Not even a potato is safe!!
#213293 - 09/14/05 12:30 PM
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Maritimer
Reged: 09/07/05
Posts: 60
Loc: East Coast Canada
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Still no diagnosis. Stool and blood work came back normal. Xray telling they can't see me until November, WTH?? So, I am after calling my doctor AGAIN, I've got bad cramps now when I eat almost like a knife in my stomach (intead of a twisting in my intestine) can I still take the drug she perscribed Bentylol (says don't take for stomach ache for intestinal problems) so I was nervous to take it. She told me today that she doesn't know why is says that to try it. So I will AS I AM DESPERATE. My digestive system has gone from bad to worse. Last night I was down to 1/2 potato for supper and thats it. Stomach still roaring at me. This morning I had 3 bites of banana, still roaring. Lunch 3-4 bites of boiled potato lots of roaring and then sudden D for the next hour. Great, at work, so I left. Doctor final sees that I AM NOT GETTING BETTER. I have lost 14 pounds in the last 16 days. Now, I can't even eat plain potatoes without D?? I guess I should be forcing myself to take some SFS right? The doctor is going to try to put an "urgent" marker on my xray request now. As for the gastro specialist, not sure how long that will take, urg!
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Oh my goodness! I am so sorry you feel that awful!
I would try a soluble fiber supplement, YES!! Even after following the diet (which helped a TON), starting an SFS is what really helped me get started on the road to stability. I worked my way up to 1TB of Benefiber powder twice a day. I also take 2 caplets of Fibercon just before lunch. These three doses do me a world of good. Just remember not to take the chewable tablets as they contain artificial sugars. Good luck and I hope you start feeling better soon!
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A little over a year ago, I was so sick that even the safest foods - cream of rice cereal, baked potatoes, plain pasta - would trigger an attack. Definitely start an SFS (slowly!!) and keep with the diet; one of the worst things you can do, speaking from personal experience, is to NOT eat. Make sure you stay hydrated, too - some hot peppermint tea is the best, and it should help with the cramping, too.
Good luck with the doctor, and I hope you feel better quickly!
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Try nibbling on food throughout the day. Half a baked potato certainly isn't much. Keep trying to eat even if you still had D. Even a few bites at a time. Casey is right - if your stomach is empty, it's really bad news. Always try to have SOMETHING in your stomach. Fat free broths are also soothing. Have you tried fat free saltines? They're excellent for the tummy and if you ate one say every 15 minutes, it might be OK. I'm just guessing here. LOTS of peppermint tea. Are you taking imodium???
-------------------- Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Try nibbling on food throughout the day. Half a baked potato certainly isn't much. Keep trying to eat even if you still had D. Even a few bites at a time. Casey is right - if your stomach is empty, it's really bad news. Always try to have SOMETHING in your stomach. Fat free broths are also soothing. Have you tried fat free saltines? They're excellent for the tummy and if you ate one say every 15 minutes, it might be OK. I'm just guessing here. LOTS of peppermint tea. Are you taking imodium???
No, I am not sure what fat free saltines are? What are they? I have some homemade broth with rice noodles, carrots & chicken. Peppermint tea did help when I was feeling a little better. I took imodium at first but it only helped with D, still had cramping and bloating bad!! Plus I thought people on here said Imodium makes things worse when you come off it?!?
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1. Fat free saltines are soda crackers (Premium Plus brand here in Ontario) 2. Try the homemade broth. You might find just plain straight broth without the noodles and stuff safer till you stabilize but the noodles, carrots and chicken are good choices to try if you want. 3. The imodium helps with the D and I've never heard that it makes things worse when you come off it as you say. I don't think it works that way. At least that was my understanding. I could be wrong. 4. For cramping and bloating, fennel tea is your best friend. Cut up about a tablespoon of fennel seeds and steep in a mug of boiling water. Drink SEVERAL cups throughout the day. Alternate it with peppermint maybe, or mix them together. I cannot emphasize the teas. Drink as much of them as you can tolerate. They really are life savers.
-------------------- Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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If I get a bad IBS attack, I can have severe pain for several days combined with D and then lingering pain for up to two weeks. I have to go onto a very boring, plain diet for several weeks until I recover.
Have you tried eating some plain steamed white rice as well as potatoes? I would recommend buying organic white rice if you can. Don't use one of the par-boiled conventional rice varieties like Minute Rice or Uncle Ben's, but buy the type you have to make from scratch.
If what you have is IBS, then one of the worst things you can do is to not eat enough and to not eat often. Small meals often is the motto!
When my IBS gets bad, I live on chicken soup made with chicken breast, water, parsley, potatoes, carrots and rice. It's sure a miserable diet, but it's soothing to my tummy!
I hope you get to see a gastro specialist soon.
Belinda
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1. Fat free saltines are soda crackers (Premium Plus brand here in Ontario) 2. Try the homemade broth. You might find just plain straight broth without the noodles and stuff safer till you stabilize but the noodles, carrots and chicken are good choices to try if you want. 3. The imodium helps with the D and I've never heard that it makes things worse when you come off it as you say. I don't think it works that way. At least that was my understanding. I could be wrong. 4. For cramping and bloating, fennel tea is your best friend. Cut up about a tablespoon of fennel seeds and steep in a mug of boiling water. Drink SEVERAL cups throughout the day. Alternate it with peppermint maybe, or mix them together. I cannot emphasize the teas. Drink as much of them as you can tolerate. They really are life savers.
I have Premium Plus IN MY CUPBOARD, YEAH! DH loves them. BUT, is days 0 Trans fats and low in saturated fat (not fat free). They actually have 2 g of fat for 7 crackers. Is that kind of Premium Plus considered fat free saltine or is there another kind of Prem Plus that says fat free. I had 2 cups of new tea yesterday and then I had an attack. It was Rooibos & Fennel tea (1875 mg of Rooibos & 625 mg Fennel. I am not sure if it was the tea that gave me attack but it was one of the only new things I ate. I did have rice noodles with steamed carrots, shrimp sprinkled with garlic & onion powder (first trying those powders too so not sure of trigger).
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I looked on the Prem Plus website and the box I have are the "Original" but they do make a fat free version, which I have never seen around here. Only the original and unsalted tops. Off to go to the store to see what I can find.
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If I get a bad IBS attack, I can have severe pain for several days combined with D and then lingering pain for up to two weeks. I have to go onto a very boring, plain diet for several weeks until I recover.
Have you tried eating some plain steamed white rice as well as potatoes? I would recommend buying organic white rice if you can. Don't use one of the par-boiled conventional rice varieties like Minute Rice or Uncle Ben's, but buy the type you have to make from scratch.
If what you have is IBS, then one of the worst things you can do is to not eat enough and to not eat often. Small meals often is the motto!
When my IBS gets bad, I live on chicken soup made with chicken breast, water, parsley, potatoes, carrots and rice. It's sure a miserable diet, but it's soothing to my tummy!
I hope you get to see a gastro specialist soon.
Belinda
yeah, I better get some organic rice and potatoes.
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Go for the Premium Plus you already have. I think that's the closest we can get in Canada. You can try the grocery store's brand or any other brands you can find, too. As for the teas causing an attack, I think it's not necessarily the tea. It seems anything you're ingesting right now is causing an attack. I would really try good strong peppermint tea. See if you can get it with nothing but peppermint. Sip on it slowly - don't gulp it down quickly. I'm quite worried about you. I'm glad your DR is now taking you seriously. I cannot stress that I really feel you need to keep trying to eat. Very small amounts constantly, and sipping tea or room temperature water. Be VERY careful that you don't let yourself get dehydrated - or you could wind up in the hospital. Keep eating and drinking. Let us know how you are doing. I'd like to hear an update from you tomorrow if you can, OK?
-------------------- Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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-------------------- Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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Go for the Premium Plus you already have. I think that's the closest we can get in Canada. You can try the grocery store's brand or any other brands you can find, too.
As for the teas causing an attack, I think it's not necessarily the tea. It seems anything you're ingesting right now is causing an attack. I would really try good strong peppermint tea. See if you can get it with nothing but peppermint. Sip on it slowly - don't gulp it down quickly.
I'm quite worried about you. I'm glad your DR is now taking you seriously. I cannot stress that I really feel you need to keep trying to eat. Very small amounts constantly, and sipping tea or room temperature water. Be VERY careful that you don't let yourself get dehydrated - or you could wind up in the hospital. Keep eating and drinking.
Let us know how you are doing. I'd like to hear an update from you tomorrow if you can, OK?
Don't worry, I will update when I come back. I am so thankful for you guys. You guys are the ones helping me survive right now. When I feel hopeless I come here to look for info, you guys are wonderful. I am really praying the Bentylol I started last night helps. I am getting so weak from no food I feel like even talking is taking effort. I couldn't even drive DH to work this morning so I could have our van for the Dr. appt. Too scared my reaction time while drive would be altered. I will have to call my Mom or DH to drop me off. Bummer, but I'd rather be safe. I do have peppermint that has given me relief before but I read so much about fennel I switched. I guess I will go back. I think you are right, I don't think it matter now what I eat, it is all bothering me now. To tell you the truth, I feel like I almost wouldn't mind going in the hospital, then maybe the doctors would take me seriously and I could the tests I deserve. Pretty sad when it comes to that to get seen to.
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Let us know how you are doing. I'd like to hear an update from you tomorrow if you can, OK?
Back from the Dr's. Since we don't know what I have it is hard to treat. She has begged the scope dr. and she has agreed to see me in 10 days (vs several months) cause I am loosing weight so fast i.e. 17 lbs in 20 days!) Also, I called my cousins wife who does u/s and she has agreed to get me on Monday for an u/s - YEAH! This will rule out if it is my gallbladder I guess cause I have symptoms of problems there too.
Anyway, Also I got this health newsletter the other day and thought it sounded a bit like me and brought it up to her, she said but have you had antibiotics recently (which I have), from my throat infection in June. It WAS JUST WEEKS after that that (TMI coming) my bowel movements starting changed from normal to quite loose. It all went downhill slowly since then and progressed then quickly in 20 days ago to where I am now.
So this is what I had read, I have about 3 of the symptoms:
Proctitis — inflammation of the lining of the rectum — has many distressing symptoms, including a frequent or continuous urge to have a bowel movement, constipation, a feeling of rectal fullness, left-sided abdominal pain, discharge of mucus through the rectum, and rectal bleeding.
Proctitis may develop as a side effect of medical treatments such as radiation therapy or antibiotics. So, she can test for this through a new stool sample, when I can get one, since I don't eat much...
Anyway, thanks so much for listening...
Edited by Maritimer (09/15/05 11:53 AM)
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Celiac Disease
#213642 - 09/15/05 11:53 AM
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belinda
Reged: 10/09/03
Posts: 474
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Will you also be checked for Celiac Disease? I believe it can cause a rapid weight loss in a very short time and its symptoms are very similar to that of IBS.
Any history of Celiac Disease in your family?
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I was skimming posts and thought I would mention this. You said that you had recently taken antibiotics and that the severe D had started a few weeks after that. Years ago, I took Cleocin (clindimycin) and had the same thing happen. I nearly died from my reaction to it. Some antibiotics can cause SEVERE secondary intestinal infections due to the fact that they kill ALL bacteria, including the good bacteria that lives in the intestines. That's one of the reasons that taking the probiotics is a good idea when you are taking antibiotics. Anyway, just a thought. Check the side effects of the antibiotic that you took and see what it says. The Cleocin states that reaction specifically in everything I've read about it. A person with IBS or other digestive disorders is even more prone to severe reactions from other medications, so it's something worth checking out. I have never been so sick in all my life...I prayed to die! My fever spiked so high and I kept passing out. I was so delirious, I didn't even have the presence of mind to be able to call 911. It was horrible. I'm not saying that your reaction is the same thing, but it might be a milder version of it, so it's worth checking out!
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I was skimming posts and thought I would mention this. You said that you had recently taken antibiotics and that the severe D had started a few weeks after that. Years ago, I took Cleocin (clindimycin) and had the same thing happen. I nearly died from my reaction to it. Some antibiotics can cause SEVERE secondary intestinal infections due to the fact that they kill ALL bacteria, including the good bacteria that lives in the intestines. That's one of the reasons that taking the probiotics is a good idea when you are taking antibiotics. Anyway, just a thought. Check the side effects of the antibiotic that you took and see what it says. The Cleocin states that reaction specifically in everything I've read about it. A person with IBS or other digestive disorders is even more prone to severe reactions from other medications, so it's something worth checking out. I have never been so sick in all my life...I prayed to die! My fever spiked so high and I kept passing out. I was so delirious, I didn't even have the presence of mind to be able to call 911. It was horrible. I'm not saying that your reaction is the same thing, but it might be a milder version of it, so it's worth checking out!
Actually, I am. I happened to get this health newsletter talking about that so I mentioned it to my Doc on Wed. I dropped off a stool sample on Thursday, so hopefully Monday or Tuesday I will know. Thanks!
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Dear Maritimer; When you mentioned the antibiotic use and then the downward spiral of your health, a lightbulb went off for me...Have you tried any probiotic to get the correct flora back in the intestines? This can greatly help with the overall health of the colon as well as the cramping. We're all rooting for you to get healthy...I will pray for you! Terri
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I feel your pain! I'm kind of there, myself. I was soo sick back in August that even being on the maximum soluble fiber, I still had attacks with anything I put in my mouth. I'm still kind of there, right now.......I'm only eating the safest foods like rice and rice cereal, etc........and I'm still having attacks at least once a day. Better than all day, I guess. I had a pretty bad attack yesterday because I ate a morning star corn dog!! Huge Mistake!!! I almost threw up...... It just takes a very long time for me to get back on track once I fall off....Hang in there. I'm with you! I gave up on the doctors. They cannot tell me anything, except that they don't know what to do for me. Take Care! Michelle
-------------------- IBS-D. Hiatal Hernia, GERD
Unstable
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I forgot to mention that I suffer from the worst acid reflux in the world, too. So, even like this morning, I have to take Prilosec and I have to eat after taking that. Even when I'm not hungry......I almost died this morning while I was eating my rice. I just don't want anything in my stomach that early in the morning for some reason. It triggered an attack. But, now, it's 11:00 and I can eat dry cereal just fine (Rice Chex). It's hard, I know.....just have to keep trying..... Michelle
-------------------- IBS-D. Hiatal Hernia, GERD
Unstable
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