Oily stool

[Becketha]

Sorry for the TMI but I need help. I have been dealing with greasy stools for about 7 weeks now. I have been to my

primary and a GI specialist. They have run several labs. All looks normal. Ruled out gallbladder via blood tests and scans and now my GI wants to test me for Celiac. My question is. Can your ONLY symptoms be oily stool/gas/weight loss ?
 

I don’t have any other symptoms like upset stomach/diarrhea/bloating etc. the stools have really been causing me great anxiety everytime they happen (which is daily). Dr says it’s malabsorption and we are running tests to see why it’s happening. Can anyone help ease my anxiety? is there anything I can do to improve my stools? Can this be celiac? 

[trents]

Beketha, welcome to the forum!

Oily stools, gas and weight loss are all classic symptoms of celiac disease but I suppose they can be caused by other medical conditions.

If you hand around this forum for a while you will realize that there is a huge variation with regard to the symptoms experienced by the celiac community. In fact, many celiacs experience little or no GI distress, at least in the initial stages of the disease. Symptoms can change with time, however.

One thing to keep in mind is to not start eating gluten free until all your testing is complete, blood antibody testing and upper GI scoping with biopsy should your physician want to do both. Doing so will invalidate the results.

What does your anxiety center around? The prospect of having celiac disease or the possibility of your symptoms being caused by other medical issues?

[Becketha]

32 minutes ago, trents said:

Beketha, welcome to the forum!

Oily stools, gas and weight loss are all classic symptoms of celiac disease but I suppose they can be caused by other medical conditions.

If you hand around this forum for a while you will realize that there is a huge variation with regard to the symptoms experienced by the celiac community. In fact, many celiacs experience little or no GI distress, at least in the initial stages of the disease. Symptoms can change with time, however.

One thing to keep in mind is to not start eating gluten free until all your testing is complete, blood antibody testing and upper GI scoping with biopsy should your physician want to do both. Doing so will invalidate the results.

What does your anxiety center around? The prospect of having celiac disease or the possibility of your symptoms being caused by other medical issues?

My anxiety centers around the malabsorption I’m seeing and the possibility of it being caused by other medical issues. Just started out of the blue and will not let up. I do have gluten sensitivity in my family but no one has experienced the malabsorption or symptoms I am experiencing. Of course googling didn’t help my anxiety Bc up until my GI suggesting celiac tests my mind was going to the worst possible place. I always thought celiac presents with other symptoms and not mainly stool changes. 

[trents]

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder whereby the ingestion of gluten causes the immune system to attack the lining of the small bowel. This lining is made up of billions of microscopic finger-like projections called "villi" that taken together is the organ system where the nutritional compounds in our food is absorbed. Celiac inflammation wears down or flattens the villi which reduces the surface are for the absorption of nutrients, including fat compounds.

[Scott Adams]

Welcome to the forum! You mentioned that some of your other family members have gluten sensitivity, did anyone ever get tested for celiac disease? It turns out that ~44% of first degree relatives of those with celiac disease also have it, and I've not seen studies on the prevalence of gluten sensitivity among direct relatives, but suspect it's also quite high.

[Becketha]

1 hour ago, Scott Adams said:

Welcome to the forum! You mentioned that some of your other family members have gluten sensitivity, did anyone ever get tested for celiac disease? It turns out that ~44% of first degree relatives of those with celiac disease also have it, and I've not seen studies on the prevalence of gluten sensitivity among direct relatives, but suspect it's also quite high.

No. None have been formally tested. My mother has gluten sensitivity which she controls through her diet. 

[Scott Adams]

Since nobody in your family was ever tested for it there is no way to know your risk of celiac disease, but at the very least, it sounds like gluten sensitivity runs in your family. It would definitely make sense for you to get screened for this before going gluten-free, and keep in mind that a negative test for celiac disease would not rule out gluten sensitivity.