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Why is My Poop Light Colored?

About two weeks ago I started to poop a much lighter shade than normal. It is a very light shade of brown, almost gray at times. The poop is mostly well formed. A little on the dry and light side. I don't think anything drastic has changed in my diet. My stomach has felt a bit more upset than usual, but nothing too dramatic. I feel normal otherwise. I was tired this week, but I tend to feel that way on occasion and have had my sleep schedule thrown off. It's starting to freak me out a little. I've looked around on the Internet and saw some stuff about bile production and such. I don't have any insurance or a job or much money. I can google as well as the next guy, so please answer with experience. Is it possible it's a passing thing that will correct itself? Maybe some kind of virus or something? Do I absolutely need to rush to a doctor? What would they even do?

And to answer what are likely to be common questions: no drug use, pretty light alcohol use, no history of illness, no major lifestyle changes recently, and this has never happened before

porqua asked in Aches, Pains & Illness 6 months ago | Report

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  • Min-wage_small
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    asteria

    Bilirubin is what makes poop brown - it's produced in the liver and goes through the bile ducts into the intestines. A day or two of pale poop is normal; two weeks is not. There are a lot of things that could cause pale poop, and some of them are serious, so you should get it checked out. It's not ER level serious but go to the doctor within a couple of weeks serious.

    Call Country Doctor at 206-299-1600 - they have a 24-hour consulting nurse who can help you decide what to do. If you get really, really nauseous or start throwing up a lot, you should go to urgent care.

    If you do need urgent care, go to a hospital and ask for "charity care." Most hospitals in Washington offer it; it's a lot of paperwork, but for something serious or potentially serious it probably will be cheaper for you than going to a private or sliding-scale clinic. Here's a list of Community Hospital Charity Care Policies if you want to shop around. If nothing else you can set up a payment plan.

    There are also a lot of great resources at this question - How do I pay for necessary healthcare when I have no money or insurance?

     

    asteria answered in Aches, Pains & Illness 6 months ago | Report
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