You:Gastroenterology

Type 6 Stool

46 yr male. Physical 2/1/24 - normal blood/urine/EKG/CT calcium score zero/scanning head-body MRI. Chronic conditions: EoE (soy/legume, oat likely). EGD 2/28/24 normal. Colonoscopy 2 years ago normal. GAD/insomnia. Rx 3mg Lunesta nightly.

Passed 6 months increased stress due to relocation, job change, sick parent, sick child, death in family on top of baseline GAD.

Saw PCP 6 weeks ago for palpitations, testing normal, advised to exercise more/stress management.

GI wise stool seemed to start floating two months ago and was not as brown. Stool more and more matched Type 6 on Bristol. No fever, nausea, blood, fatigue, weakness, jaundice, skin issues, pain, no increase in frequency (usually 2x per day), no fluid passing during BM. Energy level good.

3 weeks stop consuming a daily prune, foods high in sorbitol, and stopped psyllium husk. Not long after I stopped all supplements, including probiotic. What I have noticed is that stool color is now consistently brown, which is good, but stools seem to be floating maybe even more. They also seem to exude a bit of orange coloring once in water.

My doctor wasn’t too concerned at this point and said if things don’t get to what I feel is normal we can do this Genova Diagnostics stool test and repeat some metabolic labs.

My weight at physical in 2/1/24 was 143.5 and today I am about 140.5. My doctor wasn’t concerned about that and noted my stress level over last 6 months is likely cause. Weight in October last year was 143.5. So he said it’s not a material change.

Question 1) What are your overall thoughts and recommendations diet or otherwise. 2) Possible causation? 3) What might cause some orange coloring around stool.

Thank you.