# Floating Poo or sinking Poo



## Fiona 123 (Jan 17, 2010)

HiMy BM sinks to the bottom of the toilet.. what does this mean?..Fiona


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It doesn't have enough gas trapped in it to make it float.Most IBSers tend to not want all that much gas, so would prefer sinking stools, but your mileage may vary.Some people worry that floating stools have an unhealthy amount of fat in them, but the gas usually is what makes it float and gas does a much better job of that then fat would.


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## Fiona 123 (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks. So Sinking poo's are ok..Fiona


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

So are floating ones....With IBS one's stool can take on pretty much any appearance you can imagine. I find it isn't real productive to let it concern me.. so I don't study it. I would urge you to do the same. Not worth it.


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## Jillywindy (Jan 17, 2010)

I read somewhere (probably from a link from here) that people who produce methane rather than hydrogen in their colon tend to produce floaters. Otherwise there's nothing significant to it.


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

Sometimes mine sink and sometimes they float, depending on what I've eaten.As BQ says, don't take too much notice of it - its not worth it.Floaters can be a hassle, as they often have to be "bombed" with a bucket of water to force them into the S bend.Jackmat


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I thought it was more an issue of total gas volume trapped in the stool, not which particular gas. Although people with different microbial populations may tend to be gassier than others.


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## Dangerbelly (Mar 14, 2010)

I've had floaters since I was a kid! Now I know why my poop floats. That's awesome!


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## Jillywindy (Jan 17, 2010)

It was from that article that Moises posted the link to - a great article if you're interested in intestinal gas (and frankly who on this site isn't)."It is the incorporation of methane into fecal material that most commonly accounts for floating stools in healthy subjects. Even in patients with malabsorption, floating stools result more likely from the gas and water content than from the fat content."For those who didn't read it here's the link again: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.f...&part=A2977


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I just don't understand the mechanism by which methane could be trapped but hydrogen must always escape. But it could be that way. Just doesn't seem logical to me, but then bodies don't always do the logical. Regardless, the stool sinks or floats based on gas content so there isn't much point tracking that or spending a lot of time worrying about what it means.


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## Fiona 123 (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks for all your replies. The reason why I asked was my GP said that BM's that sink are bad.. but to be honest, I's just glad if I have one.Fiona


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

Kathleen M. said:


> I just don't understand the mechanism by which methane could be trapped but hydrogen must always escape. But it could be that way. Just doesn't seem logical to me, but then bodies don't always do the logical.


I don't exactly understand it either, but apparently that's the case. My doctor mentioned this during one of my appointments last year (most people "resorb" a large percentage of hydrogen that is produced in the GI tract).From that article (which is good- thanks for posting it Moises and Jillywindy):


> The amount of hydrogen gas produced depends not only on the type and quantity of the various substrates but also on the type of colonic flora. Bacteria vary in their capacity to convert carbohydrate to hydrogen. Furthermore, only about 10% of the hydrogen produced is actually expelled rectally. Some of the hydrogen is consumed by other colonic bacteria, a phenomenon that may partially explain unsuccessful attempts at treating flatulence with antibiotics. *A large portion of the hydrogen is absorbed into the portal blood for eventual excretion by the lungs.* This excretory pathway has enabled breath analysis to be used to study intestinal gas production.


...hence the hydrogen breath test. I suppose. ??


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I know you do exhale a lot of the hydrogen (but some methane comes out that way)But if more of the hydrogen come out in the breath I guess there is less for farts and to float the stool. But I thought they found some hydrogen in fart gas?It may be just that methane is more likely to come out the back end and hydrogen out the breath but I don't think either is 100% one or the other.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence#Co...of_flatus_gaseshttps://www.csmc.edu/2636.htmlBoth show each of those two gases does go the other way from the main way. I do see a lot of that in biology. Things presented as A always does B and C always does D where they do both, but one more than the other. However often the simplified explaination will say A only does B gets said when A does B 90% of the time but does still do D 10%. It is like antihistamine receptors. Benedryl is for the receptor in your nose and skin. Zantac is for the receptors in your stomach. But the receptors are in both places and I'm one of those that Zantac does more for skin allergies than Benedryl. I guess my Mom didn't read the assembly instructions when I was in her womb.


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## callej (Apr 6, 2016)

I've had floating stool for a couple of months now. They are also pretty loose and come in 1 to 4 pieces every time. The color shifts from brown to lighter brown. Should I be worried?


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