A 32-year-old member asked:
what do dark and soft stools indicate?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Charles Cattano answered
Gastroenterology 39 years experience
Lots to consider...: Color & texture of stool varies with foods, speed of emptying of the GI tract, medications & supplements ingested, gut flora (unique for each individual), additives (like blood), subtractions (like absent bile), infection, inflammation, & other factors. More importantly, if stool appearance is unusual for you & persists, or is accompanied by alarm symptoms, then medical evaluation is in order.
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Similar questions
Brazil, IN
A 22-year-old female asked:
Why do my stools smell like cat litter? No, i don't have a cat.
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Martin Raff answered
Infectious Disease 56 years experience
Stool odor: This is dependent upon what you are eating and what the bacterial flora of your colon is like. Outside of extremely foul smelling stools which can be a sign of some types of infection, it is very difficult if not impossible to pinpoint the etiology of your feces odor.
5504 views
A 47-year-old member asked:
Should stools always be light brown or is any other color normal?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Christopher Nicora answered
Internal Medicine 24 years experience
Any color: The color of your stool is not something you should be concerned with on a routine basis.
5500 views
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
A 35-year-old female asked:
If you showed moving tape worm segments in your stool at 12/13...Could one have a tapeworm now?! 20yrs later?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Arthur Heller answered
Gastroenterology 43 years experience
Yes...: Can also get reinfested.
5496 views
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
A 35-year-old female asked:
What do tape worm segments in stools actually look like?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Arthur Heller answered
Gastroenterology 43 years experience
Moving threads: They are alive. Any doubts, stool studies to detect.
5494 views
Canada
A 24-year-old female asked:
For the past year or more every time i go to the washroom my stool has clearish strings in it. Is this a parasite?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Terry Simpson answered
General Surgery 35 years experience
Probably not: It sounds like mucous more than that. Take some of that string and bring it to a doctor to see.
5494 views
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
Last updated Jun 10, 2014
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