Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Do All Celiac Stools Float?


Chako

Recommended Posts

Chako Apprentice

Just wondering if a true celiac stool will float or is this only in the later stages when lots of damage is already done?

Has anyone had stools that do not float and still have been diagnosed celiac? Thanks.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Ursa Major Collaborator

Well, this is a hard one. If stools are actually formed, they tend to float when things get pretty bad. But not always. Of course, with diarrhea, you get some stuff floating, and some not, and it's liquid anyway, so how do you determine if it's floating or not?

On the other hand, if you are constipated (which is also a celiac disease symptom, and I used to alternate), it normally doesn't float.

It IS confusing for sure.

VydorScope Proficient

Ive always figured that had more to do with what you ate over the last few days then anything esle?

nettiebeads Apprentice
Just wondering if a true celiac stool will float or is this only in the later stages when lots of damage is already done?

Has anyone had stools that do not float and still have been diagnosed celiac? Thanks.

Well, I've had both at one sitting - even when I've been clean for weeks. I dunno. But with my C I'm happy I'm going.

kabowman Explorer

I thought that floating stools was associated with amount of gas, mostly "attributed" to IBS. Now, I have both, in the same sitting, regularly but not nearly as much as it was before I figured out all my food issues.

Ursa Major Collaborator

Floating stools are caused by your bowels not absorbing fat, gas has nothing to do with it. They are also called 'fatty stools' for that very reason.

CarlaB Enthusiast

What do you make of this? ... mine used to sink, since being gluten-free for five months they're floating all the time. I'm sure I'm gluten-free because if I get a crumb or two, I'm out of it for days.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Ursa Major Collaborator
What do you make of this? ... mine used to sink, since being gluten-free for five months they're floating all the time. I'm sure I'm gluten-free because if I get a crumb or two, I'm out of it for days.

That's weird, something you may want to bring up with your doctor maybe?

prinsessa Contributor

Ok this is kind of gross but since we are talking about stools....mine usually didn't float, but they did sink and stick to the bottom of the toilet. It was really gross because I had to constantly clean the toilet. After going gluten-free, they are normal most of the time. btw, I have never been diagnosed Celiac, but I do know that I am gluten intolerant.

CarrieBoo Rookie
Floating stools are caused by your bowels not absorbing fat, gas has nothing to do with it. They are also called 'fatty stools' for that very reason.

Open Original Shared Link

Here it says floating stools are caused by gas... I find it hilarious talking about stools, you know you are comfortable with your significant other when you can discuss your bowel movements! :lol: BTW, I get both floating and sinking, button-like stools (not very often, lately, do I get a fully formed stool)

A question: What does a fatty stool look like, are the unabsorbed fat droplets clear or white? Or is white stuff just mucus...if so what causes mucus in the stool?? :blink:

kabowman Explorer

Well, this would explain why mine are finally more normal, not always, and not quite, but closer.

I think the white slippery stuff is mucus. I used to have problems with that as well but all gone now.

  • 10 years later...
Manicgirl Newbie
On 5/31/2006 at 8:10 AM, Ursa Major said:

Floating stools are caused by your bowels not absorbing fat, gas has nothing to do with it. They are also called 'fatty stools' for that very reason.

Hi there, I know this is a really old conversation and I'm a brand new member but it was your comment that prompted me to join (that, & I desperately need help & support w/Celiac). I think floating stool can be from fat and/or gas. I read an article that stated it was trapped gas & in my current state & my tiny floater yesterday, I'd agree. But, I also took Orlistat, a medication to help you lose weight by forcing all the fat (at random times) to expell from your body and they floated and were bright orange and stuck to the sides of the toilet. But, my stool was still at the bottom. So, I'm no expert, but that's been my experience, and I've just shared a whole lot of info for my 1st post?

Fundog Enthusiast

You know, it's funny-  People on dog forums are poop experts, but people still have a hard time talking about poop on people forums, lol.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - SamAlvi replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

    2. - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

    3. - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

    4. - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

    5. - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,871
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Koyanna
    Newest Member
    Koyanna
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • SamAlvi
      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.