floaty stools

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 11:31 am

I know we have discussed this in the past....but what do floating stools mean exactly? I seem to be going along ok, then they start.
Do you believe it is a food reaction even if you been eating basically the same foods all along? Can hormones effect it? I'm not under stress at this time, so it isn't that. Is it fiber?
Floating stools are usually excess gas or malabsorption, if I recall correctly.
Is it just part of healing, or do I need to fine tune things again?

Your thoughts are appreciated!

coryhub · Post by **coryhub** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 1:02 pm

I have read that floaty stools or "floaters" as I call them are caused by intestinal gas and malabsorption. Malabsorption can cause: diarrhea, weight loss, yellow and oily stools with an exaggerated foul odor, or a combination of these symptoms. Malabsorption is a serious problem because it prevents you from getting adequate nutrition and many people on this LC board recommend adding vitamin D to your diet. When my gut is in a state of remission my stools tend to be brown "sinkers".
Today, I ate something bad and have a terrible headache. I ate a piece of pizza that was brought in to the office. I only ate the toppings but what a dummy move. I should never let myself get so hungry that I give in to temptation. I am suffering now with this miserable headache and it can last 24-48 hours.
Note to self:
Bring more safe snacks to work to keep in my drawer and don't run out!

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 1:18 pm

Actually my Vit. D level last week was 36. Maybe I need to supplement?

Cory....I am sorry you are suffering today, but we are all human, and it is so hard to always look ahead when planning meals and snacks! Hope tomorrow is brighter!

Post by **tex** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 1:47 pm

Linda,

The specific gravity of stool depends on a number of things, as Cory mentioned. Primarily, it's a function of diet, but digestion efficiency also plays a role. It's possible to have floating stool even with the healthiest of diets. But as Cory pointed out, floating, foul-smelling greenish or grayish stool can also be a marker of celiac disease, or other causes of poor digestion.

Since gas content has a significant effect on specific gravity, consider this — did the timing of the advent of this issue coincide with adding antihistamines to your treatment program? Or did it show up when you changed brands of antihistamines, or increased the dosage?

Why do I ask? Because as you are aware, antihistamines are a known source of increased intestinal gas.

Tex

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 1:56 pm

Tex.....yes, about 8 days ago I started taking Benadryl. Before that I was taking Allegra. About 5 days ago I started taking 1 Allegra during the day and 1 Benadryl before bed.
I though that routine was doing a good job producing more normal stools until 3 days ago when the floating started.

Also, I tried walnut butter cookies (because walnuts were a +1 on Enterolab), and a bit of almond flour bread, and a half a yellow potato last night (because it is +1 on Enterolab).

I ate pumpkin muffins last week and did well for the first 3-4 days, then it went downhill...can't believe I can't seem to tolerate any veggies!

What would be your suggestion? Should I stop all antihistamines and see what happens?

Post by **tex** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:45 pm

Linda,

Remember that almonds tested +2 for you. If veggies are a problem, that might be due to a fiber dosage problem — IOW exceeding your fiber threshold. Fiber can increase the tendency of stools to float, also. Floating stools are not necessarily a sign of a problem, but if they're less well formed, that's not a good sign.

I'm not aware of any known problems with antihistamines that would cause digestion to degrade (until the dosage reaches the toxic level, at roughly 10 times the labeled dosage). Side effects of antihistamines (or antihistamine overdoses) are usually neurological. IOW, early signs can include extreme drowsiness, dizziness, the inability to concentrate, blurred vision, dry mouth, enlarged pupils and/or ringing of the ears, etc. Tremors, seizures, and/or hallucinations are possible. But neurological symptoms are typically evident before digestive problems (such as cramps, nausea, and D) develop. I suppose anything is possible for us though, since MC is kind of a wild card.

I can't say that antihistamines are definitely not the problem, but I would be more inclined to suspect something else in your diet (such as fiber). IOW, maybe you are just more sensitive to fiber than most of us. Or maybe the almond flour increases your sensitivity level enough to make you hypersensitive to fiber.

Tex

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:29 pm

I've thought about it all day, and reviewed my journal. I do need to cut out the walnut butter & almond flour bread. I only ate the 1/2 potato today, so we'll see if that changes anything. I agree that it is probably something in my diet. I just can't believe how sensitive my system is to everything! Does that mean I still have a leaky gut?

And, I agree that I have to be very careful of the fiber...it's hard to believe that I used to have to eat prunes and take my Colon Care before bed each night, and that was my fault because I was a teacher and couldn't just leave the kiddos when nature called, so I trained my system to go in the mornings only. Sometimes I think that contributed to my MC in some way, too.

If I didn't react so strongly to rice, corn, oats, buckwheat, & quinoa, I'd have some foods to cook with, and nuts are out, too....but you have to work with the hand you're dealt, I guess.

Thanks for your wisdom and have a good night!

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:14 pm

I'm sorry, Linda. I've always said that the ups and downs of this problem are what give us the emotional stress. One day can be great and we think we've mastered our intolerances. Then we try something new (or a former food), and we're back down again. Hopefully, we start having more ups than downs, signaling that we're on the road to recovery.

I would be suspicious of the pumpkin muffins. Also the walnut butter cookies might have been too rough on you gut. Those are my guesses, but I could be completely wrong. We're all different and we each are the best judges of what we can tolerate.

I hope you can figure this out and move forward.

Gloria

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:28 am

Gloria...I am interested to know why you chose the pumpkin muffin as the food source of my reaction? I introduced it because pumpkin is supposed to be one of the most easily digestible veggies. Of course, I had yellow on MRT for sweet potato, and I have not done well with butternut squash, so I should have guessed that pumpkin would not work for me.

I only tried the almond flour bread because I was hoping once it was cooked I may not react (like you). I tried a walnut butter cookie because walnuts were my least reactive nut ( and 1+) on Enterolab.

I also noticed I was yellow on MRT for leeks, and it didn't occur to me that maybe I should stop using onions in my stew....dah....so I'm removing them too.

I guess I'm just not ready to add anything yet! :)

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:06 pm

My sensitivities are different from almost everyone on the board, so I hesitate to give food advice most of the time.

I mentioned the pumpkin muffins because I'm not able to eat any gourds, squash, or root vegetables. I don't know why; perhaps it's the fiber. Others on the board can eat them, though, so I could be wrong in giving you my opinion. If you scored yellow on the MRT for sweet potato and can't handle butternut squash, it's quite possible that pumpkin is also a problem. I know that's not what you want to hear. I've tried carrots, yellow zucchini, acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red and white potatoes, kohlrabi, turnips, parsnips and probably pumpkin years ago, but I react to all of them.

Carrots, yellow squash and sweet potato were all green for me on the MRT test. White potatoes were yellow.

I can't do onions, either, although it was a low green on the MRT test. DH cooks with onions frequently and the smell of them cooking causes me more sadness than seeing or smelling any other food (besides melting chocolate). I season my soups with parsley, sage, bay leaf, and celery, all strained, and salt added after straining. I think I've gotten used to food with little flavor by now. It's just those cooked onions that get to me.

Gloria

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Fri Oct 04, 2013 6:29 pm

Oh Gloria, I know exactly what you mean! I just made stew without onions...just celery, salt & pepper....and I am so sad without my beloved onions...but I had a much better day today! So, if that's what it takes, then that's what I'll have to do!

Like you, I have trouble with veggies that others don't...especially butternut squash, carrots, etc.

Thank you for your comments! :)

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sat Oct 05, 2013 6:53 pm

Maybe the pumpkin has a laxative effect? My mom used to feed pumpkin purée to her schnauzer to help with constipation.

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Sat Oct 05, 2013 7:06 pm

Deb,

It's funny you should mention that...when my son was in high school, his teacher bought a new lab puppy. The puppy had diarrhea, and the vet told him to give the dog pumpkin. Since it was in the spring, and canned pumpkin was not available, the teacher gave bonus points for each can of pumpkin the student brought in!

I think that pumpkin is easily digested, and it does have fiber.

I've cut out pumpkin & almond flour. I stuck with my nightly 1/2 potato for tonight...we'll see what happens...

:)

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:29 am

Linda, I double checked with my mom to be sure I didn't misunderstand her. Her vet told her it would help soften things up so it would be easier to go. I suppose, just like our doctors, they all have different opinions. My doc who practices functional medicine told me to take fiber supplements even though it seemed contradictory to helping D. At that time, I didn't know any better so I did.

Obviously, we both didn't understand MC. I always meant to get back to him because he is on the right track with knowing food can wreak havoc on the body.