My digestive system is all out of whack!?Ok, I will try to be as detailed as possible so this may be a little TMI for those with weak stomachs. Also, this is long only because I wanted to be as detailed as possible.
I am a 24 year old female, 128 lbs, healthy.
For the past 8 days, I have had really weird bowel movements.
It all started last Sunday. I had gone drinking the night before and by Sunday morning my stomach was killing me. I am use to this since large amounts of alcohol is like a laxative for me. While other people may feel hungover or throw up the following morning, I just go to the bathroom. lol Anyway, I did go to the bathroom... A LOT. All day I felt the urge to poop. But not every time did I actually poop. I just felt the urge and it was really uncomfortable. I figured it was a 24 hour thing and that by the following day I would be fine.
The next day comes and I immediately have to go to the bathroom in the morning. Normally I never poop in the mornings, so this was very odd. This was also when I noticed a mucus-like discharge surrounding my stool. The stool itself wasn't very odd in color but the mucus sort of freaked me out.
Then as the week went on, I kept noticing other things. There was some blood also. It was surrounding the stool, along with the mucus, and when I wiped barely anything was on the toilet paper. Which I found odd, since the stool itself wasn't very hard. I wasn't constipated. Going to the bathroom came very easily to me... TOO easily. As the week went on, my stool kept changing. One day it was very narrow and thin and light in color. The next day it was thicker and brownish. The next day I noticed strand-like white things mixed in the stool. All the while though, that mucus-y discharge was there and the smell itself was weird. I know what normal poop smells like but during this time it smelled "off".
Today, 8 days later, there is no blood (the blood was only for 2 days). I am not constipated. The stool itself isn't diarrhea but it's not super hard either. I am going to the bathroom approximately 3 times a day. I get really bad urges in the mornings and right before I fall asleep. And it's not as if everything I eat goes right through me. The smell is still odd and that mucus-y discharge is there. My stomach isn't cramping or anything and I am passing gas but it's not particularly painful. I still have an appetite even though I feel like I haven't been eating quite as much as I use to. My weight hasn't increased or decreased. And I also noticed I am getting tired really easily.
This is all very odd to me and before anyone says I need to go to the doctor, I already did and I am currently collecting stool samples. I just wanted people's opinions and if anyone has had anything similar happen to them, what was it? I keep reading about IBS and parasites and internal hemorrhoids and etc. I'm just freaked out.
Oh and another thing, my grandmother passed away from colorectal cancer around the time I started feeling like this. So I was even wondering if maybe all this is happening due to stress or something? My 48 year old aunt is currently fighting the disease. But could all this that's surrounding me somehow affect my digestive system?
Thanks for any input. :)
Posted by Dr. B
Hello,
Stool can vary some based on the foods and liquid we ingest. Mucous can appear in the stool normally. The most common cause of blood around the stool is hemorrhoids. There are many other things that can cause blood in the stool though. You may have a stomach bug (gastroenteritis) that could explain the changes in your bowel habits, increased frequency and the blood in the stool. Some of your symptoms can occur in people with IBS. IBS is a chronic condition though and it would be uncommon for it to appear like this acutely. Colon cancer is uncommon in a 24 year old even with your family history. Changes in bowel habits and blood in stool can be a sign of colon cancer, but there are many more likely causes out there for these complaints. The stool studies will be helpful in identifying an infectious cause for your symptoms. If it is infection, then it should improve with time. Make sure you are eating a healthy well balanced diet with lots of fiber. Fiber is very good for many GI conditions. Probiotics can also be helpful in regulating the bowels.
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