How ironic...the healthy stuff...

songbyrdsweet
songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
edited September 19 in Motivation and Support
Well I ended up getting an emergency visit to a doc of internal medicine today for my GI issues usually associated with running. I have to get a CAT scan and meet with a GE and change my diet. Get this--I have to keep my FIBER intake low LOL. I have to avoid roughage...so very little fruits are allowed, no nuts/seeds, no fruit/vegetable skins, no brown rice or whole grains. I can eat white flour and refined cereals and stuff...fats aren't restricted at all...and desserts are okay as long as they don't contain anything remotely healthy, like raisins or coconut. :laugh: So I can't run, can barely lift, and can't eat all the healthy stuff I'm used to! I'm still eating as healthy as possible, but there's just not as much to eat.

If anyone has good, healthy ideas for diets like mine, I'd love to see them. It looks like I may have UC or something similar.

Replies

  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Well I ended up getting an emergency visit to a doc of internal medicine today for my GI issues usually associated with running. I have to get a CAT scan and meet with a GE and change my diet. Get this--I have to keep my FIBER intake low LOL. I have to avoid roughage...so very little fruits are allowed, no nuts/seeds, no fruit/vegetable skins, no brown rice or whole grains. I can eat white flour and refined cereals and stuff...fats aren't restricted at all...and desserts are okay as long as they don't contain anything remotely healthy, like raisins or coconut. :laugh: So I can't run, can barely lift, and can't eat all the healthy stuff I'm used to! I'm still eating as healthy as possible, but there's just not as much to eat.

    If anyone has good, healthy ideas for diets like mine, I'd love to see them. It looks like I may have UC or something similar.
  • Anna_Banana
    Anna_Banana Posts: 2,939 Member
    Sorry I'm no help. Maybe some grilled meat on a tortilla.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Well I had a cheese sandwich..it was okay...unfortunately I only have the whole grain tortillas. :laugh: I need to go shopping for some less-healthy stuff I guess.
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    Well I ended up getting an emergency visit to a doc of internal medicine today for my GI issues usually associated with running. I have to get a CAT scan and meet with a GE and change my diet. Get this--I have to keep my FIBER intake low LOL. I have to avoid roughage...so very little fruits are allowed, no nuts/seeds, no fruit/vegetable skins, no brown rice or whole grains. I can eat white flour and refined cereals and stuff...fats aren't restricted at all...and desserts are okay as long as they don't contain anything remotely healthy, like raisins or coconut. :laugh: So I can't run, can barely lift, and can't eat all the healthy stuff I'm used to! I'm still eating as healthy as possible, but there's just not as much to eat.

    If anyone has good, healthy ideas for diets like mine, I'd love to see them. It looks like I may have UC or something similar.

    Is this a lifetime thing or just temporary?
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    That is crazy!

    Well, there are still some organic options... may not be quite as bad.
    A cereal that I like occassionally is Kashi's Strawberry Fields. It's organic, so not terrible for you,but has a low fiber content (which is why I make it a "treat" cereal for myself since I like to get enough fiber).

    What about popcorn?
    Can you eat fruit w/the skins peeled off?
    Salsa ok? Or other veggies?
    Can you eat lean meats?

    I'm honestly stumped, as that is one of the weirdest (no offence) things I have ever heard!
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
    Wow you damned if you do and damned if you dont-- good luck with you new food restrictions I dont have any tips for you
  • akwhite
    akwhite Posts: 55 Member
    I have GI issues as well so I totally understand where you're coming from. Of course listen to doctors...but if something sounds weird sometimes it's worth a second opinion. Low fiber is a little strange. I'm always weary of diets that say to cut out fruits/veges. And if your doctor is a good doctor he/she won't mind you asking for a second opinion.

    Just a thought! Best of luck!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    sbs I am so sorry about your illness. I had IBS and it corrected itself. turned out I couldnt take the seeds...

    Hope you get better quick!:flowerforyou:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Well I ended up getting an emergency visit to a doc of internal medicine today for my GI issues usually associated with running. I have to get a CAT scan and meet with a GE and change my diet. Get this--I have to keep my FIBER intake low LOL. I have to avoid roughage...so very little fruits are allowed, no nuts/seeds, no fruit/vegetable skins, no brown rice or whole grains. I can eat white flour and refined cereals and stuff...fats aren't restricted at all...and desserts are okay as long as they don't contain anything remotely healthy, like raisins or coconut. :laugh: So I can't run, can barely lift, and can't eat all the healthy stuff I'm used to! I'm still eating as healthy as possible, but there's just not as much to eat.

    If anyone has good, healthy ideas for diets like mine, I'd love to see them. It looks like I may have UC or something similar.

    Is this a lifetime thing or just temporary?

    Just until they figure out what's wrong and correct it. I am getting the tests and stuff done this week, so it will probably be like this for a couple weeks. :grumble:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    That is crazy!

    Well, there are still some organic options... may not be quite as bad.
    A cereal that I like occassionally is Kashi's Strawberry Fields. It's organic, so not terrible for you,but has a low fiber content (which is why I make it a "treat" cereal for myself since I like to get enough fiber).

    What about popcorn?
    Can you eat fruit w/the skins peeled off?
    Salsa ok? Or other veggies?
    Can you eat lean meats?

    I'm honestly stumped, as that is one of the weirdest (no offence) things I have ever heard!

    I do love Kashi. I can't do the strawberry though...I can only have banana, baked peeled apples, and peeled pears/peaches/apricots. I can have applesauce. No other fruits are allowed because I can't have seeds or too much fiber.
    Can't do popcorn, can't do salsa.
    I can eat all meats, but no cold cuts or any processed meat.
    I can only eat very well cooked or canned carrots, asparagus, green beans, mushrooms, pumpkin, spinach, or mushed squash. And I can only have 2 servings per day of vegetables, so not very much.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Wow you damned if you do and damned if you dont-- good luck with you new food restrictions I dont have any tips for you

    LOL that's how I feel!! I have to give up my 'healthy' ways until I get better, grrr!
  • tresa1234
    tresa1234 Posts: 796 Member
    Well I ended up getting an emergency visit to a doc of internal medicine today for my GI issues usually associated with running. I have to get a CAT scan and meet with a GE and change my diet. Get this--I have to keep my FIBER intake low LOL. I have to avoid roughage...so very little fruits are allowed, no nuts/seeds, no fruit/vegetable skins, no brown rice or whole grains. I can eat white flour and refined cereals and stuff...fats aren't restricted at all...and desserts are okay as long as they don't contain anything remotely healthy, like raisins or coconut. :laugh: So I can't run, can barely lift, and can't eat all the healthy stuff I'm used to! I'm still eating as healthy as possible, but there's just not as much to eat.

    If anyone has good, healthy ideas for diets like mine, I'd love to see them. It looks like I may have UC or something similar.

    Is this a lifetime thing or just temporary?

    Just until they figure out what's wrong and correct it. I am getting the tests and stuff done this week, so it will probably be like this for a couple weeks. :grumble:

    The doctors I type for put people on "low residue" diets when their patients are having problems with diarrhea. The roughage irritates the colon, I guess ...

    Here's a url for a low residue diet ... although you may already have this information:

    http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtgs02.htm

    I'm sorry you're having these problems & I hope it is all resolved really soon! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    I have GI issues as well so I totally understand where you're coming from. Of course listen to doctors...but if something sounds weird sometimes it's worth a second opinion. Low fiber is a little strange. I'm always weary of diets that say to cut out fruits/veges. And if your doctor is a good doctor he/she won't mind you asking for a second opinion.

    Just a thought! Best of luck!

    Well it's not cutting it out completely, it's just in case I have diverticulitis. I have to avoid seeds as they can get stuck in the pockets. I think the low fiber is to decrease the trauma to the lumen of my intestine. Fiber works by beating against the cell wall and causing it to produce more mucous to speed transit. But I want to avoid that since I already have inflammation. I am worried about getting stopped up but if I keep drinking water I should be fine.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    sbs I am so sorry about your illness. I had IBS and it corrected itself. turned out I couldnt take the seeds...

    Hope you get better quick!:flowerforyou:

    Thank you! I'm glad you got better. I can't wait until I am! :flowerforyou:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Well I ended up getting an emergency visit to a doc of internal medicine today for my GI issues usually associated with running. I have to get a CAT scan and meet with a GE and change my diet. Get this--I have to keep my FIBER intake low LOL. I have to avoid roughage...so very little fruits are allowed, no nuts/seeds, no fruit/vegetable skins, no brown rice or whole grains. I can eat white flour and refined cereals and stuff...fats aren't restricted at all...and desserts are okay as long as they don't contain anything remotely healthy, like raisins or coconut. :laugh: So I can't run, can barely lift, and can't eat all the healthy stuff I'm used to! I'm still eating as healthy as possible, but there's just not as much to eat.

    If anyone has good, healthy ideas for diets like mine, I'd love to see them. It looks like I may have UC or something similar.

    Is this a lifetime thing or just temporary?

    Just until they figure out what's wrong and correct it. I am getting the tests and stuff done this week, so it will probably be like this for a couple weeks. :grumble:

    The doctors I type for put people on "low residue" diets when their patients are having problems with diarrhea. The roughage irritates the colon, I guess ...

    Here's a url for a low residue diet ... although you may already have this information:

    http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtgs02.htm

    I'm sorry you're having these problems & I hope it is all resolved really soon! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

    Thank you! The sample meals help. I really don't like cheese or white bread and that seems to be the only thing I can eat a lot of with my list. :sick:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,415 Member
    song, I am so sorry to hear of this! What did this have to do with the running? Nothing? You just got digestive issues out of the blue? Keep us posted.

    I heard taking pictures of your children is helpful at times like these.

    (for everyone else, I'm just being my normal annoying self.....sort of a running joke about pics of her "kids") :sick:

    :flowerforyou:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    song, I am so sorry to hear of this! What did this have to do with the running? Nothing? You just got digestive issues out of the blue? Keep us posted.

    I heard taking pictures of your children is helpful at times like these.

    (for everyone else, I'm just being my normal annoying self.....sort of a running joke about pics of her "kids") :sick:

    :flowerforyou:

    LOL, well I don't have any kids yet...maybe I'll take pics of my rats now that they're 'teenagers'?

    I had 'runner's trots' that just kept getting worse and worse, and then the night before last I was up all night with severe abdominal pain and the symptoms didn't go away even the next morning. Running just exacerbates the issue. I am going to check and see if I can do other forms of cardio that don't bother my insides. :ohwell:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Just got back from my CAT scan...man, those barium milkshakes are GROSS. I had to drink two big cups and they were 'pina colada' flavored. :sick: Even though I hadn't eaten for 6 hours, those things took away my appetite. I got an IV for some x-ray stuff too, which made me feel warm but in a slightly unpleasant way lol. I'm not sure when I will hear from the docs, but I'm happy to get a break from medical offices until next week!
  • Anna_Banana
    Anna_Banana Posts: 2,939 Member
    Just got back from my CAT scan...man, those barium milkshakes are GROSS. I had to drink two big cups and they were 'pina colada' flavored. :sick: Even though I hadn't eaten for 6 hours, those things took away my appetite. I got an IV for some x-ray stuff too, which made me feel warm but in a slightly unpleasant way lol. I'm not sure when I will hear from the docs, but I'm happy to get a break from medical offices until next week!

    I've had to have several CAT scans and I just hate that IV stuff that makes you warm. It's amazing how some body parts can get very uncomfortably warm.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Just got back from my CAT scan...man, those barium milkshakes are GROSS. I had to drink two big cups and they were 'pina colada' flavored. :sick: Even though I hadn't eaten for 6 hours, those things took away my appetite. I got an IV for some x-ray stuff too, which made me feel warm but in a slightly unpleasant way lol. I'm not sure when I will hear from the docs, but I'm happy to get a break from medical offices until next week!

    I've had to have several CAT scans and I just hate that IV stuff that makes you warm. It's amazing how some body parts can get very uncomfortably warm.

    LOL yea...the lady was like "Okay, this stuff will make you feel like you peed your pants, but it's just a feeling." I really hated when it hit my throat though. :sick: Now I'm burping up pineapple barium....ugh.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Well I got my blood work back...looks like I'm anemic, but everything else is normal. But for some reason I have to go back next week to get more blood drawn. Why do they need more!? :grumble: And once again I have two doctor's visits in one day.

    I still haven't worked out...I've been trying to eat maintenance in case I'm having absorption problems, but my choices for food are gross. I lost a lb yesterday, so now I'm down to 134.4, haven't been there for months! I dunno if I should count it though considering I had fasted most of the day lol...
  • kelhun1
    kelhun1 Posts: 183 Member
    Just got back from my CAT scan...man, those barium milkshakes are GROSS. I had to drink two big cups and they were 'pina colada' flavored. :sick: Even though I hadn't eaten for 6 hours, those things took away my appetite. I got an IV for some x-ray stuff too, which made me feel warm but in a slightly unpleasant way lol. I'm not sure when I will hear from the docs, but I'm happy to get a break from medical offices until next week!

    I've had to have several CAT scans and I just hate that IV stuff that makes you warm. It's amazing how some body parts can get very uncomfortably warm.

    LOL yea...the lady was like "Okay, this stuff will make you feel like you peed your pants, but it's just a feeling." I really hated when it hit my throat though. :sick: Now I'm burping up pineapple barium....ugh.


    I had to have the barium swallow done this spring---I ended up throwing up in their parking lot. If you think it's bad going down...you haven't tasted anything until you've had it come back up! I know how frustrating the diagnosis part can be. I hope everything comes back okay.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Just got back from my CAT scan...man, those barium milkshakes are GROSS. I had to drink two big cups and they were 'pina colada' flavored. :sick: Even though I hadn't eaten for 6 hours, those things took away my appetite. I got an IV for some x-ray stuff too, which made me feel warm but in a slightly unpleasant way lol. I'm not sure when I will hear from the docs, but I'm happy to get a break from medical offices until next week!

    I've had to have several CAT scans and I just hate that IV stuff that makes you warm. It's amazing how some body parts can get very uncomfortably warm.

    LOL yea...the lady was like "Okay, this stuff will make you feel like you peed your pants, but it's just a feeling." I really hated when it hit my throat though. :sick: Now I'm burping up pineapple barium....ugh.


    I had to have the barium swallow done this spring---I ended up throwing up in their parking lot. If you think it's bad going down...you haven't tasted anything until you've had it come back up! I know how frustrating the diagnosis part can be. I hope everything comes back okay.

    Oh no, that's awful! Fortunately (I guess) I kept mine down,. but I felt ill all day. Plus I was just so nervous and that always tires me out. It certainly is frustrating...:ohwell:
  • tresa1234
    tresa1234 Posts: 796 Member
    Keep us filled in on how you are! You're in my thoughts & prayers ... all that doctor stuff is definitely, DEFINITELY not fun. Hang in there!!

    :flowerforyou: :heart: :flowerforyou: :heart: :flowerforyou:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Keep us filled in on how you are! You're in my thoughts & prayers ... all that doctor stuff is definitely, DEFINITELY not fun. Hang in there!!

    :flowerforyou: :heart: :flowerforyou: :heart: :flowerforyou:

    Thank you! It helps to come here and complain about it...I feel bad making my bf listen to me whine all the time hehe. :flowerforyou:
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    Maybe I missed it--but why do runners typically get this type of problem? Makes me wonder if there's something similarly nasty associated with cycling.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Maybe I missed it--but why do runners typically get this type of problem? Makes me wonder if there's something similarly nasty associated with cycling.

    No one really knows. There's some evidence that fatty chyme or a high amount of fructose or carbohydrates in general can cause problems. The fat creates extra lubrication, and the carbohydrates are digested by the bacteria in the gut in higher amounts because our own digestion is slowed, and that can lead to gas. Or it could be the rhythmic movements of surrounding muscles that 'massage' the large intestine and increase peristalsis. But there's no for-sure answer as to why it happens, the doctor just said that some discomfort is normal.
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