is this normal
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is this normal
I have been GF only for a week now , all is going well at the moment - my bowel movements are more formed, and i feel a lot better, but today BM has changed to a very dark colour ,i haven't eaten anything unusual wondering if this is normal.
Hi Marg,
Unless the stool color is black (indicating partially-digested blood), that's a normal transition. Bile is green. When we are reacting and have rapid transit, stool color can be greenish. As our motility begins to slow down, the color transitions to sort of a pale grey to straw color. As motility returns to normal, stool color turns to brownish. IOW, the color is mostly determined by the length of time that the bile is allowed to "age" before being expelled.
Of course, other things can affect stool color, not the least of which are the items in our diet. Some foods tend to dominate stool color, such as beets, for example. Even certain additives can affect stool color, and some vitamin supplements are capable of changing stool color.
It sounds as though you may have returned to mostly normal bowel function. Good for you.
Tex
Unless the stool color is black (indicating partially-digested blood), that's a normal transition. Bile is green. When we are reacting and have rapid transit, stool color can be greenish. As our motility begins to slow down, the color transitions to sort of a pale grey to straw color. As motility returns to normal, stool color turns to brownish. IOW, the color is mostly determined by the length of time that the bile is allowed to "age" before being expelled.
Of course, other things can affect stool color, not the least of which are the items in our diet. Some foods tend to dominate stool color, such as beets, for example. Even certain additives can affect stool color, and some vitamin supplements are capable of changing stool color.
It sounds as though you may have returned to mostly normal bowel function. Good for you.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Marg,
Vitamin D shouldn't cause any stool color change. As Zizzle mentioned, if you happen to be taking Pepto-Bismol it will definitely turn the stool black or blackish.
If the problem continues, and you can't find a reason for it, it might be advisable to ask your doctor about it, since it can be associated with bleeding high up in the GI tract (such as a stomach ulcer). Of course, if it were a massive bleeding problem (or significant enough to cause black stool), you would almost surely feel anemic and light-headed and it would cause D.
Tex
Vitamin D shouldn't cause any stool color change. As Zizzle mentioned, if you happen to be taking Pepto-Bismol it will definitely turn the stool black or blackish.
If the problem continues, and you can't find a reason for it, it might be advisable to ask your doctor about it, since it can be associated with bleeding high up in the GI tract (such as a stomach ulcer). Of course, if it were a massive bleeding problem (or significant enough to cause black stool), you would almost surely feel anemic and light-headed and it would cause D.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks to you all for the info, its probably nothing,
I had a duodenal ulcer many years ago and the pain was really bad but as i feel okay, no light head or anemia or pain like I had then so I am probably worrying unnessasaraly (as usual) I will take your advise Tex and see the Doc if the problem continues, thanks again for listening.
Marg.
I had a duodenal ulcer many years ago and the pain was really bad but as i feel okay, no light head or anemia or pain like I had then so I am probably worrying unnessasaraly (as usual) I will take your advise Tex and see the Doc if the problem continues, thanks again for listening.
Marg.