If Your Poop Looks Like This, It’s Time to See a Doctor

It can be pretty crappy dealing with gut issues.

Determining what is normal and what is not can be a challenge if you don’t know what to look for. Stools come in all shapes and sizes and can change shape depending on what you’re eating or what’s going on in your life at the moment.

“Stools change from person to person depending on their diet, physical activity, the amount of water they consume and the medications they take,” said Mr. Nouri Kalkayretired gastroenterologist and health blogger.

Everyone has their own barometer on how often their body is used to going and what a typical bowel movement looks like for them. But what happens if things change and you see something beyond the norm in the toilet? We spoke with experts to figure out which bowel habits aren’t so ordinary and might require a trip to the doctor.

Jeffery M. Nelsonsurgical director at The Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Disease at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore said that if your feces are black, “not just dark brown,” you should be concerned.

“This means the bleeding is coming from an upper gastrointestinal source like the esophagus, stomach or small intestine,” he explained.

There are some exceptions to this rule: if you take iron supplements, for example, your stools may appear dark green to the point of almost black. If you’ve taken bismuth medications like Pepto Bismol, it may also turn your stools almost black. It is always best to consult a doctor if in doubt.

If you find blood in your stool, either alone on the toilet paper, in the water, or streaked in the stool, this may indicate a source of bleeding from the anal canal or a weak rectal source.

“Things like internal hemorrhoids, anal fissures, rectal polyps or rectal cancers can all cause this,” Nelson said. All of these are reasons to see a doctor.

If your stools are this color, they are probably also more liquid in consistency and associated with a distinct unpleasant odor. According to Nelson, this may indicate bleeding from the end of the small intestine or colon.

“Diverticulosis and arteriovenous malformations are the classic causes of this presentation,” and a reason to go to the emergency room, he said.

“This finding is called steatorrhea and is due to excess fat in the stool,” explained Chris Carrubba, an internal medicine physician in Jacksonville, Florida.

Carrubba said steatorrhea is often associated with malabsorption syndromes, pancreatic insufficiency and biliary disease. “The presence of steatorrhea indicates difficulty absorbing fat and these patients are at risk of developing deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins,” such as vitamins A, D, E and K, he said.

Your body is a creature of habit in many ways. For example, if you constantly have smooth, long, sausage-like stools and suddenly they take on a completely different size, you should talk to your doctor.

“A thin pencil rather than a log could consistently mean the presence of an inflammatory disease such as Crohn’s disease or an infection,” said Karen Soika, a general surgeon in Greenwich, Connecticut.

If the consistency of your stool has become watery or diarrheal, it could mean irritable bowel syndrome, an infectious cause, or an inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis.

IBS or infections can also increase constipation.

This may be due to Giardia, “a protozoan organism found in fresh water and the reason you should always boil and disinfect water in mountain streams or lakes,” Carrubba said.

Ingesting this organism can lead to giardiasis, which causes abdominal pain and persistent watery diarrhea. The problem can be treated with antimicrobials. In addition to drinking contaminated water, you may also be exposed to Giardia in eating uncooked vegetables or fruits that have been rinsed in contaminated water and improperly washing hands after contact with feces or an infected human or animal.

This is usually due to inflammation of the intestines, said Peyton Berookim, a gastroenterologist in Los Angeles. He noted that this condition can be seen in inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. It can also be due to inflammation caused by a bacterial infection or IBS.

“Mucus associated with blood and/or abdominal pain should not be ignored and requires medical attention,” he explained.

This means constipation and is usually caused by a lack of fiber in your diet, as well as low water intake. However, this problem can also be caused by medications, blockages in the intestine or, in rarer cases, colon cancer.

“Constipation can be treated in several ways and I always start by increasing fiber and water intake. The recommended daily fiber intake is at least 25 grams and the amount of water needed varies from person to person,” said Jack Brahagastroenterologist at Brooklyn Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Associates.

Laxatives are available over the counter to address this problem and work by either increasing the motility of your intestine or increasing the amount of water delivered to the colon. » said Braha.

“But for symptoms that don’t improve quickly or begin after age 50, it’s important to seek advice from a gastroenterologist to determine whether additional tests like a colonoscopy are needed to look for more serious problems like bowel obstruction or colon cancer,” he said.

“Diarrhea is common after eating bad food or following an infection and should not last more than a week in most cases,” Braha explained.

Loose stools may be cause for concern if diarrhea lasts more than two weeks or is associated with bleeding, weight loss, or symptoms that keep you up at night.

“When diarrhea is not from an infectious source, we look for other common causes like lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease,” Braha said. “Gastroenterologists can usually find the cause of diarrhea by checking certain blood tests, analyzing stools, and performing a colonoscopy.”

In general, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with your doctor if you are concerned about your bowel movements. Your poop may be trying to tell you something.

The original version of this story was published on HuffPost earlier.