What does it mean when stool doesn't have color in it?

Question

I had my galbladder out eighteen months ago.
The past few months I am having similar symptoms as when I had galbladder attacks. Last night I had a BM that was almost white. It was chalklike or claylike in texture. It was nearly white, it has a small bit of greenishyellow in it. What does this mean? It scared me big time.
I have a call in to my doctor and waiting to hear back. I have so much pain on my right side and back and under my rib cage.

What is my prognosis? Why was it white?

Answer 1

Bile makes the color in stool. The longer the stool is in your body the darker it is. To the person who answered that it depends on what you eat...not all that much. Sure if you eat beats it makes it a bit darker but most foods don't have all that much to do with color. It sounds like you had a lack of bile in your stool. If you have already had your gal bladder removed, you still produce bile.
You mostly likely have a stone or some sort of blockage in a bile duct between your small intestine, pancreas, liver.

Your doctor will order the right tests to be done to pinpoint what is happening. I have something similar myself.

Wait for your doctor to call
Goodluck

p.s. to the person's answer above..the gal bladder doesn't mean you don't produce bile. The gal bladder is just an organ that stores the bile. It is part of the body that we can do without. Bile is still produced.

It amazes me that people answer medical questions here when they have an opinion and not a foundation for their answer.
Those of you who do this...what you say can misdirect someone who is sick. Those of you who ask the questions...don't take anyone's word here. Call your doctor.

Answer 2

Maybe I can help.. Since i have had MINE out as well!! It has been 6 years since I had mine out, my mom and grandma have had theirs out as well.. While I am NOT a Dr, I am experienced in this area..

When you have you GB removed, your food is no longer passing through that area, it is gone. So EVERYTHING changes and it sucks big time! Unless a person has had the GB removed they should not say a thing.. It HURTS like heck for a long time.

Our bodies change, and we end up having to go poo the minute we eat in a lot (most) cases! The first year was hell, could not go out and eat without having to go take a crap 2 times before we were done!

Your stool becomes loose, and the color changes. I have had that white color as well, but some of the time it's GREEN! Gross! It is NOT the bile because your bile is gone, bile comes from your GB!

As for the pain, sweety, I still get it in the exact same place and at first I swore they left some stones behind. I know how you feel! Have your surgeon take a look and make sure he got ALL the stones out of the ducts.. The idiots usually don't check the ducts..

Now, the main thing here is since you GB is gone, you really need to be careful what you eat. You have got to stay away from fast food, foods high in fat, and it is hard! I sit here right now with that pain your talking about, it usually feels better after I poop..Graphic here, but true and my mom and grandma have the same problems..

The Dr's never tell you what to expect after they remove the GB..But I know I do not hurt as bad as I did when I had that rotten GB in me. I suffered from attacks for 20 years! And the stones were never there when they looked..Not until 6 years ago..

why is it the colors it is? I am not sure, I have never gotten a straight answer from any Dr. They pretty much say the same thing..That since the GB is gone, it no longer gets cleaned out the same way..(in a nut shell)..

But DO see the surgeon about it just in case they left any stones in the ducts.. This is VERY rare however, but can happen.

Answer 3

Well, with you describing abdominal pain, clay colored stool and your gallbladder is out, it would lead me to believe your bile is not draining down the bile duct (common bile duct). The bile gives color to the stool. You could have a gallstone blocking it, or swelling from the surrounding tissue, but a gallstone is more likely. You could be evaluated with a CT scan, using special views of the bile duct, or an ultrasound exam. If it shows dilation of the common bile duct, or a stone, then you have your answer. The liver will usually show signs of irritation as well, and an elevation of your bilirubin in the blood. Your urine will become darker, and your skin or whites of your eyes turn yellow. It can be treated thru a procedure called ERCP, done by a gastroenterologist.

Answer 4

I believe that stool color is affected by bile, so it could be resultant of the gallbladder surgery. (The bile isn't getting from the galbladder to the the intestines to properly assist with digestion). However being that many people have this organ removed and as far as I know this condition is not common, I'd say kudos for calling your doctor quickly, and if I were you, I'd put a call in again tomorrow morning if you haven't heard back. Unproperly digested food is nothing to mess around with. Not to mention the peace of mind of knowing that everything is or isn't ok is worth worlds.

Answer 5

Hepatitis, liver disorders can cause your stool to become white. Don't worry though, it can be something else. Get a second opinion if you are not happy with your doctor's.

Answer 6

color sorta depends on what you put in