# Floating stool & fat - something to it, after all?



## Sorbsy (Sep 5, 2010)

Hey, guys. I thought I'd share a little personal observation that, if shared anywhere else, would be monumentally TMI. Thank you for the opportunity to be unabashedly disgusting, _with a purpose!_I still don't know for absolute certain what's wrong with my guts; the wheel still spins between any of the Crohn's/IBD, IBS, and gallbladder diseases that run on both sides of the family. However, I was diagnosed with IBS by two doctors, though not by the usual diagnostic process of elimination (hahah, get it? I... ok, I'll shut up). I _do_ know for sure that when I drop the kids off at the pool of late, they cling to their life preservers and tread water without a single diver amongst them. So to speak.Maybe it's coincidence, but it seems the more fat I consume (mmm...give me a double shot of mayo on my tuna Subway, please), the more buoyant my booty-cakes*. It occurred to me that my right side pain has been slowly congregating to the upper right portion of my abdomen, though it started in the lower quadrant; I've also been diagnosed with mild biliary dyskinesia and resulting sludge, keeping my vibrant maternal family tradition alive. (Both the ladies and the gents on my mom's side love to uphold a ritual of confoundingly atypical gallbladder symptoms that result in IBS symptoms.) Providing my terminal ileum isn't doing a faceplant due to some as-of-yet detected IBD, I'd think a lack of bile could reek havoc with overall digestion. Sorry, _wreak_ havoc. But could a gallbladder issue cause such mushy and malodorous mudbunnies**?The point of this is to say I definitely notice that consuming fats and lipids seems to cause a specific kind of gas other than, say, a salad, beandip, or bowl of mixed nuts. The gurgling, grumbling and bubbling goes on unabated for hours sometimes, often on the right, and all through the night. The result in the end is a hurried, usually once-daily evacuation of some rather perturbing turds. The fat seems to cause an infusion of gas bubbles in my stools (or, if you prefer, "sphincter sponges"). At these times I also find myself freeing flatus far less frequently.I tried for less fat yesterday, so I'm anxious about today's delivery. I've also been keeping a log (...lol) of my symptoms and diet to see how it all correlates.Anyone else have similar experiences?_*no apologies for spicing things up with a few colourful analogies!**Happy Easter!_


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## humiliated (Mar 19, 2011)

You certainly do have a way with words, thanks for making me giggle, giggles are healing.You might be interested in reading a book I read."The liver and gallbladder miracle cleanse" I think is the name(something close to that anyway), You can download it from barnes and noble but I prefer paperback reading. about 9 bucks, either way. If you type that title in google, it'll give you more detail.Anyway I don't believe there is any such thing as a "miracle cleanse" but the book goes into some pretty easy to understand detail about your digestive process, how your gallbladder fits into it all and the "end results". according to the book the sludge is easily removed from both your gallbladder and liver. I know at least 2 people who were told they needed their gallbladder out and used this instead with good results. And it is cheap.And how about that layer of grease that floats on top of the water if you get D, does that happen with you too.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Generally it is the amount of gas, not the amount of fat that makes stools sink or float (based on some recent research). Gas has much more ability to increase floating than fat (much lighter) and sometimes fatty meals can increase gas. Most gas reducing diets recommend keeping it lean as well as avoiding certain gas forming carbs. Stools after fatty meals are also more likely to be less densely packed (more water in them, may even be loose or soft rather than more formed) and that can also up the floatability.Fatty meals tend to change how the bowels move stools along and how active they are compared to a lean meal. (especially if the fatty meal is on the larger end of the range of meals you eat)Usually if you have so much fat in your stools it is abnormal you would tend to have problems maintaining weight on a normal diet.Lack of bile to the point it effects digestion usually means the stools are a light pale grey/clay color rather than anywhere from yellow/green to dark brown. The color (that gets turned dark brown over time) comes from the bile.Some people can release more bile than they recycle and that tends to loose stools, but not more fat in the stools.


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## Sorbsy (Sep 5, 2010)

humiliated said:


> Generally it is the amount of gas, not the amount of fat that makes stools sink or float (based on some recent research). Gas has much more ability to increase floating than fat (much lighter) and sometimes fatty meals can increase gas. Most gas reducing diets recommend keeping it lean as well as avoiding certain gas forming carbs. Stools after fatty meals are also more likely to be less densely packed (more water in them, may even be loose or soft rather than more formed) and that can also up the floatability.Fatty meals tend to change how the bowels move stools along and how active they are compared to a lean meal. (especially if the fatty meal is on the larger end of the range of meals you eat)Usually if you have so much fat in your stools it is abnormal you would tend to have problems maintaining weight on a normal diet.Lack of bile to the point it effects digestion usually means the stools are a light pale grey/clay color rather than anywhere from yellow/green to dark brown. The color (that gets turned dark brown over time) comes from the bile.Some people can release more bile than they recycle and that tends to loose stools, but not more fat in the stools.


Thank you for this. It's definitely gas causing the float, but it seems to get churned up quite a lot after a fatty meal whilst in transit. I'm hoping like hell it's not my ileum failing to re-absorb bile salts, given the pain started in that red-flag area, but my current symptoms lead me to think it's biliary sludge.It's been about 45 minutes since I ate a gluten-free spaghetti with a plethora of Italian sausage, and 20 minutes after came a twinging pinch, clenching ache from just below my right ribs, followed by a lot of gas. Good times, good times. The only way I can describe the gas sensation is that my small intestine on the right side is frothy, like waves crashing and working up a nice chyme seafoam. Is that familiar?I'm used to my IBS following a pretty consistent pattern of hormonal imbalance, rather than food-related "flares". This new stuff is, well...new to me._Float on. Float on...._


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## humiliated (Mar 19, 2011)

_Good times, good times. "The only way I can describe the gas sensation is that my small intestine on the right side is frothy, like waves crashing and working up a nice chyme seafoam. Is that familiar?"_All too Familiar._"I'm used to my IBS following a pretty consistent pattern of hormonal imbalance, rather than food-related "flares". This new stuff is, well...new to me."_Mine used to be associated with that "time of the month", I'd be messed up for about 5 days then back to normal.Now it's pretty much constant.The only thing that is consistant for me though is that I have something going on all the time, and I always have gas.I'm usually C for 2-3 weeks then have a bad bout of D for a day then back to C for 2-3 weeks. Sometimes it floats sometimes sinks. Sometimes dark blackish,grayish brown, sometimes normal brown, sometimes greenish brown, sometimes light greenish gray. Usually with undigested food present.But I produce gas by the gallons not the liters. I can actually deal with the BM part pretty well. It doesn't bother me at all to say pull over I have to use the bathroom, and I know where the cleanest bathrooms are in practically the whole state of Ohio, the smell is extremely bad but I figure that's what bathrooms are for. It doesn't bother me to leave a meeting to go either, I figure I'm doing everyone else a favor. I would even like to have a sign to hang on the bathroom door at work that says "Do yourself a favor. Let this room air out for a while before entering?"But the gas is uncontrollable, it stinks and it is sometimes noisy, if I'm not passing it I'm leaking it.


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## humiliated (Mar 19, 2011)

The book, I understand completely not being able to afford(I spent the first 45 years of my life not being able to afford).I have been considering downloading it because I lent mine to a friend who now can't find it(my hard copy). I haven't really decided yet but if I download it(I have a nook book from Barnes & Noble) but if I download I can loan it out to a friend for 2 weeks at a time, you would have to set up and account with B&N which is free and download the app which is also free, but you could then borrow it to read on your computer. If I do download it I will let you know so if you want to read it, we'll work it out then. You or anyone else who might find it helpful.


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