soft, loose stools

[charliemae]

for the past month, maybe longer, i have had soft, fluffy, stools every morning. sometimes they are pretty light in color - like a pale yellowish, brown. sometimes they are just light brown.
i have no trouble going and i have no pains.
i do have a lot of gas - but i was also diagnosed with IBS several years ago.
i do not eat real well, but then i never really have.
should i be concerned?

thanks so much.

[NancyB]

I've had the same symptoms as Charliemae for almost three years: soft loose stools [not usually watery diarrhea, just barely-solid stools that disintegrate when the toilet is flushed] and they occur every morning, and they're sometimes very pale in color.I don't have pain and my appetite and energy and weight are normal. My condition began when a doctor was treating me for a urinary tract infection; it turned out I didn't have an infection, I had Interstitial Cystitis [IC] or "painful bladder syndrome", probably an autoimmune disease. My digestion was still normal after the first course of antibiotics, but during the second course of a different drug the soft stools began. I thought I'd normalize eventually, but never did. I don't know if my digestion was messed up by the antibiotics though or by the same thing that caused the IC. I don't have medical insurance or enough money for lab & hospital tests, so I have just been living with the condition but it worries me because the soft stools sometimes do change to real diarrhea and that would be much more difficult to live with.

[money1]

Try an antianxiety medication for a week or so, Klonopin works well for me.

[ThunderStorm3212]

I too was just diagnosed as having spastic colon/ Irritable bowel.  I have diarrhea atleast 3 to 6 times every day.  If I get a virus that causes the more than normal diarrrhea that I have or causes vomiting i get dehydrated, blood pressure drops and i pass out.  Did this 3 times last year.  Put me on 3 different meds to start taking and using.  My stool is yellow 90% of the time or brownish green the other times.  Have cramping and back tenderness.  I at times don't get thru a sandwich or meal without going to the bathroom.  I gain weight though. I ask doc how after everymeal I go 1 to 3 times afterwards do i keep gaining weight?  How does any fat stay in there to make me gain.  No answer though.  Any body know how you keep gaining with so many loose stools all day?

ThunderStorm3212

[Street]

I wouldn't worry about your symptoms. I was recently diagnosed with IBS after complaining of diahhrea, light colored stools, soft, fluffy stools, gas etc....You seem to have IBS. Stress and nervousness can be a cause of IBS. Your symptoms sound benign...symptoms to be concerned about are rectal bleeding and weight loss as these two  are not characteristic of IBS. Don't worry unless other symptoms like these develop.

[katey]

What you're describing sounds like typical IBS symptoms.  The gas is probably from the IBS, as well as the loose stools.  The color you described sounds normal. Mine's that color ALL the time, lol, and i talked to my doc, and she said that its fine.  When you have IBS, your colon goes into spasm, and that causes the frequent loose stools.  If you're concerned, check with your doc, but it totally sounds like typical symptoms of IBS.