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Symptoms Of Malabsorbtion

Jenn2005

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Jenn2005 Contributor
Jenn2005
Posted

For any of you who have currently or had malabsorbtion in the past can you please tell me your symptoms and what you did for it. I'm not sure if my husband (Shane - the Celiac) has it and if he does do you just stick with the diet and wait it out or is there something you can do to help maintain the weight and help w/ the absorbtion. The symptoms that are concerning me are going to the bathroom several times a day its not D but its a large amount of stool that is very bulky and sometimes foamy - full of undigested food - he said you can literally tell what he has been eating - loosing weight still - he is currently getting B12 injections. Sometimes its hard to tell if its coming from the Celiac or something else. Also how long did it take you to get past this part? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jennifer

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tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

vitamin deficiencies, osteoporosis, anemia, fatigue, weight loss - they are all signs of malabsorption. his doctor can do a test for this.

nikki-uk Enthusiast
nikki-uk
Posted

Hi Jennifer,

I was in your shoes 18 or so months ago.

My husband was dx with coeliac 18months ago.

By the time he was diagnosed he was seriously ill,hospitalized and bed ridden some days.

His weight had dropped to 110 pounds and he was in a bad way.

When he got the diagnosis,at first we was really pleased,we had finally found out what had made him so ill.

We had high hopes for the gluten free diet.

However,after 6 months sticking rigidly to the diet a repeat biopsy showed that his 'villi' weren't healing.

Everthing he ate went right through him.

The doc decided to put him on steroids ,which helped massively with his appetite,and helped his bowel heal.

There were times when I questioned whether it was 'just' coeliac making him so ill.

Now,after 6 months on the steroids,he's around 130 pounds,got loads more energy and even has the occasional 'normal' bowel movement! :rolleyes:

I think that now his bowel has healed some,he's actually started to absorb some of the food and vitamin supplements he puts in his body.

Don't forget,it takes alot longer to heal than it took for the damage to get there.

For some adults it can take up to 2 years for their bowel to heal completely.

We're waiting on the results of his third biopsy,but judging by the weight gain,and losing all the symptoms he had,I'd hazard a guess that the steroids kicked his immune system into order.

My husband was also seeing a neurologist for 'ataxia' and movement disorder.

He used to stumble and be unbalanced(like he was drunk)

He also used to 'shuffle' when walking,very unsteady.

Another symptom was oedema and swelling in his legs and feet(so much so he couldn't wear shoes)

pain and tingling in the soles of his feet.

The neurologist run numerous tests-but has concluded that as his symptoms have all but disappeared, it must have been caused by vitamin deficiencies/malabsorption.

I never thought I'd see him recover,but slowly,he's getting there.I think there was alot of damage to undo!

I'm not sure how long your hubbie has been gluten-free,but it would seem that for some the healing process takes a little longer. :(

I hope you see some improvement soon :)

Jenn2005 Contributor
Jenn2005
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the comments. I'm so glad your husband is doing so much better. My husband has only been gluten free for about 3 months now. He has been ill since July 2005 and got a diagnosis in August and then the doctor had him do a gluten challenge after only 7 weeks gluten-free so after all that he is now gluten free for 3 months with 2-3 accidental glutening from c/c. Hopefully time and diligence with the diet will do the trick. I'm going to ask his doctor for the test for malabsorbtion. Does anyone know what test they do for that?

Thanks for the help.

Jennifer

kevsmom Contributor
kevsmom
Posted

When I was suffering with malabsorbtion, I started getting bruises all over my body for no reason. I was sent to a hematologist, and found out that I was extremely anemic - which explained why I was so tired all the time. The bruises were because I was not retaining any vitamin K, so my blood would not clot. I ended up in the hospital getting blood and plasma because I had a nose bleed that would not stop, and I lost so much blood.

This was all happening at the same time that I was being diagnosed for Celiac. Once I went on the gluten free diet, the blood issues all seemed to clear up.

Cindy

Rachel--24 Collaborator
Rachel--24
Posted

I lost 25 lbs and had loose stools with alot of undigested food. I was very weak and slept most of the day. I was off work for 2 years. I had some of the symptoms mentioned above like tingling/numbness and my legs and arms were always covered in bruises even though I did nothing to bruise them...I slept most of the time. Since the diet I no longer have the bruises even though I'm back at work and bang myself up alot. I do have some trouble with weight gain still and I occassionally have the loose stools again. I asked to be tested for malabsorption back then but the doctors werent too concerned and only ran a stool test and I think 1 bloodtest and declared me to be perfectly healthy. When I got tested through Enterolab 4 months into the diet my malabsorption score was very high (under 300 was considered normal and I was at 912). I dont know what tests doctors use to diagnose malabsorption but based on my symptoms and weight loss I'm not sure they ran the proper tests or maybe I was absorbing enough to look ok on the results. Who knows.

Jenn2005 Contributor
Jenn2005
Posted
  • Author

Now that I think about it the other day Shane had a bruise on his cheek and we couldn't fiqure out where in the world it came from. I kept thinking maybe he slept on his hand or something and we never could figure it out. I noticed he has a bruise every once in a while on his legs and arms. He tested negative for malabsorbtion thru entrolabs several months ago but at that time he didn't have these symptoms either. I guess I could always order another test just for that if the doctor is cooperative. Thanks for the comments.

Jennifer

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Packard Newbie
Packard
Posted
For any of you who have currently or had malabsorption in the past can you please tell me your symptoms and what you did for it. I'm not sure if my husband (Shane - the Celiac) has it and if he does do you just stick with the diet and wait it out or is there something you can do to help maintain the weight and help w/ the absorption. The symptoms that are concerning me are going to the bathroom several times a day its not D but its a large amount of stool that is very bulky and sometimes foamy - full of undigested food - he said you can literally tell what he has been eating - loosing weight still - he is currently getting B12 injections. Sometimes its hard to tell if its coming from the Celiac or something else. Also how long did it take you to get past this part? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jennifer

My doctor desperately wanted my condition to be malabsorption. He understood the condition and knew how to treat it.

There is a definitive test for malabsorption, involving stool smears.

There is an effective treatment for malabsorption involving a type of insulin (taken in pill form).

If you suspect malabsorption get the test done.

Jenn2005 Contributor
Jenn2005
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for this info. I am definately going to ask for the test. We know for sure he has Celiac so if he has malabsorbtion it is a complication of the Celiac not instead of. I have been doing some research on malabsorbtion and I haven't seen anything about the insulin pills as a treatment so I'll ask him about that if the test comes back positive. Thanks again for the help.

Jennifer

Packard Newbie
Packard
Posted
Thanks for this info. I am definitely going to ask for the test. We know for sure he has Celiac so if he has malabsorption it is a complication of the Celiac not instead of. I have been doing some research on malabsorption and I haven't seen anything about the insulin pills as a treatment so I'll ask him about that if the test comes back positive. Thanks again for the help.

Jennifer

The test looks for undigested fat in the stool, an indicator of malabsorption. My doctor was not even considering celiac, so I assumed it was an independent condition. I believe it has to do with the pancreas.

Google: "Pancreas, malabsorption" The Merck Manual has a discussion on this subject.

GlutenFreeAl Contributor
GlutenFreeAl
Posted

Has anyone else found that their hair is thinning???

I used to have a huge BUSH on my head, but now it's become very flat and limp.

I'm pretty conviced that my hair is starving...

IronedOut Apprentice
IronedOut
Posted

I have been experiencing a lot of hair loss related to my malabsorption of Iron. Now that I'm on an infusion regimin until I'm 'healed' it has slowed down.

jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

My main ones--severe anemia and fatigue. And now, in reverse symptoms :) I notice as I am healing that I am absorbing more, and foods and alcohol affect me differently than before.

Jenn2005 Contributor
Jenn2005
Posted
  • Author

I just noticed the other day that his hair seems thinner on the top too. I didn't relate it to this but who knows. He is very fatigued also. Hoping the B12 shots help with this but so far he hasn't noticed any improvement from them.

Jennifer

kevsmom Contributor
kevsmom
Posted

My hair had been falling out due to medication that I was taking. The doctor suggested that I take Zinc and Selinium (in the vitamin section of stores). I found that I had to take a lot more than the 100% of the daily requirement, but these vitamins have helped. I would check with your doctor before you do this if you plan to try it - and don't forget to see if the brand you pick up is gluten free.

Cindy

debmidge Rising Star
debmidge
Posted

After drinking fresh carrot juice, husband's stool was partially the color of the carrot. We knew he wasn't absorbing right but the gastro he went to at the time thought he was nuts instead of sick.

Rachel--24 Collaborator
Rachel--24
Posted
After drinking fresh carrot juice, husband's stool was partially the color of the carrot. We knew he wasn't absorbing right but the gastro he went to at the time thought he was nuts instead of sick.

Is this what happens with malabsorption because pre-gluten-free that was happening to me alot? I remember being so sick and one night I had stools that were completely black. Not just dark...but black. I had never seen a stool look that color before. I was crying and scared...I was advised to go to urgent care to have them check for blood. It turned out to be from oreo cookies that I had eaten earlier that day. :huh:

Guest SusieQ
Guest SusieQ
Posted
The test looks for undigested fat in the stool, an indicator of malabsorption. My doctor was not even considering celiac, so I assumed it was an independent condition. I believe it has to do with the pancreas.

Google: "Pancreas, malabsorption" The Merck Manual has a discussion on this subject.

I'm probably doing this wrong. I'm new. I just wanted to reply to the post about hair loss and or thinning.

Might try a supplement of biotin. Biotin seems to help with hair growth. It isn't generally a cheap supplement though.

Just a thought.

Susie

jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

Oreo cookies Rachel :) Wow, I never would have thought of that!

Packard Newbie
Packard
Posted
Is this what happens with malabsorption because pre-gluten-free that was happening to me alot? I remember being so sick and one night I had stools that were completely black. Not just dark...but black. I had never seen a stool look that color before. I was crying and scared...I was advised to go to urgent care to have them check for blood. It turned out to be from oreo cookies that I had eaten earlier that day. :huh:

Black stools and and floating stools and oily residue were the things that my doctor was looking for when he thought it was malabsorption.

My hair was already thinning, but it thinned out a good bit more after I started the medications (methotrexate, Embrel) for the psoriatic arthritis (also a immuno-related condition).

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted
Black stools and and floating stools and oily residue were the things that my doctor was looking for when he thought it was malabsorption.

I had these things before my Dx.

My hair had also thinned to the point that you could see my scalp in some places. The hair is now growing back a little and I am not losing any more. I've had my hair cut so the new areas blend in better with the rest. Somehow, with it being shorter, it looks thicker. I was anemic, and had been for a long time.

Rachel--24 Collaborator
Rachel--24
Posted
Black stools and and floating stools and oily residue were the things that my doctor was looking for when he thought it was malabsorption.

Nearly all of my stools were pale and floating pre-gluten-free and I also had alot of oil residue but only black stools the one time (thanks to the oreos). That was actually the last time I had oreo cookies but it took me 4 more months to figure out about gluten. I do still see some oil but for the most part my stools dont float anymore but the oil still being there bothers me.

Packard Newbie
Packard
Posted
Nearly all of my stools were pale and floating pre-gluten-free and I also had alot of oil residue but only black stools the one time (thanks to the oreos). That was actually the last time I had oreo cookies but it took me 4 more months to figure out about gluten. I do still see some oil but for the most part my stools dont float anymore but the oil still being there bothers me.

Get the test. If it is the pancreas that is causing this, it is easily treatable with a pill a day.

Get the test. It is self administered. You bring in the samples to the lab, and your doctor will give you the definitive result. No guessing and a real remedy.

Get the test.

Rachel--24 Collaborator
Rachel--24
Posted
Get the test. If it is the pancreas that is causing this, it is easily treatable with a pill a day.

Get the test. It is self administered. You bring in the samples to the lab, and your doctor will give you the definitive result. No guessing and a real remedy.

Get the test.

Thanx,

I'm currently seeing a new doctor and I'm having lots of tests done.

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