Let's talk about poop!

I'm new to this section of the forum (I've posted in the UC forum) but I'm still unsure as to what exactly is going on with my digestive system so I'm just introducing myself everywhere. The two most concerning symptoms for me are that I occasionally experience bleeding after diarrhea (not actually while I'm going but afterwards) and often see undigested food when I poop. Yesterday I ate some romaine salad for dinner and actually pooped out just plain lettuce- hardly any actual stool. I've scheduled an appointment with a GI which isn't until November, so of course in the meantime I've been doing the old standby of Googling things (I know ) but I was just wondering if anybody else has experienced malabsorption of food, even easy to digest ones like lettuce?

I'm also anxious about getting a colonoscopy because even if the GI doesn't do one for my digestive issues, there is a probability that I will need to get one yearly since it was just confirmed that my mother has Lynch syndrome and possibly passed it onto me. Basically Lynch syndrome greatly increases your risk for certain cancers, especially colorectal cancer and ovarian cancer (women). If I do need to get one, any tips, ideas, to make the process easier? Even though it's a long time from now?

Huh weird my doctor told me romaine is easy to digest and that it's a good option for when I'm having tummy troubles. I'm overweight, so I definitely don't struggle with keeping the weight on so perhaps I just have difficulty with certain fruits and veggies. Thanks for the response!

I haven't gone back to that doctor actually since they suggested Weight Watchers as a cure for all my problems. I'll stay away from lettuce even though that's the first time that's happened. RIP salad...I loved you so.

Spinach and lettuce are both my version of "Russian Roulette". They do not always digest well- if at all.

As for the colonoscopy prep- definitely keep it refrigerated as suggested. I've really struggled to get it all down before so I like to eat very lightly (mostly soups) for an extra day before the prep and I start drinking the prep much earlier in the day then they recommend. I've also chased a glass of the prep with a couple sips of Sprite and that seems to help. It gets that salty taste out of your mouth.

Good luck!

I don't think anyone has addressed the bleeding. One possibility is that you have hemorrhoids and the diarrhea is causing them to bleed. Regardless, whenever you're experiencing bleeding, it's a good idea to talk to your doc.

Shortly before I got sick, I completely transformed my diet to only have salads, lean proteins, whole grains, lots of veg, etc. When I was sick with my first flare, I basically could only eat basic food like plain pasta, some meat, almost no veg (and especially not green, leafy veg). It was a big adjustment.

Ever since that first flare though, I haven't had nearly as many issues with veg. It's a slow process learning what foods cause you problems, and these can change over time.

As for passing undigested food, it happens to everyone, even those with healthy GI tracts. I rarely have a BM without some food present and I used to keep a mental list of the food that came out like it went it--because after I got being nervous about it, I found it entertaining. My favorite so far has been whole blueberries, completely intact. The biggest concern with malabsorption is that you're likely not getting all the nutrients you need. Some of the most important ones we deal with are B12, iron, potassium, and D.