SIBO, potat-oh, FODMAP-oh...
April 19, 2024 12:27 AM Subscribe
You or a loved one have experienced mysterious gut issues in the last few years. You found good information somewhere, acted on it, and now said gut issues are largely a thing of the past. What did you learn and how did you act on it?
For the last few years, I've had steadily worsening health issues that seem to originate in my gut.
Dry skin, hair, nails, eyes. Poor pooping. Near-constant intestinal gas, often of the hellish sulfuric-smelling kind.
I take betaine HCL, digestive enzymes, and a host of other supplements including a good quality omega-3 supplement. I eat a good amount of "good" carbs along with quality animal protein and healthy fats. My skin and eyes are still dry as dust. And I'm pooping less than I ever have (despite daily psyllium seed).
Thyroid tests are inconclusive at best. I did, however, have a positive Candida result a year or so ago. No SIBO tests yet, but those are coming, God willing.
Oh, the multitudes of possible treatments for conditions that sound like mine, some of which apparently can be counterproductive.
Anyway. Maybe you or a loved one were like me once. After treatment, you're doing much better.
Did you find a good doctor? What kind of doctor? A good information source online or in a book, maybe? What did you do?
For the last few years, I've had steadily worsening health issues that seem to originate in my gut.
Dry skin, hair, nails, eyes. Poor pooping. Near-constant intestinal gas, often of the hellish sulfuric-smelling kind.
I take betaine HCL, digestive enzymes, and a host of other supplements including a good quality omega-3 supplement. I eat a good amount of "good" carbs along with quality animal protein and healthy fats. My skin and eyes are still dry as dust. And I'm pooping less than I ever have (despite daily psyllium seed).
Thyroid tests are inconclusive at best. I did, however, have a positive Candida result a year or so ago. No SIBO tests yet, but those are coming, God willing.
Oh, the multitudes of possible treatments for conditions that sound like mine, some of which apparently can be counterproductive.
Anyway. Maybe you or a loved one were like me once. After treatment, you're doing much better.
Did you find a good doctor? What kind of doctor? A good information source online or in a book, maybe? What did you do?
I have irritable bowel syndrome with FODMAP sensitivity
I had a massive improvement in gut issues after
- cutting out onion and garlic
- cutting out chickpeas and hummus
- cutting out milk and yoghurt and icecream (cheese seems fine, and butter as an ingredient in preprepared meals seems fine)
- cutting out fruit
- cutting out Stevia (plant based sweetener used as a sugar substitute)
- cutting out Erythritol sugar (sweetener used as a sugar substitute)
- cutting out Sulfites (often found as a preservative in dried fruit or red wine)
The other day I accidentally drank some iced tea without realising it had Stevia in it, and had three days of painful abdominal cramps and diarrhea, so avoiding Stevia really does make a massive difference
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 1:07 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
I had a massive improvement in gut issues after
- cutting out onion and garlic
- cutting out chickpeas and hummus
- cutting out milk and yoghurt and icecream (cheese seems fine, and butter as an ingredient in preprepared meals seems fine)
- cutting out fruit
- cutting out Stevia (plant based sweetener used as a sugar substitute)
- cutting out Erythritol sugar (sweetener used as a sugar substitute)
- cutting out Sulfites (often found as a preservative in dried fruit or red wine)
The other day I accidentally drank some iced tea without realising it had Stevia in it, and had three days of painful abdominal cramps and diarrhea, so avoiding Stevia really does make a massive difference
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 1:07 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
Also, for some foods TEXTURE matters - rice is completely fine, unless it's puffed rice or puffed rice cakes, which causes days of painful abdominal cramps.
Apparently a lot of people with IBS have issues with some textures like eg nuts and seeds as they pass through the gut
so eg peanuts eaten as a handful of nuts might not be okay; but a peanut butter sandwich might be completely fine
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 1:13 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
Apparently a lot of people with IBS have issues with some textures like eg nuts and seeds as they pass through the gut
so eg peanuts eaten as a handful of nuts might not be okay; but a peanut butter sandwich might be completely fine
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 1:13 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
I had at least three years of nausea, GI pain and alternating diarrhea and constipation before I developed the classic symptoms of gallstones and got my gallbladder removed. Unfortunately, as a result of the surgery I developed bile avoid malabsortion, although this responsed well to medication and was at least not painful! Basically, have you had your gallbladder checked? Even if you have but it has been some time, it may be worth asking again - apparently 'sludge' can be hard to see on the ultrasound. I think that is probably what happened to me, because my gallbladder scanned clean early on but was then very clearly a problem.
Before the gallbladder surgery, a low residue diet (low fibre, primarily) was enormously helpful. It was very counterintuitive, but massively reducing the amount of fibre in my diet really did help.
posted by In Your Shell Like at 2:06 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
Before the gallbladder surgery, a low residue diet (low fibre, primarily) was enormously helpful. It was very counterintuitive, but massively reducing the amount of fibre in my diet really did help.
posted by In Your Shell Like at 2:06 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have had gut issues since a combination of several harsh antibiotic regimes because of repeated borreliosis and also taking anti-depressants. This was (combined) from 2010 to 2015. I had all the same symptoms as you and inconclusive tests taken. It seems that one has to be near mortally ill to get to an endocrinologist in this country.
During COVID I started reading about the gut microbiome*, and changed my diet completely, so I attempt to eat 25 grams of fiber a day and 30 different plants a week. I am easily at the 30 different plants, because the spices in your food each count, as does coffee, tea and dark chocolate. But my fiber intake is not yet there. I started at about 4 grams of fiber a day, and it's not healthy to jump directly to 25 from 4, but that isn't the issue at this point where I am at about 16 grams a day. It's just hard in a busy life to change habits completely. One important thing is to avoid ultra-processed food as much as possible, and that has reduced my take-out options to Vietnamese summer rolls from one specific place.
To eat that much fiber, you have to really cut down on meat, eggs and dairy, otherwise you just can't eat enough plants and legumes. That looks like it might be a challenge for you as it is for me. But just getting closer to the ideal has made a huge difference.
This has vastly improved my gut issues. It is still not a perfect situation, I strongly suspect something else is wrong too, and I am being tested for a host of things. But I will still recommend, and I am still working to improve my diet. I have taken no supplements since I started, they are not recommended by the gut health people, and even discouraged by some. Psyllium doesn't really help anything, 8 grams of psyllium is not going to get you from 4 to 25 grams of fiber. But also it sort of stands in the way of the 30 different plants a week if you take psyllium instead of eating whole plants.
Fermented foods are good too, and again variation is even better. I have some sauerkraut and some yogurt in my fridge this week, and I enjoy drinking a bit of natural apple cider vinegar in my water once a day. That might be acquired taste. Last week it was kimchi and ayran, a Middle Eastern yogurt drink, it could also be kefir. Wine, coffee, chocolate and tea are all fermented, but obvs don't overdo the wine.
This method takes patience, specially in the beginning. Obviously you can't get to that much fiber intake without eating a lot of legumes, and we all know how that goes. So it seems counter-intuitive to do it when your symptoms are bloating and gas. That's why you have to go slow. And for the first several months, if you just take one day off, your bad microbes will get back into business and you have to start over. But after a while your gut becomes resilient and while you might still have some issues after a day of white pasta with a cheese sauce (my personal challenge, I love pasta and cheese), you can get back to good health rapidly. Also, I should probably make it clear that your gut gradually adapts to the legumes and you stop having those well-known effects.
One little thing that I discovered recently by chance is that the resistant starch in cold potatoes can really sooth your gut. I had some issues after eating out at a party, and then made Korean potato salad just on impulse, and the almost immediate change in well-being was startling. So I looked it up. It seems to be a thing that is backed by science.
* The first book I read was The Diet Myth, by professor Tim Spector, but the linked article explains it well
posted by mumimor at 3:28 AM on April 19 [6 favorites]
During COVID I started reading about the gut microbiome*, and changed my diet completely, so I attempt to eat 25 grams of fiber a day and 30 different plants a week. I am easily at the 30 different plants, because the spices in your food each count, as does coffee, tea and dark chocolate. But my fiber intake is not yet there. I started at about 4 grams of fiber a day, and it's not healthy to jump directly to 25 from 4, but that isn't the issue at this point where I am at about 16 grams a day. It's just hard in a busy life to change habits completely. One important thing is to avoid ultra-processed food as much as possible, and that has reduced my take-out options to Vietnamese summer rolls from one specific place.
To eat that much fiber, you have to really cut down on meat, eggs and dairy, otherwise you just can't eat enough plants and legumes. That looks like it might be a challenge for you as it is for me. But just getting closer to the ideal has made a huge difference.
This has vastly improved my gut issues. It is still not a perfect situation, I strongly suspect something else is wrong too, and I am being tested for a host of things. But I will still recommend, and I am still working to improve my diet. I have taken no supplements since I started, they are not recommended by the gut health people, and even discouraged by some. Psyllium doesn't really help anything, 8 grams of psyllium is not going to get you from 4 to 25 grams of fiber. But also it sort of stands in the way of the 30 different plants a week if you take psyllium instead of eating whole plants.
Fermented foods are good too, and again variation is even better. I have some sauerkraut and some yogurt in my fridge this week, and I enjoy drinking a bit of natural apple cider vinegar in my water once a day. That might be acquired taste. Last week it was kimchi and ayran, a Middle Eastern yogurt drink, it could also be kefir. Wine, coffee, chocolate and tea are all fermented, but obvs don't overdo the wine.
This method takes patience, specially in the beginning. Obviously you can't get to that much fiber intake without eating a lot of legumes, and we all know how that goes. So it seems counter-intuitive to do it when your symptoms are bloating and gas. That's why you have to go slow. And for the first several months, if you just take one day off, your bad microbes will get back into business and you have to start over. But after a while your gut becomes resilient and while you might still have some issues after a day of white pasta with a cheese sauce (my personal challenge, I love pasta and cheese), you can get back to good health rapidly. Also, I should probably make it clear that your gut gradually adapts to the legumes and you stop having those well-known effects.
One little thing that I discovered recently by chance is that the resistant starch in cold potatoes can really sooth your gut. I had some issues after eating out at a party, and then made Korean potato salad just on impulse, and the almost immediate change in well-being was startling. So I looked it up. It seems to be a thing that is backed by science.
* The first book I read was The Diet Myth, by professor Tim Spector, but the linked article explains it well
posted by mumimor at 3:28 AM on April 19 [6 favorites]
Heliobacter pylori. Breath test confirmed infection, combination antibiotics, sorted.
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 3:33 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 3:33 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
hellish sulfuric-smelling kind.
Been checked for Giardia??
That can sometimes result in a long term infection.
My own issues are mostly just being celiac. And that there was a while there where I suspected there might be an issue and just tried reducing the gluten I ate. Nope, I got better when I got serious and checked every packet etc. Sometimes it feels like more hassle to do the diet changes, elimination diet, whatever it is - but if it results in you feeling well, you will find yourself having massively more 'spoons' available for finicky diets, so it's worth it (and if you don't get significant benefits, then that's a good sign to not restrict your diet in that way).
posted by Elysum at 4:12 AM on April 19
Been checked for Giardia??
That can sometimes result in a long term infection.
My own issues are mostly just being celiac. And that there was a while there where I suspected there might be an issue and just tried reducing the gluten I ate. Nope, I got better when I got serious and checked every packet etc. Sometimes it feels like more hassle to do the diet changes, elimination diet, whatever it is - but if it results in you feeling well, you will find yourself having massively more 'spoons' available for finicky diets, so it's worth it (and if you don't get significant benefits, then that's a good sign to not restrict your diet in that way).
posted by Elysum at 4:12 AM on April 19
Seconding mumimor's suggestion of improving your microbiome by eating a wide variety of plants. It takes a concerted effort and I don't do it EVERY week, but when I have had microbiome issues after being sick or taking antibiotics, it puts me back on track more quickly.
posted by metasarah at 4:27 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
posted by metasarah at 4:27 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
I was diagnosed with celiac disease and stopped eating gluten.
posted by congen at 5:27 AM on April 19
posted by congen at 5:27 AM on April 19
I had gut issues for about 15 years before going vegan and the issues clearing up.
Weirdly, I went the opposite direction - keto - and mine also cleared up. I wonder how much of gut issues are about interactions that get eliminated when you follow almost any severely restricted diet.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:59 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
Weirdly, I went the opposite direction - keto - and mine also cleared up. I wonder how much of gut issues are about interactions that get eliminated when you follow almost any severely restricted diet.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:59 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
I have no personal experience with IBS, however there was new research (free NYtimes article) published recently that suggests a low carb diet was almost as effective as a low-FODMAP diet.
It's interesting and echoes some of the comments made above, might be worth digging into deeper.
The terrible gas does remind me of giardia, so seconding that suggestion as well.
posted by larthegreat at 6:13 AM on April 19
It's interesting and echoes some of the comments made above, might be worth digging into deeper.
The terrible gas does remind me of giardia, so seconding that suggestion as well.
posted by larthegreat at 6:13 AM on April 19
I'm pooping less than I ever have (despite daily psyllium seed).
Psyllium is a fantastic source of soluble fibre which is great for consolidating and lubricating stool that tends to looseness, but if borderline constipation is your issue then it's not going to help much and might even make things worse. You might be short on insoluble fibre. Try adding more raw veggies, preferably unpeeled if the textures don't bother you.
If I've let my own diet go to the extent that my guts start acting up, they tend not to resume normal service for a month or so after I've improved my eating again. Unless, that is, I shove 10ml of probiotic yoghurt in through the out door, using a syringe all of whose pointy jabby bits I've ground off. This has consistently worked way faster for me than any probiotic that's had to transit the rest of my GI tract before arriving at the colon.
Seconding Elysum on getting checked for protozoan parasites. Those little guys are all about the hellish sulphurous gases.
posted by flabdablet at 6:17 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
Psyllium is a fantastic source of soluble fibre which is great for consolidating and lubricating stool that tends to looseness, but if borderline constipation is your issue then it's not going to help much and might even make things worse. You might be short on insoluble fibre. Try adding more raw veggies, preferably unpeeled if the textures don't bother you.
If I've let my own diet go to the extent that my guts start acting up, they tend not to resume normal service for a month or so after I've improved my eating again. Unless, that is, I shove 10ml of probiotic yoghurt in through the out door, using a syringe all of whose pointy jabby bits I've ground off. This has consistently worked way faster for me than any probiotic that's had to transit the rest of my GI tract before arriving at the colon.
Seconding Elysum on getting checked for protozoan parasites. Those little guys are all about the hellish sulphurous gases.
posted by flabdablet at 6:17 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
I resolved a lot of gut issues by ensuring I was taking small enough bites of food, and taking the time to chew it properly before swallowing.
Fueled by a strict 30 minute lunch break at work, I was horking down my food like an eager Labrador and my gas and bowel movements were FOUL. I’m not kidding when I say this simple change really helped.
posted by Pretty Good Talker at 6:48 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
Fueled by a strict 30 minute lunch break at work, I was horking down my food like an eager Labrador and my gas and bowel movements were FOUL. I’m not kidding when I say this simple change really helped.
posted by Pretty Good Talker at 6:48 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
All of this is individual, but I've had good luck with:
Limiting my consumption of pasta (bloating galore)
Realizing I can eat one of: chickpeas, lentils, beans, but any combination of 2 or more in the same meal is gonna be a recipe for problems for a day or two
Getting enough fiber
Probiotics
posted by rhymedirective at 7:14 AM on April 19
Limiting my consumption of pasta (bloating galore)
Realizing I can eat one of: chickpeas, lentils, beans, but any combination of 2 or more in the same meal is gonna be a recipe for problems for a day or two
Getting enough fiber
Probiotics
posted by rhymedirective at 7:14 AM on April 19
I used to experience a lot of bloating, gas, and constipation, to the point where I was considering a SIBO test (well, basically, I had the test and kept putting off doing it because it sounded awful) What I did to fix it:
Constipation:
- regular exercise, particularly long walks
- lots of fluid, fiber, dried fruit, fruit and vegetable juice
- avoiding substances that slow gut motility, or compensating if that isn't possible (for me this could be anything from CBD to benadryl)
- occasional lax a day and/or magnesium citrate (especially in new places)
Bloating/gas:
- learning what foods are triggers - for me it has nothing to do with things like FODMAPs or anything, no pattern I've been able to discern yet, just certain individual foods and combinations of foods. I often find eating one thing at a time instead of mixing foods can help
- separating eating and drinking by roughly 30 minutes. 30 is a very rough number, but that's where I started, and since then I've learned to calibrate based on different foods and beverages. For example, some fruits are better counted as "liquids" and consumed with liquids than solids for me. This one is a pain in the ass and you probably won't want to do it (I resisted for a long time) but it's been an absolute game changer and once you learn the feeling intuitively, you don't need a strict 30 minute rule.
- maintaining a kefir and a clabber culture that I feed with raw, biodynamically farmed milk and consuming that daily
- buying as many groceries as possible from a healthy, local biodynamic farm (This one was also a massive one - I noticed when staying at that farm for a week that I could suddenly eat much more in one sitting without discomfort)
- sprouted spelt or rye bread > regular bread
- fennel tea helps a lot
- smaller, more frequent meals
- cut down on sugar: this doesn't have to be arduous, I still love baking and eat something sweet almost every day. What I try to cut out is unnecessary sugar - basically, am I really enjoying and appreciating the sugar in this food, or is it just there? I don't eat random added sugar that doesn't give me specific pleasure. I do cut it out for short periods once in a while to reset my taste buds.
- re: fiber, I know I mentioned this as a constipation solution, but I'm not saying that you need to go out and cram yourself with fiber every single day. Fiber does make bloating and gas worse for me in the moment (but helps my craps long term) so I load up when I'm going to be alone and doing things that won't be as negatively affected by digestive discomfort.
posted by wheatlets at 7:17 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
Constipation:
- regular exercise, particularly long walks
- lots of fluid, fiber, dried fruit, fruit and vegetable juice
- avoiding substances that slow gut motility, or compensating if that isn't possible (for me this could be anything from CBD to benadryl)
- occasional lax a day and/or magnesium citrate (especially in new places)
Bloating/gas:
- learning what foods are triggers - for me it has nothing to do with things like FODMAPs or anything, no pattern I've been able to discern yet, just certain individual foods and combinations of foods. I often find eating one thing at a time instead of mixing foods can help
- separating eating and drinking by roughly 30 minutes. 30 is a very rough number, but that's where I started, and since then I've learned to calibrate based on different foods and beverages. For example, some fruits are better counted as "liquids" and consumed with liquids than solids for me. This one is a pain in the ass and you probably won't want to do it (I resisted for a long time) but it's been an absolute game changer and once you learn the feeling intuitively, you don't need a strict 30 minute rule.
- maintaining a kefir and a clabber culture that I feed with raw, biodynamically farmed milk and consuming that daily
- buying as many groceries as possible from a healthy, local biodynamic farm (This one was also a massive one - I noticed when staying at that farm for a week that I could suddenly eat much more in one sitting without discomfort)
- sprouted spelt or rye bread > regular bread
- fennel tea helps a lot
- smaller, more frequent meals
- cut down on sugar: this doesn't have to be arduous, I still love baking and eat something sweet almost every day. What I try to cut out is unnecessary sugar - basically, am I really enjoying and appreciating the sugar in this food, or is it just there? I don't eat random added sugar that doesn't give me specific pleasure. I do cut it out for short periods once in a while to reset my taste buds.
- re: fiber, I know I mentioned this as a constipation solution, but I'm not saying that you need to go out and cram yourself with fiber every single day. Fiber does make bloating and gas worse for me in the moment (but helps my craps long term) so I load up when I'm going to be alone and doing things that won't be as negatively affected by digestive discomfort.
posted by wheatlets at 7:17 AM on April 19 [2 favorites]
I mostly have a probiotic recommendation. Here's my history and experiences if they help at all.
I've struggled with digestive issues most of my life. Things improved after going vegan in my early 20s, and improved further after find out in my 30s I have celiac disease and strictly avoiding gluten. In my 40s I added back in some animal products and found I'm great with fish and eggs but can have no dairy AT ALL, no red meat/pork, and only occasional chicken.
I've also done (under my ARNPs and a nutritionists supervision) a extremely low carb (candida) diet, and AIP, and high protein, and mediterranean, and I am not sure they helped with anything. The high protein made everything worse, both symptoms and labs.
I also take oxbile and digestive enzymes on my providers recommendation. They seem to help with immediate symptoms, such as indigestion, but not overall issues.
Most recently my provider suggested a really strong probiotic by vizbiome. I've taken many probiotics over the years an never noticed any changes, but these new ones really seemed to start helping after about 2 weeks. It was a drastic improvement. It's now been 3 or 4 weeks. Things aren't perfect but much better.
Best of luck to you!
posted by CleverClover at 7:21 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
I've struggled with digestive issues most of my life. Things improved after going vegan in my early 20s, and improved further after find out in my 30s I have celiac disease and strictly avoiding gluten. In my 40s I added back in some animal products and found I'm great with fish and eggs but can have no dairy AT ALL, no red meat/pork, and only occasional chicken.
I've also done (under my ARNPs and a nutritionists supervision) a extremely low carb (candida) diet, and AIP, and high protein, and mediterranean, and I am not sure they helped with anything. The high protein made everything worse, both symptoms and labs.
I also take oxbile and digestive enzymes on my providers recommendation. They seem to help with immediate symptoms, such as indigestion, but not overall issues.
Most recently my provider suggested a really strong probiotic by vizbiome. I've taken many probiotics over the years an never noticed any changes, but these new ones really seemed to start helping after about 2 weeks. It was a drastic improvement. It's now been 3 or 4 weeks. Things aren't perfect but much better.
Best of luck to you!
posted by CleverClover at 7:21 AM on April 19 [1 favorite]
I have had SIBO, it did present like this (on the gut health end; my dry skin and dehydration exist but are unrelated) and while the testing/test prep is a humongous pain in the ass the medication worked.
posted by capricorn at 7:34 AM on April 19
posted by capricorn at 7:34 AM on April 19
I did a strict low-fodmap diet for a few weeks, then started adding things back in. I discovered a few categories of things that I don't have a problem with and can eat regularly. Other things I can eat occasionally, but not in large quantities or too many times a week. When I met with a nutritionist she said it was really common to be sensitive to some things only cumulatively . So if I'm careful most of the time, I have very few GI issues.
posted by tangosnail at 8:03 AM on April 19
posted by tangosnail at 8:03 AM on April 19
I had what I think was SIBO but it may have been brought on by other gut problems.
I ate a low FODMAP diet pretty strictly for awhile, then discovered a few things I could add back in without issue. Eventually I could add back in more foods. I still don’t eat pasta, milk, beans/chickpeas/lentils.
Bad gas sounds like it could be a food intolerance. If your body doesn’t have enough of a certain enzyme to digest certain carbohydrates, they pass through to your small intestine and bacteria go nuts for them causing gas.
posted by mai at 2:58 PM on April 19
I ate a low FODMAP diet pretty strictly for awhile, then discovered a few things I could add back in without issue. Eventually I could add back in more foods. I still don’t eat pasta, milk, beans/chickpeas/lentils.
Bad gas sounds like it could be a food intolerance. If your body doesn’t have enough of a certain enzyme to digest certain carbohydrates, they pass through to your small intestine and bacteria go nuts for them causing gas.
posted by mai at 2:58 PM on April 19
A very dear friend of mine had a multi-year journey that started with GI issues and is beginning a new phase with a solid diagnosis of Sjogren's.
Did you find a good doctor? She had a wonderful GP who listened carefully and wrote referrals to specialists and went to bat with the insurance company to get pre-authorizations approved. He turned over every stone that made sense based on her symptoms, which initially only presented as GI issues, but over several years didn't fit "GI" anymore. Her rheumatologist has been very good so far in getting a plan in place for an initial course of treatment to manage the other symptoms of Sjogren's.
What kind of doctor? GP referred her to a Naturopathic Physician in our area who has a stellar reputation and went through food & nutrition with my friend with a fine tooth comb. Many of her recommendations are still useful to my friend's health issues as gastroparesis causes some real challenges with her diet. Acupuncture also helped initially with some of the GI symptoms and was recommended by the NP.
A good information source online or in a book, maybe? This was tricky because, as you mentioned, there is so much information to sift through when you are trying to educate yourself on symptoms that can overlap and point to a variety of diagnoses. Online support groups were good sources of information for my friend as various diagnoses were tested for and discarded.
What did you do? My friend has persevered, which was sometimes the hardest thing to do. There were so many tests, so many treatments started and abandoned, and so many times when we thought "this is it! Now we'll know for sure!" and ended up right back where we started. It took five years to get back to something approaching normal, but she's done it. It is possible! It won't feel that way sometimes, but please hang in there.
posted by Lady Sugar Maple at 7:17 PM on April 19
Did you find a good doctor? She had a wonderful GP who listened carefully and wrote referrals to specialists and went to bat with the insurance company to get pre-authorizations approved. He turned over every stone that made sense based on her symptoms, which initially only presented as GI issues, but over several years didn't fit "GI" anymore. Her rheumatologist has been very good so far in getting a plan in place for an initial course of treatment to manage the other symptoms of Sjogren's.
What kind of doctor? GP referred her to a Naturopathic Physician in our area who has a stellar reputation and went through food & nutrition with my friend with a fine tooth comb. Many of her recommendations are still useful to my friend's health issues as gastroparesis causes some real challenges with her diet. Acupuncture also helped initially with some of the GI symptoms and was recommended by the NP.
A good information source online or in a book, maybe? This was tricky because, as you mentioned, there is so much information to sift through when you are trying to educate yourself on symptoms that can overlap and point to a variety of diagnoses. Online support groups were good sources of information for my friend as various diagnoses were tested for and discarded.
What did you do? My friend has persevered, which was sometimes the hardest thing to do. There were so many tests, so many treatments started and abandoned, and so many times when we thought "this is it! Now we'll know for sure!" and ended up right back where we started. It took five years to get back to something approaching normal, but she's done it. It is possible! It won't feel that way sometimes, but please hang in there.
posted by Lady Sugar Maple at 7:17 PM on April 19
Years ago I had similar gut issues that started during a trip to Spain. Many of my fellow travelers experiences something similar so I think it was some sort of infection from the food or water. I learned later that sometimes this type of infection can go on to cause gastrointestinal issues even after the infection is cleared, especially if you already have anxiety.
The first thing that helped was visiting a naturopath who recommended this supplement: ButyrEn . The other thing that really did the trick was going on Prozac. I also made other lifestyle changes to reduce stress. Changing my diet didn't seem to make much of difference.
posted by I_carried_a_watermelon at 11:06 AM on April 20
The first thing that helped was visiting a naturopath who recommended this supplement: ButyrEn . The other thing that really did the trick was going on Prozac. I also made other lifestyle changes to reduce stress. Changing my diet didn't seem to make much of difference.
posted by I_carried_a_watermelon at 11:06 AM on April 20
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posted by thereader at 12:56 AM on April 19 [4 favorites]