Undigested food in toilet.

[sobs1962]

I know this is not a very nice thing to discuss, however, I had my breakfast at 10.30am which consisted of 2 oatibix with a small amount of honey to sweeten and a few handfuls of blueberries. Come 6.30pm gone to loo and the same blueberries, came out looking exactly the same as they were when they went in. Also previous to that, I'm finding that if I eat a couple of slices of seeded bread, my poo is coming out green and I mean GREEN, not khaki coloured really green!!!I seems to be having a lot of discomfort and spasms in my abdomen too. I was tested for Coeliac disease back in October last year and they said it was negative for antibodies. I know it's a nasty picture but I'm starting to get really worried now and it looks like I'll have to carry on as,I am for another few weeks, however as I've already lost about 5kgs in the last 3 months without trying to, it's very worrying. Any advice, words of wisdom would be most welcome, as I don't think I can continue to keep losing weight at this rate without becoming very unwell. I was weighed whilst in hospital after having a stroke and I weighed 55.2kg and I'm 5 foot 1 inch .

[Knip]

I have Chron's Disease and during a flare up have similar symptoms to yours and I lose weight, too. You might want to keep a food diary for a couple of weeks to see what foods are upsetting you. I agree it's not a pleasant topic but it's not a pleasant symptom either, so don't feel badly about airing it on here! I spent five days between Christmas and New Year in hospital with a really bad flare up. I'm still not right now, but I am improving slowly. It's important that your food is well chewed so that it is easier to digest. You might want to whizz down vegetables in the short term so that they are easier to digest. If it continues see your GP again. I wish you well, these 'issues' are tough to deal with and not something that we can chat about easily. Take care, God Bless, K.

[sobs1962 in reply to Knip]

Have already started food diary and also recording bowel movements, so can hopefully see some sort of pattern.

[BabsyWabsy]

Hi sobs1962, you are not alone with this. Depending on what I have eaten, I can have a transit time of as little as two hours. I don't always remember to chew things thoroughly either, which doesn't help. I am the same height as you and after I retired in 2018, I lost 2 stone without trying. I put this down to the sudden absence of 'office snacks'. After a couple of attempts to get the GP to take my gut issues seriously, I was referred for a colonoscopy which found microscopic colitis. Because of this, and my wheat allergy, I take supplements every day. I agree with Knip, a food diary might pin point what is upsetting you.

[sobs1962 in reply to BabsyWabsy]

Weirdly, I had a diagnosis of microscopic colitis a few years ago,after an endoscopy where the doctor was,so rough with the endoscope that I ended up with an anal fissure, which took years to resolve, so don't want to go through that again, it was agony.Have had colonoscopy done a couple of times for other reasons but didn't turn up anything significant and is a horrendous procedure to go through and was in agony after those too.

[Knip in reply to sobs1962]

Really sorry to hear about the anal fissure. That was the last thing you needed on top of everything else! Take care.

[BabsyWabsy in reply to sobs1962]

Oh dear, that sounds a bit rough. I had a colonoscopy and dx in 2018 at a Nuffield hospital as an NHS patient. I was nervous, but it was as stress less is it could possibly be. I was a bit tipsy after because I had Fentanyl.

[sobs1962 in reply to BabsyWabsy]

Yeah, well, I suppose I am just unlucky, always have been.

[Hidden]

Negative blood test does not mean negative for coeliac, as many will testify. You realistically, if you have coeliac symptoms but negative blood test, should still be referred for biopsy. If you are having many digestive symptoms you should ask for an proper investigation ). There are many things that can go wrong with a digestive system, and it could be something related to lack of bile or too much as it's not getting chance to break down, or issues with poor enzyme levels. You need to really ask for a full set of scans/tests. If you do suspect coeliac ask for the biopsy.

[sobs1962 in reply to Hidden]

I know that I need to eat a fair amount of gluten for 6-8 weeks ro get a positive test, however my weight is becoming a serious concern, as I've already lost 5kg since Christmas and if the food I'm eating isn't staying in my body long enough to nourish me, them further weight loss,is inevitable.

[Narwhal10]

Hi Sobs,

Welcome, I’m so sorry to hear your story. I hope you are recovering after your stroke. I don’t have answers, just suggestions :-

1) Please take photos of your stools and show to your doctor. (The Bristol stool chart is used by health professionals for a reason). Colour, consistency and shape are huge indicators of health.

2) Ask for a print out of your blood results from October - they should have taken a full blood count, iron (ferritin) is important, calcium, vitamin B12 and folate. The laboratory tend only to flag when levels are really low.

3) I have found GUTS U.K. helpful and they have a broad knowledge of all digestive problems like Benjamin123 said lack of bile/excess.

4) Make an appointment with GP say you need tests, investigations, discuss weight loss, a referral to a dietician and whether Ensure (a supplementing drink).

5) Record any other symptoms. They may be vague like fatigue, aches and pains in joints, dizzy spells.

Best wishes.

[sobs1962 in reply to Narwhal10]

Thanks, I really need all the luck I can get, however am speaking to the endocrinologist next Friday, so will tell him what's going on and see what he thinks, good idea to take photos of my stool, so they can see for themselves.

[Gutguru]

So, my observation is that food is not the issue it's how your body responds to foods. When you have undigested food in your stools it is because it has not been digested (as the name suggests!). As a Nutritionist I would always consider why? You are probably eating oatibix as it is 'gluten free'? However, it is still highly processed. That along with honey (sugar) and blueberries (sugar) will all move through you really quickly (especially if you have a dysfunctional digestive system). I would advise trying organic jumbo oats and making your own porridge or granola using it and serve with a source of protein. A perfect gluten free meal is porridge made with a plant milk (e.g. almond) served with around 10 almonds, some ground seeds (e.g. Linwoods) with the blueberries. See how you get on with that? Alternatively you need to contact a Nutritionist who can run a stool sample for you to check for digestive markers (ie you may need supplements to help you digest your food better) but also for parasites, fungi, pathogenic bacteria etc. Also note that coeliacs can sometimes not tolerate oats ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[sobs1962 in reply to Gutguru]

Thanks for reply, I have actually been in A&E today, because of abdominal pain and was worried it may be pancreatitis induced by statins, however as I currently have covid, the pains plus the diahorrea are apparently a less common symptom of covid, so will monitor it over the next few days and up to a week and see how it goes, it'll probably just run its course and then go away (hopefully), but will keep an eye on it . Also it appears that I may be overmedicated on my Levothyroxine and that can cause digestive system problems too, will see what the blood tests show on 14th February and go from there.

[Gutguru]

Goodness, you are going through the mill. Hope you get better soon!