Bathroom Troubles. Please Help!

[CharlesBronson]

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the detail here, folks. My stool is really off this past month... and I just can't figure it out.

I had been doing fairly well over the last few months on a diet of chicken, potato, eggs and bananas (and margarine as I can't handle butter yet). I felt like I was getting better, slowly. I am a pretty severe case (if you've read my previous posts) and likely have had celiac my entire life and only found out at age 35. I'm about 1.5 years into my gluten-free diet/healing phase, and it's been very painful, but lately I was managing on this very reduced diet

I feel like however my stool is... that's how I feel. On my current diet, I have hard, formed stools for the first time I can remember in my life. But, something has happened and it's gone back to dark and tarry... and, of course, I'm sick. I've also only used the washroom once in like 4-5 days. So... something is wrong. Is it possible that my stool is so sticky that I'm constipated and it's building up inside me, causing me to be more sick?

The only thing I can think of is that I ate some Breton gluten-free Crackers a month ago that contained cornstarch. My stool hasn't been good ever since, but it's never been this bad. It seems everything that goes in my stomach now comes out rancid and tarry, despite being back on my restrictive diet.

Again, sorry for the detail. Any help would be appreciated. 

Also... I know potatoes are probably not the best food for me right now, but I cut out grains entirely, so I'm afraid to try rice. Thought I much prefer rice to potato. 

 

 

 

[DJFL77I]

constipated?

only thing i noticed about stool change when going gluten free ( only 3 weeks now ) is that the are not as firm as when i was eating gluten before..  they are softer 

[CharlesBronson]

Should I be concerned that at 20 months gluten free and 12 months grain free that my stool has still not returned to normal?? 

Since going gluten-free it's only been solid and non-sticky for a short period. 

I'm at a total loss as to why....

[DJFL77I]

have you tried taking magnesium

are you getting enough fiber..

your diet sounds basically like mine..  only i eat fish / salmon.. sweet potatoes instead of normal..    probably been  a month or so on this diet .. and about 2 months gluten free..

when i was still eating normal food with gluten my stools were more firm...     

[DJFL77I]

what did your endoscopy show ?

[ravenwoodglass]

  On 7/4/2020 at 10:34 PM, CharlesBronson said:

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the detail here, folks. My stool is really off this past month... and I just can't figure it out.

I had been doing fairly well over the last few months on a diet of chicken, potato, eggs and bananas (and margarine as I can't handle butter yet). I felt like I was getting better, slowly. I am a pretty severe case (if you've read my previous posts) and likely have had celiac my entire life and only found out at age 35. I'm about 1.5 years into my gluten-free diet/healing phase, and it's been very painful, but lately I was managing on this very reduced diet

I feel like however my stool is... that's how I feel. On my current diet, I have hard, formed stools for the first time I can remember in my life. But, something has happened and it's gone back to dark and tarry... and, of course, I'm sick. I've also only used the washroom once in like 4-5 days. So... something is wrong. Is it possible that my stool is so sticky that I'm constipated and it's building up inside me, causing me to be more sick?

The only thing I can think of is that I ate some Breton gluten-free Crackers a month ago that contained cornstarch. My stool hasn't been good ever since, but it's never been this bad. It seems everything that goes in my stomach now comes out rancid and tarry, despite being back on my restrictive diet.

Again, sorry for the detail. Any help would be appreciated. 

Also... I know potatoes are probably not the best food for me right now, but I cut out grains entirely, so I'm afraid to try rice. Thought I much prefer rice to potato. 

 

 

 

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Please call your GI doctor ASAP as dark and tarry stools can be a sign of internal bleeding. He/she should get you in very quickly.

[CharlesBronson]

Endoscopy results might take another 2 weeks. Hopefully not. But it's summer and vacation time in the labs.

No I am not getting fibre. All I can eat is potato, eggs, chicken and bananas. It's a nightmare.

  On 8/19/2020 at 10:39 AM, ravenwoodglass said:

Please call your GI doctor ASAP as dark and tarry stools can be a sign of internal bleeding. He/she should get you in very quickly.

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Thanks for the concern! I did this and got an emergency appointment and just waiting for the results. There was no bleeding thankfully. 

[ravenwoodglass]

  On 8/19/2020 at 10:41 AM, CharlesBronson said:

Endoscopy results might take another 2 weeks. Hopefully not. But it's summer and vacation time in the labs.

No I am not getting fibre. All I can eat is potato, eggs, chicken and bananas. It's a nightmare.

Thanks for the concern! I did this and got an emergency appointment and just waiting for the results. There was no bleeding thankfully. 

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That's a relief! Hope you get the results soon and that things resolve quickly.

[GFinDC]

Hi Charles,

Only eating chicken, potatoes, eggs and bananas may be fine, if your body accepts those foods.  But what if it doesn't?  I suggest you replace those foods with a different set of foods for awhile.   When our diet doesn't work, it makes sense to change it?

I avoid all nightshades myself, so I'd choose sweet potatoes as a substitute.  Replace chicken with pork.  Replace eggs with avocados.  Replace bananas with peas.  If it is a foods intolerance issue, a complete change of diet may reveal it.  Don't forget any drinks that may need changed out.  And vitamin pills and supplements should be considered also.

[Wheatwacked]

  On 7/4/2020 at 10:34 PM, CharlesBronson said:

Also... I know potatoes are probably not the best food for me right now, but I cut out grains entirely, so I'm afraid to try rice. Thought I much prefer rice to potato. 

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"Assessing potassium status is not routinely done in clinical practice, and it is difficult to do because most potassium in the body is inside cells. Although blood potassium levels can provide some indication of potassium status, they often correlate poorly with tissue potassium stores [3,9,10]."

"Dietary surveys consistently show that people in the United States consume less potassium than recommended, which is why the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identifies potassium as a “nutrient of public health concern” [27]".

Potatoes are a better source of potassium than rice. 

 "Hypokalemia is rarely caused by low dietary potassium intake alone, but it can result from diarrhea due to potassium losses in the stool. "

"Potassium is necessary for almost all bodily functions, but its main job is to regulate the balance of fluids in your body. It also helps control the amount of sodium in your blood. This is important because too much sodium can raise your blood pressure, increasing your risk of heart attack, heart disease and strokes. As an electrolyte, potassium also supports electrical impulses that move muscles and keep the heart beating and lungs and other organs functioning. Because the recommended daily amount, or RDA, of potassium is a hefty 4,700 milligrams, it will take careful planning and some new food knowledge to help you comfortably reach your goal."

[DJFL77I]

You mean biopsy results? Your Dr should have told you what he saw right after the procedure

[knitty kitty]

Wheatwacked,

You may have difficulty with your potassium levels because you are low in Thiamine.  See this article....

https://www.hormonesmatter.com/thiamine-deficiency-causes-intracellular-potassium-wasting/

Dates are a better source of potassium than bananas.

 

Charles, 

Do try to alter your diet like GFinDC suggested.  Potatoes being a nightshade contributes to leaky gut syndrome because nightshades contain alkaloids that stimulate zonulin production which results in big spaces between cells in the intestines, hence leaky gut.  

Egg is a high histamine food and banana is a histamine releaser.  Histamine is a part of the immune response causing inflammation.  Histamine is released by mast cells as part of the immune response.  Look into a low histamine diet.  

Some Celiacs have a problem with chicken.  Switch to pork (high in thiamine) or lamb (easily digested and low histamine) instead as GFinDC suggested.  Bone broth and fish are high histamine, so stay away from those.  Leftovers develop histamine the longer they sit, so try to cook each meal as needed.   Consider leaving rice out for now.  Carbohydrates can be difficult to digest if you're low on thiamine and niacin (vitamins B1 and B3), so discuss supplementing with a B Complex vitamin supplement for now.  You may also need magnesium and vitamin A and D.  Niacin and tryptophan (another form of the B3 vitamin), vitamin A, B6 (pyridoxine), magnesium and vitamin D all contribute to gut health, so discuss with your doctor about supplementing for several months while your intestines heal. Checking for vitamin and mineral deficiencies are part of proper follow up care for Celiacs.

Hope this helps!  

Hope you feel better soon!

Knitty Kitty

 

 

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by knitty kitty
Typo

[cyclinglady]

  On 8/19/2020 at 10:41 AM, CharlesBronson said:

Endoscopy results might take another 2 weeks. Hopefully not. But it's summer and vacation time in the labs.

No I am not getting fibre. All I can eat is potato, eggs, chicken and bananas. It's a nightmare.

Thanks for the concern! I did this and got an emergency appointment and just waiting for the results. There was no bleeding thankfully. 

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But you are getting fiber.  Any fruit or veggie is a source of fiber.  And do you really need fiber?  The Inuits survived without it.  The reality is that there have be no long term studies on any diet.  None.   But that is another topic.

Glad you are seeing a doctor.    Not everything  is due to celiac disease.  

[DJFL77I]

What about sweet potatoes 🤔

I eat eggs and banana everyday 😣

[DJFL77I]

So basically can't eat anything 😒

[DJFL77I]

Foods that have been reported to have lower histamine levels and are thus to be preferred:

Fresh meat (cooled, frozen or fresh)

Certain fresh/frozen fish – hake, trout, plaice

Chicken (cooled, frozen or fresh)

Egg

Fresh fruits – with the exception of plantains, most fresh fruits are considered to have a low histamine level (also see histamine liberators below)

Fresh vegetables – with the exception of tomatoes, eggplant and spinach

Grains – also products thereof such as rice noodles, white bread, rye bread, rice crisp bread, oats, puffed rice crackers, millet flour, pasta

Fresh pasteurised milk and milk products

Milk substitutes – goat milk, sheep milk

Cream cheese, mozzarella, butter, (without the histamine generating rancidity)

Most cooking oils – check suitability before use

Most leafy herbs – check suitability before use

Most fruit juices without citrus fruits

[DJFL77I]

Almost all beef is aged making it very high histamine. So it is usually best to avoid beef unless you can get it unaged and frozen immediately after slaughter. This is really rare and hard to find. Instead: Choose pasture raised, frozen chicken, pork, lamb, mutton, and turkey.

[DJFL77I]

  On 8/21/2020 at 3:10 PM, knitty kitty said:

 

Dates are a better source of potassium than bananas.

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but they are 16 grams of sugar for 1..  eat 10 dates and you have 160grams of sugar

[GFinDC]

Hi Charles,

You can add fiber to your diet by taking psyillium husks.  Or adding peas or other high fiber foods.

[CharlesBronson]

  On 8/21/2020 at 2:50 PM, DJFL77I said:

You mean biopsy results? Your Dr should have told you what he saw right after the procedure

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Yes I'm still awaiting the results of the biopsy. The doctor told me told me he saw nothing wrong in my stomach just from the endoscopy alone. So I'm awaiting biopsy results. 

[Wheatwacked]

  On 8/23/2020 at 8:42 AM, DJFL77I said:

What about sweet potatoes

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[Posterboy]

  On 7/4/2020 at 10:34 PM, CharlesBronson said:

Sorry for the detail here, folks. My stool is really off this past month... and I just can't figure it out.

Expand Quote  

CharlesBronson,

You might try and take some BetaineHCL with meals and a couple glasses of water/liquid.

Water activates the Powdered stomach acid.....so never take it on a empty stomach or without water preferably....tea will work if you prefer that.

I have taken it myself (years ago).....it will provide a warm sensation in your abdomen if it is helping.

Most people don't start with enough to begin with....MORE stomach acid cuts up your food...not less.

Start with 3 or 4 capsules instead of one or two and at least 2 glasses of water and a meal.

Here are some links that might help you.

https://drjockers.com/5-ways-test-stomach-acid-levels/

https://chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd/

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

[CharlesBronson]

  On 8/29/2020 at 5:17 PM, Posterboy said:

CharlesBronson,

You might try and take some BetaineHCL with meals and a couple glasses of water/liquid.

Water activates the Powdered stomach acid.....so never take it on a empty stomach or without water preferably....tea will work if you prefer that.

I have taken it myself (years ago).....it will provide a warm sensation in your abdomen if it is helping.

Most people don't start with enough to begin with....MORE stomach acid cuts up your food...not less.

Start with 3 or 4 capsules instead of one or two and at least 2 glasses of water and a meal.

Here are some links that might help you.

https://drjockers.com/5-ways-test-stomach-acid-levels/

https://chriskresser.com/what-everybody-ought-to-know-but-doesnt-about-heartburn-gerd/

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

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Thank you for this. I'll definitely look into it!