Yellow Stools & Diarrhoea for two months...
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi appologies in advance for the slightly convoluted and complext backstory but I'm struggling with my current issues.
Back in March I ate a sourdough pizza and the next day had a strong bloated nauseasus feeling in what I thought was my lower stomach / upper intestines, this was followed by about 4 days of watery diarrhoea which then cleared up.
Then in June I ate another pizza after a weekend of high fat food and the same thing happened again, it seemed like it was starting to clear up but the next weekend I foolishly ate a high fat lunch and dinner and it restarted. At this time I also started to get an ache in my back on the left side near the spine and base of my ribs.
At this point I freaked out that it was pancreatic cancer and made a doctors appointment. Doctor thought it was probably gallstones and put me on a low fat diet and did blood tests for liver function, pancreas and all the general blood work (blood suger etc.), sent me for an ultrasound, gave me an anti-inflamatory for my back and omeprazole to protect my stomach. Everything came back normal, except for something in my Liver asociated with a high fat diet, which after being on the the low fat diet for a few weeks dropped right down.
While the diarrhoea was no longer watery was usually soft/loose and yellow. While on the low fat diet it did start to go a little more brown but remained loose except for one or two movements. The back pain was quite bad for a week or so then eased off.?
After the ultrasound the Doctor took me off the anti-inflamatory and put me on the FODMAP diet and Sertraline (an antidepresent for the severe anxiety this had caused). I then got much looser stools that are back to vivid yellow.
I'm now off the sertraline due to a variety of side-effects, and for a few days my stools went quite firm (but remained yellow), but after a meal with a moderate amount of fat in they are back to being quite loose and occasionally floating.
I've also had some mild abdoninal pain on the left side beneath my ribs (and very occationally on the right) as well as an ache in my back just above my left kidney.
I realise thats a lot of information but I'm pretty desperate to understand whats happening, or at the least stop worrying that its something serious. Does anyone have any suggestions?
0 likes, 6 replies
paul77828 rwn
Posted
Well it's quite obvious you aren't digesting fats properly, but like you say you want to know why.
Poor fat digestion can be down to numerous factors. Stomach issues (gastritis) , pancreas issues, gallbladder and liver issues can all lead to this.
Is your diet normally poor and has a lot of high fat food in?
Have you had a pancreatic enzyme test? You make be lacking lipase which digests fat.
rwn paul77828
Posted
Hi Paul. My diet was high in fat, yes. I did eat a decent amount of the good stuff, but far too much of the bad stuff.
My doctor did take some blood and ran checks on the function of my pancreas, which were normal, but I'm unsure if it checked the exact thing you mentioned.
rwn
Posted
paul77828 rwn
Posted
Sounds similar to me. I was a binge drinker and started having digestive troubles after a heavy weekend. I noted I couldn't tolerate high fat meals and had loose pale stools.
I too thought it was my pancreas but it wasn't in the end. It was my stomach. I ended up with chronic gastritis and a h pylori infection. It's gone now and I am much better but my binge drinking days are over and I now eat much healthier.
My old lifestyle was a one way ticket to damaging my health.
You can test pancreas function by stool sample in the UK. I had mine done by a specialist at hospital.
But it may be your stomach that's damaged and you need to rest it for a few months. Get tested for h pylori too if it continues.
rwn paul77828
Posted
Thanks Paul, its good to hear a good news story. I think I was tested for H Pylori (thats the bacteria that causes ulcers?), but Gastritis has also been mentioned by the Doctor in passing. I'm not sure it fits for me given how long I've been off booze and fat, but several of the symptoms seem to fit.
?If I can solve whatever this is I can safely say my binging days are over too!
paul77828 rwn
Posted
Yes that's the one, it causes gastritis and ulcers if left untreated.
If all tests on your pancreas and gall bladder prove negative then maybe ask for endoscopy and see if you have gastritis. It takes months for your body to heal, so keep up with the healthy eating and you will feel better in time once other underlying things are removed. Good luck