A foul-smelling stool can be very bad and will often lead you to think something’s wrong with you. Most of the time, the reason behind smelly poop is the food you eat. But other times, the foul-smelling stool can be due to disease or other health conditions. This blog post will explore a few causes of foul-smelling stool and the treatment options.
Antibiotics
One of the most common causes of smelly stool is antibiotics. Antibiotics can be harsh and can disturb the balance between good and bad stomach bacteria. A person may also experience an upset stomach. These symptoms are temporary and will go away as soon as you are done with your course of antibiotics (as good bacteria will come back to their normal population).
Sometimes antibiotics can kill many good gut bacteria, and the bad overpopulate, leading to infection.
The symptoms of infection include:
- fever
- abdominal pain
- foul-smelling watery stool (may contain blood)
Treatment
The majority of times, the symptoms fade away as soon as the dose of antibiotics is complete. While the antibiotics are still on the go, you can follow some simple home remedies to alleviate the discomfort.
- Drink plenty of water and other fluids to stay hydrated
- Avoid food items that can disturb the intestines, such as dairy, wheat, and foods high in fiber
Celiac Disease
If you have celiac disease, your immune system may react to gluten found in barley, wheat, or rye and attack the small intestine’s lining. If the attacks continue or your body is unable to absorb the essential nutrients from the diet, you may experience other health issues, such as:
- Body pain, tiredness
- Pain in the joints
- persistent diarrhea
- mouth sores
- itchy skin
- foul-smelling stool
- abdominal pain
- bloating
Treatment
Prevention is the best treatment in this case, and if you have celiac disease, you should avoid and continue avoiding the gluten-free diet even after your small intestine has healed.
Reaction to Lactose
If you are lactose intolerant, your body won’t digest lactose, and if you consume milk or other dairy products, your body may hit up the symptoms such as:
- foul-smelling stool (watery)
- nausea
- bloating
- abdominal cramping
Treatment
The best and easiest way is to avoid milk products that cause intolerance. You can also take lactase enzyme pills to overcome the deficiency. Take the pills before consuming the milk products so it can be easy for your body to digest lactose.
Inflammation Of The Pancreas
Persistent inflammation of the pancreas can hurt your body’s ability to digest food and result in pancreatic hormones. Some of the symptoms are:
- oily foul-smelling stool
- nausea
- vomiting
- weight loss
- your upper back or abdomen may hurt
Treatment
The best course of treatment for chronic pancreatitis is pain-relieving methods including:
- pain relievers
- undergoing surgery to eliminate pancreatic lesions
- surgical removal of all or part of the pancreas
This was just a brief list of the causes of foul-smelling stool. There are various other reasons that can cause the issue. For more information or a proper diagnosis of your condition, book an appointment with Gastroenterology Diagnostic Center by calling 281-357-1977.