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Do I have diarrhea?

braveheart

Passionate Dreamer
I've having loose stools during a week.

I am having bowel movements once or twice a day, which can be considered normal, but stools are very loose.

According to the following chart it is type 6.


I also do have some abdominal pain. I tried some medication to stop diarrhea without success.

Do I have diarrhea or not?
Anyone has experienced something like this?
 
I never fitted with that stool chart. Because I have problems with my rectal sphincter muscles, it means that even when I pass diorrhea that is the consistency of water, I still have to strain as if I were constipated. The chart doesn't take things like this into account.

If yours is like number 6, then yes, it is diarrhoea and not exactly normal/healthy. However, it is less likely to be as serious as 7, as that is when you may get dehydrated or have something more serious causing the diarrhoea. I think that's correct anyway - I don't think you can get too much information by just seeing the consistency of your stools. It doesn't tell you whether your absorbing fats etc. properly or whether there is blood.

Have you been diagnosed with Crohn's and how long have you been having loose stools for?
Having a doctor order stool sample tests with give you more useful information about what's going on.
 

SarahBear

Moderator
Location
Charleston,
I've never seen a stool chart before!

Number 6 is diarrhea, yes.

Are you in remission? Have you had problems with diarrhea in the past?
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
LOL I've seen this stool chart. Not the biggest fan of this chart. I don't feel it represents the full spectrum of our bathroom situations.

But 6 and 7 are definitely diarrhea.

Have you tried out the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet to see if it helps form things down there?
 
I had to use this stool chart when I was in hospital and record what my stools were like every day. I agree you can be more descriptive than what is just in the chart, but it gives the doctors a rough idea.
 
Geez, my stool dont look like any of those pictures really. I dont know, I remember my doctor telling me diarreha is watery stool that has no form at all. She said you can have pudding like poop and that still is not considered dierreha. Hmmm, interesting. My stools a lot of times looks formed , is softer but is like a rope and fuzzy looking. ( sorry if that is TMI). It kind of disintergrates in the water easily.
 
I go between #5 on a good day to #7 on most days. But the vast majority are a mix, somewhere between 5 and 7. I was told by my first GI that diarrhea is any non-formed watery stool.
 

braveheart

Passionate Dreamer
Hey good news. I think I am in number 5 now.

The thing is my doctor always ask how many times per day do I go to the toilet.
Many people here goes more than 3 times a day.

But this chart is about the shape of stool.

So I wonder what really diearrea is? Going many times OR being number 5-6-7 in the Bristol Chart.

During the "good times" I go to the toilet twice a day and it looks like number 4.
 
The clinical definition of what is diarrhea is multifactorial. Things like volume contribute as well (one small, loose stool movement a day may not qualify). I wouldn't worry about whether or not you meet the clinical definition - the quantity and quality, as well as how different it is from your baseline, are important. Depending on your issues (e.g. stricturing or multiple resections), your "normal" may be different than others.

I do like the chart, though - never seen it presented quite that way. Even if it is only one aspect, it is a clever way to differentiate between visits and gives something other than the number of movements per day to evaluate over time.
 

KWalker

Moderator
I've seen the chart before. Anybody with crohns knows it's inaccurate because it doesn't even acknowledge all the other colors that appear sometimes! lol
 

braveheart

Passionate Dreamer
What I mean is: you have the Bristol chart about the form of the stool.

Then you can count how many times per day do you go to the toilet (that is not in the Bristol chart, but it is still an interesting metric). This could be another chart.

Finally the poo can have different colors: the standard brown, yellowish, greenish, reddish, black, etc. And this could be another chart.
 
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