, it would be dark brown , well formed like a sausage and felt satisfied after! Should I be worried??
Clio
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Any alteration in bowel habits should be checked by a GP. Particularly if there is blood. Many things can alter the texture and content of poo but best to chat with a GP or Nurse.
Do you do the over 60s poo test kit that arrives in the post?
Maybe jot down what you eat/drink for 7 days: everything! to see how you diet has altered.
My variations are 'within normal limits' for me. I feel the need to empty the bowel every day but that doesn't always happen. Even when I've been the bowel often does not feel empty. Certain foods give me a well deserved rush, either the next morning or a couple of days later. This often involves more bowel action throughout the day so I keep close to the house ::)
I know what is 'normal' 4 me. Sometimes it's difficult to pass, others it's small ploppy bits and very often when anxious :o you really wouldn't want to know ::). After I've been in a hurry due to anxiety, about 2 hours later I feel quite ill as the digestive tract begins to re-fill which causes my bowel to want to empty: usually in a crowded place >:(. Like there's a gap below the belly button.
And don't get me started on what gives I wind ::)
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Hi Clio,
My life revolves around poo lol thanks to years of Chrons disease and more recently a fistula.
The only time however my stools were lighter in colour were when I had gall bladder problems or if I took lots of gaviscon. Probably totally unrelated to your symptoms but I thought I'd mention it incase it's relevant to you xxx
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POO and sometimes the lack of it rules our world! If there is a significant change like this, you must have it checked out. It doesn't mean that there is something wrong, but it can be a symptom of something else going on. You won't be wasting your doctors time. Your description is very clear, so just tell the doctor what you have said here. Don't be embarrassed. It's all in a days work for them. I've been checked several times, if there is a significant change for a few weeks, which tends to happen with me as I have IBS. The not feeling empty can be distressing. I have this.
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A change of colour may indicate anaemia ..........
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Thanks for the reply ladies. I haven't had a kit in the post as not 60 as yet, same thing happened this morning and had to go again 30mins later. Very loose and lighter in colour than normal. There is definitely something going on but like so many people I'm thinking the worst case. I will go and pay my doc a visit. Will update when I've seen her.
Clio
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Stop worrying until your GP suggests that there is a problem! It could be ouwt or nowt.
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Just had to do one of those kits, along with breast screening all in the same week. I'm like a car having an MOT! Both ok. :)
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That's good Ju Ju! One thing out of your head ;)
I've 'been' properly this morning :parti:
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clio. In early Peri my Poo changed too. More in pieces and paler. I was worried and went to GP. Checked for things like H Pyroli and iron. They did a poo test too I think. No other symptoms aside I was more windy in the mornings that usual. Two years on it has settled itself down again. I find I can't digest fatty foods, wine or bread like I used to so I just don't eat them as much. Peri messes with your gut for sure. Probably the hormones going up and down. So yes go to GP but try not to worry. I have spent years worrying about things in Peri which eventually turn out to be 'normal' and pass. :'(
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Hello clio,
I've read some of your previous posts and I see you have been on a diet to lose weight and that you have been eating read meat after being vegetarian for some time. This could have messed up with your intestinal flora and can explain the bowel habits and poo changes. These changes often take a long time to set in. Just make sure you talk about it with your GP.
Conolly X
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I would like to talk poo as well. I've become well aquainted with the Bristol Stool Chart this week (I'm probably more of a 5 on the chart) and I'm becoming a bit obsessed :(
I thought I was constipated because for the past 4 weeks when I've been going it's been coming out in bits, not one long piece. No blood, straining, diarrhoea etc and pretty much every day and well formed with clear edges and I'm going regularly too.
Sorry this is tmi. Somebody suggested to me that I wasn't constipated but that probably due to being stressed things were moving a bit quicker and not having time to form as normal
and that it wasn't too big of a deal. That seems reasonable but I'm having trouble letting this go.
I know I should mention this to my gp, and I will when I go this week, but just wanted some reassurance to stop me falling further down the health anxiety rabbit hole.
And sorry for hijacking this thread Clio.
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Not hijacking at all. We don't talk poo enough!! How many Mums looked into the nappy several time a day, also how many dog owners check poo ........ it's about good health and the colour/constintancy can tell a lot. Then when we stop talking about colour, consistency, how often ......
It depends on what we eat and how much liquid goes through the system. Anxiety will influence the bowel action. As will a 'bug' or an alteration in food intake i.e. extra fresh fruit at this time of year or alcohol at C.mas.
Fresh blood is due to various issues, maybe a slight tear somewhere, dark blood in the motions must certainly be reported to a GP. ASAP.
IBS can cause all kinds of variations >:(. I have slow transit and my bowel rarely feels empty. When it does I feel really light all over ::). We had a lot of exercise over the weekend and I could fly a kite with the wind :D
So what's you worry? I know what is 'normal' for me depending on my anxiety levels.
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Hi CLKD.
Well my worry is that its a change to my usually one piece and that its been going on for 4 weeks. I'm such a drama queen at the moment and when you Google its always "report to GP asap!" and all doom and gloom.
My logical side tells me its nothing. Due to stress, diet and indeed the extra amounts of water I'm drinking. Was never a problem till I started drinking loads more - that's odd. Definitely anxiety playing a part.
But my other stupid anxiety head tells me it's a problem. I'm going to get referred for further tests and have to go down that road involving tests, waiting and all the uncertainty and worry. Why I'm thinking this way I don't know, there are no obvious red flags, just poo in bits, nothing else.
Funnily enough, the other day I took one fybogel sachet in the day, and a couple of senokot tablets before bed and that sorted things out the next morning!
I'm going to mention it to doc when I go this week. Hopefully she won't be concerned.
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Make a list to take with you!
As for what you took, neither touches my bowel. Fybergel goes into the compost and senokot remains in the packet.
The bowel can become lazy. If we take on more liquid then poo may become runnier, leave the body faster or separate into small blobs rather than a long length of excreta. It is said that small blobs that float are the best to have ......... can't remember where I read it though :o
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Thanks CLKD. You're a star :). How do you know this stuff?
Funny I ready on an IBS site that small bits were good. Makes sense about the extra liquid. Hopefully I'm panicking about nowt.
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Sounds like you may be but if you go on worrying without expressing your concerns, you won't learn owt! I am a medical secretary who asks questions ;-).
MayB keep a note of each bowel movement and the look of the poo. See if it's relevant to anything you have ingested.
What's the worst that could happen?
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Back to normal these past 3 days so logically there can't be much wrong?
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Logic can fly out the window though! What you changed in the last 3/4 days?
I remember many years ago when Lynn Folds-Wood had cancer. She encouraged people to talk poo. That's when the Consultant mentioned about floating poo .........
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The answer to that one is lentils CLKD and veggies.
Asked doc about it today and she said if it goes on for more than 4 weeks they would look for things such as bleeding, mucous and other stuff I can't remember but which I didn't have. And to keep an eye on it. So I'm taking that to be a good sign.
I did mention being anxious as well which I think she said can affect things.
I don't feel much relieved tbh. My anxiety levels are high at the moment and I did feel rushed in the appointment.
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What is the worst that could be wrong? Your GP is doing a watch and wait, did she suggest that you keep a diary of what you eat and how you feel?
Havne't had lentils for years but I LOVE roasted veg.. Himself cooks them when he roasts a trout: sweet potato, parsnips, red beets, potatoes ..... and any left over is eaten cold the next day.
Extra liquids as well as exercise can alter bowel movements 4 me. When I walked my dog for miles++ she would eat more but poo less. Like she was burning up the food properly. We walked miles on Friday in warm sunshine and the next day :o ;D
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Well CLKD the big C. That's at the root of all my HA worries.
Nope she didn't really discuss anything tbh. Just talked through the scan results, handed me a prescription and that was it.
I know I'm being silly but I suppose I wanted her to say, dont worry it sounds fine to me. But its "just keep an eye on things". That's my skewed interpretation of events.
If I hadn't been so wound up over my bladder issues I probably wouldn't even have been so bothered about the poo thing, but I'm extra sensitive at the moment and my thoughts are running away with me. Flippin anxiety.
I do go on don't I? :o
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Yep ;D ........ that's what we are here for, to listen, advise, encourage etc.. If your GP had been worried you would have a referral to the appropriate clinic or a test kit. However, 'keep an eye on things' when it regards bottom issues perhaps isn't the best phase to use ;) :whist: .....
The big 'C' is common. All over the body in humans and animals. It is talked about. But from what you have said you don't appear to have symptoms of what might become a problem. Do you worry about the surgery, anaesthetic, dying? I worry about not being pain free at the end and there are procedures that I would try to avoid!
Keep that record!?!
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Will do CLKD.
Some gps just haven't got a good bedside manner, so to speak. Just a few little words of reassurance make all the difference to an anxious patient.
I worry about every aspect of C. Tests, surgery, treatment, all of it.
There is heart disease in my family but heart stuff just never bothers me. That's what will probably get me in the end lol.
Thank you. I know I'm a pita (no pun intended) but I appreciate your patience x
And sorry Clio, I've well and truly knicked your thread.
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Oh I don't have patience, that gene missed me completely :D but I can try to relieve worries as I know that logic goes out the window, particularly in the early hours :-\.
I used to worry about treatment but most people find that they actually cope if faced with issues, especially if the Surgeon and his Staff are supportive. However, you aren't there!