I can't eat anything...

[Babyghanoosh]

For the past few weeks, my stomach has been very distended. I made a doctor's appt but it is not until Nov 21 so I have been trying to follow an elimination diet which has been very hard. Then last week I began having bad pains under my right rib and shoulder. I couldn't take it anymore and went to a GI Specialist and he said that based on my symptoms, I probably have IBS and possible gallstones. I had an ultrasound done and it was normal. I was diagnosed gluten intolerant by my Holistic MD about 2 years ago but the GI said he doesn't think I have a gluten problem but told me to stop eating all dairy. I did start feeling better this past Saturday and my stomach was even flat but then Sunday I ended up eating dairy and gluten and now I feel awful again. I am just so hungry and I am losing weight. I want to lose a few pounds but not like this and I also don't want to lose the muscle that I have been working so hard to build!

I was reading a website helpforibs.com and there is a diet on there that you should eat when you have a bad flare-up. The diet is only plain white bread, english muffins, saltines, etc.; very bland. Well, I thought I would give it a try even though it is gluten and I actually feel a bit better today but I do not want to continue eating this food because it is all processed carbs.

I just feel so frustrated and even though I am glad I don't have to have gallbladder surgery, I don't know what is going on. I also have no energy to lift which sucks.

My appt is in 2 weeks, is it okay to take time out of the gym or should I push myself to lift? I feel like I want to work out but my energy level is so low with the lack of protein and good foods.

[bethtwenty4]

Until you see the doc, I'd listen to my body in terms of working out. Go for a walk, maybe do some bodyweight exercises throughout the day if you feel like doing something but don't have a ton of energy.

As for diet, I'd agree with sticking to bland food. So you can't eat any dairy? If you can, I'd try plain, nonfat Greek yogurt. High protein, no fat so easy on the stomach. Nowadays there's a soy substitute for everything dairy.

Boil some chicken breast. It may be bland, but it's protein and will be easy on your stomach. You could also sup with protein powders.

Keep that protein up. I'd worry more about muscle loss from inadequate protein intake than from a week or two out of the gym.

[andrerox80]

For the past few weeks, my stomach has been very distended. I made a doctor's appt but it is not until Nov 21 so I have been trying to follow an elimination diet which has been very hard. Then last week I began having bad pains under my right rib and shoulder. I couldn't take it anymore and went to a GI Specialist and he said that based on my symptoms, I probably have IBS and possible gallstones. I had an ultrasound done and it was normal. I was diagnosed gluten intolerant by my Holistic MD about 2 years ago but the GI said he doesn't think I have a gluten problem but told me to stop eating all dairy. I did start feeling better this past Saturday and my stomach was even flat but then Sunday I ended up eating dairy and gluten and now I feel awful again. I am just so hungry and I am losing weight. I want to lose a few pounds but not like this and I also don't want to lose the muscle that I have been working so hard to build!

I was reading a website helpforibs.com and there is a diet on there that you should eat when you have a bad flare-up. The diet is only plain white bread, english muffins, saltines, etc.; very bland. Well, I thought I would give it a try even though it is gluten and I actually feel a bit better today but I do not want to continue eating this food because it is all processed carbs.

I just feel so frustrated and even though I am glad I don't have to have gallbladder surgery, I don't know what is going on. I also have no energy to lift which sucks.

My appt is in 2 weeks, is it okay to take time out of the gym or should I push myself to lift? I feel like I want to work out but my energy level is so low with the lack of protein and good foods.

first, don't lift when you're too low on energy and feel ill. second, definitely don't eat gluten or dairy if you know it causes you to feel like sh*t. you said you were diagnosed as gluten intolerant (celiacs?) by your holistic doctor. did you actually do a test? just wondering why he said you have an intolerance and your gi doc says no. seems like you were never really tested and ought to be. and did he do a lactose breath test to determine dairy or are they guessing there too? regardless, if not eating them helps, don't eat them...for now. it would be silly to eliminate food groups and make your life harder and food choices limited if you don't need to. so ask to be tested for both. although of course you could have an intolerance that's not a fullblown allergy and doesn't show up (but the lactose test would). not sure why you have to eat bland or processed foods. there are plenty of gf recipes, and you've been living w/o gluten for the past few years, right? eliminating lactose on top of that sucks, but it's a much easier thing to work around. but why are you low on protein? any meat or fish or soy or gf/lactose free protein powder will do, as will nuts, seeds, but butters, beans. there's so much you can eat.

[Babyghanoosh]

I actually had a blood test done for Celiac by my general practitioner but the holistic doctor wanted to check as well and the test was negative. The holistic doctor thought I had an intolerance to gluten not celiac. The GI doctor said he didn't think I had celiac or an intolerance but if gluten bothered me, to stay away from it. Neither of the doctors have done the lactose breath test. My mom told me that I had a problem with lactose as a baby and she had to give me soy formula so the GI doctor told me to avoid it because he says lactose intolerance gets worse as we age but he didn't say to avoid gluten.

The only reason I was eating the bland white bread, saltines, etc. was because everything I was eating was bothering me. I feel like my gut is just distressed right now and I should go easy but sticking to certain things. Thanks for the suggestions. I definitely don't want to eliminate foods from my diet forever. The holistic doctor I am going to see in 2 weeks actually specializes in IBS so I am hopeful that she can help me figure out what to eat. I did notice that soy is very bloating to me but I was okay last week with fish, chicken, and turkey. I am doing well with bananas, brown rice tortillas, quinoa flakes and almond milk. I can't do beans which kills me because hummus is usually my staple. I hope once my gut calms down, I will be able to introduce some things back into my diet. I have been doing gluten free for a while, with some slip ups, and it does make me feel better. It has been a very stressful month too so maybe that is exacerbating the symptoms.

Thanks.

[andrerox80]

have you considered temporarily doing low residue if everything seems to upset you? there is some healthy stuff you can eat on it (been there, done that). but it seems like you found a handful of things that are working, and i bet you'll find more.

[mommymakeover]

Pain under right rib radiating to shoulder is a classic symptom of a gallbladder attack. Which may or may not mean you have gallstones.

[ilovethe80s]

sorry to hear you are having these issues. I have a horrible stomach as well (lactose issues, grain digestion problems, gallbladder plus hernias that make it more painful when stuff swells up). I know our issues might not be the exact same but I think most of the things that cause stomach distress might be the same for many conditions.

I find I do well on meats/ fish/ eggs (though too much marinade or fat on the meat aggravates the gall bladder) balanced with lots of veggies in proportion to the meat, fruit, white rice (I know they say white is 'bad' but it does digest really easily), nuts and nut butter (but still have to watch portions as too much fat causes the gallbladder attacks).

Particularly soothing are peppermint tea and cups of hot water with every meal.

Things that are problematic are whole grains, brown rice, very oily foods, fried foods, yougurt/ greek yogurt, cheese, bacon, coffee

When things get really bad, I pretty much double up on whatever I am cooking for my 6 month old and have that. Boiled, pureed chicken, pureed sweet potatoes, avocados and veggies...

Hope you get to the bottom of your issues and feel better soon.

[Babyghanoosh]

I never heard of low residue. I will look that up.

The doctor thought it might be gallbladder but the ultrasounds was negative and he said everything looked fine. I still do have the pain when I eat nut butters or fats but it radiates from right to left. I have cut my fat content down to about 25% of my daily calories.

We do seem to have the same issues, Ilovethe80's. I was told a while ago by another doctor that I had a hiatal hernia and acid reflux but I never really get heartburn and the GI doctor doesn't seem to think I have acid reflux, although I have heartburn today for some reason. I had some raw sugar in my tea this morning and that is when the heartburn began. I usually have stevia in my tea but I was afraid that was adding to the bloating. I also had quinoa flakes with a banana and a tbsp of raw almond butter for breakfast and the heartburn is still there. Last night I ate wild flounder with a brown rice tortilla for dinner and a smoothie with frozen mango, almond butter and brown rice protein powder and I was fine. The brown rice protein powder is nasty on its own but okay with fruit. I also bought tummy tea with fennel, chamomile and peppermint.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I really appreciate it and it is nice to know that I am not alone in feeling like this. The bloating bothers me the most because I just want to wear jeans! : )

[Babyghanoosh]

Oh and when I was told about the hiatal hernia and acid reflux a few years ago, I was put on Nexium. I went off of that after a year because it never really helped. I actually feel like that caused a lot of my issues.

[andrerox80]

just reread your original post - said your doc appt isn't for a few weeks but you were hurting badly so saw a gi specialist. isn't that the one you should be seeing anyway? what doc are you waiting to see?

i don't know anything abt gallbladder issues or gallstones and diets for that. low residue is good for outbreaks of ibs or digestive problems in general. some good foods are meats, limited dairy, cooked (not raw) veggies, no lettuce, bananas, no nuts or seeds, smooth nut butter, rice chex or cheerios, canned fruit, white rice, (white) english muffin or bread, cream of wheat cooked well, baby food fruit and veggies, if you can handle it, potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, pears w/ skin removed.

[Babyghanoosh]

I am actually waiting to see a doctor who is board certified in holistic medicine and she deals with IBS and food intolerances. She was the doctor I saw a few years ago who initially helped me with being gluten intolerant. I felt much better after she put me on probiotics and other supplements. I feel like she might be able to help me figure out how to eat since she specializes in this and other digestive disorders. The GI specialist wasn't too helpful, really. He just said to stay away from dairy and he sent me for the ultrasound which was fine. He called and told me the test was normal and that if I was still having pain, to call him and we can proceed with more tests from there. I think he said an Upper GI or Endoscopy. If I do continue to have this pain, I am going to go back to him though. I wonder if an ultrasound is conclusive for gallbladder problems. I wonder if there are other tests for that.

The low residue seems like it would help although I think it is best if I stay away from the gluten. Thanks!

[foresail]

I wonder if an ultrasound is conclusive for gallbladder problems. I wonder if there are other tests for that.

Sometimes ultrasound doesn’t pick up a gallbladder problem. A doctor can order other tests to include: Upper GI Series, ERCP (endoscope), CT scan, MRCP, or HIDA scan.

Info on Low Residue Diet: http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=199396

[Femtex23]

A quality probiotic may help...I take two capsules with over 50 billion active good-guys in it every time I eat any dairy, meat or larger meals. It helps me a ton and may be worth a shot for you! I hope you feel better soon!

[Melina81]

Thank you for your post. I have posted quite a bit on here about this as I began having issues in late July after my last show. I feel as if I ate a bowling ball (best way to describe it), always feel full, unexplained weight gain, and my stomach protrudes. I don't have issues using the bathroom so no problem with constipation (I take probiotics which IMO, should be put in our drinking water). I had an abdominal ultrasound, blood test for celiac/ h pylori and upper endo. I showed signs of mild acid reflux, which I have never had symptoms of, and they put me on omeprazole x2 daily for a month. It didn't make a difference and I quit taking it yesterday.

I didn't have my period for 8 moths due to competition and low body fat (so I assumed), thus recently began my cycle. I noticed my symptoms to worsen when I ovulate and am now having a pelvic ultrasound tomorrow. Even though I had normal hormone levels (well slightly on the low side for estrogen/progesterone etc) and a normal pelvic exam, a possible cyst is something to rule out (cysts can cause stomach fullness and protrusion). I also have a follow-up with my GI doc on Thurs - not sure where we will go next, I am going to press for a hydrogen breath test for SIBO and lactose intolerance.

I am so tired of dealing with this. Please keep us updated as things progress - I am always interested in other people's journeys when it comes to GI problems. You never know when you might come across a solution from reading about someones experience. Good luck.

[lotusdeva]

Oh, boy, I can relate 100% . 6 years ago I never knew what gallstones, IBS, acid reflux or any of this was. And then…something bad happened in my life and I found myself under a lot of stress (now I can look back and see how stressed out I really was, but back then it didn’t click). So anyway, I woke up one night feeling like I was pregnant. I mean I had this huge stomach and felt like I just ate 100 pounds of something . I never experienced anything like that before. Everything that I ate made me sick. I couldn’t drink coffee, alcohol, anything fatty or salty or spicy, MILK, anything – everything would make me sick. I went to a regular doctor, who sent me to gastroenterologist, who in turn sent me for colonoscopy, endoscopy, ultrasounds and million other tests. In the end of all of this they found small gallstones and said that MAYBE I had to remove my gallbladder. Doc also prescribed acid reflux meds, which did nothing. I then went to the holistic doctor, because removing a part of my body sounded kind of crazy. Holistic doctor said the same thing as yours – here are herbs, cut out dairy and gluten and casein and spicy, and salty and coffee and alcohol. F***, it was so hard! I did some cleansing stuff, took probiotics, took some saliva tests, did anti-yeast diet, etc, etc, etc, etc. I must admit that cutting out dairy and gluten and eating (if you can call that eating ) made me feel better and my mind was clear, I don’t know how to describe it. I even did fasting (I do not recommend it to anyone though ). This went on for a year as I was experiencing severe personal problems and was constantly under a huge amount of stress. Doc even sent me to gyno to test for some cervical cancer and endometriosis, because although things gotten better, these episodes of feeling like I am very pregnant when I haven’t eaten anything for weeks would constantly re-occur. I remember driving one day to work and thinking that there is no way in hell I can go to another doctor’s appointment or take some test. The most frustrating part is that I couldn’t relate to anyone with this. My girlfriends called me crazy and thought that I just imagined all of this . So I started researching on my own and came across IBS (although I didnt have any "bathroom" issues, but the idea that my mental state was doing something to my stomach just made sense), so I told holistic doc, who recommended some researcher in med school. She diagnosed me with IBS and prescribed Zelnrom (which is off US market now). Most importantly, I found out that IBS is caused by stress. Did you know that most of the serotonin receptors are located in our gut? (serotonin is a chemical that makes us happy and content, basically). So stress causes some mental disbalance, which screws up our stomach Also, Zelnrom only works for women, for some reason.

Anyway, I started taking Zelnrom for like two weeks and boom, all of the symptoms were gone. All of them. I was like – what? A year of this f-g hell and stopped just like that? I really re-evaluated all my life. Once the factor that was causing me this stress was gone, I took yoga, started running again, started meditating, I didn’t take any meds. Since I couldn’t eat most of the things for a year, I never went back to eating spicy, fatty, salty, fast food, etc. I just didn’t. I realized that we are so fragile, that health and internal peace is the most important thing that we have.

I had two gallbladder attacks after having my kids and had gallbladder removed. You will know if it is gallbladder because you will feel like dying, it hurts like hell and the attack lasts for hours. Mine was removed, no issues there.

Fast-forward 5 years (I didn’t have any symptoms this whole time), I am going through a divorce, courts, emotional stress, life is s*** and boom, all of the symptoms came back. I feel full, I can’t eat anything, I feel sick all of the time. This time I made a connection between these symptoms and stress. First of all, I slowed down as much as I could right there. I did only what I absolutely had to do, slept as much as I could, mediated, relaxed, took vacation, positive thoughts and attitude, limited physical activity to yoga, walking, a bit of running, nothing intense. Second – probiotics, good ones and lots of them. Fennel tea – it relaxes your gut, very helpful. While I felt this way, I had to cut out dairy. I tolerated oatmeal (made with water or soy milk) very well, anything that is warm, not to cold and not too hot. For some reason, meat would make me feel bloated. No alcohol or caffeine. I don’t know about you, but anything sweet would bring on this condition – like even sugarless gum. I made a connection between artificial sweeteners and this thing, whatever it is. I would watch what I eat and make notes of what would make me feel this way. I always ate small meals, always, never nothing big at once. Once my divorce was over, this thing once again stopped. Crazy, ah?

Now, 1.5 years after my divorce, I would still feel like this sometimes, when I am anxious or stressing out. It would, in most cases, start around my period. I would only have it for couple of days, max a week. This is when I know, ok, time to slow down, something is wrong, my body is telling me I need to chill. I would sometimes just eat oatmeal and drink fennel tea for a day, kind of like giving my stomach time to rest. Or eat small, very plain meals.

I don’t know what it is IBS (by the way, IBS is just a word, docs still don’t know what causes it, some say bacteria, some say stress, some say its genetic, blah, blah, blah), gallstone-after-surgery effects, curse from above, I don’t care All I know that stress cased this and that I need to slow down when this happens and take it easy. Btw, most of the times I can eat anything (I choose to eat healthy though), dairy, gluten, whatever.

This is just my GI experience. I just learned how to deal with this. hth someone

[Babyghanoosh]

Thanks so much for the replies. I am sorry to hear that other people have to deal with this too and it sucks! I have been doing my own trial and error eating and have been finding out some things I can and cannot eat. I have cut out a lot of foods. This is my daily menu:

brown rice cakes, bananas, raw creamy almond butter, decaf chai tea with almond milk and stevia, 99% ff turkey, white meat chicken breast, olive oil, green beans, brown rice tortillas, brown rice protein powder with banana and almond milk, tuna, salmon, and flounder

This is all I have been eating for a week now and I do feel better. I eat small meals 5 times a day because I can't take much in my stomach. I am going to continue eating this way until I see my holistic doctor on Monday. I am also taking a probiotic and magnesium. I tried the fiber supps that my GI suggested but the sorbitol in them made me more bloated! I went to the gyno on Monday and she is sending me to have another ultrasound tomorrow to check for possible ovarian cysts. The pain that I was having around my gallbladder is barely there so I am not sure what that was. I was also reading about the FODMAP diet for people with IBS and I have avoiding those foods as well; I think it is foods with fructose.


I was looking over my food diary a few days ago. On October 14th, I ate off of a salad bar and my tongue swelled up and tingled. I took benedryl but the next day is when all of my stomach issues really started up. I don't know if it is related or not but it is kind of coincidental. I was reading that you can pick up a bad bacteria anywhere. I am not even sure if I have IBS because I haven't had all of the tests to rule out other problems. I am just looking forward to seeing my doc Monday because she helped me before. I have no problem living without dairy and gluten; I would rather feel better!

Thanks!

[Melina81]

Wow - thank you guys for sharing I just had my pelvic ultrasound done an hour ago - wait and see I guess. Has anyone here who has IBS symptoms looked into SIBO? I am going to push for a breath test for this.

[Babyghanoosh]

Hi Melina81. How did the test go? I have my pelvic ultrasound in a few hours. They told me I have to drink 32oz of water an hour before and then hold it while they perform the test! I don't know how I am going to do that!

What is SIBO?

[Melina81]

I would suggest Googling it and reading up - you can start here http://www.medicinenet.com/small_int...th/article.htm. They think this is one of the main causes of IBS. This can be tested via a breath test along with lactose intolerance.

My ultrasound was fine and I will get results tomorrow. Don't worry about the water - for me I only had to hold it for the first 5 minutes of the test. They let me use the restroom and the other 40 minutes I did on an empty bladder.

[rcswent]

Hm, that's interesting. I was never tested for IBS. I was just told by my pediatrician that I had it. I was however tested for lactose intolerance (by drinking a lactose liquid) and that came back positive. At that time, I was told lactose intolerance and IBS generally went hand-in-hand (this was the early 90's). I'm not sure if that's necessarily true based on what we know today but I suppose it's not out of the question.

I would suggest Googling it and reading up - you can start here http://www.medicinenet.com/small_int...th/article.htm. They think this is one of the main causes of IBS. This can be tested via a breath test along with lactose intolerance.

My ultrasound was fine and I will get results tomorrow. Don't worry about the water - for me I only had to hold it for the first 5 minutes of the test. They let me use the restroom and the other 40 minutes I did on an empty bladder.

[Melina81]

Hm, that's interesting. I was never tested for IBS. I was just told by my pediatrician that I had it. I was however tested for lactose intolerance (by drinking a lactose liquid) and that came back positive. At that time, I was told lactose intolerance and IBS generally went hand-in-hand (this was the early 90's). I'm not sure if that's necessarily true based on what we know today but I suppose it's not out of the question.

Well you can have IBS without testing positive for SIBO (and really this isn't a common practice) - I think recently there was a correlation found and they have started people on antibiotics. I was told to read this book by my GI doc http://www.anewibssolution.com/, might be helpful for some of you.

Also, PCOS has been linked with IBS.

If you can't tell I have spent a lot of time reading about this - I mean tons of time! I refuse to live the rest of my life this way and docs don't always seem to look for these types of things. If they had it their way I think they would just put me on heartburn meds forever :|

[Babyghanoosh]

I was actually reading through the medicinenet.com article and it gave a lot of good information. I have a lot of the same symptoms of people with SIBO. I could see that as being the problem but who knows. My only hope is that when I see my holistic doctor on Monday, she gives me some much needed help.

I also took out a few books on IBS from the library. One of them gives a program you can follow to help. He talked about Betaine Hydrochloride which my doctor had me try a few years ago. She just wanted me to try a few pills to see whether or not I needed to supplement with them due to a lack of stomach acid. She also gave me a shake which I drank twice a day and then had a normal dinner (elimination diet guidelines) for 3 weeks. I can't tell you how great I felt when I was done. I hope she does something like that again.

Good luck with your ultrasound results!

[Melina81]

I was actually reading through the medicinenet.com article and it gave a lot of good information. I have a lot of the same symptoms of people with SIBO. I could see that as being the problem but who knows. My only hope is that when I see my holistic doctor on Monday, she gives me some much needed help.

I also took out a few books on IBS from the library. One of them gives a program you can follow to help. He talked about Betaine Hydrochloride which my doctor had me try a few years ago. She just wanted me to try a few pills to see whether or not I needed to supplement with them due to a lack of stomach acid. She also gave me a shake which I drank twice a day and then had a normal dinner (elimination diet guidelines) for 3 weeks. I can't tell you how great I felt when I was done. I hope she does something like that again.

Good luck with your ultrasound results!

Yes, I read the problem is often low acid not excess and betaine hcl really helps some folks. They also suggest apple cider vinegar, I tried it, and had no results. I think I will try the betain hcl next.

Once the 3 weeks were up, did the results last?

[Babyghanoosh]

I just bought apple cider vinegar but I am not sure what to do with it. I never ended up taking the betaine hcl but I think I am going to ask my doc on Monday about it. My stomach problems began when I took Nexium for a year.

I still felt great after the 3 weeks but you need to reintroduce one food at a time for 2 weeks to see if you react. If there is a reaction, then you know that food was causing your problems and you need to eliminate it for good. I felt great when I didn't cheat and ended up eating gluten but I was still eating a TON of dairy so that is probably why I still had bloating problems quite a bit. I have a very limited diet right now, which I cannot sustain on for the long term but I do feel much better after eliminating all dairy and gluten/wheat and also the FODMAP foods. I am not sure if I am doing the right thing but I think through trial and error and eliminating anything life-threatening by getting tests done, you can figure out how to manage the symptoms.

I always get headaches and feel pretty low but ever since I have cut these foods out, eaten smaller portions more frequently and taken a higher dose of probiotics, I don't get the headaches anymore and yesterday I had so much energy! It was great. Today I am tired but things will get better you just have to be diligent and don't give up on figuring it out. I also used to drink 2 cups of caff coffee a day with flavored creamer and I don't miss it at all. I actually feel so much better being less jittery from the coffee. Now I just want to get ahold of the bloating! That is my worst symptom!

I will also let you know what the doctor tells me on Monday.

[andrerox80]

just want to pop back in to say g'luck. i don't have ibs or food intolerances, and i was tested for everything under the sun (inc some genetic disorder called gaucher) and know how frustrating and long the process can be. eventually they WILL figure it out, hopefully sooner than later.

btw, for me, they never really figured out 100% what was going on, but i had 90% of my colon removed. it died. they *think* it was due to former (way former, which is why it didn't make sense to me) extreme lax abuse. i didn't have any bloating, but more serious abominal heaviness. it lasted abt a yr and i don't even remember what my other symptoms were besides just feeling like there was a 10 lb lead wt in my gut.

when you said you didn't know what to do w/ apple cider vinegar, is there something specific you're supposed to do for ibs? b/c i just use it normally. steam my veggies in it, use it for my tofu stir fry. i don't eat it for any other reason than i love it.

melina, how is that book? again, i don't have ibs but one of my bff's has ibs and is lactose intolerance and does nothing to help herself (e.g., eating foods she shouldn't), but am wondering abt this book and what it recommends or says.

[Melina81]

just want to pop back in to say g'luck. i don't have ibs or food intolerances, and i was tested for everything under the sun (inc some genetic disorder called gaucher) and know how frustrating and long the process can be. eventually they WILL figure it out, hopefully sooner than later.

btw, for me, they never really figured out 100% what was going on, but i had 90% of my colon removed. it died. they *think* it was due to former (way former, which is why it didn't make sense to me) extreme lax abuse. i didn't have any bloating, but more serious abominal heaviness. it lasted abt a yr and i don't even remember what my other symptoms were besides just feeling like there was a 10 lb lead wt in my gut.

when you said you didn't know what to do w/ apple cider vinegar, is there something specific you're supposed to do for ibs? b/c i just use it normally. steam my veggies in it, use it for my tofu stir fry. i don't eat it for any other reason than i love it.

melina, how is that book? again, i don't have ibs but one of my bff's has ibs and is lactose intolerance and does nothing to help herself (e.g., eating foods she shouldn't), but am wondering abt this book and what it recommends or says.

What you just described with the lead feeling is EXACTLY what I feel. As I sit here typing this at my desk, it feels like a lb of rocks in my gut. It always seems to be worse when I am sitting. Standing and especially working out helps.

The ACV is for reflux, not IBS but it has many uses. I just took 2 tbs, mixed in in water and drank it 3 times a day.

The IBS book describes all the symptoms of IBS, SIBO, and prescribes a very bland diet. If your friend isn't motivated I doubt they would want to do the diet :|

Wait your colon died? Can you explain?

[Melina81]

Ok time to vent - my GI doctor is fired. I never really felt like he was listening to me but now even more so. He told me after my upper endo they didn't even see signs of acid reflux, I just have the "potential" and wanted to put me on even stronger meds since I had no response to omeprazole. Ok, I have no signs of GERD but lets give me more meds??? Yeah, ok.

He also told me to quite taking all my supps since I take so many. Ok, I take a multi-vitamin and take amino acids pre and post workout. Fail.

I brought up IBS, SIBO, lactose intolerance etc. Well I guess I can only be lactose intolerant if I had this as a child? Even I know that's crap. The rest of it he simply dismissed and gave me reason after reason why I don't have IBS.

Being that I told him my response to probiotics was good, he ordered me some prescription variety (since I wasn't all that thrilled about taking a stronger PPI), told me to call in a month and let him know how I am doing. If I don't feel better, he wants me to take the stronger PPI medication - even though I don't have acid reflux. Seriously?

[CATRACCOM]

I went through some of this... I quit seeing my regular doc and just worked with a holistic doc. I found out I have quite a few allergies but one of the main ones is yeast. Not only am I allergic to yeast, it seems to be affecting me systemically. I pretty much just eat meat and veggies. No fruit, coffee, beans, vinegar, sugar, grains (rice and quinoa are okay now), dairy, nothing from a box or a can, nothing fermented, no mushrooms. I'm sure I'm missing something, anyway... Maybe read about candida and try it out. I also tried a supp called Candex in the morning and night. I double checked my other supps were yeast free. The bloating has gone and the heavy feeling is gone. I can think more clearly. It's taken a lot of time and trial and error to get where I am. Maybe it will help.
http://www.thecandidadiet.com/foodstoavoid.htm

[Babyghanoosh]

So today I had the appointment with my holistic doctor and I definitely feel like I am going to get somewhere. She took 2 tubes of blood to test for food allergies; 149 different foods and spices. She also gave me a powder mix that takes down inflammation which I need to drink for 4 weeks. She also put me on a GI Repair kit which is 6 weeks of supplements that are supposed to heal my stomach and put back in the good bacteria. I am also going to be getting more blood tests to test for IBS, magnesium, possible mercury toxicity and a few others. If none of this gets us anywhere, then she wants to do a stool test. I felt so happy when I left her office that I almost cried! I just finally feel like I am going to figure this out.

I ended up going out on Sat night and having a few glasses of white wine. Needless to say, I was in bed all day yesterday and I felt like I had been poisoned! It was so awful I had to make myself throw up and I wasted a whole day! ugh... so stupid!

[Melina81]

So today I had the appointment with my holistic doctor and I definitely feel like I am going to get somewhere. She took 2 tubes of blood to test for food allergies; 149 different foods and spices. She also gave me a powder mix that takes down inflammation which I need to drink for 4 weeks. She also put me on a GI Repair kit which is 6 weeks of supplements that are supposed to heal my stomach and put back in the good bacteria. I am also going to be getting more blood tests to test for IBS, magnesium, possible mercury toxicity and a few others. If none of this gets us anywhere, then she wants to do a stool test. I felt so happy when I left her office that I almost cried! I just finally feel like I am going to figure this out.

I ended up going out on Sat night and having a few glasses of white wine. Needless to say, I was in bed all day yesterday and I felt like I had been poisoned! It was so awful I had to make myself throw up and I wasted a whole day! ugh... so stupid!

Oh I am so sorry to hear that BUT I am glad to hear you feel like you are getting somewhere! Excellent news and let us know how the treatment fairs for you.

I am currently taking VSL#3 DS which has 900 billion little freeze dried "friendly" bacteria. I have felt better in the past few days than I have in months. I have hope too