OffTopic: Anyone have stomach/digestive issues?

[videofit]

Doctors often know less than some patients about diet and nutrition. One friend's doc told her to take probiotics by eating yogurt. She didn't improve and often felt worse until one day she thought she'd try cutting out dairy. Bingo!

I agree with others that food sensitivities and not full blown allergies afflict many people. Try eliminating at least one problem food for a month and see what happens. No change? Eliminate another one. I was never able to do a drastic elimination diet where you basically stop eating nearly everything and then introduce foods one at a time.

I stopped gluten on Jan. 1 and it hasn't been that difficult. I just felt it was the right time. I stay away from gluten free foods like fake cake, fake pasta, fake bread because in the past they made me feel worse than eating the real thing.

I also take digestive enzymes since as we age our digestion slows down and is less efficient at extracting nutrients from food. Doctors will tell you this, too.

[LynnO]

Sugar alcohols like those in sugarless candy and gum can cause loose bowels too, as can milk (I think lactose might be a sugar alcohol but am too lazy to look it up) in some people. It's possible that these things didn't bother you before you got sick and do now as your immunity builds back up.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by muggle

Hi everyone, I'm new here! I can't tell you how glad I am that this was posted. I, myself, have been dealing with GI issues. One day a food is fine, another day & it causes my stomach to bloat up like a parade float!! No joke, I look like I'm somewhere in pregnancy. I recently bought the book "Fast metabolism diet". It's mostly about eating clean, what certain foods do to certain organs, good & bad etc. I'm finding it helpful. It also has grocery lists & recipes. I agree though in having things checked by a doctor. I'm at my wits end!!! I just want to eat and feel normal

welcome. love your user name! (I'm a HP fan).

[dmlarue1]

Thanks everyone for your responses! I have an appointment with a GI doctor next week.
From my research, t sounds more like IBS because it is so intermittent and comes and goes.
The confusing part is that there are so many ways to treat IBS. I am going to try reducing some things in my diet and see if it helps.

[DawnP]

I am sorry to hear you've been suffering. Did you try a dairy-free week to make sure it's not something as treatable as lactose intolerance? Have you asked your relatives if anyone suffers from it?

I was amazed when I started showing symptoms and I asked my sisters & grandparents and was shocked to hear all of them siffered from it. Nobody had ever talked about it!

It is so easy to buy lactose-free dairy products or take lactase enzyme tablets (Lactaid) with your meals.

Wishing you some relief soon.

[andtckrtoo]

Originally Posted by dmlarue1

Thanks everyone for your responses! I have an appointment with a GI doctor next week.
From my research, t sounds more like IBS because it is so intermittent and comes and goes.
The confusing part is that there are so many ways to treat IBS. I am going to try reducing some things in my diet and see if it helps.

Good luck! Start keeping track of the incidences. I didn't realize mine was stress related until the 3rd round, and I thought back. A couple of weeks ago, I had to take a trip to Canada and did not want to (the weather not the country - I'm not a fan of the cold), but managed to add some stress reducing things into my routine and I came through the week fine (I got a cold, but did not suffer from IBS).

[mle777]

Another thing that my doctor told me is that with food intolerances, often you won't have a reaction to them for 2-3 days. Of course there are some things you might react to right away, but that isn't always the case. People assume that if they're feeling bad today, it's from something they ate today or the previous evening. A reaction on a Wednesday can often be due to something that was eaten on a Sunday or Monday. That's why it's important to keep a log when you're not feeling right so that you can look back multiple days.

[pattyd0319]

I have chronic urticaria and have flare ups of GI inflammation. It's not quite IBS but I treat it the same way. My GI doctor recommended that I follow a low Fodmap diet as needed and it does really help. I follow it strictly until everything calms down and then slowly add foods back in. Some foods I have eliminated altogether such as Broccoli and Legumes. This diet was specifically developed for IBS patients. More info can be found in this US News article or by googling it.

I assume your doctor checked your gallbladder already as that is also a common cause of intermittent diarrhea and stomach pain, especially if you notice any changes in color or consistency of your stool.

[lreidgreen]

Originally Posted by athompson10

Recently my dad had severe bouts of diarrhea which he traced to Aleve, which he'd started taking for arthritis pain. As soon as he stopped his (low daily) dose, the diarrhea stopped. I have a similar reaction to ibuprofen, which is the only thing that works for my period cramps but plays havoc with my bowels. At least I know it and can get ready.

I have microscopic colitis which my GI doctor tells me can be triggered by use of strong non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs. This makes sense to me because it started a month after I was on Rx strength Naproxen (Aleve) from a back injury. I am on medication and it is better but I still have problems. Modifying my diet did not help. Microscopic colitis can only be diagnosed definitively through biopsy.

[Lucky Star]

I have a host of digestive issues and stomach pain too (though not as severe as many here unfortunately suffer from) and at the moment I am treating myself with multi-strain probiotics and, of course, watching my diet.