Please Help! I'm New To This & I'm So Miserable Tonight

[livelifelarge24]

Following what I consider to have been a major medical breakdown/illness, I was put on a gluten and dairy-free diet. My nutritionist and Drs. think this will be the key to my years of intense stomach and GI distress and kidney stones. I have been following the diet mostly, with a few slips here and there for two-three weeks now. I am dealing okay with trying to find and prepare the right foods.

This diet is a huge change for me as the GI discomfort I have been experiencing for years had caused me to drasticially exclude foods from my diet and I was eating very poorly as a result [no variety, no fiber, etc.] I also had been taking 8-12 Imodium a day in order to try to prevent the diarrhea that I was constantly haivng.

I have cut down the Imodium to 1-2 a day and have increased my fiber intake and the variety of foods I'm eating incredibly. Now, a couple weeks into this I am having some extreme discomfort and I am miserable!

About four days ago I was really bloated and constantly feeling full and constantly feeling the urge to "go." Then starting yesterday, the real pain came. Every time I try to eat even the smallest thing, I end up doubled over in pain. It feels like incredibly strong sharp gas pains and it's been debilitating. I don't want to eat anything anymore at all! I have been on the toilet constantly and am now having floating stools and most recently loose stools. I am absoltuely miserable and feeling completely hopeless and helpless.

Is this misery being caused from the new diet? Or is there no relation? I don't know if I should worry and see my Dr. or if I need to calm down and let my body adjust to the new diet and lack of Imodium. I struggle with keeping weight on and every day that I'm afraid to eat is a day that is dangerous to me. Please help me sort all this out!!!!

Thank you for anything you can help with.

[mushroom]

Following what I consider to have been a major medical breakdown/illness, I was put on a gluten and dairy-free diet. My nutritionist and Drs. think this will be the key to my years of intense stomach and GI distress and kidney stones. I have been following the diet mostly, with a few slips here and there for two-three weeks now. I am dealing okay with trying to find and prepare the right foods.

This diet is a huge change for me as the GI discomfort I have been experiencing for years had caused me to drasticially exclude foods from my diet and I was eating very poorly as a result [no variety, no fiber, etc.] I also had been taking 8-12 Imodium a day in order to try to prevent the diarrhea that I was constantly haivng.

I have cut down the Imodium to 1-2 a day and have increased my fiber intake and the variety of foods I'm eating incredibly. Now, a couple weeks into this I am having some extreme discomfort and I am miserable!

About four days ago I was really bloated and constantly feeling full and constantly feeling the urge to "go." Then starting yesterday, the real pain came. Every time I try to eat even the smallest thing, I end up doubled over in pain. It feels like incredibly strong sharp gas pains and it's been debilitating. I don't want to eat anything anymore at all! I have been on the toilet constantly and am now having floating stools and most recently loose stools. I am absoltuely miserable and feeling completely hopeless and helpless.

Is this misery being caused from the new diet? Or is there no relation? I don't know if I should worry and see my Dr. or if I need to calm down and let my body adjust to the new diet and lack of Imodium. I struggle with keeping weight on and every day that I'm afraid to eat is a day that is dangerous to me. Please help me sort all this out!!!!

Thank you for anything you can help with.

Hi: I am so sorry you are feeling so bad. It could be caused by your body adjusting to the lack of imodium and to the different foods. It is best at first to eat a very simple diet of chicken, fish, rice, veggies and fruit (even then cooked fruits are probably best) to give your gut time to heal and adjust. There is often a withdrawal from glulen which adds to the discomfort. If you find that even simple foods are still bothering you then I would definitely talk to your doctor. But it does take some time to adjust, for some more than others. It is best initially to also avoid other potential intolerances like dairy, eggs and soy. You can add these back in later, one at a time, and see how you react. Drink plenty of water and some juices, no sodas, and avoid the gluten free grains for now. I hope you are feeling better soon.

[chatycady]

I agree with Mushroom. It's possible that your intestine is so damaged that you don't produce digestive enzymes, therefore you need simple foods to eat.

Home made chicken soup from scratch will help you heal.

Water

Fresh chicken (NO ADDITIVES!)

fresh carrots

fresh celery

fresh onions

salt and pepper

Hope this helps you feel better!

[AliB]

For many of us gluten is only a small part of the picture - I also stopped dairy at the same time as gluten as I was also lactose intolerant, but very quickly I realised that I couldn't cope with any carbs, even gluten-free ones (many of them are actually more carb-dense than gluten foods so if carbs in general are the problem then gluten-free can make things worse!).

I found the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and have not looked back. It removes all the hard-to-digest foods and gives the gut a proper chance to heal. Many are following it with good success. Some of us have found that even some 'legal' SCD foods can initially be problematic if our gut is very damaged - I could not cope with meats like beef or pork and eggs or nuts initially but after a few weeks I was able to eat eggs again and nuts a while later. I still don't eat pork or beef too often.

There is an SCD thread in this section if you want to jump in - the official website is 'breaking the vicious cycle' and 'Pecanbread' is also a helpful SCD-based site.

You may prefer to see how you get on with just gluten-free at the moment, but the SCD may be worth considering if things don't improve.

I am sure that a lot of our problems are down to a lack of enzymes. Unlike many traditional diets our 'Western' diet includes little or no foods that supply much in the way of enzymes. Most of it is 'dead' food rather than 'live and vital'. We rely heavily on dairy but that has had the enzymes that would have supported its digestion destroyed through the pasteurisation process - that was the worst thing they could ever have done to us. As successive generations move on they have less enzyme capacity and strength to pass on to their offspring so it is no wonder we are seeing an explosion of obesity, diabetes and digestive issues.

Many traditional diets rely heavily on enzyme-rich raw or fermented foods - live yogurt, kefir, kumiss, tofu, miso and tempeh, fermented fish, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, olives and olive oil, pickles (real, not commercial), etc. - even the Inuit live almost solely on their putrid fermented fish. I am researching different brands of enzymes at the mo - I tried one but reacted to it but I am sure it was because it not only contained HCL but also was animal-based - I have read that plant-based enzymes are better so will try some of those.

What is great about this site is the realisation that you are not alone. There is always someone else out there who is or has gone through similar to you and it is so great to get much needed support and encouragement.

[TearzaRose]

I'm so sorry to hear about your GI distress. I went through a lot of that (without diarhhea) for many years. it's is a helpless feeling and I'm sorry.

Have you had your gall bladder checked?

Chronic cholecystitis (biliary colic)

This is a long-term inflammation of the gall bladder and causes:

sporadic pains in the middle of the upper abdomen, or just below the ribs on the right side

pain which becomes worse over an hour and then stays the same

pain that may spread to the right shoulder or between the shoulder blades

pain that can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting and sometimes excessive wind.

An attack can last from a few minutes to two to three hours before getting better.

The frequency and severity of attacks is very variable.

Attacks can be triggered by eating fatty foods such as chocolate, cheese or pastry.

It can be difficult to distinguish the pain from other diseases such as gastric ulcer, back problems, heart pains, pneumonia and kidney stones.

Acute cholecystitis (acute inflammation or infection of the gall bladder)

This condition results in:

persistent pain and a temperature lasting more than 12 hours

pain and tenderness under the ribs on the right side

pain that is made worse by movement or coughing.

Patients with acute cholecystitis may not always have gallstones, but usually do.

The condition must be treated by a doctor and usually requires admission to hospital.

Treatment consists of a course of antibiotics. If this is not effective, emergency surgery may be required to remove the gall bladder.

Jaundice (yellow discolouration of the skin and whites of eyes)

This is caused when there is an obstruction to the flow of bile from the liver. Jaundice is not always caused by gallstones. The symptoms are:

increasingly yellow eyes and skin

skin can become itchy.

pale bowel motions and dark urine.

The condition is often preceded by symptoms similar to those of cholecystitis.

Fever and shaking chills are serious symptoms and must be treated by a doctor - they are suggestive of infection travelling through the bile duct system.

What can be done at home?

Recurrent painful attacks, if mild, can be treated with over-the-counter painkillers. Placing something warm on your stomach may be helpful, taking care not to scald the skin. The frequency of attacks may be reduced by a low-fat diet.

[Jestgar]

Tearza, when you post a bunch of information like that, could you please include a link to where you found it. It will really help others who want to investigate further.

[TearzaRose]

Tearza, when you post a bunch of information like that, could you please include a link to where you found it. It will really help others who want to investigate further.

no prob!

Open Original Shared Link

[Jestgar]

no prob!

Thanks!