I've had a j pouch since 2000 and have recently noticed that my output is almost always yellow. The weird thing is I can't remember if it has always been yellow, or I've just gotten used to it over the years. Can you all please tell me what color your output is before I go to the doctor freaking out for no reason.
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Jan, is this normal? I'm just wondering if I'm digesting food too quickly.
I would go the doctor ASAP. Mine is practically always brown, sometime darker. I suppose diet could have something to do with the yellow color. Are you eating ir drinking a lot of something that could cause it?
Thanks for your response TCM. I'm going to start taking Imodium to slow things down and see if that helps. I used to task lomotil, but ran out and stopped taking it. If things don't get better, I will be checking with my doctor.
Yellow stool means a faster than normal transit. It is the bile. It starts out bright green and changes to yellow, then brown, as digestion progresses. It does not neccessarily mean illness, but could be is you were exposed to a virus or bacteria that causes a gut infection. If that is the case, it would blow over in a few days, or get so bad you seek medical attention. But, if it is just your normal fast transit, yellow could be typical. Slowing peristalsis with Imodium or lomotil should help. Fiber, like Metamucil, does not slow peristalsis, so it would not affect color in a significant way.
The main thing is how you feel. If you feel well, don't worry too much about it. If your stools turned a pale clay color, then it is something to pay attention to. That would mean your gallbladder was obstructed.
Jan 
Thanks Jan! I honestly don't feel well most of the time...I also have chronic pain and fibromyalgia. Lately I've felt even more fatigued than usual. I'm going to see if the Imodium improves how I feel. Also, plan to get a prescription for lomotil and switch if necessary.
If your transit time is too fast you may also be having an excessive motility issue and this can be treated by taking anti-spasmodics like levsin or bentyl. Lomotil and Imodium may also help. I had problems with a spasmodic bowel and levsin taken 30-45 minutes before meals eradicated that issue. Spasmodic bowel is characterized by super frequent bowel movements right after meals.
CTBarrister, YES, I do have frequent bowel movements after meals. I will try the Levsin...I have some on hand. Do you take it before every meal? Thanks for your input!
When I had the problem of spasmodic pouch/excessive motility, which was shortly after takedown, I did have to take levsin before each meal (30-45 minutes before meals) and this completely stopped the burst of bowel movements after eating. As time went on, I found that I didn't need to. My surgeon told me its excess motility of the shortened GI tract and it sometimes gets out of whack. He knew exactly what to do.
Since the mid 1990s things mostly calmed down and it's rare that I will get that burst of bowel movements after meals. I usually only take levsin at bedtime.
