InstantCoffee Log, rather than bloat the weight gain thread.

Crohn's Disease Forum

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The anti-fungal worked for me once, I'm not sure how / why and I don't think I could do it again. I did no sugar, no dairy for I think 2 months or so. I lived on white rice, tuna and eggs. I took I think 3-4 grams of vitamin C, 2 grams of echinacea and a large dose of undecinoic acid ( a stronger acid similar to caprylic acid) a day throughout.

Afterwards my diet was much more flexible and open to spices and seasonings, sugars and some other stuff.

Not sure how much of it just worked because of the simple white rice and tuna diet. Not sure how I didn't have mercury poisoning.



Looks like I've been being stupid again. It probably was the coffee making me sick all along. I've been avoiding dairy and drinking it black, I had a cup on the way home the other night and got really sick.

I think when I cut dairy, I also cut coffee way back because I hate black coffee, so my symptoms went down with it, but not away completely.

Last night I was so exhausted from lack of calories I had two shakes figuring it's better to have calories and be sick than to be starving, and my stomach was fine.

No coffee since yesterday morning and things seem pretty stable.

I guess last time I cut coffee, I healed up and started drinking it again, it was fine for a while then relapsed.

Sigh... I really don't want to give up coffee.
 
Best of luck with avoiding coffee. My entire family are coffee addicts. It's is their addition. It would be a fearful day if someone took away their coffee.

I'm the lone family member that never got into drinking coffee. Instead I will occasionally drink tea. Tea typically goes down well for me, so long as I don't drink it everyday. There is something about drinking tea daily that doesn't upset the stomach in a traditional way, but does lead to heart burn.

That reminds me, I ran into an English neighbor the other day. Talking health, naturally being English, he began recommending I drink tea. In someways I felt rather bad about the conversation as he kept telling me how much green tea had helped him recently, with overall health and weight loss. I was at a loss for words. He looked the exact same since I had seen him last. It might have been one of those situation where he dropped from 250lbs to 240lbs. I was polite and complementing, thanked him for the advice, and bought some green tea to drink. I keep staring at the tea box though on whether it would be good and healthy for me to drink or not.

The latest health update for me is, energy levels are fabulous. I really have a lot of pick and go the last few days. It has me thinking something else was going on with the diet of the last 3 months. I've experienced good energy during these months. Health was OK too. My theory for the improved energy had to do with avoiding dairy and beef. I might have been wrong about that. Now I'm leaning toward the idea that I began eating nuts and brown rice and that increased nutrition improved my energy situation. If eggs and chicken are an allergy problem, possibly avoiding them of late has the combo of increased nutrition and bird avoidance has me feel more energized.

On the down side yesterday I had bad stomach cramping in the evening. My gums are also slightly sore. I expected these two problems will become worse in the days ahead, due to the current avoid bird diet.
 
So I'm not the only one with tea problems. Tea gives me heartburn-like sensations that are not heartburn. It's closer to gastritis. Just a constant burn in my stomach, where heartburn is usually more of a pulsing, heaving, with the acids and stuff. Tea just calmly simmers and burns like salt on a wound.

I've tried a lot and chamomile seems the only safe one. Hibiscus maybe too. I really liked hibiscus tea, it's very fruity and has a nice red color to it and it's one of if not the most potent, antioxidant rich teas you can get, even better than macha.

I just don't love the taste of any of them that much, and when they upset my stomach I get a really uncomfortable sensation of unquenchable thirst.

It's very likely dairy and beef could be causing issues. Nuts would have a similar nutritional profile to beef I would think, typically with metals like zinc and iron and amino acids, so maybe switching to a healthy, fiber rich source of carbs and protein was helpful?

I know pumpkin seeds are a go-to for me when I avoid meats because they're rich in potassium and zinc, both of which are hard to get with my diet, and the shelless ones are very soft, I have sensitive teeth and one is cracked so hard foods aren't fun for me. It's why grainy rices and oats are really hard for me to eat.
 
I'm not sure where the latest diet is going to take me. It has me a little nervous. Up to this point I've only taken eggs out of the diet, along with continuing to avoid beef and dairy. Since I've had problems in the past after avoiding eggs and chicken, bird I picked up at the store some cheese and Imodium. It's just in case I was thinking. I've read with allergies one can experience withdrawals but some of the experiences I've had after avoiding bird have been on the ridiculous side. They come entirely out of the blue too! I can be doing well, have good energy, and I'm entirely caught off guard, sick and debilitated to the stomach as can be for 12 hours. I'm hoping that doesn't happen this time.
 
Not sure I've ever heard of withdrawals from non-addictive substances.

Looks like dairy is still an issue, but for my skin, not my stomach.

After I cut coffee I started drinking shakes again to boost my calorie intake and my back is awful again.

I'm going to have to find a healthier way to bump my calories I guess.
 
I've read about allergies and with that food addictions a few times. Wheat addiction withdrawals is one of the more common mentions. Some people apparently have a hard go of it avoiding wheat, going through withdrawals. Other foods can be similar effect, from what I've read. I'm not sure if that is what happened to me in the past, but is one theory that might explain.

I'm doing much better than expected after avoiding eggs and turkey. My diet is the same, with the exception that I'm now avoiding bird. My gums have been OK. The gut is doing well, knock on wood. My energy levels are better - not great, but better. Eyes are blue. The biggest shock is that my gut is doing better. I did not expect that so soon. So the diet continues, avoid bird, avoid cow, and keep rotating the same foods.
 
I used to drink a pot of coffee a day, so it's been really hard. I now have a cup of black decaf in the morning. Black Hong Kong style tea a few times a day. Have you tried low acid/dark roast coffees? They're supposed to be easier on the stomach and doesn't trigger the runs so bad.
Can you eat peanut butter/nut butters? Lots of extra calories and make me feel full too. I live on carbs mostly, and currently chicken for protein. Funny how we all can't eat the same things.
 
I feel awful. Today is day 8 or 9 of avoiding eggs, chicken and turkey. As expected from past experience the gut isn't so hot. Thankfully I just ache and feel terrible. The gut isn't acting up as bad as it can. I suspect though I need to be overly careful to not stress the gut, with over eating, to much fiber, using stomach muscles, etc.

I've often wondered why this happens when I avoid bird foods. I used to believe it was some kind of food reaction. Then I've thought maybe withdrawals are happening. Other times I wonder if the foods I'm eating are not a problem, and bird items are a problem, maybe my damaged intestine isn't handling being used in a traditional manner all that well. What ever it is, I hope this feel awful time doesn't last too long.

Cheese is back in the diet. I'm not much in love with the taste, but suspect it can be slightly helpful, in particular during times such as this.
 
I'm well to the gut, or maybe better said doing better with the gut. I'm shocked. Typically I believe it can take weeks to months for the gut to do better with a diet idea. I still feel awful. Everything bubbles and churns around inside. Energy levels are so so. I can easily become overly ill too I've found out. But overall, since avoiding eggs, chicken and bird I'm doing well. I'm still avoiding beef and few spices too.

I'm unsure why the quick turnaround. I've been sunbathing more often compared to the past. I'm eating cheese which can be constipating. I'm not a fan of cheese. It tastes terrible to me, but it apparently isn't hurting me.

Well, what ever is going on, I've written in my food journal to continue with this diet idea for 4 months, baring I don't take a turn for the worse. After 4 months if I continue to do well with the gut to continue the same diet for the remainder of the year. Since I know I'll likely continue to feel terrible, creeping doubts will work their way in. I'm hoping if I can keep to the same long term path I can finally make forward progress toward recovery.
 
From past experience, and notes taken about when eating chicken and to a lesser extent eggs.

I might have learned something new. I've complained about sore, bleeding, visibly inflamed gums after avoiding eggs and chicken, bird items and replacing with pork. It has been a consistent reaction.

This time though the reaction hasn't happened all that much. There have been a few times were the gums became sore but nothing all that serious compared to what I've experienced in the past. This weekend though I experienced my gums becoming swollen and sore. From past experience I expected this problem to become worse in the days ahead. I did something though that has helped, at least helped in the past 24 hours. I stopped eating cheese Sunday afternoon. After that, this morning, the sore gums have gone away. I'm surprised.

I still feel awful overall. Yesterday was ruff. This morning is better though. Happily the gut is pretty good. The awful part is having very low energy levels, and overall mentally feeling bla. I know from experience this problem will eventually go away.

Good luck with the low salt diet.
 
Hope the low salt diet has brought about improvements.

Avoiding salt reminds me of a problem that has developed for me. For what ever reason once I stopped eating eggs, turkey, and substituted pork and now beef, I've developed muscle cramping. This is actually an old problem experienced off and on for years. I do not know why this happens. The most typical explanation given for why this occurs is due to a lack of minerals in the diet. As a result I've begun to consume and take minerals. No improvements have been seen though.

From experience I know this problem will improve over time as the gut health improves.

Other problems include less energy. Before I enjoyed going for walks and biking, while eating eggs, bird. Now I do these activities less often. I suspect I know why this is though. It seems my heart rate is elevated. It doesn't always occur but I have the feeling as if I'm on a slow walk that can last for hours at a time. The feeling also seems similar to when stuck in a car, and being unable to find a place to pull over and use the restroom. The bladder is full, the heart pace picks up, and remains high till a restroom is found.

The good news is for most days the gut is doing decently well. I'm healthier with the gut. I've had a few times where I was miserably sick but overall these are less often I believe also mentally I'm more upbeat.

I've also begun consuming a glass of wine a day. I've read that alcohol can be good for the heart and I suspect that is true. This is somewhat a big deal for me as traditionally alcohol can cause a good deal of stomach cramping, rapid heart rate, muscle pains, lasting for hours if not a day. I've found that if I consume a little alcohol the gut hasn't been irritated. I suspect also that I appear a little bit healthier since drinking the little bit of wine. Why that is I don't know, the anti bacteria qualities of alcohol, less blood clotting effect alcohol can have, etc. Maybe alcohol is an essential nutrient. I chuckle mentioning that, but I have a few relatives that enjoy their drinks and if a study should ever come out saying that about alcohol, would swear the findings were true.

I'm kicking pork out of the diet now also. After one day of avoiding it, and searching through food journal notes I found I've noticed that pork is likely the cause of the muscle cramping. I'm pretty sure pork is also the cause of the swollen gums. After avoiding pork yesterday I noticed by the afternoon that the muscle cramping was largely gone. Pain is a good motivator for avoiding something long term. If the gum problem and muscle issues do not return, avoiding pork should be easy.

What has me concerned is that I've gone on long pork avoidances before, up to 6 months. I wasn't better, or at least better to the point that I hoped to be. Possibly there is importance is eating dairy products even though I don't care for dairy.
 
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I believe I can say with good certainty that pork is what has been causing the muscle cramping I experience. The muscle cramping or charlie horses can be quite painful. Gelatin, used to encapsulate some oil based nutrients, which is sometimes made from pork sources is a problem too.

Whether a problem with pork is related to my stomach issue, I don't know. It might be, it might not be. Pork causes my gums to swell up and bleed. Pork causes muscle cramping. My father worked in a medical plant that processed pork. He was in sales at the time. He found he was unable to enter the plant pork processing portion of the building without becoming ill. I've taken long holidays in avoiding pork in the past without coming to a definite conclusion concerning IBD health.

Regardless, with 2 strikes against pork, and not enjoying being in pain, I will avoid pork from here on out. Hopefully that is some kind of answer, and the gut will slowly improve.

With that said, I don't know. Maybe this cramping when eating pork is natural for a portion of the population. I always found this post about low carb eating interesting. It is about the problems some experience when beginning low carb eating. it talks about the importance of taking Electrolytes/ minerals in order to avoid cramping.

Tips & tricks for starting (or restarting) low-carb Pt II

https://proteinpower.com/drmike/2011/06/25/tips-tricks-for-starting-or-restarting-low-carb-pt-ii/
 
Electrolyte balance is important. I used to take potassium to offset the high sodium content of my diet, I would get headaches really bad if I didn't.

I'm not sure why pork has that effect but I've heard a lot of people report that pig products don't agree with them.

I was doing well on chicken and rice with green beans, decided to experiment with ONE cherry tomato and it threw me off for most of the week. I'm not sure why but it seemed no matter what I ate I'd be getting up the next morning having loose BMs.

Friday I experimented again with whey which now seems to be an issue and Saturday night with my gluten free cookies which are still an issue.

I fasted 16 hours Sunday and broke my fast with tuna and mayo, a glass of POM juice with aloe vera juice, green tea and an Ovaltine shake, then had bacon and quinoa before bed.

I seem fine now, so I think it might be time to revisit intermittent fasting. I'll supplement vitamins in the morning and mid day then take my calories from 4pm to bed time.
 
Everything seems to be back to normal now for me. Well, as normal as one can be with an IBD condition. After avoiding pork the muscle cramping is pretty much gone.

I was trying to think why I wasn't well after avoiding pork for so long. It occurred to me that I have been eating a good amount of nuts. I don't believe the nuts, more specifically cashews, are an allergy problem. I've known for awhile though that cashews can cause mild stomach issues. I suspect they are just hard to digest for a roughed up intestine. It's as good of theory as any. I'll try that going forward and see what happens.

So I'm back to square one. Doing OK gut wise, but wishing I hadn't taken the dietary side track that I did about a month ago.

Sorry about the tomato problem. I'm not much of a fan of tomatoes myself.
 
I think cashews are a common one, I remember having an issue with cashews despite other nuts being okay.

I think the fasting is working, I fasted Sunday and Monday and ate between 4 and 10pm, without changing my diet and eating a lot more than usual in that time period I feel great, no symptoms at all today. No gas, cramps, excessive bathroom trips for 1 or 2.


I think I might just have to adjust to a fasting diet - I keep trying to find the path of least resistance because the things that work are seldom fun (taking psyllium husks daily, fasting, sauerkraut) but I guess that's just life with IBD, it's gonna be unfun one way or another.
 
When I'm flaring, which I'm starting to do a bit now, I don't eat in the morning if I have to go to work or go out. I just have a couple of cups of peppermint and fennel tea, and eat when I get home. Peppermint and fennel are great for soothing the stomach and helps with bloating.
 
I'm really quite pleased with my latest pork avoidance diet. Avoiding pork and cashews has my stomach doing much better, and energy levels have been solid. It's always special when energy levels are good. I'm hoping this remains the case in the weeks ahead. I have a long car trip to make the end of May.
 
Doctor won't do anything without first doing colonoscopy / endo, which I can't afford. Won't write a medical cannabis script and didn't know what LDN is. Time to find a new one I guess.
 
That's awful. I remember you mentioning you worried that would be the case, about your doctor not working with you.

My old doctor was that way. I came to learn it didn't matter what I said, or information offered. He was in automatic unthinking mode, as I thought of it.

My parents used to have a gem of a doctor. He would work with my father in particular. Dad is proactive, always researching different ideas and drugs he wants to try for different conditions. The doctor always was willing to listen, offer advice, and most of the time agreed with dad. Sadly that doctor just left the hospital to start his own practice outside of the medical center, so being on government Medicare a new physician has been assigned to the folks. I hope she is just as open minded and smart.

Hope the stomach is hanging in there.

I'm quite upbeat with my avoiding pork and nuts. The gut is doing A-ok.
 
Yeah idk what I'm supposed to do, I know that technically they need to see how the disease state is, but I basically have been given a choice between massive financial debt and going untreated, it's a pretty shitty choice and as a doctor that shouldn't be the only options you give a patient.

The better I feel the harder this fasting diet is to stick to. I used to be getting really hungry by 2-3pm, now it's hitting me at 10 in the morning and I still have another 4 hours minimum before I can open my 8 hour feeding window.

I'm not actually sure what the perfect amount of time is for this to work. I don't want to start eating sooner and diminish the benefits or even start falling back into a worse disease state, but feeling hungry, cold and without energy sucks ass.

It's been over a month without coffee and I'm now a full-on tea convert I guess. I'm just chugging green tea all day instead.
 
Agree, it is a shitty choice being offered. Ideally, your doctor should have recognized the situation and done more to help you. I think most doctors just go along with the crowd. There is less chance of getting into trouble that way. It was a CYA move on his part I imagine.

Best with the fasting try. I fast some myself. Rarely do I eat dinner. I know what you mean about the cold and hungry bit. At times I would experience that to extreme while fasting. There were times were I was always famished, the stomach being a bottemless pit.

Now, with my stomach doing well that isn't the case. I know I could go the day without eating and not be in much trouble with being overly hungry and cold.

my current diet of mainly avoiding pork and pork gelatin I going great. The stomach continues to behave. Fingers crossed the good times continue.

I have an idea you might try. It's an idea out in left field but is easy and inexpensive to do. For me it is an old idea retried.

In the past I've tried copper treatments. You might have seen the TV commercials about retired sports starts selling copper clothing. it is supposed to help with sore muscles and joints. I didn't find the copper shirts all that beneficial though.

Well, yesterday morning I received as a gift a copper wristband. I didn't give the health ideas much thought at the time. I liked the looks of the copper band wore it.

I noticed that afternoon I had all kinds of energy. The great energy has continued to today. Obviously I don't know if it is the copper band that is helping me with improved energy. It might be coincidence, in particular since my GI system is working well. It does have me intrigued though. Some mentions are made about copper wrist bands helping people improve their energy.

Anyway, I noticed someone brought back from the dead one of your threads in the General section. There is a mention about the theory that Crohns might be caused by an infectious agent. One of the few frequently mentioned items about copper is its ability to kill microbial agents. It isn't known why this happens. There are several theories on it. Some hospitals now even add copper plating through out their facilities in hopes of decreasing hospital acquired infections. Some on that can be read here:

Copper Sinks and Faucets May Stem Hospital Infections

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/...aucets-may-stem-hospital-infections.html?_r=0

It might not be your cup of tea, but if it might help you might see about wearing a copper wristband to see if it improves stomach, cold and hungry feeling. I saw on Amazon the bands are inexpensive. I imagine even copper wring, wrapped around thw wrist, with the insulation stripped off could work.

Just an idea to throw out there.
 
Copper is actually something I've pursued in the past as something to avoid with crohn's.

There's some theories floating around that Crohn's is linked to copper toxicity paired with low zinc levels. I started taking large doses of zinc and after a few months got blood work done and had normal-high zinc and high levels of copper, which should have been brought down by the zinc supplements, so who even knows how high it was previous to supplementing?

At this point it's not something I feel is worth pursuing one way or the other. I didn't see much improvement by reducing copper or taking more zinc, and since I was already high in copper, I don't think I'd see improvement by adding more to the system.

High blood copper levels is definitely linked to lots of bad side effects.
 
You have done your home work on copper it sounds like. Very good. Copper isn't something I would be interested in taking as a supplement either. I've read more bad about supplementing than good, but have to admit overall I haven't looked into that topic much.

The copper/energy acupuncture type idea as I'm doing wearing copper jewelry has me intrigued. Time will tell though if this good energy and good GI tract continues. That's the most important aspect of all this obviously for me.
 
I've had a few upsets the past couple nights, short spurts, not sure if it's the new brand of quinoa. Also I've been increasing my meat intake which could be related. I might have to keep my meat portions smaller.

I've also been cutting my fasts short, so I'm wondering if that's what's causing it. I just get hit with hunger so bad around 10 am, but maybe I have to stick it out until 2 to maintain the benefits.

Also just added L-Glutamine but I really doubt that's it.

My diet has otherwise been pretty stable. I have a small portion of meat with ~ 1/2cup quinoa for supper, only ingredients are butter and salt, two shakers of Ovaltine and whole milk, a box of crunch bars before supper and one after if I still have the appetite.

I've been trying quinoa pancakes though which involves eggs (doubt that's the trigger) and different preparation, maybe not boiling the quinoa causes it to be harder to digest?

So I -should- eliminate eggs, L-glutamine, reduce meat intake, and go back to boiled quinoa and try them one at a time I guess, but knowing me I'll mess it up because I don't have the patience and more likely just eliminate one at a time until one works.
 
I'm sorry to hear about the set back Ben. I was pulling for you, that the fasting would set you in a positive direction. Hopefully it is just a short term set back. Good luck as always in getting it sorted out.

I guess for me I made a discovery. I suspect the medication I've been encouraged to take has been behind cramping and some muscle pains. I'll sometimes take Imodium on a daily basis. it sort of helps but not all that much. It was suggested by my doctor many years ago. Nothing else given did much to help me.

Well, I dislike traveling. There is good reason for that. Typically before a trip I'll experience cramping and fatigue. I've written that off to nerves in the past. Now at the moment I'm leaning toward the medication, Imodium, as being the cause for the cramping. Before a trip I'll begin taking Imodium with the idea of trip preparation precaution.

It's only been a short time since I stopped the Imodium. The gut is well as a result. Little cramping has happened since I stopped. Energy levels are better.

I have a big long trip planned in two weeks. If all works out with this idea it should be a good, better than average drive.

The diet idea of avoiding pork, melons and nuts is going well for me. It's one of the easier elimination diets I'll followed.
 
Do you take imodium as a pill or a liquid? Liquid imodium contains sucralose which has strong links to IBD and sets my stomach off in a terrible way (bad cramps and diarrhea, feelings of dehydration.)

I never tried imodium, I'm not sure it would effect bile-acid diarrhea that I get. The only thing that helped that was psyllium husks.



It was definitely one of the things I listed triggering my symptoms, I've ruled out the burgers.
Still have to test:
-unboiled quinoa
-l-glutamine
-the cheese I was using

I highly suspect it is the cheese so I'll try the other two first, if I get no reaction I can just skip trying the cheese and getting sick.
 
I might have jumped the gun with Imodium. It might be a problem, but in combination with alcohol. I suspect Imodium was doing its job, but that the wine I was drinking didn't sit well with the GI system, which wanted to kick it out. The Imodium wasn't allowing that to happen.

I started drinking a glass of wine or two a day. At first it wasn't a problem. Now I think it became a problem over time.

That's the theory at the moment, and it seems to be working better, since I stopped the wine. Energy levels are up, and the gut working decently.

Good luck narrowing your trigger list down. It's tough to do but I believe can be done.
 
I began a diet that is showing encouraging signs. I'm only a few days into the diet so more testing needs to be done. Thought to quickly write about it.

I began avoiding all synthetic vitamins, directly and indirectly. I've known for some time that synthetic vitamins cause me health issues, with stomach problems and fatigue. The indirect avoidance of synthetic vitamins involves avoiding animal products were the animal was fed synthetic vitamins. In commercial animal raising most are fed a diet high in synthetic vitamins from what I've read.

What is encouraging about the results so far are that the gut is decently well, my energy levels are improved, and the mystery muscle fatigue after working out has not occurred. Most of the time, before this diet, after lifting items, or swimming laps, I'll be overly tired and fatigued the next day or two. On this avoidance of synthetic vitamins that has not been the case. Time will tell if that remains true.

I've done a variation of this diet in the recent past when avoiding soy, directly and indirectly. Avoiding synthetic vitamins is more difficult with more foods to stay away from.
 
Aren't you going to struggle with B12? My understanding is most of our B12 is synthetic now because it doesn't occur naturally as well in our current ecosystem.

I'm very picky about the source of vitamins in any pills, because when you get things like zinc /magnesium etc. in oxide, vitamin A in forms other than beta carotene etc. you're just saving money to have a less bioavailable form that's not as good for the body or digestion.

I'm doing fairly well sticking with my fast until 10:00-12:00, break fast with a box of sunbutter crunch bars and an ovaltine shake, then at supper I have a portion of meat (chicken, burgers, etc) with 1/2 cup of quinoa. Weight is going up, energy is improving, pants are fitting better without a belt.

To my great surprise it seems like the L-glutamine was the trigger food that set me off this past week, not the cheese as I suspected.

I've also been finding my skin problems are not (100% at least) crohn's related and seem related to my household water. I've been using vitamin C based moisturizer to deactivate any chlorine in the water, showering for less time using cooler water, and conditioning my scalp every time I shower to keep it hydrated.

I may be asked to travel for work for the first time, and I'm feeling pretty confident that I could actually do it.
 
You sounds a bit like my father! He's big into vitamin B12. He has a particular type that he takes and rattles off the long name of what it is from time to time. I forget why he takes that vitamin B12 exactly but it might have to do with Alzheimer's prevention. That is something he is active with.

For what ever reason I'm not able to consume synthetic vitamins. This is something I've known about for a few decades. Well, I should add that I don't believe all synthetic vitamins are a problem. I know some of the fat soluble vitamins do not appear to be an issue. The water soluble vitamins on the other hand make me miserable, nearly to the point that I'm not able to function for 24 hours after consuming a multi vitamin.

I heard from a 93 year old great aunt the other day. She was saying she couldn't take synthetic vitamins or drugs. If so maybe my issue runs in the family. As fas as I know though she never had severe stomach issues. I'm the only one "blessed" with that in the family or who is still with us. I had a cousin with a good many health issues, stomach included.

So far so good on this diet I'm on, of avoiding synthetic vitamins directly and indirectly. I'm doing well. The stomach is good. Energy levels are improved. I can become tired out but to be expected. I remain encouraged by this diet and plan to stick with it.

Congrats on future work travel! Hope that works out. I have some friends that do all they can to get out of the office. Good to hear also that the fasting is after all helping out too.
 
Hooray! I had a workout the other day. The next day i felt good. I had energy.

So this morning I had a more robust workout. If I feel half way alive tomorrow morning, it will give me further confidence in the new diet I'm following.
 
I've had mixed results with yesterdays workout and health.

The bad news is that I slept very poorly. My stomach was hurting over night and as a result I likely got 1 to 2 hours of sleep last night. That happens from time to time with me. I already knew that on this diet that gut can still become upset.

The good news is that I do not have muscle and bone fatigue. I worked and exercised hard yesterday. Typically after that I can expect the next day to be overly fatigued and in pain. That is not the case this morning. The fatigue and muscle ache is not there. Despite the lack of sleep my energy levels are decent this morning.

So the diet I'm on of avoiding synthetic vitamins directly and indirectly is doing something positive. It has been a mystery to me on why i experience fatigue to an extreme at times. Possibly with this diet an answer has been found. With a little bit of luck the positives with the diet will continue long term. And with a little bit of luck, the negatives of upset stomachs and poor sleep will become less frequent. I can only hope.
 
I am not. That is something my doctor never did in the past. About the only vitamin test I did on my own was vitamin D levels.

I was thinking about this the other day. I appear to be digesting and absorbing nutrients better of late. As an example, in the past it was common for me to have tongue sores. This is many years ago but I recall being told by a school doctor that the sores were caused by a lack of B vitamins. That made little sense though as at that time I took a great amount of synthetic vitamins daily, in breakfast cereals and chewables.

Now on this diet I'm following, the tongue sores are gone. Appearance wise too, I see improvements.

I suspect vitamin testing is more of a test done with Crohn's patients. At least on another IBD sight I visit that is more about colitis conditions vitamin testing is little mentioned, compared to here.

On a personal level also, I'm not much of a believer in synthetic vitamins being helpful. I consider them to be dead nutrients.
 
I might have been wrong about L-glutamine, matcha tea has been upsetting me and I usually cleanse my palate with it after my shake (that would have l-glutamine) so it could have been that.

I'm doing a 44 hour fast today. I started around 8 or 9 on Monday night and would do 48 but I don't want to eat around 8 or 9 tonight.

I'm currently nearing the 42 hour mark. I had one bad BM at about 1:00, not sure what caused that. Stomach has been bubbly throughout. Energy levels are really low and I'm getting a lot of body temperature fluctuation, hoping that it pays off otherwise I'm just torturing myself for nothing.

I decided not to take any vitamins or supplements during my fast because 1, it could break the fasting process and 2, some of the vitamins require fats to be absorbed right so consuming them in isolation doesn't help.
 
I'm really sorry to read that the fasting does not appear to be working, or working as hoped. With what you are doing that would be a telling test, I would think. Hope you get things worked out for the best.

I guess with me, two items are running through my mind. The first being that I continue to do well. The new diet, with main focus on avoiding synthetic vitamins directly and indirectly, is to have energy, not experience that horrible muscle fatigue. So far so good in the department. I had another tough workout today. At this point in the day I do not feel all that beat up and sore. Tomorrow will be a better determiner, but right now I'm giddy and happy with the results, no overly sore muscles and hurting bones.

The second though is that, with this diet I'm close to a similar diet I did in the past that I had some success with. That diet was to avoid soy, directly and indirectly. Most live stock fed today receive a diet of vitamins and soy meal. If one has an allergy to them, then some speculate that the allergy can show up in the animal product consumed.

I don't know why I stopped the soy direct and indirect avoidance diet. I have notes on that idea, and have an idea of what was going on, but most likely I was frustrated at the slow pace of progress with the stomach health. I'm hoping that with the muscle fatigue being a main focus for me, and not the health of the GI track, that I'll find better ways to remain with the diet, so long as it is working of course.

I guess also, in the house hold we had a soy trial of a sort. One of the cat foods given to our finicky felines was not available. As a result, a new very similar food was available though, was bought and given to the cars. The only difference between the foods that was listed on the label is that the new food has soy in it. Well, the male cat became very sick to his stomach with the new food. Poor guy couldn't keep anything in him. He got to sleep outside on the back porch, in comfort, but the porch in case the area needed to be hosed down. (I'm glad no one has come up with that idea for me!) So far with the soy food out of his diet, he is doing better. I'm hoping that is that answer, for his sake and mine. Cleaning up after a sick cat isn't all that much fun.
 
Soy is one of the most common food intolerances and also has properties that shut down proper protein digestion.

I guess I have my answer, 40+ hour fast is very bad. I was rereading the study that prompted it, it basically just says that GDS (gut derived serotonin) spikes at ~48 hours but there are diminished returns after that. I didn't know if GDS was good or bad, but I'm thinking it's bad.

I start having bilious diarrhea at 40 hours, broke my fast with snack bars at about 43 hours and had bad stomach upset. The next morning my stomach felt almost peristaltic, with slow digestion and pain and cramping that I didn't have previously.

I think it will pass as I re-feed and normalize. I guess if nothing else it was a learning experience.
 
That sucks! I'm very sorry about the fasting not only not working, but turning sour in the end. Better luck with future ideas tried.

Well, not to be cheery in the writing of your bad news, but to add I'm doing wonderfully today. My energy levels are through the roof. This is after a difficult workout day. Typically I could expect to be down and out with energy the next day after a hard workout. Today I'm feeling energized. I have so much energy I'm not sure what to do with it all.

To doubly add to the good news, this comes after adding several new foods to my diet. I have a good diet now going, one I can stick with long term. One of the safe and healthy foods is Pringles potato chips. I was catching grief over that yesterday! Hey, if it works is works. Why conform to someones else definition of healthy, I say. I feel great. Well, I say that, the gut could do better. With time I suspect the gut will improve. I'll be sticking with the avoid synthetic vitamins directly and indirectly for a long time I suspect.

Up next for me, some more new foods to be added to the diet. I'll likely begin that early next week.
 
Every once in awhile I find myself curious if I can eat a high fiber food in decent quantities. And every once in awhile, after eating the food high in fiber, I find myself greatly regretting it later!

Not good. Energy levels still OK, and muscle fatigue not bad at all, but grumpy gut after to much brown rice consumed yesterday afternoon. I'll be laying off the stuff for the holiday weekend.
 
Very, very exciting! At least it is exciting for me. I worked out, lifted weights twice yesterday. It was quite the above and beyond test.

In the past this excessive lifting would result in excessive muscle and bone pain. Not today though! No pain this morning. I have very good energy instead.

So the diet of avoiding synthetic vitamins directly and indirectly is working longer term. Fingers crossed when adding additional new foods going forward the good energy continues.

The stomach I might add is so-so. The stomach remains upset at times. It could be better. Fiber remains a big problem. To much fiber rich foods eaten results in an upset stomach and poor energy levels. I have to remain careful on how much fiber is consumed.
 
Good and bad news to write about with the stomach.

The bad news is that I missed my long drive. The stomach was acting up enough to keep me from wanting to be on the road. There are projects to be done here too, so it worked out. I wish I had been healthy enough to make the trip north, but after a life time of being sick, these kind of things happen, often.

The other bad news is this week I had some painful gut days. I've figured that was due to eating to many nuts. Now with the nuts out of the diet the gut is better. My energy levels have rebounded also. Energy remains decent overall. The muscle pain/ bone pain, isn't so much there either.

The gut is so so. Wish it was better, but expect in the coming month or two the gut will be in better shape. I hope so at least.
 
For as long as I can remember I've had periods of unknown causes of quick large weight gain and weight loss swings. I'm currently having another one of those experiences.

I've noticed on this latest diet idea of avoiding synthetic vitamins, in my diet and diet of animal foods consumed, I've gained around 10lbs. My eat habits are same. I can't explain why I put on the weight, other than possibly the gut is working better.
 
Thinking chewing gum has been part of my problem.

It also might explain the success of my fasting. I've been chewing gum regularly both to clean my mouth and pull the food that gets stuck out of my broken tooth (very uncomfortable).

So almost every meal, or shake, is followed with gum.

My stomach just started acting up again sporadically and I noticed it always started about mid-day/early afternoon when I usually have my snack bars and shake, then again early in the morning as I was often chewing gum after supper.

When I fast, I don't chew gum.

I've been chewing sugar free gums for the past 2-3 years with very few breaks due to all the sugar in my diet, wanting to keep my teeth clean during the day.

Looks like I'll need to find another way to clean my mouth on the fly.
 
I remain going forward with the current diet. Energy levels good, most of the time. After working out I often feel energized in the evening. It can depend on that as I've learned, I can over workout causing tiredness.

The gut is not the best. I have my good and bad days. Hopefully with time the gut will improve. I'm not being all that kind to my gut with the amount of fiber being eaten. It isn't much fiber but likely enough to slightly irritate it. I'm also drinking a glass or two of wine a day which can be hard on my gut.

I'm labeling this my avoid synthetic vitamin diet. There are other possibilities though on what is going right with how I'm eating. I'm also avoiding soy, directly and indirectly. I'm also avoiding all bird products, chicken, eggs, turkey. Possibly something else is helping that I'm not accounting. If I had my choice avoiding bird would be it! But what ever it is, beggars can't be choosy.
 
It's been a little over a month since I began the latest dietary idea. I'm doing well to the gut now. What I consider well is different from what a typical person would say it well, but overall I'm pleased so far with progress.

My energy levels have been nice. There are times, often in the evening, where I have a great amount of energy. Often after weight lifting I feel energized, which is a nice change. If I exercise to much though I can feel tired out later on.

I've put on another 5 pounds. I have some body fat on me, but not a terribly large amount. The weight gain seems more water, and has a more muscular look. Anyway, no complaints about the weight gain. I might be a solid build 200lbs in the future if this keeps up.

Made a mistake. I tried taking a mineral supplement early in the week. I knew something was wrong when I woke up the next day. My stomach ached, and my eyes were blood shot red. It took a few hours for my eye color to return thankfully. I was pretty sick that night, but the sickness didn't last long.

I forgot to add, I'm avoiding pork and have been for 2 months as of yesterday. It wouldn't surprise me if avoiding pork was why I've been feeling better. This is an old idea. What makes this latest pork avoidance idea newer has to do with eating a more nutrient rich diet plus avoiding nuts which I believe can slightly irritate my gut.
 
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Thought to give a quick update on the latest diet idea. The stomach is further improved. I'm not well, but I'm not as sick as last time I wrote. My energy levels are hit or miss. As an example yesterday morning I was on my feet most of the time which is good. I was exhausted in the afternoon though. Hopefully as the stomach continues to improve (fingers crossed) my energy levels will grow better. Appearance wise I look healthier.
 
Saw the doctor today, he seemed confused. My blood work shows no inflammation markers, no anemia, no deficiencies in b12 or D. Basically none of the normal blood signs of Crohn's.

He doesn't know what to do aside from colonoscopy/endoscopy which I can't afford right now.

I floated the idea of SIBO and he said they can do a hydrogen breath test for it which is $300 OOP so I might take them up on that and see.
 
Good luck with testing, finding a test you want done. If i might help the Christian Health Sharing plan I belong with, which has me paying in cash to hospitals, sends out web sights for me to check medical pricing on. Reportedly pricing can vary enormously from hospitals to hospital.

On the web sights you might find a local group offering a colonoscopy at a better/ affordable price.

https://healthcarebluebook.com

https://www.mdsave.com

https://pricinghealthcare.com

To report health wise, I'm doing well here with my diet. I still have my good and my bad days. I've noticed though that the bad days do not seem to be as exhausting as in the past. I figure that to be a positive sign. About the only negative I can think of is that with more energy I've found myself exercising more. As a result of more exercise my legs and hips have begun to ache. I'm going to swim more in the future. Figure that will place less fatigue on my body, and let joints heal.
 
Looks like based on these that my price is normal to low side for colonoscopy/endoscopy, don't think I'm going to get away from the fact I'll hit my $2500 out of pocket.

I always seem to end up with joint pains when I exercise more often. I've considered trying things like cissus to help with it but I'm always weary of introducing new herbals.

Scheduled my breath test for august.
 
As strange as it sounds, I now think it is the fiber amount I've been eating that causes the joint pain. I eat a good amount of fiber and the joints hurt. I cut back on the fiber and everything feel fine! What a strange disease, quality of life determined by number of rice cakes and vegetables eaten in a day.

Good luck once again with the testing, all the way around.

For me, I guess the bigger health change I've noticed of late is how swimming builds up my upper body. It's a good sign. Good in that I'm somewhat easily putting on muscle. I wish the gut was healthier but it isn't bad and is doing better. I wish that progress went quicker, it would provide better confidence in the diet followed, but it is what it is.
 
Probably not worth mentioning but since it is on my mind thought to write for my notes, more of less. I added some garlic and onion to my diet. I had a bad reaction to them. The reaction being my muscles tensed up, charlie horses developed. I don't know what to make of it, other than I'm not much of a spice eater. It is something I've been involuntarily avoiding. I'll plan to keep away from both spices in the future.
 
Small victories but I'm quite pleased today with the avoiding spices, garlic, onion, pepper, etc. A problem with achy joints seems to have resolved. At least the pain has entirely gone away while on walks. My energy levels are nicely improved.

On the avoiding spices, I've done this idea before without apparent success. What I've decided to do was to also avoid processed foods that might be mislabeled. In particular I'm avoiding a tuna that mentions no spices on the label. I'm also avoiding a turkey lunch meat that doesn't say any spices in it. Most other tuna and turkey products sold say added spices or sometimes will say in broth. Just a guess on my part, don't know but figure if not mislabeled, possibly cross contamination happening within the manufacturing process.

Also, I've wondered about where my improved energy levels have come from. I've speculated it might be due to feeling better. It now dawns on me that the better energy might come from eating brown rice and the nutrients found in that.
 
Quick update on avoiding spices. The good news is, I'm well to the stomach! Ya!!! The bad news, I have no energy what so ever. Fatigue has set back in. I'm back to the bad old days of fighting through the tiredness.

I'm not all that surprised by the quick uptick in the stomach doing quite well. I've been avoiding spices for awhile. I haven't been complete with the avoidance though. I'll from time to time sneak in some spicy food once a week or so.

Historically I've had a love hate relationship with garlic. I love the taste of garlic. The hate comes from that it is another food item that makes me bleed. I've known for awhile that eating garlic for a few days will cause my finger nails to begin bleeding. Rather gross and painful condition when it happens.

So in summary, I'll stick with the diet so long as the gut remains well. I'll fight through the fatigue with dreams of it going away eventually in my lifetime.
 
Another week on the diet, another good week with the gut. I even tested the gut out and passed with good results. I'm far from healthy, but I'm gaining good confidence with this idea of avoiding spices, and avoiding foods that could have cross contamination with spices.

About the only bad news is the same old same old, poor energy. Sometimes the energy is good. Other times it is horrible. Fiber has a lot of do with that. The other bad news that comes to mind is that the muscle strains have returned. I decided to eat some pork on this diet, and with that the muscle charley horses have returned. They are not horrible. I imagine they will eventually go away, at least I hope so.

Should be interesting to see how I'm doing one month from now. I imagine I'll be in better shape. I believe I'm going in the right direction, but time will tell.
 
I made one more change to my diet this week. I kicked eggs out of it this week. As a result my energy levels have increased nicely. Eating eggs was always risk I felt. I'm scared to eat chicken. I know with good certainty it will cause a great deal of stomach issues, a particular type of stomach issue too. Turkey, another bird meat, bothers me also. it is like eggs though. I have in my records good stomach days after eating turkey and after eating eggs. I also have many bad days after eating turkey, eggs. If the two are a problem, it isn't something that is a direct issue, more along the lines of an issue when eaten for a few days.

Regardless, I'm avoiding bird meats, spices, and melons. So long as I continue to do well with the gut, and energy levels remain high on this diet, at some point I'll go back and retest spices. I'm guessing now that not all spices are a problem.
 
It is amazing the crap that is fed to farm animals. Arsenic, yikes! I've often wondered the same, if what is making me ill is due to what chemicals or food fed to livestock.

What ever it is, I'm doing well with avoiding chicken, eggs, and turkey, along with melons and synthetic vitamins. The gut is nearly 100%. My energy levels are much better. I still have all kinds of questions running in my mind on why I'm well, what about this or what about that. I'm trying to set that aside though and be grateful that at this time I have a diet that is working. With a little luck that will continue and I'll heal further and with that recover.

Kind of pleased I might have a new set of shorts I can fit into! My gut will swell up at times, when not doing well. Lately the gut is not as inflamed, I'm guessing. Shorts that were to tight to wear a few weeks ago are on the looser side this evening.
 
This is worth quickly noting. On the diet I'm following my energy levels have increased and increased by the day. Yesterday I even put the extra energy I'm experiencing to the test. I swam for an hour, I had time to walk for an hour, and I did some light weight lifting. Typically such many activities would have me worn out, as I can joke ready for a trip to the ER.

This morning the opposite has happened. I'm full of so much energy, almost to the point of it being to much. I woke up at 3:30 and was ready to start the day. I eventually got up at 4:30 and haven't stopped doing activities since.

I guess in summary, I suspect that the diet I'm following has greatly improved the gut. Additionally the diet has improved my energy levels. Those are my main two complaints. Of special note, I believe it is the brown rise I'm eating that has led to my increased energy levels. I've been well in the past to the stomach, over the last 5 years, being well hasn't been uncommon, but decent amounts of energy and feeling good can all to often be missing.

What makes me ill I remain unsure. I can pretty much say chicken, and turkey are problem foods. Melons are a big issue to and something to avoid. Some spices possibly are a problem. That is something I plan to test soon. Pork has me concerned, as I know to much pork can cause inflammation issues for me. I'm not so sure though if pork is a stomach issue or a low energy issue. In a journal I have written good energy days while eating pork.

Well, currently the meat I'm eating is grass fed steak. I hope to add variety soon. Fingers crossed that the good energy remains. I think that is worse than the stomach issue, having no energy. it's a wonderful feeling to be energized for a change.
 
Ugh, the dreaded avoid eggs, chicken, turkey, and then get stomach cramping has stuck. It's a predictable occurrence when avoiding bird. It's another item that I don't know why it happens. The cramping typically go away after a week or two.

The good news is that I still have very good energy. I can get used to this improved energy. I'm not complaining. I'm planning to use the improved energy as my main food tester. So long as the improved energy remains, I'll consider foods safe to eat. Maybe I'll get lucky as the problematic foods to avoid could be bird.

I still remember the last time I was well for a long period of time. It was 5 years ago. I was avoiding bird, had poor energy, but was doing great to the stomach. I joined a gym, hired a trainer, and the trainer suggested I eat more protein. As a result as a quick snack I began eating turkey lunch meat. It must not have happened right away, but remember it wasn't long afterwards that the stomach went sour again. Who knows. I shouldn't think to much on this.
 
Tested a new food this weekend, pork. My energy levels have remained great. The stomach is doing well. WIth the test there were several concerns with pork, with two main concerns being allergy to pork & also potential allergy to what is fed to the pigs. So far neither seems to be a problem. I'll continue to monitor this.

I unintentionally went to an extreme with swimming this weekend. I swam laps for an hour with only two short breaks yesterday. Swam the day before too. That was surprising to me that I was able to do that. My energy levels were very high and I kept swimming. I regretted that last night as I was quite sore and as a result slept poorly. With that said, this morning I have the rare treat of being sore but having good energy. Lucky me. :ytongue: I'm planning to avoid the pool for a day or two and let the muscle recover.

Today I'm adding garlic to the diet. Fingers crossed my energy levels remain high.
 
Good news to update, pork and garlic appear to be working out. My energy levels remain high. The GI tract is doing decently.

A few other items to note, communicating and typing thoughts have become easier. I don't know why that happens but it has happened in the past when the stomach become better. Fingers crossed this improvement will stick around.

I appear to be loosing subcutanious fat. I've lost around 4lbs so far and it's in that area where the loss looks to be coming from.

I think at this point I have a good flavorful diet going. The main foods being avoided as bird and melons. I'll stick with it for a good long while, and hope I further recover, if recovery is what I'm experiencing. I believe it is but time will tell best.
 
Another quick update:

Diet is going well I believe. My energy levels are good to wonderful most of the time. I've lost weight. The gut on the negative is more sensitive. While in the past it could take more abuse with say exercise. Now that is not that case. Why that is I can speculate but don't know and am not worried over. Looking healthier which I view as a positive. No new foods added the last couple of days. I'll remaining in a holding pattern for a bit, and see what kind of recovery I see. Oh, I seem to be more sensitive to heat. Before the heat did not bother me. Now, sudden it's hot outside! I've had this happen before when becoming healthier. Fingers crossed that is the case here too.
 
With all the different items I look for to see how I'm healing, one item in my mind stands out most. Many of us report a slight rash on the chest. Happily I've noticed that rash has been slowly going away of late. I noticed yesterday that it is gone or nearly gone. It is an upbeat sign for me and provides further confidence I'm going forward in the right direction. The few times I've been well, the rash was not there. It is nice too that I've been keeping notes on all this too, with a list of what I'm eating, and progress or changes seen.

The gut remains well. Energy levels are on the poor side this morning. The last couple of days have been more active for me and can believe that is the primary cause of that.
 
I seem to be doing quite well this morning. This is the same as last night. This is in contrast to yesterday morning where the day began where I was weak and tired. I suspect the weakness and tiredness comes from stomach cramping. I'm not sure why I'm experiencing cramping off and on but when it happens it steals most of my energy.

So overall, as an update, feeling well to the gut. The rash is gone. Finger nails look good and healthy. My weight loss appears to have leveled off at 175lbs. My energy levels can be great at times and at other times terrible. My sleep has been very poor. I'm getting a couple hours of sleep a night. I'm not sure why that is, but it is common I recall when I've avoided chicken and eggs in the past. Being able to communicate has improved, in particular on days where I have energy.

I don't really have many questions running in my mind about the diet I'm following. Maybe one that makes me wonder concerns pork. I've noticed when eating grass fed beef I have less cramping. When eating pork more cramping. I'm guessing that difference is due to pork being fattier and more difficult to digest. Possibly something else is going on. I'll make note and plan to pay more attention to that.
 
Yes! yesterday I experienced no cramping. I had good energy all day. It was the 3rd day that I had eaten grass fed beef. I slept wonderfully last night.

Pork is a problem. I was trying to make excuses for why pork could cause me health issues yesterday. It is simply a problem food.

Actually I suspect that pork is not a problem, it is what the pig is fed that is the issue. I have been trying this idea earlier but didn't take it far. I was trying earlier the idea that what is fed an animal can show up in the animal product. If one has a soy allergy, and soy meal was in the feed given to the animal, then the soy allergens will show up in the meat, egg, dairy, etc.

I forgot why I originally was so excited about the diet I'm on. The main reason is I began eating brown rice and after that was experiencing much improved energy. It was likely a nutritional deficiency that brown rice was helping me with.

So anyway, I'll make an adjustment to my diet. I'll avoid pork. For now only grass fed beef and grass fed cheese will be eaten.

In theory with this idea, only wild caught sea food should be safe to eat. I'll try adding sea food to the diet in the near future and see how my energy levels go.

Very exciting though! At least I hope so. I might have my answer once and for all. If I can have a good stomach and good energy consistently I have finally found my answer. I'm glad I'm keeping notes on everything.
 
Let see, since removing pork from the diet, I'm doing quite well. The cramping has stopped. I'm sleeping great. The stomach is very good. My energy levels are decent. yesterday I did a test to see how my fatigue is doing. I lifted weights, swam, and walked a few times. I'm doing great since! Typically with that much exercise I'd be in considerable pain and fatigue. That is not the case this morning. I'm a bit tired but nothing that I can't handled.

I suspect for the first time I have a reliable fall back to diet. or maybe better said a base diet that will keep me well, with the stomach and energy, and can be built upon. I few more days I imagine should tell.
 
Ya!!!, the last couple days have been generally good. I have stomach swelling from the condition. With that sitting for long periods can be painful. Long car rides are no fun.

I've noticed the last couple of days the swelling has gone down considerably. Sitting has not been painful. I noticed this in particular last night as it felt so peaceful without that constant ache. Fingers crossed this trend continues. I imagine it will on the diet I'm following.
 
It's been a while since I've been on here.
I was doing great until I decided to try to increase my vitamin A to see if it helps my scalp acne which had gotten severe this past summer, gone away while on antibiotics for my root canal, then come back with vengeance.

My mistake was to start with a sweet potato which made me violently sick, I'm then not sure if the cod liver oil pills I took the next 2 days made it worse but I continued to rollercoaster, then was in pain and gastrointestinal distress for the following 2 weeks. I've just now stabilized in time for my SIBO test prep for the 13th.

Interestingly while reading around I found this:
http://www.winchestergastro.com/sibo-test

Peppermint oil has also been used, in combination with caraway oil, to treat the symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD). The symptoms of FD are similar to SIBO and include abdominal pain ,nausea, bloating, gas, and indigestion. Clinical trials using enteric-coated peppermint and caraway oil vs. placebo have documented remarkable results in the treatment of FD, with reductions in pain, heaviness, pressure, and fullness. In all studies, the dose administered was 90 mg peppermint oil and 50 mg caraway oil twice daily; the combination was reported as safe and well tolerated.
Click to expand...

Had I known this a year or two ago I'd have tried it, but since I'm locked in to doing it the professional way I'll just carry on with the normal testing and medications should they be prescribed, but if not I may try this for a week or two in order to see if it helps.
 
Well I had a brief stint of re-introducing nut butters to my diet before realizing they're causing terrible pain and cramping, but no bowel irregularity, which put me off isolating the cause for a bit. I'm not sure if it was the soy-butter or both, I bought real peanut butter and a soy imitation in case the peanut butter disagreed with me, I ended up liking the soy butter more so that one DEFINITELY caused it. Not feeling like going back and testing the PB just yet, I need time to recover and be pain-free for a bit.

SIBO test went well, still waiting for results, glucose didn't make me ill, follow up on Oct 3.

I may have a contact to get me affordable MMJ license, I'm going to take advantage of this for sure.

I had suspected my acne breakouts were bacterial as they subsided with antibiotics but now I'm learning oral antibiotics are not effective against p. acnes bacteria, but instead are anti-inflammatory in nature and it's the inflammation that they are treating.

I'm really beginning to suspect the high levels of sugar in my diet but I'm pretty limited at this point as my flavor options are ever-shrinking, I don't know how I'd enjoy oatmeal without something sweet added. I really don't want to add any more salt than is already in my diet to it.

Black tea is also off-limits after a terrible night's sleep pre-SIBO test. I hope that didn't foul the testing.

I just want to get the SIBO test and my root canal paid off so I can figure out what my next step is.
 
SIBO negative. That's one dead end I can cross off the list - unless it was a false negative because the black tea I had the night before caused slow motility.
 
Well it's been a long time since I've posted anything because not much have changed.

I'll have MMJ approval in the month.

Chest/back pains were caused by caffeine - not coffee. Anything with caffeine in it in large amounts, chocolate, tea etc. No indigestion, just straight up pain in my ribs, upper and lower back. Can't explain it, it's very bad and hard to explain.

Ovaltine seems to be causing constipation so I've cut that out.

Living on mostly meat, cheese and water and these Enjoy Life Pro-Burst protein balls that are basically chocolate, rice, chia seeds and stuff all packed into a little ball that tastes like a brownie bite.

I'm trying to include more natural sweets to curb my cravings, like pomegranate and strawberries.

Also trying to reduce salt.
 
InstantCoffee said:
This kind of stuff is terrifying and makes me wonder how much of IBD is the result of shit we put in our food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cki3FEK4et8
Click to expand...

I know this is an old post, but they don't use the antibiotics anymore.
On April 1, 2015, Zoetis announced that it would discontinue marketing Histostat (nitarsone), the only remaining arsenic-based animal drug on the market, by Fall 2015, and would request withdrawal of the approval for the drug by the end of 2015.
 
Tuff said:
I know this is an old post, but they don't use the antibiotics anymore.
On April 1, 2015, Zoetis announced that it would discontinue marketing Histostat (nitarsone), the only remaining arsenic-based animal drug on the market, by Fall 2015, and would request withdrawal of the approval for the drug by the end of 2015.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. Sad that this stuff stays hidden for so long though.

Just got my first MMJ.

I have a mix of CBD/THC containing oils and two vape pens. I'm only 2 days into using it so can't really comment on effectiveness yet. Very little psychoactive effects in these blends, the CBD definitely blunts it.
 
Well medical marijuana isn't helping.
My diet is getting more restricted and my symptoms worse. I found my pain was being caused by meats and fats so I cut out meat and dairy but I'm still waking up before my alarm every morning having to run to the bathroom. I can't eat much and when I do I lose my appetite very quickly and feel off.

I've been eating white rice, edamame, safflower oil, rice and maize based cereals, oat and coconut milks.

I don't know that I can really cut much out at this point.

Psyllium husks aren't doing much for me, I'm back on fasting but it's rough when having an empty stomach is making things pretty bad.

My next doctor's appointment is in April, luckily my tax return will be in the next month so I can afford to get all the screening and any treatments I might need this year.
 
Figured it out. I've been reacting to white rice.

Makes the elimination diet interesting when the thing that's considered the base line is what is making you sick.
 
If it might help you thought to mention my experience with eating rice. I'm also following an elimination diet. I'm having some success with it. (I have a type of colitis.) When I first began eating rice I could only eat a small amount. Eating large amounts caused my stomach to become upset. In the beginning I could eat one rice cake and two pieces of white rice gluten free bread in a day. Now after a month of being on the diet my digestive system can handle 2 rice cakes and 4 slices of gluten free bread over a day without to much problem. I suspect I'm able to handle more rice due to my GI system healing some. That is my theory.

Overall for me I'm theorizing that it is spices that is the cause of my stomach colitis issues. Avoiding spices is allowing healing to happen, is my guess.

Hope the same healing is happing for you and over time new foods will become tolerable to eat, such as white rice.
 
I don't use any seasonings and my aversion to white rice has become worse over the past month rather than better, I think I just need to completely remove it. I've had problems with rice in the past but never to this extent and it was usually specific to types, like brown rice.

Now it's even the simplest jasmine and instant rices.
 
I'm having pain during the night after eating solid food, I'm worried it might be stricturing. There's no other GI upset with it, just pain.

I need to do my tax return so I'll be able to afford my deductable and get my colonoscopy /endoscopy.

If I stick with ovaltine I'm doing okay.

I might try a liquid diet for a few days then slowly move back into solids, the time it took me to discover rice allowed it to put me in a really really bad condition and I'm expecting a drawn out recovery process regardless. It's very likely I have extensive inflammation to heal.

L-glutamine seems to cause me more pain and mucus so I can't use that to help.

I'm taking a probiotic and a vitamin D and K complex, I might look into another anti-inflammatory supplement I've tried in the past like eggshell membrane to help things along.
 
Thanks for sharing. I will have to take time to read through all of the posts here so that I can figure out what others are doing and maybe I could implement the same foods / supplements into my own diet. After 20 years, though, I already have an extensive variety of foods that I will never, ever be able to eat.
 
Some foods that used to bother me are now well tolerated by my system. I think it may be due to VSL#3 probiotics that I took at the suggestion of my GP. Don't give up, if things heal well inside of you, more food variety eventually may be possible. It was in my case.
 
I'm experiencing pain on an empty stomach or when I'm lying down - I'm not sure.

I've been woken by pain in my stomach around 3-4am every night recently. It seems independent of what I've eaten and it goes away once I have food or something. The other night I got up and took some fiber pills and it went away.

I took some fiber pills before bed last night in hopes it would prevent it but it still happened, just with less intensity.

Not really sure what's causing this. Due to it being situated higher and relieved quickly I have to believe it's in the stomach itself or upper GI - possibly a gastric or peptic ulcer?
 
This is most likely still gall bladder, will be seeking a doctor's appointment soon.

Think I finally found a medical marijuana oil and vape pen that help though.
 
Having less pain each day, this THC oil is working a lot better than CBD oil did. I haven't had any pain in about 48 hours, amazing.
 
InstantCoffee said:
I'm experiencing pain on an empty stomach or when I'm lying down - I'm not sure.

I've been woken by pain in my stomach around 3-4am every night recently. It seems independent of what I've eaten and it goes away once I have food or something. The other night I got up and took some fiber pills and it went away.

I took some fiber pills before bed last night in hopes it would prevent it but it still happened, just with less intensity.

Not really sure what's causing this. Due to it being situated higher and relieved quickly I have to believe it's in the stomach itself or upper GI - possibly a gastric or peptic ulcer?
Click to expand...

Could it be acid reflux? I used to wake up in the middle of the night with sharp pain in the middle upper chest. I cured it by raising the head of my bed by 6". Better than taking meds and worth a try.
 
Tuff said:
Could it be acid reflux? I used to wake up in the middle of the night with sharp pain in the middle upper chest. I cured it by raising the head of my bed by 6". Better than taking meds and worth a try.
Click to expand...

I don't think so unless my acid reflux has changed significantly. I haven't experienced it since I cut gluten out of my diet.

It was very distinct, burning, discomfort, but never an agonizing, permeating pain like this, it throbs and it feels like cramping.

Ah $16 a bottle and each lasts about 2 weeks the THC oil is a pretty good solution for now until I can get checked.
 
16 bucks is cheap! How big is the bottle, and what is the THC %total? I find that interesting, here high CBD oil is way more than that, and it doesn't seem to do much for me. Hmmm. I hope it keeps helping until you can be examined, best of luck!
 
From what I read THC has shown more effectiveness in studies than high CBD. My first batch of meds I got 3 bottles of CBD oil of different types and two THC vape pens. The oils didn't do anything for the pain / problems. The vape pens just made me sleepy for an hour then it faded.

This time after reading a couple studies I switched and asked for a high THC oil and they gave me this and the pain was diminished in 24 hour and gone after 48. I need to take it every 6-8 hours or so, so once in the morning and once in the afternoon seems to work for me.

Bag says:
Cannabidiol A 1:1 oral solution 1x 100mg
THC - 54.6mg
CBD 45.5mg
Rest of the cannabinoids are <.1mg
10.49mg per ml I assume is the concentration
9.53m ml/ container
flower equivalence of 0.4g
 
You'll most likely see more and more over the next 2 years as each state realizes it's losing tax dollars to people driving next door to get it.
 
So this weekend I stayed at a friend's and lost my wallet, ran out of my oil and my debit card, cash, and MMJ card were all in that wallet, I've been without my 'medicine' since saturday.

I was fine sunday and monday, but tuesday the pain came back around 3 in the afternoo, the time I'm usually feeling groggy and lethargic at work, and again at 3am, the time I should be entering my deepest sleep cycle, like clockwork.

The only thing I did differently: Sunday and monday I had coffee for the first time in almost a year. Tuesday I did not.

I'm beginning to conclude due to both the times of pain and the coffee subsiding it that my pain may be blood-pressure related.

I've heard of a condition that presents similar to crohn's caused by restricted bloodflow to the gut, I don't know what it's called but I think it's worth exploring.
 
Found out the pain was from ovaltine, I'm thinking maybe vitamin overload?

It's always great for me when I first start having it, and eventually bad for me.

I found my wallet so I'm good on that front.

I had my first colonoscopy in 6 years, everything looks good, except internal hemorrhoids. Pretty good for not using drugs since 2011/12ish.

My doctor wants to put me back on protonix or a similar PPI for upper GI issues but I don't think it will help my issues at all.
 
Ovaltine has dairy in it. Do you have an intolerance to dairy? My doctor has me on protonix but that was because it has kept me from choking on food. That has only happened once.
 
Nutritionist wants me on strict low FODMAP. The only thing that really means to me is no dairy, because I'm otherwise already strict low FODMAP.

I'm switching over to lactaid.

She also wants me to introduce one new food per day which seems ludicrous, I won't be doing that at all. I don't really expect to introduce anything new for at least a week.
 
Lactaid gives me the runs, switched over to Fairlife milk, same ingredients with some added vitamins, different result.

If you can explain it to me, you win a pumpkin.
 

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