When should I worry about green stool? If the color of green stools persists for more than a week and you have symptoms like fever, blood in stools or cramps that don't get better, you must contact your physician.
See your doctor if:
Green stool is almost always normal, but it may be a sign of infection in some cases. If you have concerns about your bowel movements, your doctor can help you determine the underlying cause. Green poop is a common problem. While many people expect their poop to be brown, stool comes in a variety of sizes and colors.
If your poop is looking a little green, it is usually no cause for concern. Green poop is considered normal and often a result of consuming green foods. Sometimes, diarrhea can lead to green poop, as food moves through the intestine too rapidly to allow bile to break it down completely.
Eating a diet high in green vegetables such as kale and spinach can turn your poop green. Sometimes it isn't the food itself but what is in your food that makes the difference. Kale may be healthy, but at the other end of the health spectrum dyes and coloring can also produce a change in the color of your poop.
Normal stool color is brown. This is due to the presence of bile in the stool. Normal stool color can range from light yellow to brown to almost black. If stool is red, maroon, black, clay-colored, pale, yellow, or green this may signify a problem.
Green. Food may be moving through the large intestine too quickly, such as due to diarrhea. As a result, bile doesn't have time to break down completely. Green leafy vegetables, green food coloring, such as in flavored drink mixes or ice pops, iron supplements.
The seven types of stool are:
Pebble or pellet bowel movements aren't usually a reason to worry, but they may mean stool is moving through your intestines at a slow pace. These small, hard lumps of stool can be hard to pass. They're also one of several symptoms that occur with constipation.
While it sounds unpleasant and unusual, it's possible to vomit up your own fecal matter. Known in medical literature as “feculent vomiting,” throwing up poop is usually due to some type of blockage in the intestines. Learn what causes someone to throw up poop, and how to treat this condition.
Black or tarry stools may be due to bleeding in the upper part of the GI (gastrointestinal) tract, such as the esophagus, stomach, or the first part of the small intestine. In this case, blood is darker because it gets digested on its way through the GI tract.
Sticky poop can be a symptom of a temporary or chronic digestive disorder, or the result of a diet that contains too much fat. Sticky poop can appear greasy and pale or dark and tarry. If you also have other symptoms, such as gas or abdominal cramps, talk to your doctor to determine the cause.
It's perfectly normal for poop to have an unpleasant odor. The smell comes from bacteria in the colon that help break down digested food. Poop may smell different due to changes in your diet.
Pain-free to pass: A healthy bowel movement should be painless and require minimal strain. Soft to firm in texture: Poop that is passed in one single piece or a few smaller pieces is typically considered to be a sign of a healthy bowel. The long, sausage-like shape of poop is due to the shape of the intestines.
How often should you poop. You don't need to poop every day to be regular. It's normal and healthy to have a bowel movement anywhere between three times a week to three times a day. If you're producing soft, well-formed logs that aren't hard to push out, your bowels are probably in good shape.
Floating stools are not usually a cause for concern, as they can result from gas being trapped in the stool and from a high fiber diet. However, if the symptom persists, a person may wish to contact a doctor.
While narrow or pencil-thin stool is not always a sign of constipation, it may be if your poop doesn't normally look that way. Constipation is usually caused by a lack of fiber in your diet or not enough exercise. Other causes include pregnancy, travel, use of some medications, and changes in your hormone levels.
Narrow stools that occur infrequently probably are harmless. However in some cases, narrow stools — especially if pencil thin — may be a sign of narrowing or obstruction of the colon due to colon cancer.
“People will typically, when they have rectal cancer in particular, will notice a narrowing in their stool. They'll call it a ribbon-like stool. And essentially what's happening is a tumor starts on the inside of the intestine, and it starts causing a partial blockage. So what's able to come out is thinner.
If you often have trouble making bowel movements and have to take laxatives (drugs that help you go) on a regular basis, you could one day have a serious bowel problem called fecal impaction. A fecal impaction is a large, hard mass of stool that gets stuck so badly in your colon or rectum that you can't push it out.