Green Stool / C Difficile / Gross Question
Question:
Since we are into these gross questions, I have one similar to this subject. In addition to my stool being green, it too is like a thin rope intertwined with marble sized stool. . I am currently tapering off prednisone from a high of 40mg and have CD. I just started taking some fiber so maybe that’s one reason. It ’s not every stool but at least once a day. I just got this CD in April and it has been one thing after another (arthritis,etc. etc.) Mary Hey guys, it’s Hotbread with even more questions… This one’s pretty gross — so if you have a weak stomach please do not
continue.
Response:
I would certainly let him know about it. You’re getting 81mg from pills, I get 50mg from a Multivitimin, plus I eat a lot 
So you’re probably in the higher end of the safe range. Mary said: My Doc prescribed two 27mg. iron pills 3x a day. Now I am wondering if I am getting too much. My stool is green and was wondering why! I have a Doc’s appointment June 17th and will definitely get another blood test to check levels. Regards, Mary
I take one 325mg Ferrous Sulfate pill daily, another 18mg in my multi- vitamin, plus whatever I get through a fairly normal diet. Yet, I have trouble maintaining adequate levels of iron. My normal BMs are olive green, but while I was on 650mg/day of Ferrous Sulfate, they were much darker and the diarrhea was more frequent. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not so much how much iron I ingest, but rather, how much I retain that’s important. By reducing my intake to levels that my body seems to retain better, I’m not flushing the excess down the drain and causing myself more diarrhea in the process. Andy Z Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
YES!!! This one might be a winner. I had 2 ensure the other day, approximately 8 hours before the “incident” in question. That certainly makes sense! I’m having another ensure right now. We’ll see what happens! Yes, formed stool was great, but the really weird thing is that I had diarrhea about an hour before, and went back to diarrhea about an hour afterwards. Oh well. -Joe
Joe, I also get the formed (olive colored)’ribbon’ stools from time to time with diarrhea before and after. In my case, I have Crohn’s, take Pentasa, lomotil, and questran, but NO Ensure. I’m keeping a log of diet/BMs (consistency, frequency, color, etc), but have not been able to establish a cause/effect relationship to anything that produces those, almost real, stools. I’d really like to figure out how to make more of them happen, but, in the meanwhile, I enjoy the respite from the diarrhea when it happens (3-4 times per week). Andy Z
Well. I am thinking the green stool is from the ensure you drank with all the vitamins in it….it is great that you had a formed stool….Congrats on that!!! Sometimes when you take certain vitamins they will make your poop green, especially when you are taking iron, and I am sure there is some form of iron in the ensure….so its a possibility thats what it was……
Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
Do you have a cite for that? I had a cdiff infection for a couple of months back in ‘97 and at no time did I have green stool. I also looked it up in lots of medical books at the time, and none of them mentioned green stool as a symtom of cdiff. Anyway, hotbread hasn’t been on any antibiotics apparently except for Flagyl (metronidazole) which is taken to clear up a cdiff infection. Look it up. C. Difficile causes green stool. The bacteria itself is green. OK? Maybe it’s not always the cause of green shit, but it is entirely possible it could be this infection. Look it up again. C. Difficile is most often caused by antibiotics. Otherwise, what? Is the ensure green liquid? I’ve been taken the acidopholous and it really did solve the green problem. Maybe to much speculation causes green shit?
Response:
Look it up. C. Difficile causes green stool. The bacteria itself is green. OK? Maybe it’s not always the cause of green shit, but it is entirely possible it could be this infection. Look it up again. C. Difficile is most often caused by antibiotics. Otherwise, what? Is the ensure green liquid? I’ve been taken the acidopholous and it really did solve the green problem. Maybe to much speculation causes green shit?
Response:
How long have you been on the atkins diet??
About two weeks. It has really helped my fatigue and I also lost about five pounds so far. The great thing is I am not hungry on this diet. I also have about three more weeks of tapering off prednisone. Regards, Mary
Response:
but the really weird thing is that I had diarrhea about an hour before, and went back to diarrhea about an hour afterwards. Oh well.
I think that once the ensure hit it made your stool formed and green…..once the ensure was all out of your intestines you went right back to the diahrea….apparently ensure is helping you have formed stools…thats good!!!
Response:
How long have you been on the atkins diet?? I have just boughten the book and am preparing myself to go on it….I know that I will miss all the good things I have been eating but I have to also remember that I want to get thinner too….:-) Let me know how it is going for you….I am wondering how it will be for CD…my 8 year old son has CD and if it will help that, he will go on it too….
Response:
I think that excess bile would give you the yellow stool…..I have noticed that on myself when I have had bad diahrea(I dont suffer from CD or UC) and when I have “pooped” all the food stuffs out and there is nothing left to “poop” then it is the yellow bile that burns like fire……I feel so sorry for all you people that have the chronic diahrea…..
Response:
Not 81mg but 162mg of iron daily. Now I am really getting worried because I am also on the Atkins diet and eat a lot of meat!! Mary I would certainly let him know about it. You’re getting 81mg from pills, I get 50mg from a Multivitimin, plus I eat a lot So you’re probably in the higher end of the safe range. Mary said: My Doc prescribed two 27mg. iron pills 3x a day. Now I am wondering if I am getting too much. My stool is green and was wondering why! I have a Doc’s appointment June 17th and will definitely get another blood test to check levels. Regards, Mary
Response:
I would certainly let him know about it. You’re getting 81mg from pills, I get 50mg from a Multivitimin, plus I eat a lot So you’re probably in the higher end of the safe range. Mary said: My Doc prescribed two 27mg. iron pills 3x a day. Now I am wondering if I am getting too much. My stool is green and was wondering why! I have a Doc’s appointment June 17th and will definitely get another blood test to check levels. Regards, Mary
— Brian Drain http://members.aol.com/preyemuhs — ASW Home: http://www.webdesigns1.com/asw
Response:
I’ve get yellow stool of the Asacol and green stool as soon as I have to eat iron. Thats just the way it is according to my Dr. Love Mona. How about yellow stool???? Its a first for me. Is this a common phenomenon. Why do I feel strange signing my name to this??????? Maybe its a newbie thing . getting too much. My stool is green and was wondering why! I have
Response:
I don’t think green stool has anything to do with a cdiff infection- I had one a couple of years ago and at no time was my stool green. Give us a list of all the meds and vitamins you’re on, it’s possible one of those is the culprit. Does anyone out there know if excess bile can do that to you?
Response:
YES!!! This one might be a winner. I had 2 ensure the other day, approximately 8 hours before the “incident” in question. That certainly makes sense! I’m having another ensure right now. We’ll see what happens! Yes, formed stool was great, but the really weird thing is that I had diarrhea about an hour before, and went back to diarrhea about an hour afterwards. Oh well. -Joe Well. I am thinking the green stool is from the ensure you drank with all the vitamins in it….it is great that you had a formed stool….Congrats on that!!! Sometimes when you take certain vitamins they will make your poop green, especially when you are taking iron, and I am sure there is some form of iron in the ensure….so its a possibility thats what it was……
Response:
Too much Iron in the diet can also cause green stools.
My Doc prescribed two 27mg. iron pills 3x a day. Now I am wondering if I am getting too much. My stool is green and was wondering why! I have a Doc’s appointment June 17th and will definitely get another blood test to check levels. Regards, Mary
Response:
How about yellow stool???? Its a first for me. Is this a common phenomenon. Why do I feel strange signing my name to this??????? Maybe its a newbie thing. Getting too much. My stool is green and was wondering why! I have
Response:
Well. I am thinking the green stool is from the ensure you drank with all the vitamins in it….it is great that you had a formed stool….Congrats on that!!! Sometimes when you take certain vitamins they will make your poop green, especially when you are taking iron, and I am sure there is some form of iron in the ensure….so its a possibility thats what it was……
Response:
Too much Iron in the diet can also cause green stools. hb said: I have NOT eaten anything with weird food coloring in it. I have NOT eaten anything green, blue, purple or even dark colored. I haven’t eaten any spinach or any vegetables of any kind. I have been surviving on eating tortillas, chicken, potatoes, bread and process cheese, with the occasional can of Ensure.
— Brian Drain http://members.aol.com/preyemuhs — ASW Home: http://www.webdesigns1.com/asw
Response:
I mean, what the hell??? This is really disturbing. Doesn’t green stool sometimes point to some kind of bacterial infection, especially something like C. Difficile? I have tested negative for C diff, but I understand you can easily test negative and still be infected. Has anyone had any experience with C Diff infections? I had one once, a long time ago, when I was 14, so I don’t remember a lot of details. I remember they put me on vancomycin and my symptoms cleared up almost overnight. A few months ago I was on flagyl for quite some time, wouldn’t that have prevented a C diff overgrowth from happening?
Hotbread, From what I’ve read and am experiencing right now, it IS the antibiotics that cause clostridium difficile overgrowth. They also induce pseudomenbraneous colitis (sp?). C.Difficile is usually treated with vancomycin, as you said, and also metronzidole(sp?). I don’t know about the green stuff myself, but I suspect that is from not having enough healthy bacterial flora in the gut. Seems that most of us get that often. I know I do and have long before starting the heavy antibiotics that I’m on. The best advice I could give (which is what my GI prescribes) is taking moderate to large doses of lactobaccilli. Find a good brand that has a mixture of acidopholous, lactobacilli, L.bulgaris and bifidum. You could also try papaya enzyme pills. It does help! Good luck! You’re diet sounds very appetizing, except for the processed cheese. Think I’ll get me some chicken now.
Response:
Hi Joe! Golly, I LOVE these topics. Yes, I’ve had the mysterious green poop too. Infact today, I had green fluid with no stool. VERY WEIRD. I have also had a very bad day today (flare) and ended up spending the entire afternoon in bed. I feel better now – but I can’t help you with the question. Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. Rebecca Hey guys, it’s Hotbread with even more questions… This one’s pretty gross — so if you have a weak stomach please do not continue. I have been struggling with a weird UC flareup now for almost 3 months. I keep thinking I’m getting better, then I get worse again. Last night something VERY WEIRD happened and I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas or comments. I was watching TV, and started to feel kind of rumbly and crampy. Not a terrible feeling. Just a feeling that my bowels were starting to generate a lot of gas. I felt like I was kind of inflating. And things were WAY more active than normal. I wasn’t too worried because it felt like things were moving along OK. But things were definitely way more active than normal. A few hours later, I had to go to the bathroom. Lo and behold, I had a nearly solid BM. It almost looked normal. It was definitely the most cohesive, solid BM I have had in probably a year. It was quite surprising, to say the least. There was a lot of gas, too, but there it was — looking almost completely normal. Coming right in the middle of this severe flareup, it was quite a shock. Well, the gas and rumbling continued through the night after I went to bed. Things sounded a LOT more active than normal, and I felt a LOT more bloated than normal. This morning, I had a BM. It was frightening! It was a big slimy rope of DARK GREEN stool! Kind of the color of pond algae, or pureed spinach. Lots of gas went along with this, too. The stool had no black in it though (so I am hopefully not bleeding internally). I have NOT eaten anything with weird food coloring in it. I have NOT eaten anything green, blue, purple or even dark colored. I haven’t eaten any spinach or any vegetables of any kind. I have been surviving on eating tortillas, chicken, potatoes, bread and process cheese, with the occasional can of Ensure. I mean, what the hell??? This is really disturbing. Doesn’t green stool sometimes point to some kind of bacterial infection, especially something like C. Difficile? I have tested negative for C diff, but I understand you can easily test negative and still be infected. Has anyone had any experience with C Diff infections? I had one once, a long time ago, when I was 14, so I don’t remember a lot of details. I remember they put me on vancomycin and my symptoms cleared up almost overnight. A few months ago I was on flagyl for quite some time, wouldn’t that have prevented a C diff overgrowth from happening? I would be relieved, but kind of pissed, if this whole flareup was some kind of bacterial problem that got overlooked. So does anyone have any ideas about what might cause something like this? How worried should I be? As usual, I have a doctor’s appointment soon, and will definitely bring this up, but in the meantime I thought I would ask everyone here… you know, the REAL experts who have been through it all! -Joe
Response:
I’ve had green stools before. It’s usually green when I have something close to a formed stool. This also happens during a flare-up. It will be interesting to see if there are any responses to this question. Mark
Response:
Hey guys, it’s Hotbread with even more questions… This one’s pretty gross — so if you have a weak stomach please do not continue. I have been struggling with a weird UC flareup now for almost 3 months. I keep thinking I’m getting better, then I get worse again. Last night something VERY WEIRD happened and I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas or comments. I was watching TV, and started to feel kind of rumbly and crampy. Not a terrible feeling. Just a feeling that my bowels were starting to generate a lot of gas. I felt like I was kind of inflating. And things were WAY more active than normal. I wasn’t too worried because it felt like things were moving along OK. But things were definitely way more active than normal. A few hours later, I had to go to the bathroom. Lo and behold, I had a nearly solid BM. It almost looked normal. It was definitely the most cohesive, solid BM I have had in probably a year. It was quite surprising, to say the least. There was a lot of gas, too, but there it was — looking almost completely normal. Coming right in the middle of this severe flareup, it was quite a shock. Well, the gas and rumbling continued through the night after I went to bed. Things sounded a LOT more active than normal, and I felt a LOT more bloated than normal. This morning, I had a BM. It was frightening! It was a big slimy rope of DARK GREEN stool! Kind of the color of pond algae, or pureed spinach. Lots of gas went along with this, too. The stool had no black in it though (so I am hopefully not bleeding internally). I have NOT eaten anything with weird food coloring in it. I have NOT eaten anything green, blue, purple or even dark colored. I haven’t eaten any spinach or any vegetables of any kind. I have been surviving on eating tortillas, chicken, potatoes, bread and process cheese, with the occasional can of Ensure. I mean, what the hell??? This is really disturbing. Doesn’t green stool sometimes point to some kind of bacterial infection, especially something like C. Difficile? I have tested negative for C diff, but I understand you can easily test negative and still be infected. Has anyone had any experience with C Diff infections? I had one once, a long time ago, when I was 14, so I don’t remember a lot of details. I remember they put me on vancomycin and my symptoms cleared up almost overnight. A few months ago I was on flagyl for quite some time, wouldn’t that have prevented a C diff overgrowth from happening? I would be relieved, but kind of pissed, if this whole flareup was some kind of bacterial problem that got overlooked. So does anyone have any ideas about what might cause something like this? How worried should I be? As usual, I have a doctor’s appointment soon, and will definitely bring this up, but in the meantime I thought I would ask everyone here… you know, the REAL experts who have been through it all! -Joe
Response:
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