Learn more about the common stool changes below: Diarrheaĭiarrhea occurs when the intestinal wall becomes inflamed and the muscles in the colon contract more frequently. People with UC may experience painful abdominal cramps and a frequent need to empty their bowels.Īccording to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, a person with UC may also experience the following symptoms:Ĭrohn’s & Colitis UK reports that roughly 70% of people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have also experienced bowel incontinence - the unintended passing of stool, or “having an accident.”Īlso, some people with IBD experience constipation instead of diarrhea. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.What stool symptoms occur with ulcerative colitis? Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. He performs diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures, and enjoys providing comprehensive and holistic care to patients with a wide variety of disorders affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Sanagapalli is a gastroenterologist and director of the Esophageal Disorders Center at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst. Nevertheless, whenever something about your bowel movements begins worrying you, your next move should be to consult with a gastroenterologist - especially if you’re at least 45 and have never had a colonoscopy. Of note: The specific descriptor of “groove or elongated indent in a stool” is never included in symptom lists for colon cancer. “Ultimately, a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy may be required to definitively examine the anus and rectum from the inside to ensure there is nothing concerning causing the grooved appearance.” “If it persists, then the patient should consult their doctor who can perform a digital rectal examination to see if they can feel anything that may be causing the groove. “The fiber supplement will bulk the stool, and if this results in disappearance of the groove, then it is of no concern. “A simple first step that patients could try at home is adding a regular soluble fiber supplement (e.g., psyllium husk),” says Dr. “This could include things such as polyps or even tumors.” What You Should Do “Logically, a groove in the stool suggests that there is something very low down in the GI tract (within the anus or rectum) that is ‘indenting’ the soft stool. “However, if a groove in the stool is a persistent finding, then it may warrant further assessment. “It does not require any further thought or concern. “An isolated stool or a few bowel movements with a groove within the stool is not of any significance - and may simply be due to something in the diet that day, or some nonspecific change in the digestion that day,” says Santosh Sanagapalli, MD, a consultant gastroenterologist, endoscopist and specialist in esophageal disorders. Groove on One Side of Your Poop: Could this Mean Cancer? Two more worrisome observations are when stools come out grey or chalky in color, or come out in the shape of ribbons or pencil thin. We are also told to be very concerned if we see what appears to be blood or a black, tar-like substance in our bowel movements. We often hear how a “change in stool caliber” is something to pay mind to, as it can signal the presence of colon cancer. Have you noticed that sometimes there’s a groove or long indent on one side of your poops?Ĭould this mean anything significant such as colon cancer?

Picture of pencil thin stool