Flat stools

[DrTroy]

Hi anyone know anything about flat stools, I have been having these for about 6 weeks, constant. I can only really find info about pencil and ribbon shapes. Mine are kind of oval not totally flat. I have read that shape takes place in the bowel and the change in shape can be caused by a mass !!! scarey.

So I saw the doctor last week, had an examination and she said not really to worry, but surely something would not be right to cause that?

Im 37 and have no family history of bowel disorders, still doesnt stop me from worrying though. About 2 months ago I did have occasions of blood of the surface, not on the loo roll though, it was bright. That has now stopped and this has kind of taken its place... Im wondering whether to ask the doctor for a colonoscopy? Not sure what to do, as I felt the doctor didnt take me that seriously.

Cheers, sorry for the gross topic

[Trixie]

Hi anyone know anything about flat stools, I have been having these for about 6 weeks, constant. I can only really find info about pencil and ribbon shapes. Mine are kind of oval not totally flat. I have read that shape takes place in the bowel and the change in shape can be caused by a mass !!! scarey.

So I saw the doctor last week, had an examination and she said not really to worry, but surely something would not be right to cause that?

Im 37 and have no family history of bowel disorders, still doesnt stop me from worrying though. About 2 months ago I did have occasions of blood of the surface, not on the loo roll though, it was bright. That has now stopped and this has kind of taken its place... Im wondering whether to ask the doctor for a colonoscopy? Not sure what to do, as I felt the doctor didnt take me that seriously.

Cheers, sorry for the gross topic

Faeces are not always sausage shaped, they come in all shapes and sizes.

[Jo3016]

That is really wierd - I am going through exactly the same thing.

I have had various intestinal problems over the last 6 weeks which began with indigestion and awful trapped wind, then bloating and lower abdominal pain. Last week, I had constipation and now have intermittent flat stools and low back pain (more in my coccyx) and a sort of low abdominal pressure pain. I have not had any blood or mucus in my BM.

I have had good blood test results and normal abdominal and pelvic scan results too. I am so worried which is making things worse!! My doctor says I have good results and look healthy etc. She says I have all the symptoms of IBS. I have read that flat/ribbon like stools can be a symptom of IBS as they are the result of the colon going into spasm, but I still worry about colon cancer even though I am not in any risk groups!!

I want to ask my doctor for a colonoscopy too but I have been so much recently, I think she must be sick of me. I had one 3 years ago when I had similar symptoms (although not the pressure and pain low down) and all was fine.

Hope you are feeling better

[j2]

Since the two of you that mention this symptom are on this board I will assume that anxiety is a part of your life. I too had this problem for months. I had flat stools. I freaked out and worried for weeks. I read somewhere that the colon is closely linked to emotions and since I have health anxiety and was worrying about all kinds of stuff I tried an experiment. I went out and bought a big bottle of metamucil powder. The dosage is to mix one heaping teaspoon with a glass of water one to three times daily. Not every brand is one heaping teaspoon, so are more. Anyway, I did the 3 a day for a couple of days. Within the first 2 or 3 doses I was having vague pain in my sides and was totally freaking out and close to heading for the ER. I waited it out and within 2 days I was having huge, well formed bowel movements. Seeing those BM's made me feel so much better since there is no way that an obstruction could possibly be causing the flat stools since I am able to have these huge stools. With research I was able to determine that my colon is directly tied to my anxiety level and the muscles in my colon constrict when I am stressed. The vague pain I felt shortly after taking the early doses was my colon muscles being forced to expand as the bulk forming fiber was passing through my colon. That was a couple of years ago and I have been taking 1 heaping tsp a day of the metamucil and I find it helps in so many ways. When I am really stressed I may take one in the morning and one before bed until my anxiety levels decrease. The fiber also helps if you are constipated or have diarrhea. You should know that the fiber comes in flavors like orange and berry. The flavoring tends to color my stools slightly orange or red depending on the flavor. So if you notice an orange hue or a red one, don't freak out. Anyway, give it a shot and sorry for the graphic details but this stuff has helped me a lot. Good luck.

J2

[reddevil]

Hi all,

Flat stools, that's what I have been having for some time, waiting for my referral...!

Is this normal with anxiety or IBS or something serious?

Red

[Cags48]

I get oval type flat stools a lot I would say 70% of the time in my head I'm convinced I have cancer this as been going on for a year and a half , so I feel your pain poster , let me know if you find anything out

[sonofthunder]

I've been having similar issues. Flat stool constantly and a slight pressure/tight feeling in left lower back from time to time. My healthcare coverage through my employer is a joke, so I have put off the doctors visit. I weightlift 5 days a week, pulling heavy weight, so I originally thought it was a hernia of some sort causing obstruction. From what I've read, though, that doesn't seem likely and I figure a hernia would be much more obvious (as far as pain). I eat a high calorie/protein/meat/dairy diet, so my flat stools have been causing some legitimate worry with me, since prior to this they were quite healthy looking. Any updates from anyone who's already posted on this thread or gone through this too??

[ShaunRyder]

Hey, i know it sounds stupid, but could someone define flat stools? Not very good at this department! :shrug: :blush:

[Odett]

I do believe it has something to do with anxiety.
I was having this same issue for about 2 months.
I took Metamucil for about one week and that took
Care of the weird shape poops. Mine were flat from
One side. Some even looked triangled. Others in nugget
Shape. I was really worried thinking I had something serious
Thank God it's all back to normal now.

---------- Post added at 16:02 ---------- Previous post was at 16:01 ----------

Oh and I was also going every other day.

[Davit]

So if you are all men, you might have an enlarged prostate as the mass which can be benign and often is.

[dee_gril]

Flat stools can be caused by spasms in intesntines I think ... read that somewhere. Also if you have hemmies, they can cause it to come out flat.

[JustJoe25]

OMG I get the oval shaped like stools too and can never find anything online either! I thought it was only me. Everytime I look at the poo chart it's never on there. The closest I would get was those hard lumps but these aren't hard they are actually soft just not formed like a snake. I miss having snake poos. I use to get so surprised and happy with some of the ones that would come out they were massive! But I haven't had one like that in I don't know how long.

[jptsr1]

OMG I get the oval shaped like stools too and can never find anything online either! I thought it was only me. Everytime I look at the poo chart it's never on there. The closest I would get was those hard lumps but these aren't hard they are actually soft just not formed like a snake. I miss having snake poos. I use to get so surprised and happy with some of the ones that would come out they were massive! But I haven't had one like that in I don't know how long.

I am getting oval or flattish stool as well but they are long and soft. I guess I should be happy because I'm coming off of months of severe abdominal pain flareups and I never knew what was going to come out from one day to the next. My Doc prescribed a probiotic and it sorted out the gas and pain but now I have the stool issue 70% of the time. Never all that hard to pass and there is no pain associated with it. I go religiously every morning and even though it take two seatings within 30 minutes of each other I feel like I'm getting everything out. My health anxiety isn't helping things much. In my head everything is cancer.

[ricardo]

Metamucil has been mentioned twice in the thread and when I lived for 12 years in Spain I was recommended to use it as basically it's a bulk agent and it lowers cholestral and no one likes being constipated.

For some reason it was withdrawn in the UK some 2/3 years ago, in fact my GP had never heard of it.

It is available to buy via Amazon the orange powder is the best.

[JustJoe25]

I am getting oval or flattish stool as well but they are long and soft. I guess I should be happy because I'm coming off of months of severe abdominal pain flareups and I never knew what was going to come out from one day to the next. My Doc prescribed a probiotic and it sorted out the gas and pain but now I have the stool issue 70% of the time. Never all that hard to pass and there is no pain associated with it. I go religiously every morning and even though it take two seatings within 30 minutes of each other I feel like I'm getting everything out. My health anxiety isn't helping things much. In my head everything is cancer.

I also go twice a day in the morning quite often but some days it's once a day. I think that is quite common though and usually after the second time I will
Feel empty. I too worry about cancer myself and other sinister things.

[JayWright91]

I’m also going through something similar atm and have been for about 4 weeks now. My stools seem to be very flat. Sometimes I will have a more rounded stool but the majority of time it is flat - like a thick ribbon is what I’d say. I’ve been GP and had bloods done which all came back clear!

I’m still worried it could be something more sinister :/ did anyone find the reason behind there’s?

[spikem]

Your colon is round but your ar55 hole isn't, it's oval shaped. So if you are passing soft stools they will be re-shaped oval on exit. Don't worry, I have been having ribbon turds for as long as I can remember.