Greenish Stools

[Ginia]

I have been using quite a bit of Cinnamon spice on toast for about 6 months - believe it or not it reduces the amount of pain I experience from an artifical hip and bone implant in my right leg.  Less than a month ago my stools started this medium green color, sometimes darkish but not totally black as I would expect from internal bleeding.  I'm wondering if there is enough iron in cinnamon to cause the change in color.  In the past my stools have reflected the color of whatever I had been eating but not the past 2-3 weeks since this greenishness started. I have to balance the amount of water I drink carefully or I'm either constipated or next door to diarrhea. I did have one polyp removed in a bowel examination two years ago.  I have a slight tenderness on my upper left side off and on ever since that time. I do have diverticali in the descending and Sigmoid Colon.  The total hip replacement is Titanium and I have 3 copper wires holding the bone graph in place on the femur. That's nearly 10 painful years old and I was told then not have an MRI done again. I'm in my 80's and certainly do not want major surgery or exploratory surgery and would rather avoid a whole lot of 'tests' if I thought too much Cinnamon could be the cause of greenish stool discoloration. I would appreciate your serious comments.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Normally green stools are a reflection of food that you have eaten.  There are some cases of irritable bowel syndrome that can result in green stools as well.  

Although possible, I am not aware of cinnamon being a cause of green stools.  

For further evaluation, a colonoscopy can be performed - to evaluate for things like inflammtory bowel disease - which may influence the stools.  

You can discuss this option with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
http://www.straightfromthedoc.com

[astros18]

A greenish stool is usually a sign of the liver cleansing itself. I honestly don't know if cinnamon will change the color of your stool, but if the greenish stool continues you should probably get it checked out.

[TJV]

     Green stool is considered harmless and  can be caused by certain  foods or quick transit or decreased colonic transit time. Think the latter  is the most logical explanation since you describe experiencing priblems with  diarrhea and constipation .

   Don't think cinamon would cause green stools,  unless there is such a thing as green  cinamon :)   Certain green  vegetables can cause this, things with purple or green artificial colouring   , and iron supplements can cause green stool as well.

[mmfd]

Licorice is another thing that can cause bright green stools, if eaten in quantity!  It doesn't hurt you though!

[Reality123]

Dear TJV & susannak,
I had a chance to read “Sarah Connors” last post which was in fact a reply to your sarcastic attitude. Had been an ardent reader and admirer of her medical knowledge so saved her replies. Sorry to say and no offence intended but your attitude will deny many people of sensible straight answers to their miseries. If its removed again would email it on your request.
Take care, Hugs & Peace.



QUOTE:

• Would like to clear a few facts.
• Firstly am just a member in these forums like all.
• Secondly in none of my posts did I write that I was a med student for your info.
• Yes in some of my replies did mention writing terms such as, in my own clinical experience, practicing as a doc for decade plus, when I worked in hepatobiliary medicine, if I were your treating doc, presently am in Pakistan etc.
• These terms were never mentioned with any mal intent or to show myself.
• As regards to have a limited knowledge about subjects, the answer to that is that I try mostly, replying to those posts to which no one has replied (& before Kevin too, cause there is no challenge left after his response, plus his responses lack clinical touch, they are more text book like), selected topics & don’t try not to interfere in topics which are being replied my co members.
• Like one member gives a belated response that d dimer can be raised in many normal individuals. Well great & right but my queries to her are:
• What took her so long to mention that? Was she trying to search some website trying to know the meaning of d dimer & its applications etc?
• Didn’t the Hematologist earlier find the d dimer raised & know that its raised in some people with out any underlying illness (despite normal PT, PTT, FDPs) but still was thinking on the lines of DIC?
• What actually am trying to say is that med is an art, as stated by the lady in pain & to me it’s a jigsaw puzzle. One doesn’t treat signs, symptoms, and lab results (whether normal or abnormal) & give a diagnosis based on them.
• Rather one sees the patient as a whole, correlates all data like a CPU & than gives the best possible logical diagnosis/ opinions.
• Where was she all this time? She was scrutinizing my letters, words, posts & when by mistake I just wrote that Endoscopy isn’t the preferred method to visualize the pancreas, the aim actually was to tell the lady in pain that Endoscopy scheduled by her doc wouldn’t help see the pancreatic problem if she has or had, there she made her first post with her website knowledge.
• I very graciously thanked her for correcting.
• That was it. From there one she started giving her website collected data/ advice to the lady in pain. She is more than welcome but where was she all this time? Never ever did she try to give one cause of her problems, whether write or wrong. Because she has no education what to talk of attending med school, experience, just shallow website bits & pieces.
• I know about myself, am confident, bold, experienced & well qualified.
• I take time to help people here, with my mind & experience, not website knowledge. People aren’t stupid, that they can get too. They want possible answers to their questions.
• They want logical provisional diagnosis, if you know what that is. Till your last post you were just either correcting me or telling about d dimer or what info you gained from Kevin’s response. Nothing from your own grey white matter, if you have any.
• Feel that you suffer from severe inferiority complex & morbid female jealousy & that’s too hard for you to swallow. I won’t reply to any posts in future. At least shall make you happy.
• I have better & more important things that replying to psychotic remarks.

  
   Good bye & enjoy your tiny false world of these forums.

Would advice you to use these forums with a constructive, positive intent/ aims, not for your own personal kicks. If you want those, go log on to some chat rooms.

PS:  A correction to another member & adding to her knowledge, all B 777 & D11 that I fly have internet access for any passenger, whether first or economy class, she must be flying in some obsolete aircraft (If she really does).