People with stomach/digestive issues (TMI I KNOW)

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CorgiWaddles
CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
in Food and Nutrition
:) Hello! I really didn't quite know where to post this so I figured "Support" might be my best start! Ive had digestive issues for a long time and have been to the doctor. I got the wonderful and arbitrary diagnosis of "IBS" which is kind of a broad term... Mornings consist of me waddling to the bathroom frequently where I stare at the walls and ponder life's great meaning. It's rather irritating! :D There for a while I kind of strayed from the wagon and noticed that my stomach was all over the place and my system was well? MISERABLE. PERIOD. SO. I decided to get back on the wagon and cut out almost all processed food for the most part (excluding taco-bell cantina bowls) I don't get a lot of cravings to often and already just drink nothing but Tea, water and coffee with the occasional drink of Silk Almond milk or Diet Coke every now and again but I rarely drink soda as it is. (I hate the taste of non-diet soda and I know diet soda will kill me so no need to point this out >:) it's only 2 or 3 a month) Of course if I want something bad enough I will allow myself to have it in moderation because I'm not really dieting as it is, I came back more for my digestive system and getting healthy than anything. Needed a good life style change for my new happy life! My question to you who suffer the same irritating symptoms, what did you do to change the patterns? What was it you suffered from if you're willing to share? I would love to bond with you over stories about waddling to the bathroom.
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  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    i have something similar
    diet soda won't kill you
    raw veggies and fruits were very hard on my system.
    warm fluids sooth my stomach. tea, soup, and such
    processed foods are easier to digest for me as well
  • acmorris77
    acmorris77 Posts: 80 Member
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    I HIGHLY suggest getting on a probiotic along with adjusting your diet. I just posted a couple of weeks ago asking for advice and recommendations on a probiotic. I went with Renew Life 50 Billion capsules and it has changed my life!
  • LizSmith55
    LizSmith55 Posts: 77 Member
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    My stomach has turned against me for years now. Not so much your exact scenario but equally as irritating and uncomfortable. I have been on probiotics for years with no relief...I just dumped 45 lbs...but I did by a similar diet to Medifast...well the bars & shakes they had me on made my problem WORSE not better....back in March I stopped with the fake food & re-entered the world or "real food" and my issue has not totally gone away....but it is MUCH MUCH better. I think I am going to try @acmorris77 suggestion though & go find THAT particular probiotoc. I have learned that not all supplements are created equal so...I'm willing to give that a shot. I love my beer, bbq & diet coke...I am not looking to become an elite athlete or anything...Just trying to find what works to strike a balance between health & my current lifestyle & I certainly haven't mastered that yet...one hope is that by all my efforts that I can rectify this digestive issue once and for all though...I HATE IT.....
  • acmorris77
    acmorris77 Posts: 80 Member
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    Here is the link to my post: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10397272/need-a-probiotic-for-digestive-health#latest

    There are a lot of great suggestions on there and you may want to play around with them if one doesn't work.
  • CorgiWaddles
    CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
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    THANK YOU GUYS!!!!!
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 810 Member
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    Diet soda will not kill you even at 2 a day.
    As singing said track to find your trigger.
    My mothers side all have stomach issues. I figured out mine, guar gum I'm allergic to it. If I eat it I get a slight ring around my lips, like I don't know how to put on lip liner and then stomach cramps and diarrhea. Complete eliminated it from my diet and everything's been great. Though I'm back to strictly tracking again, developed an even worse reaction to something. Worse stomach cramps I've ever had, vomiting, diarrhea even worse, and my hands feel like they're being stabbed by millions of hot needles. Lasts for 20 to 30 minutes and then everything is fine other than I'm pouring sweat.
    So track and figure it out. No reason to eliminated foods you enjoy unless you have to.
  • CorgiWaddles
    CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
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    Oh I know it won't kill me, that was just a funny insert that I put in there. I hear all the time how soda especially diet of any kind is bad for you ^^ that was just my sense of sarcastic humor coming out. I know it won't literally kill me
  • beckydauber
    beckydauber Posts: 2 Member
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    I have chronic pancreatitis and many foods do not agree with me, so I am usually eating the same things. I too have the same symptoms as "IBS" but mine are due to the pancreatitis. I have to take digestive enzymes, I also have gastroparesis, basically food takes forever to digest as it basically sits in my stomach. Anyone else have these problems here.
  • CorgiWaddles
    CorgiWaddles Posts: 81 Member
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    Ouch. That sounds rather miserable, I hope you can find some daily relief and aren't uncomfortable!
  • beckydauber
    beckydauber Posts: 2 Member
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    thanks. I deal with daily pain and nausea. So eating sometimes is a chore for me and end up NPO, nothing by mouth. The month of March I was NPO and ended up losing over 20 lbs. So my brother uses this app and I thought that I would give it a try as well.
  • Dragonnade
    Dragonnade Posts: 218 Member
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    Another IBS sufferer here. It never ceases to amaze me that I can be both constipated and have diarrhoea, but there we go.

    Two things that really helped me: Low fodmap and VSL3 probiotics.

    Low fodmap is a bit of a pig to maintain and reintroducing food is a weird headf**k of wanting to be able to eat something but scared of the consequences. But it's brilliant for when everything's a mess and you just need everything to calm down.

    VSL3 has basically made it not necessary to eat low fodmap. I don't have many consecutive poor days and try to keep it to one poor meal every other day. But it's so liberating! I can eat out again.

    Also fibre. A few psyllium tabs a day and everything's more stable, even if it smells bad.

    I also have a hugely supportive boyfriend and a best mate who never grew up. So there's no judgment when I need to sleep in the spare room, and I can vent about the minutae of poop to my mate.

    Support is key, especially as you experiment to find out what works. And sometimes, your guts just like to troll you. Last weekend I had full on crippling spasms and the cause, as far as I can work out, was the stress relief of finishing part of my course. Go figure.

    Good luck finding out what works for you! :)
  • roxannesgoal
    roxannesgoal Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi I have had digestive problems for years, and still do occasionally. Let me point out that my dad died from stomach cancer, so you can imagine my fears. Here are a few things that I have found to really help.
    First of all, getting rid of ALL coffee has done wonders. It was a HARD decision but I haven't regretted it.
    I also ran across a book called "21-Day Tummy Diet" (got at Amazon), and it is amazing. It is for ALL types of digestive problems including IBS. I haven't been following it lately but the Shakes (products from any store) really help the tummy. Some people have trouble getting use to them, but it consists of Greek Yogurt, fruit, coconut milk, flax seed, cocoa, tsp natural peanut butter, and other things you can put in it.
    It is worth looking into.
  • AddieOverhaul
    AddieOverhaul Posts: 734 Member
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    Fellow IBS sufferer here, since my teenage years. The things that trigger mine are eating too much greasy food (like a burger and fries, sadly), eating large portions at one time, and steak, oddly enough. Also, the more stressed I am the worse it gets so trying to reduce stress helps but that obviously isn't always possible. Raw veggies were hard on my stomach at first but I have gotten used to it although keep the portions small. I go through stretches where I am fine with dairy, and stretches where it is immediate disaster, however, I've always been able to eat yogurt and it actually seems to help. I hope this is helpful to someone out there!
  • beatyfamily1
    beatyfamily1 Posts: 257 Member
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    Don't you know Taco Bell is known to cause diarrhea? lol It makes me have to go.

    1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. I think it's half your body weight in ounces.
    2. Foods like leafy greens, seeds, and peels from fruit are insoluble fiber. It helps with pushing out blockage if you are constipated and problems with controlling bowel movements.
    3. Foods like nuts, berries, and legumes are soluble fiber. It helps with soaking up water to bulk up waste to make it more solid.
  • ringrosie
    ringrosie Posts: 6 Member
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    Your story reminds me a lot of my own experience, I coped with IBS for over a decade, with periods in my life being more severe than others (from vomiting to that which won't be mentioned). Its exhausting to feel that way every single day. I find that when I eat a lower carb lifestyle, my stomach issues go away entirely. Through trial and error, I learned that I also had a sensitivity to nuts, which impacted my IBS symptoms in a huge way. Now I'm symptom free, have more energy, and feel as though I have more control of my life. Hope you can find what works for you :)
  • pie_eyes
    pie_eyes Posts: 12,965 Member
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    Um ... I get umm... the runs alot

    I'm not kidding , not really sure why. I cook meat to optimal temps so it's not food poisoning

    I was wondering if I have crohns or IBS , somebody said I might have celiac which I think is true, I can eat gluten but I can't in large amounts

    I usually try to add a lot of fiber to my diet because I used to have constipation issues um

    I feel like I've said enough to embarrass myself

    Any help?
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
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    singingflutelady wrote: »
    you should create a food diary to try to figure out your trigger foods so you can avoid them
    I will second this. I figured out early in life that dairy did not agree with me, but if someone had told me to start a daily dairy, listing foods and amounts as well as symptoms, I'd have figured it out sooner.

    You might find out what helps and hurts.

    Needing to poop when it's not the best time to poop...it sucks. No other word for it.

    I hope you figure it out.

  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
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    I have ibs. Its mostly stress related - mostly gut spasms and cramps and constipation. I went paleo and never looked back. I have yoghurt though. When i do have grains or pulses in any quantity my symptoms return. Coffee kills my gut but it can work to stimulate things though.

    Raw fruit and veg have never been a problem - salad was always my favourite meal as a kids so maybe im just used to it.

    Good luck.

    P.s buscopan cramps does nothing for me but gentle massage or rubbing my stomach in large slow circles does actually help me with the cramps and bloating. If its gas pains, a hard massage often helps me too.
  • Kelene616
    Kelene616 Posts: 166 Member
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    beckydauber wrote: »
    thanks. I deal with daily pain and nausea. So eating sometimes is a chore for me and end up NPO, nothing by mouth. The month of March I was NPO and ended up losing over 20 lbs. So my brother uses this app and I thought that I would give it a try as well.

    I just read your message about gastroparesis. I personally do not have that, but my best friend does. I do have other problems tho. If I eat too much of anything with gluten or fat my stomach swells and I usually have to be in the hospital for a week or so. Most of the past few months have been NPO for me. It's crazy how hunger just fades. I'm not usually hungru at all, what helps stave it though is that I drink a lot of water, between 80-130 oz a day. How long have you had gastroparesis? I tried to message you, but couldnt, I'd love to chat with you

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