I am a major hypochondriac, and I get scared over the smallest things. Back in September, I had a random bout of diarrhea (just one stool) at a restaurant. Nothing became of it. Then, in November, I had another bout of diarrhea (once again I just had one bad stool). Ever since then I have been having more loose stools then I did back in the summer and before. I usually make 1 and rarely 2 a day, no more. For about a month (end of November-end of December), I had constipation. I would occasionally make a nice stool, but in many cases it was pebbles. I haven't had diarrhea since November, but I have been having loose stools (come out quickly, sizes of pieces vary). I still have hunger and feel fine, however I always associate loose movements and diarrhea with the stomach flu (being the hypochondriac that I am). I want to know, is it normal or healthy to make loose stools? Is it my diet?
I'm getting to the point where i'm afraid to go out because i'm scared i'll make a loose stool and want to go home.
Any and every piece of advice is greatly appreciated.
I am a major hypochondriac, and I get scared over the smallest things. Back in September, I had a random bout of diarrhea (just one stool) at a restaurant. Nothing became of it. Then, in November, I had another bout of diarrhea (once again I just had one bad stool). Ever since then I have been having more loose stools then I did back in the summer and before. I usually make 1 and rarely 2 a day, no more. For about a month (end of November-end of December), I had constipation. I would occasionally make a nice stool, but in many cases it was pebbles. I haven't had diarrhea since November, but I have been having loose stools (come out quickly, sizes of pieces vary). I still have hunger and feel fine, however I always associate loose movements and diarrhea with the stomach flu (being the hypochondriac that I am). I want to know, is it normal or healthy to make loose stools? Is it my diet?
I'm getting to the point where i'm afraid to go out because i'm scared i'll make a loose stool and want to go home.
Any and every piece of advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Try keeping a food and bowel movement diary for two weeks. Record the time you eat,what you eat,how long after you eat that you have a bowel movement and the consistency. Hopefully you will be able to see a correlation of what you eat and how long after you that you have a bowel movement and whether it's loose like diarrhea or hard pebble stool. Dairy products like milk and cheese can give you bad cramps and diarrhea. Acidic,gassy,greasy,spicy foods can also cause loose stools but also give you severe abdominal cramps,lots of gas,and sometimes bloating. Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms can vary from person to person but these are the most common symptoms: constipation,diarrhea, alternate between constipation and diarrhea,severe abdominal cramps(colon goes into spasms), gas ( too much gas released or trapped gas that can't be expelled),bloating,sometimes nausea. Anxiety,depression,and stress make symptoms worse. You can make your stools soft but firm enough so it's not like diarrhea by eating 25 grams a day of fiber and 64 0z. a day of water. Sometimes taking a fiber supplement like Citrucel or Metamucil twice a day also add bulk to your stools and maintain regularity. I also found that having a regular scheduled time to have a bowel movement every day keeps my bowels moving but not so they're loose. I hope this is helpful to you.
