bowels (very scared, please read and respond!)

[lizamoran]

I know this is the second recent bowel thread. What fun!

A few months ago I noticed colors/ white spots, particularly, in my bowels. (I may even have posted about it on here, can't remember...)

I don't know whether it went away for a while or I just didn't worry about it (surprisingly, I may just not have worried, because there's been a lot going on). Now I'm remembering something I read about leukemia last year and am terrified. Fat in the stools was a symptom, I believe... are my white spots/ other colored spots fat?
Ideally I'd ask my doctor but my parents get annoyed when I ask my doctor questions, thinking I'll lose credibility if I over-ask. (And they might have a point, so I came here first).
I have a bruise on my knee, but no others, and an idea of where that one bruise might've come from. Gums haven't been bleeding. Anything else I need to watch out for? (I musn't google...)

While I'm here-
For about a week until a few days ago, my upper back was weirdly sensitive. It didn't hurt, but the skin was quite sensitive to the touch. What is that?
Also, the hair on my legs (I'm a girl, but... whatever, it's autumn, I wear pants, no one knows) is worringly sparse. Like, in certain patches there isn't any and in other patches there is. Is this something to be concerned about?

Anyway, I'm mostly concerned with the bowel question. Any input- at all- would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[blondinou]

Hey hun,
I will try and help to reassure you...
Stools can be all sorts of weird and wonderful colours and textures... Try not to examine things too closely, I'm sure we could all find things to worry about in our stools! For instance I worry about mucus with my stools but try not to. The colours could be anything left over from things you have eaten. Fatty stools may well be a symptom of leukaemia but I think it's pretty far down the list i.e. a pretty non-specific symptom that could be lots of other things, and it's certainly not the main symptom of leukaemia. Everyone has some fat in their stools and it's more mixed in causing the stools to be pale and floaty, rather than as white spots. If you had leukaemia you would probably feel pretty ill with fevers, weight loss, severe fatigue, severe recurrent infections etc etc. I don't want to name symptoms in case you worry about them!!

A bruise on the knee could have been caused by any small bang that you might have forgotten about. I have bruises on my legs a lot, just from everyday activity.

Hair on the legs can be sparse in patches where you wear boots or jeans that rub repeatedly on that bit? I have less hair on my knees than on my lower shins for example.

As I rule that I follow - if you notice small things about your health they're probably not too much to worry about, but if others comment that they're worried about you or you're looking poorly or whatever then it's probably real! You could almost say to yourself "I will only worry and seek medical opinion about this if I feel really badly ill and everyone else thinks I'm ill". If that makes sense. Think about a person without anxiety, what would they do? They would probably not even notice patchy hair thinning on their legs, and their life isn't endangered because they've not noticed and aren't getting it investigated! Whereas if they were feeling chest pain, they would probably go to see a doctor and get it checked out, which is reasonable.

Hope that makes sense and helps a bit!

[countrygirl]

Firstly are you totally sure that the white spots in your stool are not from something you ate, fatty stools do not have white spots in them they are very large and smelly and pale and float in the loo - so what you are describing is not the medical fatty stools. If you don't chew your food well then its very easy to get food going all the way through undigested ( think of sweetcorn kernal!).

You have no abnormal bruising at all.

Your leg hair sounds completely normal - I have always had some bald and some hairy patches on my lower legs, I have one patch just under my knee cap on one leg and I have about 5 hairs that are jet black and very thick:blush: and I have make sure I deal with them swiftly.

[lizamoran]

Thank you both for such prompt and kind/helpful responses! This makes me feel better. Thanks <3

I think I'll be able to let it go, since leuk---- isn't my current primary worry and these symptoms would be unrelated to my current primary worry.

I should really go shave my gosh-darn legs.