What could be the reason for having loose stools, mucus in the stools, and incomplete bowel movements for the past year?

Question

Hello doctor,

In the past year, I have had the following symptoms:

A lot of undigested food in stool, mainly vegetables.
The stool is almost completely odorless.
Mucus in the stool.
Loose stools.
Incomplete bowel movements.
Narrow stools.

What could the problem be? I also had a clear colonoscopy one year ago. Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

This can be due to problems with the small bowel. Small bowel diarrhea can be due to various things, namely celiac disease, non-celiac enteropathy, certain small bowel infections, and some small bowel allergies. This requires a thorough clinical inquiry followed by a targeted investigation to reach the diagnosis.

Do you have allergies like asthma, runny nose, or cough?
Did you have weight loss, abdominal pain, or bleeding?
How much is one stool quantity?
Have you ever been told you have an allergy to gluten or wheat?
Do you have diarrhea when you take milk?
Any history of travel within or outside your country?

The colonoscopy can come normal in a condition where the small bowel is involved. Then, one has to have a gastroscopy, that is, an endoscopy of the stomach and small bowel.

Thank you.