Bloating for years/Now diarrhea/Mucus in stool
November 13, 2010 | 10,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ralf Berg
Hello,
I am male, 22 years old and have been suffering from flatulence for about 6-7 years. To some extent, this is normal, but since I was about 15, I have had much more frequent bloating than my friends or relatives. They occur constantly and it doesn't matter what I have eaten or how much. They even occur at noon, even though the last time I ate was the evening before at 10 o'clock.
I never took this very seriously, as it never bothered me much among my male friends.
However, about 3 months ago, I suddenly had no solid stool for 2 weeks, but rather a kind of "flattened" stool with a very soft and yellowish consistency that smelled very bad. After that, I also had constipation again. Recently, acute diarrhea suddenly occurred unpredictably.
My doctor had a stool sample tested for bacteria, but it turned out that my gut flora is apparently fine. Also, the liver/kidneys, etc. are perfect.
Since then, I have not had a normal bowel movement.
My stool is either very soft and clay-colored and smells very bad, or sometimes darker and constipated.
For the past 4 days, things have been going relatively well again. However, I have noticed that my stool has different colors and consistencies. All united in one "slide".
It consists of many "pellets" about 0.5-1.0 cm in size and has mucus threads in between that are pus-colored/beige.
It also happens that only the front part of the stool looks like this, and the back part again has a clay-colored very soft consistency.
I also occasionally have stomach pains, as if I had drunk too much.
I already have an appointment for a stomach and colonoscopy in 3 weeks, but I can't stop worrying about it and would like to hear an opinion now.
If it matters: I also have subclinical hypothyroidism.
Thank you for a (hopefully enlightening) response! Best regards
Dear Inquirer,
no one seems to want to tackle your question head-on. This is probably because it becomes difficult with the "hopefully enlightening answer". However, in order to give you a bit more peace of mind until the date of your stomach/intestinal examination, which seems absolutely necessary even at your young age, I will try to address it anyway.
The detailed and precise description of your digestion and the consistency of your excrements in the first three paragraphs unfortunately do not lead to any clear or specific medical conclusions regarding an underlying condition.
As you have already noticed, digestion and the appearance of stool in humans can vary greatly. It can also change over time in the same person without having a pathological cause.
In the last paragraph, however, you describe "mucus threads" with "pus-colored" coatings. This is usually not part of a "normal" bowel movement. This could be an indication of an inflammatory bowel disease. The most common one here is Ulcerative Colitis, basically a type of "stomach ulcers" in the colon. Crohn's disease is also very common, although it tends to affect the small intestine and often causes more pronounced abdominal symptoms. Both can be diagnosed during a colonoscopy (also through tissue sampling). Both are chronic conditions that need to be treated.
Since you did not mention that your stool was also truly black, I can at least reassure you in that direction that there have not been major bleeding in your intestines or stomach. Therefore, the appointment in 3 weeks is fine.
In addition, there are always "non-specific" bowel complaints and intestinal inflammations, which usually resolve spontaneously. The causes are diverse, ranging from bacterial overgrowth, allergic reactions to food, to pure stress reactions of the intestines.
Since you do not report weight loss, lack of appetite, or general weakness, one does not have to assume initially that a malignant condition like colorectal cancer is the cause. Even if this reassures you, I believe you are doing the right thing by trying to get to the bottom of things in 2 weeks through a stomach and intestinal examination.
Since you did not mention it, I assume you have one bowel movement a day. If this is not the case, and you only have a bowel movement every 2-3 days, the "different colors in one go" that you described may be partially explained by this. Pay attention to whether there is a connection between the duration of the bowel passage and the consistency for you. I hope the answer was at least partially helpful.
Best regards,
Dr. R. Berg
