Diverticulitis Stool Shape | OnPoint Nutrition

Bowel movements can tell you a lot about what is going on in your body. Stools vary in color, texture, size, and odor, which is typically not a concern and will resolve on its own in a day or two. However, there are certain stool characteristics that may suggest GI issues or other health conditions.

Diverticulitis, for example, is a condition that can cause changes to your stool. To understand what to look for in an unhealthy stool, you must first understand what characterizes a stool as “normal”.  Abnormal stools to look out for are dark red or black in color, increasingly foul smelling, more loose or firm than average, and thin, pellet shaped.

What is a normal stool?

There are a few key characteristics of a normal stool:

• Color: The color of a normal stool should be medium to dark brown, due to the formation of bilirubin when blood cells break down.
• Odor: It is normal for the odor to be strong-smelling due to the breakdown of bacteria in stool.
• Texture: Normal stool texture should be somewhere between soft and firm.
• Shape: Stool passed in a single piece or a few smaller pieces is considered normal. The shape should be long and sausage-like, which matches your colon’s shape.
• Frequency: A person should pass at least three bowel movements per week. Normal bowel frequency ranges from once every other day to twice per day.
• Effort: Healthy bowel movements should be strain-free and painless

For the most part, stools vary from person to person, and you should have a good idea of what is normal for you. Most changes in bowel movements will clear up on their own in a few days, but there are specific red flags that can indicate there is a problem, such as Diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis stool characteristics

One key marker of Diverticulitis is changes in your bowel movements. Diverticulitis stool shape, color, and smell will likely be different than your average everyday bowel movement. Below are the changes to look for when determining if your stool may indicate a Diverticulitis flare.

• Color: The stool may be bright red, maroon, or black and tarry, which indicates the presence of blood. Stools may contain more mucus than normal.
• Odor: The stool odor may be increasingly foul compared to the typical smell.
• Texture: Diverticulitis can cause diarrhea or constipation, causing the stool to be especially loose or firm.
• Frequency: The frequency can also be affected if you experience diarrhea or constipation.
• Effort: Stools may become more strained or painful.
• Shape: Diverticulitis stool shape is often thin and pellet-shaped, which is caused by distorted colon shape.

Dangers of Stool Changes

While the change in your stool itself is not typically harmful, it can indicate a larger problem within your body. In this case, we’re referring to Diverticulitis, which is definitely a cause for concern.

However, there are many other conditions that can cause changes in stool shape, texture, color and odor. Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Thyroid disorders, and even Colon Cancer are examples. If you have recurrent diverticulitis flares, it’s likely that changes in your stool mean another flare is imminent. However, it is always important to investigate further to ensure there is not an additional accompanying condition.

What to do when you Notice Changes in Your Stool

When you begin to see changes in your stool, keep track of how long your stool remains abnormal. If the problem does not resolve within a few days, the first thing to do is contact your doctor. Minor changes in stool texture, shape and frequency are normal and could be an indicator of needed dietary improvements.

If you experience minor constipation, it may be helpful to increase your dietary fiber and water intake or try an over-the-counter stool softener. A bout of diarrhea can be treated by reducing dietary fiber intake temporarily or taking an over-the-counter anti-diarrheal such as Imodium.

However, some other symptoms such as blood in your stool should be immediately addressed and examined by a doctor. Similarly, any symptom that lasts more than 3 days warrants a doctor’s visit.

Bottom Line for Diverticulitis Stool Shape

For healthy bowel movements, consistency is key! Healthy stools vary from person to person, but it is important to know what is “normal” for you. If you experience a drastic change in size, firmness, frequency, or color that does not subside in a day or two, we recommend contacting your physician.

For more information on how to manage a diverticulitis flare and improve your diet to deal with your diverticulitis, download our Diverticulitis Nutrition Guide.

Topics

• Diverticulitis

Kaitlyn Willwerth, MS, RD

Kaitlyn Willwerth is a Registered Dietitian at OnPoint Nutrition. Kaitlyn’s work focuses on providing individualized health and lifestyle coaching and, most importantly, support. She is a Certified LEAP Therapist and has also completed the Monash University ‘Low FODMAP Diet for IBS’ online training course for health professionals.

Meet Kaitlyn

Related Posts

What the Color and Consistency of Your Poop Says About You

While talking about your poop may feel like a taboo topic, here’s the thing — we all do it. In fact, your bowel movements can give you great insight into your digestive health. Jess Bailey, ARNP, and Kendra Ulicki, ARNP, UnityPoint Health, explain how the color and consistency of your stool can give you clues about what’s happening in your gut.

Bowel Movement Basics

Bowel movements occur at the very end of the digestive process and are one of the best indicators of whether your body is correctly digesting food.

What Does My Stool Color Mean?

Stool colors reflect how fast the stool passed through the intestines, what foods, medications or nutrients you recently consumed and the general gut health of your digestive system.

Light to Dark Brown Poop

Poop is normally brown and mimics the color of a milk chocolate bar. Bowel movements achieve this color through a complicated process. A pigment, called bilirubin, is created when a protein, called hemoglobin, breaks down in the liver. From there, bilirubin enters the intestines, and if a healthy digestive system allows it to travel through the intestines at a normal speed, it achieves the typical brown color of poop.

Green Poop

Green poop is more common than you might think and can be caused by a few different things. Bile, which is created in the liver and stored in the gallbladder, is naturally green. It’s present alongside stool in the intestines. If poop moves through the intestines too fast, the bilirubin and iron don’t have enough time to mix and complete the process of turning your stool brown.

Other reasons for green poop: Outside of moving through your gut too quickly, green poop can be caused by iron supplements, eating a lot of dark leafy greens, like spinach, antibiotics and other medications, having too many foods with green-colored dye, bacterial or viral infections and gastrointestinal disorders like Chron’s or celiac disease.

Black Poop

Black stool can mean there’s dried blood present in your poop, and internal bleeding occurred somewhere in the upper gastrointestinal tract — far enough away from the rectum that the blood had time to dry. Call your doctor if you notice you have black stool. This can be a sign of a serious digestive problem.

Other reasons for black poop: Iron supplements can cause black poop as well as eating a lot of black-colored food or consuming bismuth subsalicylate, an ingredient found in Pepto Bismol.

Yellow Poop

Poop can be yellow when fat isn’t absorbed from the stool. Fat absorption can be disrupted by parasites, illnesses or congenital diseases causing inflammation in the pancreas. Yellow poop is usually a sign of a medical problem that needs attention. If your yellow stool is present for more than two days, contact your doctor.

Yellowish, brown-colored stool, or pale poop, can sometimes be confused for yellow poop. The difference is subtle but noticeable. Yellowish brown-colored or pale stool has more of a gray tint and is less slimy.

Other reasons for yellow poop: Iron supplements can cause black poop as well as eating a lot of black-colored food or consuming bismuth subsalicylate, an ingredient found in Pepto Bismol.

Pale White Poop

Pale poop can look white, gray or like the color of clay. Pale poop is present when the liver doesn’t release enough bile salts into the stool in your intestines. This may occur due to bile duct blockages, gallstones or liver problems. Pale gray stool is usually a sign of a more serious problem. If your stool remains either of these colors for two days, contact your doctor.

Red Poop

Bright red poop is usually a sign of bleeding in the lower intestine. While the most common cause of red poop is hemorrhoids, it can also indicate inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, polyps or an infection in the intestines. Contact your doctor if you have blood in your stool.

Other reasons for red poop: Food with red coloring, like fruit punch or Jell-O, can also temporarily add a tinge of red to stool.

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What Does the Shape and Consistency of My Stool Say?

Similar to what determines stool color, the consistency and shape of stool can be influenced by diet, fluids, medications, exercise and how much time poop spent in the intestines.

Hard Poop – Type 1

Hard poop happens when you’re constipated. It’s passed in separate, hard lumps, similar to pebbles. Hard poop likely sat in the large intestine for a while. During an extended stay in the colon, water and nutrients are removed from the stool, causing it to harden and break apart into pebbles. This type of stool also lacks the healthy bacteria found in poop that’s housed in the colon. Since the bacteria is missing, there’s nothing to retain water, which makes poop soft.

Firm Poop – Type 2

Firm poop that’s connected and lumpy is another sign of constipation. This type of stool spent too much time drying in the intestines but didn’t dry enough to break into small pieces.

Type two poop often hurts the most when passed since it’s usually large and firm. In order for the stool to take this lumpy, sausage-shaped form, it needs to have been in the colon for a few weeks.

Cracked Poop – Type 3

Stool that’s shaped like a sausage with cracks on the surface is typical of a poor diet or sitting too much. A form of poop most often seen with organic constipation (constipation caused by lifestyle or diet), cracked stool has been in the bowels for about a week before passing.

Healthy Poop – Type 4

Healthy poop is shaped like a sausage, about the width of a banana and between four to eight inches long. It remains intact when flushed and has the right amount of water and nutrients when passed. It resembles soft-serve ice cream. Having normal, healthy bowels means pooping every one to three days, too.

Soft Blob Poop – Type 5

When stool passes in the form of soft blobs with defined edges, it’s slightly loose. It’s common for people who have bowel movements two to three times a day. This type of bowel movement usually follows major meals. Soft, blob-shaped poop quickly passes without any strain or effort.

Mushy Poop – Type 6

Mushy stool with fluffy pieces that have a pudding-shaped consistency is an early stage of diarrhea. This form of stool has passed through the colon quickly due to stress or a dramatic change in diet or activity level. When mushy stool occurs, it’s hard to control the urge or timing of the bowel movement.

When the body is under stress or not used to a healthy diet and lifestyle, it can push poop through the intestines faster than intended. If the stool doesn’t spend enough time in the intestines, it hasn’t undergone normal processes, meaning, it still has water and nutrients that haven’t been extracted from the body yet.

Liquid Poop – Type 7

Liquid poop is an advanced stage of diarrhea. It has no solid form and passes without control. Diarrhea occurs when the small intestine is irritated, forcing liquid into the intestine to flush out of the body without being properly processed. Liquid can be absorbed by the large intestine, too, but most pools in the rectum, causing explosive diarrhea.

Concerned About the Color or Consistency of Your Poop?

It’s normal to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed when your bowel movements are out of whack, but the exam room is a safe space. It’s important to let your doctor know if you suspect a problem with your digestive health. You can call or schedule an appointment through our patient app, MyUniytPoint.

Blood during bowel movements – causes, symptoms, methods of treatment

Contents

1. Introduction 2. Causes of rectal bleeding 3. Diagnosis and treatment

A fairly common problem is the release of blood during bowel movements. It can be either a noticeable trickle of blood during bowel movements, or minor marks on linen, toilet paper, and in the feces themselves. Such symptoms are not a kind of norm, as they can be a manifestation of very serious diseases, including those dangerous to health. That is why the detection of bleeding from the anus cannot be ignored, you should see a coloproctologist. The doctor will conduct diagnostic measures, establish a diagnosis and determine the optimal treatment tactics.

Most often, bleeding from the anus is associated with damage to the intestinal mucosa. Anatomically, many vessels pass through this area. Blood discharge is not always accompanied by pain, even a jet can occur without much discomfort.

Causes of rectal bleeding

In the first place among the possible causes of bleeding from the anus in both men and women is hemorrhoids. The characteristic of bleeding in this case is as follows: the blood is scarlet in color, appears more often after emptying the intestines and does not mix with feces. They associate blood with hemorrhoids with the passage of dense feces through the intestine and injury to enlarged hemorrhoids.

Colitis is also associated with bleeding, as this disease causes inflammation and damage to the intestines.

The occurrence of an anal fissure manifests itself as a small release of blood after defecation and is accompanied by burning pain. Cracks are formed due to various factors, mainly regular traumatization of the anus with feces, as well as mechanical damage to tissues.

Polyps are benign neoplasms on the intestinal wall that usually form in response to chronic tissue inflammation. Injury to the polyp can cause bleeding. In this case, the amount of blood depends on where the polyp is localized and what is its size. Similar symptoms are observed with diverticulosis, a disease associated with the protrusion of certain sections of the intestinal mucosa.

Proctitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the rectum, symptomatically manifested by the release of blood and mucus, which are mixed with feces.

The most dangerous diseases that can provoke rectal bleeding are ulcers and oncology. With an ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, the person’s condition will be severe, in addition to profuse bleeding during defecation, there may be a change in the consistency of the stool to tarry, as well as vomiting with an admixture of blood. Cancer tumors of the intestine can bleed at any stage of their existence.

For all these diseases, timely diagnosis is the key to successful treatment and prevention of life-threatening and health-threatening consequences.

Diagnosis and treatment

Doctors who will help to find out the cause of blood discharge during bowel movements are a coloproctologist and a gastroenterologist. You can first contact a general practitioner, he will clarify which doctor you need. In most cases, the help of a coloproctologist will be required.

The appointment of this specialist involves a survey and examination of the patient. The doctor will ask questions about the nature of the symptoms, the frequency of the appearance of blood, and find out the anamnesis. To make a diagnosis, a coloproctologist needs to examine the patient’s perianal area and his rectum. For this, palpation is carried out and instrumental diagnostic methods are used: anoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, in some cases – colonoscopy.

The tactics of treatment will directly depend on the causes of bleeding. If the problem turned out to be hemorrhoids, then the doctor will give recommendations corresponding to the stage of the disease. This can be as soon as conservative treatment, including local and systemic drugs, physiotherapy and lifestyle correction, as well as minimally invasive procedures or classic radical surgery.

Anal fissures are treated surgically, polyps, especially multiple and large ones, are also removed. The danger of these diseases lies in their complications. Anal fissures can cause acute paroproctitis, and polyps in a small but significant percentage of cases degenerate into cancer.

A coloproctologist is also involved in the treatment of colitis, the treatment regimen will include taking antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic drugs, as well as enzymatic support for digestion, probiotics and prebiotics to normalize digestion.

For the treatment of diverticulosis, conservative methods and surgery are used if drugs do not show effectiveness, or complications of this pathology have already appeared.

Malignant tumors of the rectum with early diagnosis respond well to treatment, modern medicine allows not only to save the patient’s life with a high percentage of success, but also to ensure an excellent quality of life.

If you find blood during or after a bowel movement, do not postpone the problem indefinitely. A consultation with a coloproctologist will allow you to quickly determine the cause of the problem and begin its treatment. Our multidisciplinary medical center will ensure you a speedy recovery. Call +7 (4842) 20-70-20!

FAQ

Of course not! Hemorrhoids are not a tumor, as many people think, it is associated with deformation of the vessels of the lower rectum.

The danger of untimely treatment for hemorrhoids lies in the risk of bleeding. But discomfort and bruising also occur with rectal cancer.

As soon as there is discomfort in the anus, you should immediately contact a proctologist for examination.

Hemorrhoids are not the norm either at 20, or at 50, or even at 90, since hemorrhoids are a pathology! Risk factors for the development of the disease include: a sedentary lifestyle, constipation, poor nutrition, smoking, etc. And with the advent of smartphones and computers, the activity of young people has sharply decreased, and the time for reading during defecation and static sitting has increased.

Hemorrhoids are considered a chronic disease. By identifying the symptoms in the early stages and the correct behavior of the patient, an exacerbation can be avoided for a long period of time. But the disease tends to aggravate and progress if left untreated.

You need to pay attention to the shade of blood in the stool. The darker it is, the higher the area of ​​​​the gastrointestinal tract is affected. Bright red blood indicates damage to the rectum or anus. Hidden blood in the stool may indicate the presence of cancer.

Usually this is exactly what happens. Provided that there are no absolute contraindications or special requirements for preparation. In the presence of relative contraindications, therapy is postponed until they are eliminated.

Symptoms of diseases of the large intestine: the nature of pain and manifestation

Diseases of the large intestine do not always manifest themselves clearly and clearly. More often, the initial phase is accompanied by blurred symptoms that people do not attach importance to. This may be a burning sensation, discomfort in the intestines, periodic mucus secretion. The specificity of the intestine is that it may not give such signs for a long time that will indicate the need to visit a proctologist.
Even when a person begins to worry about pain, swelling, discharge from the anus and other symptoms, he does not rush to the doctor. At first, the patient stubbornly tries self-treatment and the means that modern advertising obsessively offers. Meanwhile, the symptoms change, become more noticeable, pains appear and are often aggressive.

Sometimes symptoms may not indirectly indicate bowel disease, symptoms may be specific:

• sudden weight loss;
• weakness in the body;
• disturbances in metabolic and hormonal processes;
• hair loss.

These signs accompany the most severe lesions of the intestine: cancer, malignant tumors, polyposis. The intestine is the only organ that simultaneously belongs to two important systems of the body: the immune and gastrointestinal tract. For a full life and health, it is important to be able to recognize those symptoms and signs that suggest a pathological process in the large intestine:

• constipation;
• pains of varying intensity in the abdomen;
• spotting on bowel movements;
• discharge of clear or purulent mucus;
• anemia;
• flatulence;
• intestinal obstruction;
• stool disorder;
• tenesmus;
• incontinence.

Intestinal constipation
With constipation, there are difficulties with defecalization, up to the complete exclusion of stools within a few days. Constipation can be persistent and persistent, not succumbed to the action of laxatives. An upset stool can replace constipation – this is a common picture in irritable bowel syndrome, dysbacteriosis, and functional disorders.
The intensity of pain depends on the type of constipation: atonic and spastic. In the first case, the pain is aching, often not aggressive. With spastic constipation, there may be cramps in the inguinal region of a persistent nature. The presence of frequent constipation indicates the possibility of the formation of fecal blockages or intestinal obstruction. The conditions are extremely dangerous in nature, capable of threatening life.

Abdominal pains
Pain in the abdomen and groin often accompany organic and functional disorders in the large intestine. So, with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the pain is in the nature of spastic contractions. Such pains often radiate to the lumbar region, radiating along the outside of the legs. It is difficult to determine the locality, since the pain “spreads” along the lower abdomen, often involving the perineum in the process.

Constant pain – a sign of a progressive inflammatory process. Such pains are aching, pulling, steady. Manifested in IBS, various colitis, diverticulosis. The nature of the pain indicates the likelihood of developing peritonitis or a purulent lesion.

Spotting and bleeding
Bleeding occurs in diseases of the rectum and colon. Usually, the location of the lesion is visually determined by the color of the blood: the brighter the blood, the closer the lesion is to the exit. So, the appearance of clean and bright red blood indicates internal or external hemorrhoids. Sometimes blood loss can be significant and cause weakness, dizziness.

If the stools are homogeneous and contain uniform bloody impurities, then this is a symptom of the formation of a tumor in the upper intestines. Sometimes such masses occur with nonspecific colitis and diverticulosis. The higher the section of the lesion, the more uniform the blood clots in the feces will look and the darker their color.

In Crohn’s disease, blood may come out clear or in large clots. In some cases, red blood can be a sign of a decaying tumor in the intestine.

Discharge of mucus or pus
Such secretions are either permanent or appear during bowel movements. Most often, this becomes a sign of the formation of a fistula in the anus. With constant secretion of mucus and pain, sphincter insufficiency can be assumed. In this case, numerous erosions and cracks form, which brings itching and pain.

Such secretions are characteristic of irritable bowel syndrome, proctitis, with the formation of tumors in the sigmoid colon. Often the discharge is combined with blood, the appearance of clots.

Pain in the anus
Pain can be aching and periodic, arching the area of ​​​​the passage. This happens with deep cracks, they heal difficult, especially in the presence of constipation. Jerking and unbearable pains appear when hemorrhoids rupture or there are multiple nodes in the intestine. Ordinary hemorrhoids without complications do not cause such pain, it is felt only by bursting and swelling in the anus.

Anemia
Anemia develops when a person has lost a lot of blood. This occurs with severe lesions of the intestine, cancer, rapid progression of the tumor.

Bloating and flatulence
Bloating is a common symptom for almost any pathology in the gastrointestinal tract. A feeling of bloating and abundant gases is characteristic of constipation, intestinal obstruction, fecal blockages. Often flatulence is the result of enzyme deficiency and may indicate disturbances in the work of other internal organs.
Often bloating and flatulence accompany those who suffer from dysbacteriosis and do not eat properly. In some cases, bloating occurs with a feeling of discomfort and heaviness in the stomach, but with an excess of gas, severe pain in the abdomen may appear.

Intestinal obstruction
Intestinal obstruction can be complete or partial. More often you have to deal with partial, which is characterized by:

• swelling;
• pain;
• flatulence;
• prolonged constipation;
• the appearance of impurities and blood;
• vomiting;
• loss of appetite.

More often this indicates a severe lesion of the large intestine of organic origin. The condition is extremely painful and dangerous to human health. With progression, signs of poisoning of the body, inflammation of the peritoneum appear. With partial obstruction of the intestine, the stool is rare, scanty, often replaced by a profuse disorder. Temporary improvement occurs under the influence of taking laxatives or cleansing enemas.

Stool disorder
Diarrhea accompanies milder bowel disease, a common symptom of dysbacteriosis. Also, stool disorder can be combined with other symptoms, such as constipation or various discharges. This happens with exacerbation of colitis, IBS.

Tenesmus
Tenesmus is a false urge to empty the bowel. With such urges, a small amount of mucus is separated, sometimes with diarrhea. Tenesmus is usually frequent, persistent, tiring a person with its frequency. Characteristic of the excited motility of the rectum, are the result of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the anal section.