Help! Have been on the diet, but nothing is working
#360291 - 08/13/10 01:38 PM
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I'll start with a quick explanation of how I got to this point, maybe this will help get some better opinions from other sufferers. A little over a year ago after my son was born I was lying in bed at night about to fall asleep when I got this labor like pain in my stomach. Thought I had bad gas pain and Bham! had crazy straight watery diarrhea that actually scared me because I'm telling you, I never had diarrhea much before. I would have to be pretty sick. Anyways, it happened again, but not a lot, it was very mild, usually only after I ate something that agitated me. BBQ for example, but not directly after I ate it, only the next day usually...which made it hard to pinpoint what was agitating me at all. I eventually realized that when I ate at certain restaurants, the next I would get an attack, etc. I did some research and came up with IBS. Was OK for a while though it caused me lots of anxiety going out and everything. I still pretty much ate whatever I wanted and had normal bowel movements majority of the time for the past year. I live in New Mexico and could eat a plate of Mexican food no problem. Like I said certain things just irritated me, especially BBQ.
Well, I saw an add for the Culturelle probiotic on TV and decided I'd try it out. I took Culturelle for a week and for the first few days it made me constipated, but when I started going again it just didn't feel right to me. To say it shortly I was going 3-4 times a day (really strange for me as I'd always been a once a day person) and never really felt like I was done going, so I stopped taking it. Now that I've stopped taking it, I wake up every morning with bad cramping in my abdomen, like really bad gas pains that turns into urgency and I have a loose stool that is mushy and a little watery every morning. Sometimes followed by subsequent mushy watery loose stools with urgent feeling. Sometimes having to strain to start going, but that the stool just turns loose and mushy as I'm going. (sorry for crudness here). If I am awake for more than a few minutes without falling back asleep there the pains are and it's only a matter of time before I'm on the toilet. Sometimes this is the only stool I pass that day, sometimes I'm back in the bathroom a few times. I've been blood tested, urine tested and stool tested and told all is normal. The doctor put me on Buspirone for anxiety and MENTIONED IBS. She told me to take more Culturelle, which I'm afraid to do at this point. It's been a month since I stopped taking Culturelle and this started. I was not this bad before, did not have stools like this every day, etc... I was still able to function pretty much normally and now I'm not.
I started the diet. I've been following it rigidly. Been using the Acacia powder (at 1 TBS/day now), but unfortunately cannot use the peppermint capsules due to heartburn. I drink Yogi brand peppermint tea and Stomach Ease tea with fennel I cut out all dairy, all red meat. I'm breaking my meals up into smaller meals throughout the day. I still have no change in symptoms. It seems to me that no matter what I eat, be it a green chile enchilada plate loaded with cheese and grease and fat like I was eating before or lightly seasoned chicken with white rice, I still have the same problem every morning when I wake up. I'm sticking to the diet and keeping a journal right now. I'm waiting for Medicaid to hopefully come through so I can see a Gastroenterologist, but I'm wondering if this really seems like IBS to any of you who have it and know what it's like? Seems like I read stuff about people with IBS eating a food that bothers them and than reacting to it immediately which doesn't really happen to me... also I think it's strange that my symptoms got worse after I stopped taking the Culturelle. Dunno if they could have upset the bacteria balance in my stomach or what, but everyone seems to think I'm crazy for thinking that this probiotic that helped so many people could have actually caused me more trouble. The only time I ever have a normal formed stool now is if I take Imodium. Imodium makes me constipated for anywhere from 1 day to 4 days, and after it wears off and I have a formed movement from being constipated, my symptoms just come back.
Anyways would love to hear anyones opinions on this. Sorry for long posting, this is just causing me sooo much stress and anxiety lately, especially since I can't go see the doctor yet.
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Welcome to the board,
Sounds like it has been a stressful time for you. There are a variety of disorders and diseases that can cause many of the symptoms you described. It is important to have consultation with a GI doctor and not make a self-diagnosis. However, you might have IBS.
The EFI diet should be fine to follow until you get a firm diagnosis. It is nutritionally well-balanced so you know you eating well. It would be helpful if you posted the meals and snacks you have eaten over the past 2-3 days. Someone might be able to help you identify some other hidden triggers.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Here's a brief description of what I usually eat. I'm not usually a morning eater and especially with not feeling great in the mornings, I have been starting with a bowl of Applesauce, about 1 cup or so. I'm usually more hungry in about an hour so I'll eat a package Quaker instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal then. I've been having a cup of peppermint tea in between. I do have my acacia fiber before I eat the first meal of applesauce.
Approx. 2 hours later I might have some mashed potatoes. These have a little salt, pepper, a tiny bit of earth balance non dairy spread. I use a little rice milk to help me mash them up. If not that, I'll have a sandwich on white bread with turkey and mustard. No cheese, nothing else. Today I had a piece of white bread toast with earth balance and one serving of egg beaters, egg whites scrambled. Generally after this I have some more tea depending on how I'm feeling. I'm usually fuller after lunch and don't eat again for a few hours.
Next I might eat another bowl of applesauce or oatmeal.
For dinner I might have 9-10 Sauteed shrimp seasoned with a little Old Bay seasoning (cooked in PAM) with plain white rice. Some cooked,sliced green beans. Before this meal I usually have my other glass of water with acacia fiber.
If I'm up late and I get hungry I might have another bowl of oatmeal or applesauce. I probably eat more of that stuff throughout the day than anything else.
Generally after eating dinner in the evening I start to feel a little bloated up and gassy, lots of trapped gas and discomfort. Maybe because it's a larger meal?
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Here are a couple of suggestions.
According to the label on the instant oatmeal it contains 2 grams of insoluble fiber and 1 gram of soluble fiber per serving. You might try regular oatmeal which takes a bit longer to prepare but it contains equal amounts of soluble and insoluble fiber.
Up to 50% of individuals with IBS have problems with excess fructose in some fruits like apples. Try eating a ripe but not over ripe instead of applesauce for a couple of days and see if that makes a difference. It may or may not. If applesauce is a problem then ask you GI doctor when you see him for a fructose malabsorption test.
Try switching the green beans for peeled and boiled until soft carrots.
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STABLE: ♂, IBS-D 50+ years - Science of IBS
The FODMAP Approach to Managing IBS Symptoms
Evidence-based Dietary Management of Functional GI Symptoms: The FODMAP Approach
FODMAP Chart & Cheatsheet
The Role of Food & Dietary Intervention in IBS
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Just wondering if you've tried a traditional SF supplement like Benefiber? I have found that if I don't get enough Benefiber, I tend to get bad again. But YRMV.
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IBS-D since...well, a long time
(probiotic acidophilous, SF supplements, IBS eating plan)
my blog
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