Why does my poop have white balls in it?
What causes white specks in stool?
- Undigested food. A common source of white specks in the stool is undigested food. ...
- Malabsorption. Malabsorption, which may come as a result of undigested food in certain individuals, can also cause white specks in the stool.
- Celiac disease. ...
- Medications. ...
- Parasites. ...
- Fungal infections. ...
Why would poop be white?
White or gray poop means that digestion is not happening properly (maldigestion). The liver produces bile, a green-pigmented material that turns poop brown. If the liver is not producing bile, or the gallbladder is not piping it into the intestines to mix with food, then the result is white or gray poop.
Is white poop an emergency?
Is white poop an emergency? White stool isn’t normal and should be evaluated promptly by a doctor. White or clay-like stool is caused by a lack of bile, which may indicate a serious underlying problem. Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.
What are the different colors of poop?
What does a person’s poop color mean?
- Black. If you’ve had licorice, iron supplements, or bismuth medications (such as Pepto-Bismol), that could be the explanation behind black stool.
- Green. While hints of green are quite normal, if your poop has gone from brown to full green, it may mean one of two things.
- Pale, white, or clay. ...
- Red. ...
- Yellow. ...
Why is my stool white?
White or clay-like stool is caused by a lack of bile, which may indicate a serious underlying problem. Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Stool gets its normal brownish color from bile, which is excreted into the small intestine during the digestive process. If the liver doesn't produce bile ...
What is the white substance in stool?
Barium, a white substance used for X-rays of the digestive tract and certain medications that contain aluminum hydroxide, for example antacids, can also turn the stool white. With. Elizabeth Rajan, M.D. Nov. 05, 2019. Show references.
What would cause a person to have white stool? Should I be concerned?
White stool isn't normal and should be evaluated promptly by a doctor. White or clay-like stool is caused by a lack of bile, which may indicate a serious underlying problem.
Why does my baby have white stools?
Some babies are born with constricted bile ducts, a condition known as biliary atresia. Liver diseases, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis, also can sometimes cause white stool.
Why is my poop different color?
It’s rare for it to be a sign of a serious condition in your digestive system. But if it’s white, bright red, or black, and you don’t think it’s from something you ate, call your doctor.
Why is my poop yellow?
Indirectly, your diet could cause yellow poop. If you have celiac disease, your body can’t handle a protein called gluten, which is in wheat, barley, and rye. If you have the condition and eat foods that have gluten, like many breads, pastas, and cookies, your intestineswon’t work as they should.
What Do Different Stool Colors Mean?
Different stool colors can mean different things , mostly depending on what you’ve eaten.
What causes dark stools?
Medicines that have bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol) can also cause very dark stools.
What foods make your poop orange?
Pumpkin. Sweet potatoes. Foods with orange coloring, such as sodas, candy, or gelatin dessert, can also give your poop an orange color. Also, antibioticsand antacids that have aluminum hydroxide in them can make your stool orange.
Why is my diarrhea green?
It’s likely that your meal moved through your gut too quickly, so the fat-digesting bile didn’t have time to turn brown.
Why is my poop pale?
Other causes of pale poop. A more serious cause is a lack of bile in your stool. (Remember, bile gives poop its brown color.) Your body makes bile in the liver, stores it in the gallbladder, and releases it into your small intestine to help digest your food.
What does it mean when your poop is white?
Pale stool, especially if it is white or clay colored, can indicate a serious health problem. When adults have a pale stool with no other symptoms, it is usually safe to wait and see if the stool returns to normal. When children and babies have very pale or white poop, a doctor should see them as soon as possible.
Why does my stool look pale?
Diseases of the pancreas can make it hard for this organ to secrete pancreatic juices into the digestive system. This can lead to the food moving too quickly through the gut, causing a pale and fatty-looking stool.
Why is my stool pale after taking pain pills?
A person who notices a pale stool after taking a new medication or after taking OTC pain relievers for a long time or in excess of the correct dose may have medication-related liver damage. It is best to stop taking the drug, if it is not a prescription medication, and see a doctor as soon as possible. 4.
How to tell if you have liver disease?
In addition to pale stool, other symptoms of liver disease include: 1 nausea and vomiting 2 fatigue 3 very dark urine 4 fatty stool 5 itching 6 swelling in the ankles or legs
Why is my stool not bile?
Problems with the gallbladder, pancreas, or liver are reasons why stool may not contain enough bile. People who have consistently pale stools may want to talk to a doctor about conditions that affect these organs.
Why does stool change color?
Causes. In children. During pregnancy. When to see a doctor. Summary. Many things can change the color of stool, including vitamins, infections, and certain foods. Some underlying medical problems, such as gallbladder and liver disease, can also change stool color.
How do you know if you have giardiasis?
A person can contract this parasite by drinking contaminated water or being in close contact with someone who has the infection. Giardiasis is more common in regions with inconsistent access to clean water. The most common symptoms of giardiasis include stomach pain, headache, swollen stomach, vomiting, and fever.
Why is my stool white?
Digestive Problems. Any disorder in the digestive system (from the mouth to the esophagus, stomach, and intestines up to the rectum) like Whipple disease, fecal incontinence, dysentery, or esophageal achalasia can result in white stool in adults.
What causes pale stools?
The tumor may sometimes obstruct the bile duct and results in the formation of pale-colored stool. Cancer of the large intestine, small intestine, or the rectum may also cause changes in the color of the feces.
What can change the color of stool?
The contrast agent barium sulfate used for X-ray exam and some medications containing aluminum hydroxide can turn the color of stools to white. Isoniazid, a drug used to treat tuberculosis, which induces the bilirubin levels to rise, can also alter the color of the stool.
Why does my stool change color?
If the change in stool color is caused by inability to absorb fats, you may be advised to modify the diet and prescribed fat-soluble vitamin supplements.
When to see a doctor for stool color?
It is always advisable to see a doctor when a change in stool color occurs, especially when accompanied by other symptoms like fever or weight loss so that proper diagnosis and treatment may be given.
What causes gallstones in the small intestine?
Gallstones. Too much cholesterol or bilirubin (components of bile) in the gallbladder and failure of the gallbladder to sufficiently empty bile into the small intestine may result in the formation of gallstones. When gallstones become large, they may wedge in the bile duct and obstruct the flow of bile to the small intestine.
What does it mean when you have white poop?
This kind of white poop is usually very foul smelling as well. The medical word used to describe stool with a high fat content is steatorrhea. You may see this kind of white stool if you have one of the following disorders: Celiac disease. Crohn's disease.
What does it mean when your poop is shiny?
It can be a sign of cancer of the ampulla of vater (the junction of the pancreatic duct and the common bile duct). This is called Thomas's Sign after a Dr Thomas who first noticed it in the 1950s. If you notice that your poop is a shiny metal color like silver then contact a medical practitioner immediately.
What does it mean when your stool is yellow and green?
White, pale, chalky or clay colored stools are therefore normally a sign of a lack of bile.
Why does my poop smell so bad?
Intestinal Malabsorption. Certain intestinal disorders have the effect of making it hard for the small intestine to do its work of absorbing nutrients from our food , especially fat and our resulting stools will be pale, greasy, bulky and will usually float. This kind of white poop is usually very foul smelling as well.
Why is my poop brown?
The normal brown color of poop is created by bile which is produced by the liver and secreted into the small intestine to help us digest fats. Some of it is stored in the gallbladder for later use if we eat a fatty meal.
Is it normal to have white poop after a barium x-ray?
If you have recently had a barium x-ray then it is quite normal for you to have white colored chalky poop for a few days afterwards and you do not have to worry. If you have been taking certain medications white stool can result.
Can White Poop be Caused by Things Which are Harmless?
In most cases if you observe white poop when you visit the bathroom you should call the doctor as soon as possible as this is a sign that you have a health problem but there are certain things which can cause this sign which are nothing to worry about.
Why is my poop white?
Description of the most common reasons why your stool may appear white or be covered in a white substance and the contributing conditions or substances. Cause. Description. Condition/Substance. 1. Undigested foods/medicine. Some substances are more difficult to digest and can make poo appear pale or white.
Why Is There White Substance in My Stool?
There are several possible causes of the white specks that sometimes appear in the stool—from something as benign as leftover food to more serious medical conditions. Note that the causes can vary, and the substance or condition that contributes to the appearance can vary as well. Doctors will usually perform tests to determine the actual cause.
What causes a stool to discolor?
Some medication may contain substances that contribute to stool discoloration. Excess erythromycin (antibiotics) or antacids. 4. Mucoid stools. Inner lining of intestines are inflamed and irritated. Colitis, Crohn's disease, or IBS. 5. Clumps of fungus. Candida cells and clumps of fungi appear as white specks.
What is mucus in the body?
Mucus also has a protective function. It protects your intestines from damage caused by the following: 1 Harmful fluids 2 Fungi 3 Viruses 4 Bacteria 5 Stomach acid 6 Other possible irritants
Why does lactose intolerant stool turn white?
People who are lactose intolerant may also notice white stuff in their stool because they have difficulty digesting dairy products or foods with traces of dairy in them, including cheese, butter, and milk.
What is white stuff?
Medicine, Capsules, and Fillers. Sometimes, the white stuff is nothing more than undigested food. This may include seeds and other materials that are really difficult to digest. It could also be capsule case material, fillers, or the medicine itself. An example of this is the aluminum hydroxide in antacids.
Why is mucus produced?
Excess mucus may be produced as an allergic response or as a reaction to an infection. Overproduction of mucus may indicate an underlying medical condition. In simple terms, if your intestines are producing too much mucus, it can be a sign that they are inflamed or irritated. 4.
Why is my stool white?
If your stool is pale in color or white, it usually means that bile isn’t moving through your GI tract. This would mean that there’s an obstruction of the bile duct that isn’t letting the bile flow into the intestine. Sometimes, the color can be from large doses of medications.
What does it mean when your poop is different colors?
What do different stool colors mean? Checking the color of your stool is a very good way to monitor your overall health. Most of the time, stool will be light to dark brown in color. But stool that’s a different color, texture, or consistency, are all signs there’s something different going on in your body.
Why is my bile green?
Bile travels through the GI tract and changes to brown when it interacts with certain enzymes. If your stool is green, it usually means that you have changed your diet slightly or your food is traveling through the large intestines faster than normal so it doesn’t have enough time to break down and change color.
What to do if your stool color changes?
If your stool color has changed because of a change in diet and there are no other symptoms, no treatment is needed. If you are bleeding, you may need to go to the hospital, have laboratory and imaging tests, and possibly even a procedure, such as an endoscopy or colonoscopy.
Why is my stool discolored?
In many cases, it could be caused by the food you eat or a medication you’re taking. But if your stool is discolored for a few days, or you have other symptoms, it could be a sign of something more serious.
Why is my stool dark brown?
If your stool is not normal-colored (light or dark brown), it means you have some gut issue, whether it's just food that didn't sit right, food poisoning, or a virus. But sometimes it can be a sign of bleeding (red/black stool), or a liver or gallbladder issue (very pale stool), so don't ignore a discoloration.
Why is my poop yellow?
If your stool is yellow, or more likely, contains yellow droplets (seen floating on the toilet bowl), it is a sign of fat in the stool. It can also have a bad odor and a greasy texture. You may see noticeable amounts of fat in your stool when it’s not absorbed properly by the body. Yellow stool can be a sign you’re having malabsorption issues—along with other signs like difficulty maintaining or gaining weight.
What does it mean when your poop is yellow?
Having yellow poop may simply mean that you’ve been eating yellow food items, like sweet potatoes, carrots, turmeric, or yellow food coloring. In addition, people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and those taking medication for GERD sometimes have yellow poop.
Why is my poop red?
Bright red stool can be caused by beets, cranberries, tomato juice or soup, or products containing red food coloring, like Kool-Aid or red licorice. Red medicines, such as amoxicillin, may also turn stool red. 14
Why does my stool float?
However, stool that consistently floats may be a sign that your body is not absorbing fat properly. When this happens, you may have steatorrhea. What It Means When Your Stool Floats.
Why is my stool green?
3 Iron supplements and food coloring, including green, purple, and blue dye, can also turn feces an emerald color. Conditions that speed up intestinal activity, such as a bowel disorder or food poisoning, can also lead to green stool.
What does steatorrhea smell like?
Steatorrhea usually looks greasy and may be foul-smelling, frothy, or float in the toilet bowl. It often sticks to the side of the bowl and is difficult to flush away. 2
What is the name of the stool that is excreted in small pieces?
Stool excreted in small pieces is sometimes called pebble or pellet stool. 6 Fiber forms a gel in the intestines when it is fermented by bacteria in the colon and combined with water. If there is a lack of fiber holding stool together, it may be shaped like small pebbles.
Why is my stool dark?
This type of stool is often dark because it stays in the intestines longer.