My stools are small and thin, and I have acute cramps. What could this be?

Hi,

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I understand your concern. Yes, cancer cannot develop overnight. Your stools are completely fine. There is no abnormal morphology. It is common to have cramping with bowel movements and it allows the stools to pass out. There are other signs that suggest the possibility of cancer. The signs are obstructed defecation, bleeding in stools and it is mixed with stools, and pain while passing stools. The pain can remain for a day and night irrespective of the timing of the bowel movement. Colon cancer will not develop without any change in stools. As you have done colonoscopy, if you have it, it would have ruled it out. If you have a doubt, you can do a colonoscopy again. Changes in stools can occur due to changes in water intake, low fiber, changes in diet, and changes in physical circumstances due to working hours. Identify the factors causing it and try to change them. You can have your normal stools again.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Yes, you are right. They do not cause changes overnight. Colon cancer shows some varied presentation. They cause pencil-type stools with some changes in the morphology of the stools. Bleeding, pain, and weight loss are the common symptoms observed. In most cases, colon cancer develops from polyps and some develop without precursor polyps. Please mention your age. As you have done colonoscopy before three years and you had a clean colon without any significant polyps, then there is nothing to be worried.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I have gone through the attached photo (attachment removed to protect patient identity). It seems to be normal. Your stool is in normal healthy form and shape. Normally, stools will never come completely round and they are in an oval shape. The stools of the cancer patients are grossly distorted or pencil-like. You do not have this one. Change in the shape of stool is one of the changes observed in colon cancer.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I have gone through the attached pictures. Yes, you have grooves. But I do not think that internal hemorrhoids have caused it. Internal hemorrhoids are blood vessels that run under the lining of the rectal wall. They are spongy structures and they get compressed easily without making impression on the stools. It is a non-significant finding. The anal canal is surrounded by muscles and ischial bone. There is a rectal coccyx which is a prominent structure present over the back of the rectal wall. You can have an impression due to this.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

No, your stool was in soft consistency with indentation. But indentation can occur in normal persons too as in your case without any serious issue in the rectum or anal canal. The form of a stool can depend on various factors. They depend on the consistency of the stool, strain applied while passing stools, and pressure applied in the anorectal canal while passing the stool. The anorectal canal is a muscular structure and even slight pressure can change the form of stool into pellets, ribbon type, pencil-type, or mushy stools. If the stools are ribbon-like, then indentation occurs commonly in this case. There is a grading system for stools. It has seven patterns. All the patterns seem to be normal except one and seven. Colon cancer occurs with other symptoms. The affected person may feel constipated, and they are unable to pass stool even after doing repetitive urges to pass stools. Usually, colon cancers are soft spongy tumors. They do not cause indentation. Even in the early-stage, they present with bleeding without constipation, obstruction, and pain. As you do not have bleeding, then the possibility of having colon cancer is very rare in you. As you are reaching 50 years, you need to do a screening colonoscopy. Do it soon to have some relief.