Gaining weight with gastro-intestinal disorder

I totally know what you're talking about. I was also diagnosed with IBS, but I was a little frustrated because it's a catch-all diangnosis that basically means, "We don't really know what's wrong with you." It includes people who just tend to have a little extra gas to people who have to quit their jobs because the pain and discomfort is so debilitating.

And I know how incredibly hard it is to try gaining weight with a stomach disorder!

AngSouthard wrote: »

After finally being fed up with my uncomfortably skinny frame, I'm choosing to do something to help myself.

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I understand completely what you are going through. I had a major flare-up 7 weeks ago and lost 12lbs in 4 weeks. I still have not been hungry since then and have had to force down every meal. I have mild gastroparesis and severe constipation. I thought GP was the root of all my problems but it turns out that it's not, an endoscopy revealed my stomach was empty even when I was flaring really badly. An xray of my abdomen showed I had ALOT of stool in my colon. Long story short: all the stomach pain, nausea, bloating, discomfort, and sensitive stomach has been caused by me having severe constipation. I highly recommend you read this book: http://matchhistory.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/#match-details/NA1/1622687563/38461294

It goes against alot of what you think as he recommends a fiber therapy to clean people out, but seriously, everything he mentions in there mirrors exactly my symptoms as well as yours.

Regarding foods: it is possible you have an intolerance to certain foods and by cutting them out they will improve your digestion of other foods you think you have a problem with. I tried low FODMAP, GAPs, Paleo, Gluten-free, and the Perfect Health Diet and none of them improved my symptoms. Wheat does bug me if I have it frequently but not 2-3x/week. The best thing you can do is keep logging your foods in MFP and take note of how you feel during the hours after a meal.

Regarding gaining weight with a stomach disorder: not going to lie, it sucks when you're flaring. I haven't been hungry in almost 7 weeks and went from 137lbs to 123lbs at 5'10 and 25yrs old. The past two weeks I've been saying screw it to my stomach and making sure I get a minimum of 2-2.1K a day calorie-wise. I'm up to 129lbs as of this morning, even though a good chunk of that is water weight because at 123lbs I had not eaten or drank anything in 2 days due to pain. I was in the ER twice this past month to get hydrated and the amount of $$$ I had to spend on all the tests the past month, just to find out I have severe constipation, is insane.

Like you, I was first diagnosed with IBS and also told to do a low residue low fat diet. However, I highly recommend you read the constipation cure book I linked and give it a shot. I am halfway through it and will implement the program once I finish it. I've always eaten healthy, but my problem is I was always eating a bunch of soluble fiber, the kind that draws water into stools and slows down digestion, whereas the doc in the book recommends insoluble fiber, which doesn't absorb water as it moves through the digestive track and promotes bowel movements.

The pain will only get worse the less you eat as you'll get more backed up because the body will not expel the waste in it if it's not getting sufficient calories. Make a goal to eat a certain amount everyday to at least maintain, if not gain, weight. My gastroenterologist said that by eating food (and enough of it), it stimulates the body to have a bowel movement. I have found this to be true, so even though I'm full 24/7 and don't want to eat, I know I don't want to end up on IV nutrition or possibly die due to chronically starving myself due to all the abdominal pain, cramps, and bloating I experience.

I'm sorry I wrote a book but I hate seeing people like this. IBS is such a crap term, basically a cop-out for doctors when they don't know the reason. My new gastroenterologist is the first once to suggest chronic constipation and she has me on a drug called Linzess which is an anti-constipation medication. I'm also taking a bunch of Miralax everyday and while it's not ideal, it allows me to eat and has relieved the stomach pain I experienced non-stop for 5 weeks when my big flareup started on Sept 22nd.

AngSouthard wrote: »

Thank you so much for your comment! We seem to share ALOT of similar symptoms, so it is really helpful. I will definitely check out the book you mentioned. As far as food tolerance goes, I'm currently eating dairy-free, gluten/wheat free. (On top of all the restrictions suggested by FODMAP diet. Which I've also found intolerances to many of the "good to eat food"). "Chronic constipation" does seem to sum up a lot of my symptoms, so I can absolutely relate to never really feeling full but forcing myself to eat in order to maintain/gain weight. I have been okay with maintaining but am having a lot of difficulty gaining.
Unfortunately I gave miralax a shot but received very negative results. And I just recently heard of Linzess so it's great to hear someone else has given it a shot, I will keep it in mind! I'm currently going out on a limb and giving hypnotherapy a try. A website called helpforibs.com has given me some good advice while I've been working my way through my first year struggling with whatever disorder I may have. I am almost half way through the suggested hypnotherapy CDs so I am keeping my fingers crossed by the end I may see some results.

Thanks again for your post and add! Hopefully you and I can find some peace with our bodies before too long

You're welcome! Honestly, all the restrictions do more harm than good for many people. I was eating bland food and unable to maintain my weight, now I said screw it and am eating whatever I want and it has been working in gaining weight, although my stomach still feels bad. It's unfortunate miralax didn't work for you, what negative results did you get? There's also milk of magnesia and natural calm magnesium to help get things moving. Linzess can be very helpful, I've researched it alot and many found great relief because of it. Good luck with the hypnotherapy and with getting your issues resolved as well, it's not fun living life this way.

AngSouthard wrote: »

I can relate as far as it seems I am only eating very bland food but I've recently gotten a little more invested in meal prepping. "Bob's Red Mill" products are pretty great for people with my limitations, I can make/bake the products while staying within my guidelines. I've learned to cook with herbs and (gluten free) penko rather than garlic/onion (big flare up inducers). Although I work at a great Italian restaurant so I have my cheat days probably more often than I should and the pain comes right back again.
As far as the miralax goes, I tried it as well as the generic brand (Clearlax) and both gave me the intense feeling of urgency (even in small doses) to the point where I was uncomfortable making it to the restroom even in my own home let alone going to work/going out for the day, where I may not have that luxury readily available.

You're right in saying it's not fun, it makes for a pretty miserable time.

Good to hear you've found some good products. I've had Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats before and enjoy them; now I'm using Trader Joe's gluten free oats because the store is closer to me. Italian restaurant? Must be nice! I love veal chops and osso bucco, my favorite Italian restaurant growing up made both dishes and did a great job. It's weird but nothing really flares me up, my flares occur at random unfortunately.

Sorry to hear about the miralax, maybe try milk of magnesia, that's another good osmotic laxative. Through this whole flare I've learned (thanks to a bunch of tests) that my problem is not a blockage or gastroparesis but chronic constipation and that I HAVE to eat through it. So I make a point to eat enough cals everyday now regardless of how I feel. Even though my stomach feels like crap, I feel better mentally due to supplying my body with enough cals and not continually lose weight.

Wow jbgolf52, I seriously have like the same symptoms and a pretty similar story. Appreciate your post.

And I agree; the major lesson I learned is to eat a sufficient amount, even if you don't feel like it. Not eating and losing weight only makes everything worse, even if your stomach feels better in the short run.

jbgolf52 wrote: »

IBS is such a crap term, basically a cop-out for doctors when they don't know the reason.

Agreed!

Guys, seriously, I cannot recommend this book enough: http://www.amazon.com/Cure-Constipation-Now-Doctors-Therapy/dp/0425227553/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1415726115&sr=8-3&keywords=constipation+cure

He has an entire chapter devoted to IBS and I'm reading it now and he literally word for word describes my symptoms. He presents real life cases of people and how he has cured them. The best part is that he is not selling supplements or anything, it all has to do with the type and amount of fiber you eat.

You're welcome! I will say one thing, there are arguments for both sides of the constipation and fiber debate. It's the most annoying thing with anything, especially medicine, and how a case can be made for either side. This site here is one I recently found and he promotes to stay away from fiber, so if the constipation cure doesn't work for you after a couple months then maybe try this one: http://www.gutsense.org/gutsense/chinashop.html.

You can search around on his site as he has a bunch of articles on constipation, IBS, and other digestive issues. If you scroll all the way to the bottom you will see other articles. Some people respond to more fiber, others to less, you just have to play around with it. The guy does get a basic fact of fiber wrong and that is that insoluble fiber doesn't absorb water but he says it does. He has several things wrong with his arguments, so take it with a grain of salt. Just want to give you the other side of the equation.

Concerning the book I linked, the doctor has changed his recommendations somewhat since then and says to use chia and flaxseeds, 1 tablespoon of each per day, as well as using milk of magnesia to help get things going. Apparently he is coming out with an update to his book because he has found better ways to solve constipation just through trial and error with his patients.