Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • 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

Flat stools

Pcsunshineone
 Share

Recommended Posts

Pcsunshineone Newbie
Pcsunshineone
Posted
(edited)

Last year I became very sick. After being tested, I am now gluten-free for the last four months. I have this ongoing issue of flat stools round on one side flat on the other.  I was wondering if anyone had or has this issue. Is it a gluten-free thing. Does not eating gluten cause this?  This is all new to me. I would like to add, and I have no blood or any other "odd" things in my stools. They are about normal size just round on one side and flat on the other. Thank you for your advice.  

Edited by Pcsunshineone
To add more information.
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

Eating gluten-free would not cause the shape of your stools to change. I'm not a doctor but I would think that could only be caused by a deformation in the rectum/anus such as might be caused by hemorrhoids, scar tissue or a growth of some kind in or around the area. Have you had a colonoscopy recently?

Pcsunshineone Newbie
Pcsunshineone
Posted
  • Author

I have not had one. I went to the GI doctor when I initially became sick and was told it's not my time for one; I am 40. At this time ( with this virus), my doctor's office is pretty much er only. Once they are back in regular operation, I will push for one. 

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

That is a good plan.

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

You said that last year you became very sick and was tested for Celiac Disease (I would assume) that prompted you to go gluten-free in your eating. Did the testing confirm you are a celiac? Did you have only the blood test done or did you get an upper GI to confirm villous atrophy? Did your illness improve after going gluten-free? I don't mean to be nosy but did your illness symptoms include GI problems?

Tenaciousdx Newbie
Tenaciousdx
Posted
2 hours ago, Pcsunshineone said:

Last year I became very sick. After being tested, I am now gluten-free for the last four months. I have this ongoing issue of flat stools round on one side flat on the other.  I was wondering if anyone had or has this issue. Is it a gluten-free thing. Does not eating gluten cause this?  This is all new to me. I would like to add, and I have no blood or any other "odd" things in my stools. They are about normal size just round on one side and flat on the other. Thank you for your advice.  

I have this issue all the time.  And, had a colonoscopy last month.  I am all clear.  I also have IBS-C and hemorrhoids which are the most likely cause of this issue.  To combat it, take more fiber.  Metamucil sucks but it will help with this issue.

I recommend you get a colonoscopy first.  Assuming it is clear, then increase your fiber.  It will help. 

Oceans Rookie
Oceans
Posted
On 3/20/2020 at 9:12 AM, Pcsunshineone said:

Last year I became very sick. After being tested, I am now gluten-free for the last four months. I have this ongoing issue of flat stools round on one side flat on the other.  I was wondering if anyone had or has this issue. Is it a gluten-free thing. Does not eating gluten cause this?  This is all new to me. I would like to add, and I have no blood or any other "odd" things in my stools. They are about normal size just round on one side and flat on the other. Thank you for your advice.  

Sounds like, as is with many celiacs, bouts of constipation causing possible INTERNAL hemorrhoids( you wouldn't even know it). Very common. Try eating more brown rice and greens.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Pcsunshineone Newbie
Pcsunshineone
Posted
  • Author
On 3/20/2020 at 10:19 AM, Tenaciousdx said:

I have this issue all the time.  And, had a colonoscopy last month.  I am all clear.  I also have IBS-C and hemorrhoids which are the most likely cause of this issue.  To combat it, take more fiber.  Metamucil sucks, but it will help with this issue.

I recommend you get a colonoscopy first.  Assuming it is clear, then increase your fiber.  It will help. 

Thank you! I will try Metamucil. Once it's okay to go to the doc, I plan on getting a scope. :)

Pcsunshineone Newbie
Pcsunshineone
Posted
  • Author
20 hours ago, Oceans said:

Sounds like, as is with many celiacs, bouts of constipation causing possible INTERNAL hemorrhoids( you wouldn't even know it). Very common. Try eating more brown rice and greens.

I started eating more rice this week. Fingers crossed I can get this under control. Thank you for your time. 

Pcsunshineone Newbie
Pcsunshineone
Posted
  • Author
On 3/20/2020 at 10:16 AM, trents said:

You said that last year you became very sick and was tested for Celiac Disease (I would assume) that prompted you to go gluten-free in your eating. Did the testing confirm you are a celiac? Did you have only the blood test done or did you get an upper GI to confirm villous atrophy? Did your illness improve after going gluten-free? I don't mean to be nosy but did your illness symptoms include GI problems?

I was sick for eight months, in significant amounts of pain and throwing up around the clock. I could not hold down any food whatsoever. I did the brat diet, and it became worse. I had two different blood tests done. I was told it would take up to a year for my stomach to heal or more. Within a week or just over that of a gluten-free diet, I started feeling much better. I now only feel nauseous when I get ahold of something with gluten in it. ( three times now ). I am hopeful I am on the path to healing both my throat and stomach. As far as the GI issue. I do have GERD. I am 5'7 and 133 pounds. I am fit, do not smoke or drink and pretty much eat a veggie and chicken diet now. I say now but I have never eaten junk food. (Just spicy foods coffee etc. ) I found out spicy and acidic foods were the cause of it. I have cut them out and sleep in an adjustable bed. I try to do all right, but I can be missing the mark somewhere. ?

  • 1 month later...
Juca Contributor
Juca
Posted

I might have not understood your predicament exactly but... let me try to help. 

If your stool isn't completely flat, that leads me to conclude that the "round end" is probably harder that the "flat end". I have had problems with stools that started hard/normal and progressed to soft or even liquid. This happened when I was well into my gluten-free diet but still during the first year. 

My (also celiac) nutritionist said it was typical, that it happens when the stools pass too quickly through the intestine. That it usually is due to a higher FODMAP intake than it was usual on the previous gluten diet. Her advice was to reduce FODMAP intake for a while and slowly increase it. She also said not to go too crazy trying to eliminate it completely, as a gluten and FODMAP free diet is too restrictive and will drive you slowly nuts. 

Once again, I might have missed the issue here, but hope it helps somewhat. 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      128,338
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    jojocle
    Newest Member
    jojocle
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.1k
    • Total Posts
      70.8k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • cristiana
      Neurologic symptoms - Muscle Twitching and Hand Tremors

      By cristiana · Posted

      I'd like to second supplementation.  Around the time of my diagnosis and for a good while afterwards I had twitching muscles, including my face, as well as pins and needles and numbness.  We do have tremors in my family anyway, regardless of being coeliac, so I can't really comment on that. If you can find out where you are with your iron levels and B12, that's a good start.  I am not sure where you are posting from but in the UK normal lab results for B12 are quite a bit lower than in other countries, so you might find if you are borderline you will get some improvement by continuing to supplement that.   I found taking magnesium also incredibly helpful against facial twitches. I don't know about you, but all these symptoms increased my anxiety levels as I was worried about them.  That only served to make the symptoms worse.  So it might be worth looking into addressing any underlying anxiety issues.   I still notice that if I'm nervous, or worried, my blood sugar levels are down, some of the symptoms comes back temporarily.  It's like there is still a bit of a weakness there.
    • knitty kitty
      SkinSafe

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Itsabit, Your journey sounds very similar to mine.   I'm very concerned about your diet since you say you don't eat a lot of meat, which is the main source of B vitamins.  Nutritional deficiencies go along with Celiac Disease.  Blood tests are not accurate measurements of deficiency states.  The body robs stored vitamins from organs to circulate in the bloodstream to supply the brain and heart.  You can have deficiency symptoms before blood levels change. I have a hypersensitivity to sulfites, so much so that I had to switch my toothpaste to one that doesn't contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.  SLS can cause oral irritation as a side effect, too.   My mouth would burn and I avoided certain foods.  Dapsone contains sulfites, as do antibiotics.  Treatment with sulfites can precipitate a Thiamine deficiency disorder because sulfites cut thiamine in two making it useless. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35506963/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10506142/ I have an allergy to nickel, also.  Zinc helps keep other metals in balance in the body.  Zinc is also terribly important to skin health and oral health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8445075/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11274920/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1977254/ Thiamine (Vitamin B 1) deficiency disorder symptoms and altered thiamine metabolism can occur after radiation or chemo.   Thiamine and Niacin B 3 are important in nerve conduction.  When I was very malnourished, I had paresthesia that made me feel itchy all over, and made my dermatitis herpetiformis extremely unbearable.  The form of Niacin that causes flushing, Nicotinic Acid (not the same as nicotine in cigarettes) is beneficial because the flushing helps open the small capillaries in the skin which allows the antibodies to be cleared and disposed.  Pellagra can occur in Celiac Disease.   I had it, and my doctor didn't properly diagnose it, either.   I had a rash around my neck, Casal's Necklace, along with a blistering rash on my arms and any skin exposed to the sun.   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8445075/ https://cgp.iiarjournals.org/content/10/4/169 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11722086/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6780714/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10229844/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1977254/ You should be checked for more than just B12 deficiency.  The eight B vitamins work together, and we need more of them when we're trying to heal.  They are water soluble, so the body can easily excrete them if not needed. Have you had your Vitamin D level checked?  Vitamin D regulates the immune system and lowers inflammation.   I hope you can find some benefit from my experiences.  Keep us posted on your progress.   P.S.  When trying not to itch the dermatitis herpetiformis, if you press gently on a large area (press with your whole hand) above the itchy spot, the itchiness goes away.  The bigger area of stimulation drowns out that one jangling dermatitis herpetiformis itchy nerve in the brain. For skin care products, I use tallow balm which is absorbed better into the skin than petroleum products or plant products.  Tallow balm (Vintage Traditions is my favorite) helps my Dermatitis Herpetiformis spots look and feel better quickly.  Tallow soap and olive oil soap is beneficial as well.
    • knitty kitty
      What should I do with these test results?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jack Common, I know how frustrating health mysteries can be. Perhaps you're having a reaction to the medication you were given for the giardiasis you mentioned in another post. The giardiasis infection would account for the high Igg results.  Have you been reinfected? The site I've linked below has lots of information about the long term consequences of being treated with a medication frequently prescribed for giardiasis infection.   https://hormonesmatter.com/metronidazole-toxicity-doctor-denial/ https://hormonesmatter.com/?s=metronidazole https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3870550/ Please let us know if your symptoms may be due to this reaction to the prescription for giardiasis. Best wishes.
    • knitty kitty
      How many grams is there in one slice of wheat bread?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jack Common, I know how frustrating health mysteries can be. Perhaps you're having a reaction to the medication you were given for the giardiasis. The giardiasis infection would account for the high Igg results.  Have you been reinfected? The site I've linked below has lots of information about the long term consequences of being treated with a medication frequently prescribed for giardiasis infection.   https://hormonesmatter.com/metronidazole-toxicity-doctor-denial/ https://hormonesmatter.com/?s=metronidazole https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3870550/ Please let us know if your symptoms may be due to this reaction to the prescription for giardiasis. Best wishes.
    • Itsabit
      SkinSafe

      By Itsabit · Posted

×
×
  • Create New...