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dealing with steatorrhea

greener

greener

Well-Known Member
Messages
275
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello!

well, steatorrhea is the diarrhea you get when you eat too much fat

I got it when I ate a cream pot and when I ate a 150g salami

how can I deal with it? will the bowel adapt to too much fat? any hint?

thanks!
 
Hi @greener. Steatorrhea is not diarrhoea, it is the excretion of excess fat within the stool which presents as oily, foul smelling and floats. As the two are different the advice we can give you will be different so which are you concerned about?
 
I am concerned about the diarrhoea I get when I eat too much fat!
 
Don't eat so much fat is the simple answer. Or increase in smaller doses until your body starts producing enough lipase to deal with the additional fat. Or take digestive enzymes that contain lipase until your body learns how to deal on its own.
 
greener said:
I am concerned about the diarrhoea I get when I eat too much fat!
Click to expand...

Hi again @greener. I'm relieved for you. Steatorrhea is usually an indicator of potentially serious problems related to the malabsorption if fats due to Pancreatic or bile duct disease so I would have been sending you off to the doctors first thing Monday!!
Odd short bouts of loose stools are usually inconvenient but nothing to worry about, especially as in your case, you can track back the reason its happened. The obvious answer is to avoid the food that causes you loose stools!! I would guess in your case you are overdoing the fat eaten at one time. Many people who eat high fat diets find it easier to spread the fat across the day giving their digestive system time to work on smaller amounts of fat at a time. Saying that it may not be fat per se, it might just be a reaction to specific food eg the cream pot you ate! Again excess dairy is a common cause if diarrhoea. It really is trial and error to see what (and possibly how much) sets you off!
The most common meds for treating occasional diarrhoea is Immodium, you can buy it over the counter at the chemists. And remember to keep up the fluid intake to avoid becoming dehydrated.
Saying all that - you must seek medical advice if diarrhoea lasts more than a couple of days, if it is black, tarry or bloody, is accompanied by severe pain and/vomiting (not keeping even sips if water down)
And if course keep an eye on those blood sugars!

Edited for spelling
 
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