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My journey to getting well

I'm doing well this morning. With the swimming done back to back I thought I might be more sore, more in pain. That isn't what has happened though. My energy levels are good and no pain to report.

Weight is 180lbs this morning.
 
A little bit worn down and tired today. The tiredness is not terrible though. It isn't accompanied with muscle and bone pains. It's just over exercise that has worn me down so overall good I believe.
 
I believe the one pitted finger nail is improving. I noticed that last night and feel the same about it this morning. The finger nail is not as bad looking.

This will be important I feel, having a visual sign of improvement. If avoiding pork results in the finger nail pitting going away then I have an answer, some kind of answer concerning a reaction. Most likely the nail problem is connected to my stomach problem but that is only a guess.

As written earlier pork will causes my gums to swell up and scalp to become try and itchy. THe amount of pork quantity matters with that though, which causes some confusion.
 

cmack

Moderator
Staff member
I wonder if there is any real consistency regarding the way individual producers raise their animals. It would seem that many large companies could likely have multiple suppliers, thus the hit and miss effect. Some animals may be fed and raised far better than others. Some could be from a decent farm and others a huge smelly feedlot. JMO
 
That remains a possibility, about how animals are fed and raised. I'm eating eggs often on this diet. Chickens appear to be fed a similar diet often given to pork. The eggs do not appear to be a problem. So at least at the moment I'm leaning toward pork as being the cause of the gum swelling, dry itchy skin, and the finger nail problem. Time will tell though. I do notice a difference when I eat grass fed beef verses typical raised beef. The grass fed goes down much better, being less of a problem for the stomach.

Was overly tired yesterday evening. All the exercising done caught up with me, as a fell sleep on the couch. I'm not all that sore and tired though this morning.
 
It was another tiring day but not all that bad overall. Hopefully I'll sleep well tonight and be more energetic tomorrow. Stomach Ok, could be better, but nothing terrible. The weather has turned cool yet I don't mind. The cold hasn't been effecting me poorly.
 
i've woken up tired and fatigued once again. I think this is the 3rd day of feeling like this. Most likely it will be a lousy energy day. It happens though. I believe when the digestive tract is used and more healed I can become overly tired and fatigued. Eventually this problem should go away but it will take months for that to happen. Not all days will be poor, some will be good days. This is of course if I have the right diet to heal. It would be nice if my finger nail was healed up. It would be a great reference to visually view.
 
Today was as I thought it would be, tiring. I was slow overall with all things. My right hip hurts slightly. That is typical when I'm this way also. I'm not all that worried but wish I was feeling more energetic and healthy.

I still think the finger nail with pitting issues is improving. The new growth looks healthy at least to me, even though that area remains small.
 
I'm doing better this morning. Weight at 181lbs. I noticed this morning that I seem to be smelling odors better. Well, I've noticed this before in the past. I never thought my smelling ability poor but there have been times were all of a sudden everything smells more intense.
 
It has been a good day so far. My energy levels are back up, somewhat. I haven't had any diarrhea today, which is a rare treat one that I hope remains with me for awhile. Overall not a bad day to this point.
 
Thanks Ron,

Tiring morning so far, but that's far from unusual. Stomach OK. Taste and smell still are more intense. I appear to have lost a pound or two. That's probably good news, as I'm likely bloated some with water. It's likely short lives also.
 
So far today has been a tiring day. I'm exhausted. Yesterday was energetic, and today is the opposite. It isn't strange for that to happen.

My hair is growing quicker than before. There is alittle doubt about that to me.

Wish I had more clarity with the finger nail. Sitll am not entirely sure about it healing or not, though it does appear to be improving some I suspect. It's only been 11 days since avoiding pork.

I was hoping that avoiding dairy products along with pork would help me improve on the energy situation. At least up to the point avoiding dairy does not appear to be helping me. Going forward I'm liable to not be as strict with avoiding diary products. I'll probably still avoid dairy though most of the time as I don't care for cheese or other dairy products all that much, other then cheese can help somewhat.
 
So far today has been a tiring day. I'm exhausted. Yesterday was energetic, and today is the opposite. It isn't strange for that to happen.

My hair is growing quicker than before. There is alittle doubt about that to me.

Wish I had more clarity with the finger nail. Sitll am not entirely sure about it healing or not, though it does appear to be improving some I suspect. It's only been 11 days since avoiding pork.

I was hoping that avoiding dairy products along with pork would help me improve on the energy situation. At least up to the point avoiding dairy does not appear to be helping me. Going forward I'm liable to not be as strict with avoiding diary products. I'll probably still avoid dairy though most of the time as I don't care for cheese or other dairy products all that much, other then cheese can help somewhat.
Have you had your blood checked? It might tell something about why your energy level is low.
 
I have tested in the past but results came back unhelpful. I suspect my energy can be low due to part of my colon being damaged/ not healed, and it being irritated by waste. When rubbed up against, the inflamed section, it slightly raises my heart rate it feels like and with that can cause me to become exhausted. It explains why I can have periods of not being exhausted. That section of the colon is not be rubbed up against. That's my theory at least. I can feel the area that is inflamed and when it is hurting. When that happens I'm tired.
 
Thanks Chris,

For this week I believe the main attention for me will be on the finger nail. There is a big patch on the nail that is dented in and pitted. It's moved from the base of the nail upwards, close to moving into the middle of the finger nail. Figure if that dented in area doesn't grow larger then I'll have a good idea that it is pork causing that issue. That is all I've removed from my diet, pork and pork gelatin. I've added new foods I should add such as spices that are added to a rice dish I've been eating regularly.

Energy levels this morning are OK but not all that great. The stomach doesn't hurt much which is always a positive.
 
It was another slow day today, poor energy overall. I also feel weak. THis evening though I'm feeling better. I'm cutting back on the amount of nuts eaten. I'm hoping that will help and imagine it will.
 
Good and bad to mention this morning. Last night I was in pain, muscle pain. I recognized what was going on, as it has happened in the past. I've over eating on fiber. To many nuts was causing me to ache considerably. Rather odd when thinking about it, but an irritated digestive system will cause me aches and pains elsewhere in the body. This morning that pains have subsided. I'lll be passing on eating nuts for the next day or two. SOme nuts are good for me I believe as they help improve my energy levels.

The good news is that the weahter has turned cold this morning. The cold though is not really effecting me all that poorly. This isn't new, as the last cold weather spell was not an issue either. Maybe pork and pork gelatin was playing a roll in why I was terrible at handling colder weather. That would be nice to have that issue solved.
 
I did well today. I avoided nuts and while I was not overly energetic I did well, at least I did better than yesterday. It had me thinking also that with the finger nail problem not only did I eat pork during the time when the problem start I also began eating nuts. I doubt nuts at the cause of the problem but it might due me good to avoid nuts for awhile and see how my energy levels are and how the finger nail appears in the weeks ahead.
 
Good and bad news this morning. The good news is that my gums feel wonderful. They are not sore or swollen. There is no bleeding after flossing and brushing. When I eat pork regularly swollen bleeding gums will become an issue. The amount of swollen tissue depends up how much pork is eaten. Now after avoiding pork for two weeks the swollen gums are entirely gone. Also my skin is not dry.

THe bad news, possibly, is that I've suddenly put on 5lbs. I weight 185lbs this morning. I don't know what is going on to cause that. One possible answer is that I've increased the amount of sun exposure I've been getting. I did this in hopes of growing my finger nails quicker and hopefully quicken my healing time. I've noticed in the past that when sun bathing I will put on muscle weight quicker. Matter of fact I'm not sure if I would be able to put on muscle weight without sun exposure. So having been weight lifting frequently of late, and now frequently obtaining 10 minutes of sun ever other day, possibly I'm putting on muscle weight. Hard to say. Other possibilities are possible too.

Stomach is a little tender and sore this morning. I'm going to stop mixing air into the water drunk. It doesn't appear to be helping me much, and can cause some slight stomach discomfort.
 
Today has been a mixed day. The stomach is sore. I have a mild upset stomach. I'm unsure why this is, but that happens. On the positive my energy levels are good and I'm feeling upbeat.

I've noticed for the past few days that I'm looking healthier. That's a positive sign, the visual appearance looking better. I've only become well to the stomach and had high energy in the past when the healthy look happened. My eyes are not blue in appearance but that will happen is the healthy appearance continues, eventually.
 
Outside of a stomach complaint, I appears I pulled or ripped a muscle in my right calf. It's been awhile since I've done this. Used to have this feeling often when I played tennis all the time. It doesn't hurt that bad but I'll likely not be walking for a few days to let the calf muscle heal.

Stomach is OK this morning. Nothing great to write about with it.
 
I've had better days but today was good. I'm gaining more confidence that I'm on the right tract with this diet of avoiding pork and dairy products. My energy levels are good most of the day in particular. I've thought about eating lots and lots of cheese to see what that does to me. I have good confidence that it would constipate me. I don't believe I'll do that though as I know cheese tires me out. At this point I believe I'd only eat lots of cheese if I were to be going on a long driving trip.

Finger nail remains looking troubled but Isuspect it is improving.
 
Do you use bleach often in the sink? I used to have eroded looking nails from washing dishes, there were pits and they just weren't smooth, also quite thin. Just a thought.
I don't use bleach. I do my own dish washing though but have done this for years. This is most likely not the cause of the pitting. At least that is my guess but it shouldn't entirely be ruled out.

My guess is that when i began eating jello, a new food for me at the time, which often comes from pork sources, is when my finger nail began to pit. I was hoping this week I'd be able to tell for certain that my diet change was getting rid of this problem. My nail is growing to slow though. There is some good news with it. There is a main area of where the pitting has occurred. Visually it's hard to say completely all of it. Feeling the area though I can tell the deep pitting has stopped. The new part of the nail growing feels smooth. The new area remains small though. It would be nice to have a better visual with what is going on.
 
Not a whole lot of write about this morning. I'm in a holding pattern I suppose, with largely the same health being experienced. The stomach is tender but OK, and energy levels are in the middle area. That's nice and a positive with energy. I should be busy the next two weeks with many relatives coming to visit. My energy levels will be tested. My finger nail is growing and with a little bit of luck I'll have that cleared up. If pork is not the answer for why the finger nail is pitted I'll have to try something else. I'm fairly certain the problem is caused by diet. That at least is the impression I had in the past, but without knowing what food item(s) caused the issue.
 
A little tried, a little out of it today. The stomach was also on the sour side. Once again nothing all that surprising that this happened as it occurs from time to time. Don't know entirely what went wrong but have a few guesses.
 
I am 182, 183lbs this morning. I'm uncertain why I'm gaining weight. The diet change obviously could have played a roll and likely did. The gain could be coming from the traditional way of eating more than I need to. Then again I am doing what I did before to gain muscle weight, lift weights and sunbathe. What ever it is, I'll have to keep an eye on as I'm not looking to gain weight, whether fat or muscle weight. I wouldn't mind being in better shape though but making that change takes more energy than I currently have.
 
I was quite pleased this morning, I saw color in my eyes. The eyes were blue. Maybe the formula for the blue eyes is avoiding dairy and avoiding pork. Will see, and hope the blue eyes keep making an appearance.

I'm tired already today! The guests while good to be around can be tiring.
 
I was thinking yesterday that I should permanently avoid pork and gelatin. I've mentioned that in the past but it only makes sense that I do. It isn't normal to have a food cause gums to swell, or checks to feel inflamed. I feel there is a good chance also that pork is the cause of the finger nail pitting and muscle cramps but don't know that for sure. Pork also causes my heart rate to jump up when sitting. That "problem" went away after avoiding pork. So avoiding pork and gelatin is easy enough. I may question other foods and continue experimenting with how I do with and without them in the diet.

I was thinking too that I suspect if I ate a large amount of cheese I'd be well to the gut. I might do that once the guests take off. Avoiding cheese has benefits also.
 
Bit on the tired side today, which is expected with guests here. I'm doing more movement than I typically would. Looking decently healthy, which is good as tomorrow is family picture day. Want to look presentable then.
 
I'm exhausted this evening. I'm comforted that there is only 12 more days of this, and 4 additional guests to join the crowd.:ytongue: All is going well though. I'm communicating great actually. I'm pleased about that. Stomach is hanging in there. Haven't had to much trouble with it.
 
Thanks Chris!

I guess the main item I'm thinking about this morning is that after brushing my teeth the gums bleed some. THere is no obvious swelling. THe gums feel good. I'll mark this down as being stress related with all the guests being here and with me being on my feet doing activities. The stomach is doing well. I've been taking a spoon full of Imodium a day and while not a big help, it does help some. The biggest problem is the constant feeling of being fatigued and tired. I want to say I hope it goes away soon, but I know well enough that even if the gut becomes well the fatigue will remain. THere will be some days of great energy levels though if that should happen, with the gut being well.
 
Last night didn't go well! I was up most of the night wide awake. My heart rate was up i could feel. Part of my colon was being irritated. Then I must have fallen asleep around 3:00 and when I woke up I'm tired as can be! To top it off I had an upset stomach after breakfast. Grrr..... It happens though. I'll be OK today just a bit on the tired side even more so than typical.
 
I80lbs.

I've made a few dietary changes. A few days ago I stopped eating rice bread. As a result I've quickly dropped a few pounds. I drink a good amount of water when eating the bread so imagine that to be the cause for the quick weight loss. I'll likely continue to eat the bread from time to time. It doesn't taste all that great though.

I once again began stirring my drinking water, adding air into it. Doing that might be helping the digestive system after. At least the last few days have been decent. It could just be coincidence too.

Yesterday was a mixed energy day. The mornign started out slow. By the evenign I was full of energy and feeling well. I attended a neighborhood gathering and did well with conversation. I was far from being a big talker or interesting. I was to tired for that but overall did well. The fatigued didn't wipe me out basically.
 
this afternoon I'm a bit tired but the stomach is doing well.

Looking at the finger nail with pitting, visually it does appear more and more likely that the pitting has stopped and the newly created part of the nail looks healthy and smooth. Feeling my touch it feels that the new part of the created nail is smooth. If that turns out to be the case then is bolsters the theory that pork and pork gelatin is the cause for the finger nail pitting.
 
Of late I've been having some memory problems. It isn't anything serious and is common for me when the gut is under pressure as it has been of late. Rather annoying to have though, forgetting people's names and overall being slow in remembering.

That is problem that Ive had though through out life, remembering. My biggest remembering problem has to do with spelling. I'm a horrible speller. It's a problem that I inherited from my father. He has the same spelling problem and remembering issues at times also. My sister says she has the same issues. Overall in the family on my father's side, Alzheimers disease has been diagnosed a few family members. No one else has had the stomach problems that I've had, even though dad has had stomach issues. We all have had some what I would call wasting issues or low muscle tone as different times, something that shows up in Alzheimers.

It has had me theorize that what causes my stomach condition is also responsible for the memory issues. I say that as when the stomach is well, for a long period of time, my memory problems all go away. It's a magical feeling when it happens, as it happens quickly I recall. Spelling becomes quite easy and recalling memory is a cinch. Not a very exciting topic, and one not much of interest to many, outside of gluten folks, but I theorize that little understood food allergizes or intolerances are responsible for some conditions that run in families over generations.

From a personal perspective hopefully pork is the cause of my stomach problems, and with that I'll be able to help others in the family avoid developing various health issues, whether now or later on. I'd hate my visiting nephews to experience anything that I've gone through, with poor health.
 
I'm tired and worn out this evening. The usual suspects are the cause. Doing OK though. Tomorrow should be a good day I imagine.
 
For the last week I've been on my feet more than normal being with guests. During this time I've been tired but I've not been painfully tired. Typically doing these kinds of activities would have me worn out and exhausted with pain.

THe first of the finger nail pitting is to the end of the finger nail to be trimmed. The pitting here is small in quantity. The main grouping of the pitting is in the middle of the nail and will be a month away or so from being trimmed.
 
This was a shocker. This afternoon I weighed 10lbs more than I did 2 days ago! The only dietary change I made was to eat more rice cakes. Instead of eating 2 rice cakes a day I've begun to eat 4 rice cakes. The weight gain is water retention I'd guess. Might have to back off on the fattening rice cakes.

Energy levels are decent. I probably could be on my feet all day now. It would hurt but would be possible I suspect.
 
I'm feeling very well this evening. The stomach is a problem but energy wise and mentally being with it, I'm doing very well. I'd like to order more evenings like this please.
 
184lbs this morning. Easy come easy go as they saying goes, having lost 6lbs in the evening and overnight. The stomach was sour.

I'm sore this morning from swimming in the afternoon. If I'm on the right tract with my diet I shouldn't be sore and in pain for long.
 
A little tired and worn down today. Still doing well overall. Looking terrible. I can imagine my digestion of nutrients remains poor.
 
Things really have been much easier for me to do of late. I'm communicating well. I tend to always have enough energy to do activities. I'm not overly energized but I'm energized enough. So in summary things are looking up, on the current diet being followed of avoiding pork. Oh the only down side I can think is the stomach has been slightly more upset than normal.
 
I'm approaching upon the first month of avoiding pork. I believe I'm heading in the right direction with the diet. It's always hard to tell for certain. Overall the positives are that I'm feeling more energetic and good overall. That's a subjective area to evaluate but from the best that I can tell I'm doing better in these key areas.

What is easy to tell is that the stomach has been slightly worse. It's not horrible by any means though. I attribute the worse stomach to avoiding cheese. If I was eating cheese I'd likely be slightly constipated.

This morning I'm feeling sore from swimming the ohter day. The soreness is not all that bad though. I will likely go swimming today. I know from experience that at some point, when well to the gut, that I'll become less and less sore after swimming.
 
I looked healthy today. That was good to see.

A down side of not eating cheese is that diarrhea can come on quick. Eating cheese tends to make me more reliable, or allows me to travel more without worry. That's a big positive, this time of year in particular when the roads can be busy. Now, it can be a little frightening to be stuck in traffic. Now, one minute I can be well to the stomach and the next minute with little warning I'm needing a bathroom. Hopefully this situation will improve in April. If not I'm liable to begin eating lots of cheese.
 
I ended up being quite sick to the stomach yesterday. I probably had diarrhea a dozen times. I don't know why that happened. There are the typical possible answers, and exercise seems to be the most likley cause. It was after exercising that the stomach became sour. Equally though it could have been bad food, to much fiber, etc.

As a result of yesterdays lousy events, I'm eating cheese. I've also cut out rice from the diet. Rice I think helps me with energy but to much rice will upset the stomach. I believe it is the fiber in rice that causes this.

I imagine I'll be well to the stomach within a few days on the new diet.

THere is a positive from yesterdays illness. This morning I have good energy. I'm not all that tired yet. Maybe later today it will catch up with me, but for now I'm feeling good and that a very positive sign.

In the past I've had times were I was this ill to the stomach and as a result felt absolutely horrible for days afterwards, with zero energy. So it has me thinking avoiding pork has been a positive for me.
 
Thanks Chris!

So far it has been a good day. I've been relaxing, taking an easy. My energy levels are decent though. I'm not hurting. The day overall has gone better than expected. I've been eating cheese for most of the day. I don't care for it, but it does help the digestive system. Imagine if I'm well to the stomach in a few days I'll continue with the cheese for the next few months. If lucky I'll be able to stop eating cheese and be able to eat some fiber without experiencing an upset stomach.

I'm planning on eating some nuts in the morning. I'm hoping the nuts will help with keeping energy levels up to a tolerable level.
 
182lbs this morning. I've dropped a few pounds since avoiding rice. That doesn't come as a surprise. I believe rice irritates the digestive system, causing me to retain water. I've been eating a lot of cheese of late. I'm not thrilled by it but it should help some in the few days.
 
It appears my diarrhea has stopped, of maybe better said, going to the bathroom all day has stopped. It's nice that has happened, obviously. I'm be less frightened with being stuck in traffic. It will be good though to have a couple good days in a row for confirmation.
 
The stomach was feeling a little tinder last night. It's well but my heart rate was up causing difficulty in sleeping. That happened when I eat cheese sometimes. Weight is 182lbs this morning.
 
The addition of cheese to the diet seems to have had mixed results. Overall it appears to be working, which is good. Hope in the days ahead the diet continues to work. My right leg hurts, which is likely due to the diet. The pain I imagine will be gone tomorrow. From experience I know a ruffed up digestive system can cause odd pains about the body, in the legs in particular.
 
It does appear more and more likely that the worst of the finger nail pitting is over. IT will come as a big boost in confidence if the pitting goes away. I'll feel more certain that I'm on the right diet of avoiding pork.

Legs feel great this morning. It's one of those things I've know for a long time, a troubled digestive system can result in pain elsewhere in the body. Yesterday evening muscles i my right legs ached badly and both my knees hurt. The stomach also mildly was hurting. This morning everything is gone, no pains.
 
TO quickly note:

It appears the addition of cheese to the diet is helping to cause some constipation. That's good that it is helping so quickly. That's a psotive sign to me that I'm on a good diet. I know from past experience that it takes a combination of the right diet and cheese to make it work. If the diet is wrong, all the cheese eaten will not help.

On the down side I feel terrible eating cheese. It tired me out.

Had some pictures taken over spring break. I look aweful, as expected though. I've put on to much weight and could afford to loose around 10 to 15lbs. It takes energy though for me to loose weight, so hopefully if I continue to do well with this diet, gain health and energy, I'll be able to drop the pounds.

I remember it was 7 years ago that I first discovered conclusively that my stomach condition will respond to diet. I was able to get the stomach well and with that gained energy, and joined a gym for weight lifting. I put on 40lbs, but now with poor energy the gain has turned partly into fat. Would like to trim that away. This past summer I was doing decent to the gut and found I easily dropped to 175lbs without really trying.
 

cmack

Moderator
Staff member
Your cortisol may be too high due to stress, that will make you gain around the middle. I lowered my stress level with medication and the stubborn fat melted off me. I felt more energetic as I went along too, and thus the cycle was reversed.
 
Today was a pretty good day to the stomach. Overall I feel poorly due to the cheese. It just runs me down. But it does give me confidence when I'm well to the stomach. With time I should heal further and do better.

I'm planning on continuing to eat cheese for the month of April and likely the month of May also.

Something that confuses me or maybe better said has caused confusion is that I have records of eating pork and pork gelatin and being well to the stomach. If pork turns out to be the problem food for me, then it will be good to know in the future that I can eat some pork without much issue. I won't make it a habit of eating pork but sometimes when eating out, pork is cooked next to other foods and there will be contamination.
 
Bit tired this morning from yesterdays swim.

I've noticed that my memory seems to be improving. That's difficult to know for sure though,.

Stomach doing OK.
 
I was tired this morning. That is due to the swimming done.

I swam again this afternoon and I can tell I'm going to be really tired this evening and tomorrow. It's disappointing but not unexpected. Over the summer I was well enough to the stomach and with that energetci to the point that I could swim laps without a break for an hour.

The good news is the stomach continues to do well. The cheese being eaten is helping.

The finger nail appears to be improving. I guess I should say the nail appears terrible now as the top of the nail now has the pitting that was previously seen in the middle of the nail. The big blob of pitting is now in the middle of the nail. The lower part of the nail is looking decent. Fingers crossed that pork and pork gelatin is the cause of the pitting. I guess I'll know for sure within a month.
 
As expected I'm a little worn down this morning from the swimming yesterday. I'm not doing badly but can imagine as the day continues I'll be feeling sore and fatigued. Hopefully it will not be to bad.
 
This is good. I've now been able to swim 3 days in a row and no limbs have fallen off. Back when I was eating pork I was only able to swim once or twice a week. Anymore was difficult on the body. It isn't conclusive proof I'm healthier on this diet, but I believe a positive sign.

I should note, one pork food I'm avoiding now is gelatin. Gelatin or jello also had artificial coloring added. As a result I'm eating a candy that had many artificial colors to it. I expect my finger nail to eventually look better after avoiding pork. If it does not look better within a month, I'll avoid the candy with the artificial coloring.
 
Hi, i am Anastasia. Its been 10 years since i first starting to have diarrhea and still goes on. (fortunately only once or twice the day ). I want to thank you all for the information as very often i check the forum for foods to see how other people react. Every morning i drink either marjoram or mountain tea|(this is greek, my father gathered from the mountain) and i think it has helped me.
 
Thanks Anastasia, thanks for sharing your story, hope everything is well in Greece and hope the mountain tea continues to help.

This morning I'm a little punch drunk tired from the 3 days of swimming. It's great exercise though. I have the energy to swim and should be able to swim again today, despite being overly sore and fatigued.

Stomach is doing well.
 
Tomorrow is likely to be a vacation day from swimming! Swam today, and while swimming felt great. Afterwards, not so great. I'm sore and tired already. Overall good though that I made it to day 4 with such exercising.

It had me thinking too, I've noticed in the past that I can have wild weight swings. There are many causes for this, for me and my stomach condition. A likely cause with weight gain and loss has to do with how I feel. If I'm more energetic I'm likely less hungry and exercising more. With a little luck I'm on the upswing with this current diet and with that will likely see weight loss in the future. I'm weighing myself more now than I have traditionally in the past.
 

Lynda Lynda

Member
Beach, today I have read the first 7 pages of your posts on this thread. Your stamina and positivity is an inspiration to me. Your determination is endless. Wishing you the best of health and happiness. Lynda.
 
That is very kind of you Lynda. Thank you for the kind words of support. For me it's been a struggle fighting for health figuring things out with all its twists and turns the journey has taken me. It is wonderful to have this forum to write thoughts out in a place with people such as your self with an understanding of these IBD diseases.
 
I'm feeling well this morning and energetic. I probably could swim later as my exercise if I wished. I'm probably going to go for a walk increase though. I'll let the muscles have a rest day.

Noticed more hair in the shower drain. I noticed this problem in the past when I eat cheese. Appears the same is happening with the current diet of avoiding pork and eating cheese.

On the positive side the digestive tract is doing well. Also it appears I'm down 1 pound in weight this morning at 180lbs.
 
it was a better morning than expected. The morning started out slow, but I gained energy as the day progressed. I ended up going swimming. I'm sore, tired and cold now but doing well.

Stomach continues to do well. Fingers crossed that stays the same. I bought this morning the same spicy beef I ate that I was later sick. I very much doubt it was the beef that caused my stomach problems that day. It was likely just a coincidence. I'll try eating the same beef tomorrow and see what happens.
 
Oh wanted to add, can see today that the lower part of the finger nail looks very good and healthy. IT appears the current diet is helping in this area. I'll keep avoiding pork.
 
Stiff and sore this morning, as to be expected from the swimming done. I'll likely swim today but tomorrow I for sure will not be doing so. The pool will be going under maintenance.

I was thinking about if this yesterday if pork is the answer. I know for certain that pumpkin, watermelon, and other melons cause an allergic reaction. The reaction happens quickly and violently after eating these foods. Pork is different. If pork is the answer for my IBD condition, then the reaction is slow and needs a combination of other factors to make me ill. Pork appears, I'm more certain now, inflammation. I see and feel the inflammation in my gums after eating pork regularly for a week or more. The gums become inflamed, sore and bleed. Dentist goes into panic mode and talks about radical surgery after I eat pork. Pork also appears to be the cause for finger nail pitting. Pork is also likely the cause for poor memory, with remembering how to spell words in particular. Pork though does not cause my stomach illness directly. Eating pork doesn't cause diarrhea. In order for pork to cause diarrhea, I need to eat fiber rich foods, or exercise using stomach muscles, or do some event that stresses me such as a long car ride or drink lots of water placing pressure onto the digestive system. It is the combination or pork and other factors that causes my IBD condition.
 
No swimming today. I'm exhausted. I'll try swimming again on Saturday.

Ate the spicy beef that I was somewhat concerned about before. I was slightly sick afterwards. The illness was within normal range though so don't know what to make of it. I was looking at the ingredients and saw the meat was more processed than expected. It isn't like me to eat something like that. So I'll stop with eating it and return to my more known to be helpful foods.

I doubt spices are an issue for me. I'm just coming off a 4 month avoidance without finding it helpful. I'm having more luck now with improved health avoiding pork.
 
Running through my mind this morning, yesterday evening I was feeling much better and energetic. It had me thinking the spicy beef eaten with breakfast might have played a roll in my feeling poorly for the day. I have my doubts that spices are a problem since I've tested them long term. There is the thought though that eating cheese and the constipating effect it can have is playing a roll in why I'm doing better now. Well, I shouldn't put to much thought into it. I'll continue on the current diet I'm on of avoiding pork and eating cheese. It has me well most of the time. Finger nail is looking better now too. I'm not really eating spices either currently. Probably what I'll do in the future is to begin adding spices individually to the diet.
 
At home I'm going to begin a log recording bathroom habits. I'll record what I'm avoiding also. I'll see if this information provides a trend. For now I'll avoid pork and spices.
 
I'm going to add rice back into the diet. I stopped rice out of concern it was to difficult on the stomach.

I'll only eating rice without spices added. Before I was eating a Chinese rice dish with lots of spices, along with plain rice bread and rice cakes. I'll only eat the plane rice bread and rice cakes for awhile. I'll be sure to not eat to much fiber.
 
I have my bathroom note book going. What has the world coming to.:p It is good though, and I'm well today despite eating lots of rice bread and rice cakes. That's somewhat of a surprise.

I bought some chicken this morning. I've given up on chicken for awhile but it occurred to me that eating turkey will cause stomach issues, unless I eat it with cheese. Plain Turkey and cheese is not a stomach problem while just turkey is a stomach problem. I'm thinking chicken will see the same results, when eaten with cheese. It might take awhile before I eat the chicken though.
 
It has been a good day. Went to the bathroom 6 times, all good. Little to complain about in that area. Energy has been good. I did experience some muscle strain. Maybe it is the cheese that causes that. Hard to say. It is something I haven't solved the cause to.
 
Opps, hit enter to soon. Overall, diet adjustment good, avoid pork and spices along with eating lots of cheese.
 
I was thinking, if the main answer for my stomach problems is spices, then it must take years to become well. Maybe not that long but it would take a long long time. So I'll stick with the diet avoid pork and avoid spices. I'll continue to eat cheese to help the gut. i'll exercise often, swimming in particular. If I can swim each day so much the better.
 
Forgot to note, I'm going to avoid nuts for the next month or two. It is another possible cause for the finger nail pitting. I was eating nuts as I felt it could be helping improve my energy levels. I've instead begun to eat brown rice once again as I feel it can improve energy levels.
 
I agree about the brown rice. The only problem I have with brown rice is that it doesn't take much to upset my stomach. 2 rice cakes tends to be OK. 3 rice cakes is risky. 4 rice cakes and I'm going to be sick later in the day.
 
Had a nice swim today and was on my feet most of the day. I'm tired now but doing well. Stomach alright and not a problem.
 
Doing well this morning. Thinking about it last night, the two weeks should be telling. If I can exercise well such as with swimming, and keep the stomach in good shape then I should be feel I have an answer. Recovery will take a long long time, possibly years.

When I ate the spicy beef and felt terrible with muscle aches and being tired, it was a feeling I was familiar with and from what I remembered seemed to happen most when I spicy foods. The probably always with health has been how long do I need to avoid to become well. Also too, I've overlooked at how cheese can be benefical for me, with the digestive system, even though cheese tires me out. Maybe in the long run cheese will not be as much of a problem with energy. So I'll avoid spices and pork along with eating cheese. Hopefully for the remainer of this month I'll continue to do well to the stomach and with exercise.
 
Had a good swim today. I'm tired, and I'm sure I'll be tired tomorrow. I'm not fatigued though. Tomorrow after I suspect I'll be able to swim another 45 to 60 minutes.

Stomach doing OK. Seems I'm going to the bathroom around 6 times a day of late.
 
Doing well this morning with energy and with the digestive tract. I should have a good swim this afternoon I suspect. Energy wise it shouldn't be a problem.
 
I had a really good swim today. The muscles feel great. There is little soreness to report. So much is going right today. The diet, while an old idea tried, is newer in thought in that avoiding spices and pork has been tried many times before, but the addition of eating lots of cheese to basically constipate me and allow the gut to heal is newer. Feeling good today has me upbeat and energetic. I did eat coke today. Opps, well maybe everything isn't improved, I ate chocolate today! Spell is an area that can use improvement still. It will come, in time, I hope. So I'll do it again tomorrow, for 4 days in a row of swimming. Last time I did 4 days I was down and out, but that was after eating spicy lunch meat. Spicy meat is now banned.
 
This morning I'm sore and tired. It seems I feel similar to how I felt yesterday morning. Most likely I'll gain more energy as the morning progresses and will be able to swim later this afternoon. I'm also to help move a number of items around. That might take the place of swimming. Yesterday too I weight lifted and that might account for some of the tiredness from this morning.

Stomach doing well enough. It could be better, but it isn't something that has been a big bother.
 
I have had a slight upset stomach this morning. The most likely candidate for the cause is the blueberries eaten yesterday. 5 blueberries is to much for me to handle. I'll put the blueberries in the freezer and try eating them another day.
 
Very tiring day. I'm sure the upset stomach in the morning played a part, along with the swimming exercises and weight lifting. I'm not doing badly though. I'm tired but don't ache.
 
A little tired and beat up this morning but doing well. Hoping the stomach does better than it did yesterday, even though yesterday the stomach wasn't that bad. Finger nail looks poorly but feels smooth. Hoping that avoiding nuts will help the finger nail to heal.
 
Had a good swim today. I'm feeling quite tired now, but I'm not all that fatigued. The muscles are not terribly sore and painful. Tomorrow will be the last day to swim, with Friday being maintenance day or basically chemicals are added to the pool water. It will be good to have a day off to recover.

The stomach is good, but still a little tender. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
 
Last night was miserable. I couldn't have slept more than a few minutes. My gut ached and was causing my heart rates upwards. it felt as if I was walking all night long. THis is one of the problems when eating lots of cheese. Cheese can help me to be constipated but it also can irritate a part of the digestive system that is sensitive. I doubt I'll be doing much today other than to rest and relax.
 
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