Stomach pain and lettuce

ntbck8

I'm wondering if anyone else might have or been experiencing this. I started my diet June. I've been doing great. My meals normally consist of coffee in the morning 1 or 2 cups of lettuce for lunch with one cup of a steamed veggie, half a cucumber and either boiled eggs, boiled chicken or tuna. I usually don't vary from that except with the addition of some canned or fresh veggies on the lettuce. Sometimes I eat lo cal dressing sometimes I don't. For dinner I'll have pretty much the same but probably with more veggies. I eat a lot of green beans and green squash and cauliflower. I do snack between meals at times or after dinner. I've had pretty much the same routine for the last 4 months. As of lately I've been getting these very severe stomach aches but on the upper part of my stomach. I started paying attention to what I'm eating to see what was causing it because I do have IBS but this is not a regular stomach. Its up really high and accompanied by bloating. I've tried to get into my doctor and he's got no immediate availabilities for a few weeks. So what I pin pointed as a trigger is lettuce but I don't understand is why if I've been eating like this for a while why just now? Has any one else experienced this?

Elise4270

Sounds like it could be gallbladder issues. Might visit your doc.

Treece68

I had this issue with my gallbladder do you also get dizzy or feel sick? Do you also have pain in your upper back?

mom22dogs

I second the gallbladder thought.

cathipa

Also consider gastroparesis. Would need a gastric emptying study to confirm, but if you have never had an EGD or abdominal ultrasound this should be part of the workup as well.

Elise4270

Usually physicians will get you in the same day if you phone with pain.

Good luck!

kshama2001

When my mother's IBS was bad she had good luck with eating foods with insoluble fiber such as salads after foods with soluble fiber.

http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber2.asp
http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp

singingflutelady

I forever low fiber for crohn's

lucys1225

I had the same thing and narrowed it down to too much cauliflower. Although I eat it daily, for a couple of days, I was eating a crazy amount of it and experienced the same symptoms.

CorneliusPhoton

What time of day does your pain usually occur?

Agree with the gall bladder thing, depending on how much fat you eat and when. I will also suggest GERD as a possibility. Mine always involves an esophageal spasm which feels the worst right at the sternum to just below the ribcage.

ds41980

The opening from your stomach into your intestine may be inflamed from the fiber of the lettuce. When this happens it gets swollen and painful and the more lettuce you eat the more the fiber shards irritate it. To remedy lay off the lettuce until it heals then eat the lettuce less or try to chew it 35 times before swallowing. You may also try an enzyme to help breakdown and digest. Gallbladder pain is usually associated with not wanting to eat due to pain and also diarrhea and nausea.

ntbck8

CorneliusPhoton wrote: »

What time of day does your pain usually occur?

Agree with the gall bladder thing, depending on how much fat you eat and when. I will also suggest GERD as a possibility. Mine always involves an esophageal spasm which feels the worst right at the sternum to just below the ribcage.

That is exactly where it hurts but it's a constant "don't even move because it hurts so bad" pain.I've been trying to cut out as much fat as possible

ntbck8

Treece68 wrote: »

I had this issue with my gallbladder do you also get dizzy or feel sick? Do you also have pain in your upper back?

Lower back spreads to my right lower front area where your uterus is.

ntbck8

CorneliusPhoton wrote: »

What time of day does your pain usually occur?

Agree with the gall bladder thing, depending on how much fat you eat and when. I will also suggest GERD as a possibility. Mine always involves an esophageal spasm which feels the worst right at the sternum to just below the ribcage.

This is a whenever pain. Sometimes I wake up with a dull version of it in the morning and other times it's usually a little while after I eat.

ntbck8

Thanks everyone for the replies. End result looks like I do need to get a hold of my doctor.

CorneliusPhoton

ntbck8 wrote: »

CorneliusPhoton wrote: »

What time of day does your pain usually occur?

Agree with the gall bladder thing, depending on how much fat you eat and when. I will also suggest GERD as a possibility. Mine always involves an esophageal spasm which feels the worst right at the sternum to just below the ribcage.

That is exactly where it hurts but it's a constant "don't even move because it hurts so bad" pain.I've been trying to cut out as much fat as possible

I've gone to the ER twice for that as a result of GERD, but I've heard that gall bladder pain is just as bad if not worse and just as persistent. Hope your doc is able to help you!

Nikion901

I had something similar. Do you use the packaged already torn and washed lettuce or do you buy heads, and wash it before using?

The reason I ask is because in my case it turns out I picked up a case of H-Pylori but it was not diagnosed for many years. I know it was from the lettuce because in the beginning I only had stomach pains after eating lettuce. Later it became more painful and eventually the doctors treated me for acid-reflux but it was the bug in me all along. It wasn't discovered until a stomach biopsy was done.

PS ... since my treatments for the H-Pylori, I never eat lettuce except from my home and that is always from a full head of lettuce that I wash very thoroughly and spin dry before using.

castlerobber

ntbck8 wrote: »

My meals normally consist of coffee in the morning 1 or 2 cups of lettuce for lunch with one cup of a steamed veggie, half a cucumber and either boiled eggs, boiled chicken or tuna. I usually don't vary from that except with the addition of some canned or fresh veggies on the lettuce. Sometimes I eat lo cal dressing sometimes I don't. For dinner I'll have pretty much the same but probably with more veggies. I eat a lot of green beans and green squash and cauliflower. I do snack between meals at times or after dinner. I've had pretty much the same routine for the last 4 months.

If I understand you right, you've been eating a very low-fat, limited-variety diet. Is that correct? What do you snack on?

ntbck8 wrote: »

As of lately I've been getting these very severe stomach aches but on the upper part of my stomach. <...> Its up really high and accompanied by bloating. <...> but I don't understand is why if I've been eating like this for a while why just now?

My non-medical opinion would also be gallbladder pain. I had a few minor episodes, including referred upper-back pain, while expecting my youngest child, but only one in the 16 years since. One of the nurses at work laughingly described the risk factors as "female, fair, fat and forty."

The gallbladder concentrates bile for use when digesting food, especially fats. If one has been eating very low-fat for a while, the contents of the gallbladder can become sludgy from not being expelled regularly and completely, allowing stones to form. Eating a higher-fat meal or snack would cause the gallbladder to release the bile...and possibly one or more stones, which could get stuck in passage...

Effect of fat content on gallbladder emptying

littlechiaseed

So you're eating that same thing daily? That's probably the issue. Try mixing it up and eating different foods to see if you still have the same symptoms...if you have ibs I highly rec trying the low fodmap diet to help you pinpoint your triggers. Helped me.

ntbck8

Nikion901 wrote: »

I had something similar. Do you use the packaged already torn and washed lettuce or do you buy heads, and wash it before using?

The reason I ask is because in my case it turns out I picked up a case of H-Pylori but it was not diagnosed for many years. I know it was from the lettuce because in the beginning I only had stomach pains after eating lettuce. Later it became more painful and eventually the doctors treated me for acid-reflux but it was the bug in me all along. It wasn't discovered until a stomach biopsy was done.

PS ... since my treatments for the H-Pylori, I never eat lettuce except from my home and that is always from a full head of lettuce that I wash very thoroughly and spin dry before using.

O wow. No I buy fresh iceberg lettuce. I really don't care for the prebagged stuff.

ntbck8

castlerobber wrote: »

ntbck8 wrote: »

My meals normally consist of coffee in the morning 1 or 2 cups of lettuce for lunch with one cup of a steamed veggie, half a cucumber and either boiled eggs, boiled chicken or tuna. I usually don't vary from that except with the addition of some canned or fresh veggies on the lettuce. Sometimes I eat lo cal dressing sometimes I don't. For dinner I'll have pretty much the same but probably with more veggies. I eat a lot of green beans and green squash and cauliflower. I do snack between meals at times or after dinner. I've had pretty much the same routine for the last 4 months.

If I understand you right, you've been eating a very low-fat, limited-variety diet. Is that correct? What do you snack on?

ntbck8 wrote: »

As of lately I've been getting these very severe stomach aches but on the upper part of my stomach. <...> Its up really high and accompanied by bloating. <...> but I don't understand is why if I've been eating like this for a while why just now?

My non-medical opinion would also be gallbladder pain. I had a few minor episodes, including referred upper-back pain, while expecting my youngest child, but only one in the 16 years since. One of the nurses at work laughingly described the risk factors as "female, fair, fat and forty."

The gallbladder concentrates bile for use when digesting food, especially fats. If one has been eating very low-fat for a while, the contents of the gallbladder can become sludgy from not being expelled regularly and completely, allowing stones to form. Eating a higher-fat meal or snack would cause the gallbladder to release the bile...and possibly one or more stones, which could get stuck in passage...

Effect of fat content on gallbladder emptying

Great info thanks!!
Throughout my adult life I've always been a very routine eater not changing it much. I've been doing Atkins since in my teens if that gives you an idea on what I've regularly eaten throughout my life. This is the first time I do low carb low calorie and I'm actually enjoying it until now.my major snackers are cucumbers and green beans. I recently found that I'm enjoying red bell peppers. Sometimes I'll do cantelope or maybe boiled eggs. I know my diet is generally bland but ive gotten used to it over the years and like it. I've never been a big meat person so the fat via meat was a no brainer for me. When I first got diagnosed with IBS I was put on the blandest diet possible. It was hard but I finally adopted part of it as a life style. That's not to say that every once in a while I don't get a hanckering for something in particular but we all deal with that.