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

Gross Question..sort Of

givenupgluten

Recommended Posts

givenupgluten Explorer
givenupgluten
Posted

Hi all...I have an icky question for ya..

I have been on the gluten free diet since late June...so for about 3 months or so. The past week/week and a half, I've been noticing that at least once a day when i go to the restroom for #2...it floats. I thought I'd heard that this was a sign of celiac and the malabsorbtion of fat. I have been careful about not ingesting any gluten that I'm aware of.....but I find it odd that all of a sudden this seems to be happening. I don't actually recall it happening BEFORE I was on a gluten free diet. So my question is: Is this a normal thing that happens every once in awhile regardless of whether you have celiac or not? Does it mean that I've ingested gluten and my body isn't absorbing it? Or.....?? I'm just not sure if I'm reading too far into it or not. Any advice is appreciated

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ShayFL Enthusiast
ShayFL
Posted

Check this link out to see if your "floaters" require further investigation:

Open Original Shared Link

Guest goldie
Guest goldie
Posted

Sorry but I'm going to seem rally stupid- does floating stools mean that they float before the toilet is flushed or does it mean that there is difficulty flushing them away and they float?

Ginsou Explorer
Ginsou
Posted

It means they float before the toilet is flushed.

Several times in the past few years I have had a few "floaters" and once passed some foamy looking stuff. Since it doesn't happen all the time, I wouldn't worry about it. If it happens on a regular basis, then I'd mention it to your doctor.

Guest goldie
Guest goldie
Posted

Oh dear. I thought that was normal !! I was diagnosed about a year ago but this is still how things are in that department and have been for as long as I've been aware ( lovely subject).

  • 2 months later...
kosherkid Newbie
kosherkid
Posted

I have the same problem much of the time, and I didn't before being gluten free :( .

They are now also almost always soft - much harder to wipe my bottom ;):angry:

David

Amber M Explorer
Amber M
Posted
I have the same problem much of the time, and I didn't before being gluten free :( .

They are now also almost always soft - much harder to wipe my bottom ;):angry:

David

I say check out the site Shay listed, but I always heard that floaters were a sign of good health. Let us know what you find out. Think I'll check the site too.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Amber M Explorer
Amber M
Posted
I say check out the site Shay listed, but I always heard that floaters were a sign of good health. Let us know what you find out. Think I'll check the site too.

I'm back, just checked out the site, you must read it. It is not a sign of good health. I was mis-informed. There are several causes including celiac and bacteria. I would speak with your doctor, you might have malabsorption.

Eric-C Enthusiast
Eric-C
Posted

LOL...not at your problem but at my interpretation of it.

I too always thought floaters meant you had adequate fiber in your diet. I used to wonder....hmmm, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

Forgotten all about it but since I've gone gluten free, no floaters.

I found this article:

Open Original Shared Link

That was always my interpretation of it, floating was good, meant you had enough fiber.

Looks like its time to ask you doctor....and maybe I should increase my fiber intake.

There may be two reasons for floaters...a good and bad one.

Paul1 Newbie
Paul1
Posted
Check this link out to see if your "floaters" require further investigation:

Open Original Shared Link

I haven't had constipation in years, but in my youth I was five for five for the celiac symptoms. No wonder I was never diagnosed!

What's funny about this, is in high school Health class, I remember the teacher telling us that's what you wanted to aim for. It was a sign of health (the things you remember) if your stool floated. It means healthy amounts of fiber.

The "airy-est" I've ever been was this spring was when I tried Seitan (PURE GLUTEN). Ironically, it was the comments section of the recipe (a european talking about gluten and Celiac) that finally turned the light bulb on for me. I've been gluten free since around May and get very alarmed on the rare occasions this has returned.

Amber M Explorer
Amber M
Posted
I haven't had constipation in years, but in my youth I was five for five for the celiac symptoms. No wonder I was never diagnosed!

What's funny about this, is in high school Health class, I remember the teacher telling us that's what you wanted to aim for. It was a sign of health (the things you remember) if your stool floated. It means healthy amounts of fiber.

The "airy-est" I've ever been was this spring was when I tried Seitan (PURE GLUTEN). Ironically, it was the comments section of the recipe (a european talking about gluten and Celiac) that finally turned the light bulb on for me. I've been gluten free since around May and get very alarmed on the rare occasions this has returned.

I had very loose stools for years and then, the last five or so, the more gluten I ate, the more compacted I got. I can't remember if the "softballs" I would finally give birth to floated or not! LOL!!

sbj Rookie
sbj
Posted

Don't floaters mean you have a lot of fat in your stool? And one reason you might have a lot of fat is because you are not absorbing it properly (celiac).

If you have celiac but are gluten free and still experiencing floaters, it might be because your diet is too high in fat. Even when you are absorbing fat properly if you eat too much you're gonna end up with floaters.

'Toothpaste' consistency is the right target!

As Mr. Hanky would say, "Howdy ho!"

NewNicole Apprentice
NewNicole
Posted

I have had an issue for years with the stool floating. I have been told by a few doctors that it is normal. At the same time when Randy Pausch was on Dateline he mentioned a telltale sign of pancreas issues is floating stools. i also have read that it is a sign of malabsorption. But the doctor did say they biggest issue is a change in consistency and a change in color such as chalky, pale white, black, or red. So that is what I would be looking for and then discuss with your doctor. Good luck and tell us what you find out.

Nicole

Amber M Explorer
Amber M
Posted
I have had an issue for years with the stool floating. I have been told by a few doctors that it is normal. At the same time when Randy Pausch was on Dateline he mentioned a telltale sign of pancreas issues is floating stools. i also have read that it is a sign of malabsorption. But the doctor did say they biggest issue is a change in consistency and a change in color such as chalky, pale white, black, or red. So that is what I would be looking for and then discuss with your doctor. Good luck and tell us what you find out.

Nicole

It seems from all I have read lately on this topic, it can be a good sign (if you are getting enough fiber) and it could be a bad sign because it can be malabsorption. I think we have to go over our diets and individual condition at the time to help figure it out. A doctor could think you were fine (thinking the fiber issue) and skip over the possibility of it being malabsorption. If you have celiac, I would lean towards malabsorption. This is a tough one.

LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted

I always though t floating stools meant a lot of gas in the stool. I used to have them all the time b4 going gluten-free. The only time I have had them while gluten-free is if I eat too many processed foods. I eat tons of fruits and veggies now and nearly NO processed foods at all and never have floating stools.

  • 1 month later...
thleensd Enthusiast
thleensd
Posted

I'm not a poop expert...hehe, but in trying to figure out what the heck was wrong pre-diagnosis I learned some stuff.

The best description I read that was stool should be the consistency of toothpaste, float for a moment, then sink slowly. THERE's something to strive for!

Fatty stools float, but they often are hard to flush away - crud sticks to the sides of the bowl. Also, there will frequently be a greasy film.

That being said, any time you change your diet drastically your stools will change as well. So, give your body a couple of weeks to normalize, and try for a balanced diet.

Hi all...I have an icky question for ya..

I have been on the gluten free diet since late June...so for about 3 months or so. The past week/week and a half, I've been noticing that at least once a day when i go to the restroom for #2...it floats. I thought I'd heard that this was a sign of celiac and the malabsorbtion of fat. I have been careful about not ingesting any gluten that I'm aware of.....but I find it odd that all of a sudden this seems to be happening. I don't actually recall it happening BEFORE I was on a gluten free diet. So my question is: Is this a normal thing that happens every once in awhile regardless of whether you have celiac or not? Does it mean that I've ingested gluten and my body isn't absorbing it? Or.....?? I'm just not sure if I'm reading too far into it or not. Any advice is appreciated

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,075
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Amy1620
    Newest Member
    Amy1620
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Jmartes71
      My only proof

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      EXACTLY! I was asked yesterday on my LAST video call with Standford and I stated exactly yes absolutely this is why I need the name! One, get proper care, two, not get worse.Im falling apart, stressed out, in pain and just opened email from Stanford stating I was rude ect.I want that video reviewed by higher ups and see if that women still has a job or not.Im saying this because I've been medically screwed and asking for help because bills don't pay itself. This could be malpratice siit but im not good at finding lawyers
    • AlwaysLearning
      My only proof

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      We feel your pain. It took me 20+ years of regularly going to doctors desperate for answers only to be told there was nothing wrong with me … when I was 20 pounds underweight, suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies, and in a great deal of pain. I had to figure it out for myself. If you're in the U.S., not having an official diagnosis does mean you can't claim a tax deduction for the extra expense of gluten-free foods. But it can also be a good thing. Pre-existing conditions might be a reason why a health insurance company might reject your application or charge you more money. No official diagnosis means you don't have a pre-existing condition. I really hope you don't live in the U.S. and don't have these challenges. Do you need an official diagnosis for a specific reason? Else, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you're diligent in remaining gluten free, your body should be healing as much as possible so there isn't much else you could do anyway. And there are plenty of us out here who never got that official diagnosis because we couldn't eat enough gluten to get tested. Now that the IL-2 test is available, I suppose I could take it, but I don't feel the need. Someone else not believing me really isn't my problem as long as I can stay in control of my own food.
    • AlwaysLearning
      Gluten related ??

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      If you're just starting out in being gluten free, I would expect it to take months before you learned enough about hidden sources of gluten before you stopped making major mistakes. Ice cream? Not safe unless they say it is gluten free. Spaghetti sauce? Not safe unless is says gluten-free. Natural ingredients? Who knows what's in there. You pretty much need to cook with whole ingredients yourself to avoid it completely. Most gluten-free products should be safe, but while you're in the hypersensitive phase right after going gluten free, you may notice that when something like a microwave meal seems to not be gluten-free … then you find out that it is produced in a shared facility where it can become contaminated. My reactions were much-more severe after going gluten free. The analogy that I use is that you had a whole army of soldiers waiting for some gluten to attack, and now that you took away their target, when the stragglers from the gluten army accidentally wander onto the battlefield, you still have your entire army going out and attacking them. Expect it to take two years before all of the training facilities that were producing your soldiers have fallen into disrepair and are no longer producing soldiers. But that is two years after you stop accidentally glutening yourself. Every time you do eat gluten, another training facility can be built and more soldiers will be waiting to attack. Good luck figuring things out.   
    • Russ H
      KAN-101 Treatment for Coeliac Disease

      By Russ H · Posted

      This treatment looks promising. Its aim is to provoke immune tolerance of gluten, possibly curing the disease. It passed the phase 2 trial with flying colours, and I came across a post on Reddit by one of the study volunteers. Apparently, the results were good enough that the company is applying for fast track approval.  Anokion Announces Positive Symptom Data from its Phase 2 Trial Evaluating KAN-101 for the Treatment of Celiac Disease https://www.reddit.com/r/Celiac/comments/1krx2wh/kan_101_trial_put_on_hold/
    • Scott Adams
      Nicotine Gum For Gluten Symptoms.. Am I Crazy?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      BTW, we've done other articles on this topic that I wanted to share here (not to condone smoking!):    
×
×
  • 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.