Iron supplement 3x a day, still have soft stools

[tdht]

For once, I'd like to have a firm log (haha). I'm on Humira and Azathioprine. I have no pain, cramping, bleeding, or diarrhea but no matter what I eat (I could eat a large steak, cheese, chocolate, and whatever else makes other people's stools hard) and still have a very soft BM.

Any ideas why my colon refuses to make a normal log when I'm not having any symptoms? I was diagnosed with a sigmoid colon stricture last September but my colonoscopy in April showed no stricture. My GI doc said that it could've been missed. Does a narrowed portion of a colon cause soft stool?

 

[tdht]

I can't find any information online if a narrowed colon can cause stools to always be very soft.

 

[shamrock15]

You don't mention any previous surgeries. I haven't had a "normal" BM in decades. I do have a narrowing and have had many resections and strictureplasties, so I do have a couple reasons. I have been able to get close to normal, but the "logs" to which you refer will never happen again for me.

 

[tdht]

Only "surgery" I had was the dilation of my anal canal due to an anal stricture. It was very very tight back there whereas it was painful to insert my forefinger which isn't very thick. But now, I can insert an anal dilator that's one inch wide. I'm scared to go any bigger because it still feels pretty tight back there.

I think years of squeezing my anus due to diarrhea and not wanting to have accidents messed up the muscles back there because the anus should be able to dilate quite a bit.

I see my GI doctor and the surgeon who dilated my anal canal within the next two weeks. Maybe I'll get some answers then.

I'd really like to hear from someone who had thin stools and converted to more normal stools OR someone that had really soft stools and was able to firm it up. Sometimes I have leakage and I think if my stools were more solid, that wouldn't happen. It's just weird I have no symptoms of CD but my bowels are still not normal.

 

[Layla]

Have you tried psyllium? I use it to help firm up stool but I didn't dare use it when I had a stricture.
So if you were to try it I'd start very carefully, maybe a quarter teaspoon mixed with water first thing in the morning.
You will need to wait with taking any medication until 2 hours after the psyllium.

Let us know hoe you get on.