# anyone forced to be on liquid diets



## Guest (Oct 7, 2001)

I'm new to the board and I guess the first one to post on this new site!My situation is getting so bad, pain, constipation and ALL symptoms increasing dramatically. Eating is a major source of pain and trying to go to the bathroom is a nightmare. ALL foods trigger symptoms. I take probiotics and digestive enzymes, doesn't seem to help. Nor any meds.Also have no motility in my colon I am unable to tolerate fiber and am told that's one reason that I'm having so much pain. Apparently if one has a motility problem, a low residue, low fiber diet is recommended! I've tried several things,even gone 3 days just eating soaked prunes, eating lots of fruit etc. Makes no difference just more gas, and bloating and major pain (ouch!) I just cannot tolerate food anymore and it's really worrying me!I'm thinking of going on a liquid diet but can't take Ensure - too much refined sugar which is a total no, no, also it contains iron and calcium. I know this is used for people with colitis and crohns disease, but it doesn't work for IBS-C and no motility.Anybody else been in this situation or know of a liquid replacement meal that can be purchased from a Health Food Store. Please help, I'm going out of my mind with worry and don't know what to do anymore.Sorry, didn't mean for this to be so long, just desperately looking for an answer!


----------



## jo-jo (Aug 19, 2001)

Wow!! I used to be in pain all the time also, did not know what to eat and was afraid of eating. Have you tried metamucil? This stuff has done wonders for me. At the beginning it made my bloating,gas, pain much worse but as my body got used to the extra fibre I got better, now I am pain free as long as I stick to metamucil twice a day. I tried bran buds the other day and I was in major pain, my body does not like unsoluble fibre. I tried dicetel for a while but metamucil is much better for me. I hope this helps you, I know the pain you are in, I hope your condition gets better. hugg.


----------



## Guest (Oct 8, 2001)

A few months ago I began to have severe pain, bloating and constipation with basically anything that I ate. My chiropractor suggested whey protein shakes to keep my strength up. I've been on them since and they really are a good source of protein and energy for me when I can't eat. I have between 2 to 3, depending on if I eat anything else....soup, yogurt, cereal. You can make the shake with milk or water. In my opinion, American Whey are the best tasting but Designer Protein have added vitamins. They can be purchased at health food stores and online. One shake has at least 20 grams of protein. Good luck!!!


----------



## Guest (Oct 8, 2001)

So I guess I'm not the only one suffering with solid foods! Thanks jpc2u2 for your advice and sharing your experience. I'm going to try American Whey - I'm glad you said it tastes OK because a lot of the protein shakes don't. I've taken Designer Protein, it doesn't taste so good and it really hurts my stomach. I guess I'm going to have to start off real gradually because my stomach can't tolerate anything too concentrated. It's soooo sensitive you wouldn't believe it!I'm in a really bad way and really scared - I have to stop eating, I really don't think I have much choice at this stage.Before I got IBS I had what I call manageable constipation. Then I had surgery, went on antibiotics, narcotics etc and my life has never been the same since. Most of my life I've been eating lots of Fiber One Cereal (2 servings -28gms fiber) lots of veggies, fruit, soluble fiber supplement , drank lots of water ect. I'm a vegeterian so it's real easy for me to get fiber and I love fiber foods. Overnight I found I couldn't tolerate any of the food I've been eating all my life - pretty scary experience and I've been deteriorating eversince! All thanks to those drugs I guess!?I've got a major problem, I've become dependent on laxatives (only planned on taking it once or twice but landed up taking it for 2.5 years)now not even the laxatives help. My motility has gone. I feel I have no choice but to just have liquids.I'm glad you found something that's helped you - do you still get pain and bloating when you have just soup and protein? How does it effect your constipation? I notice though that you can tolerate cereal (I wish I could). I do however have yogurt, but that also hurts really badly.Thanks for your advise, I'll let you know how I'm doing when I get the protein. Right now I'm barely surviving and have to take each moment at a time! Really appreciate your help! Take care of yourself.[This message has been edited by onedayatatime (edited 10-07-2001).]


----------



## Ty (Mar 8, 1999)

The best thing that has helped my C (and I've done the fiber route, too) is magnesium supplements. Basically they're a stool softner (hence the reason it's in the name Milk of Magnesia). It's not a stimulant laxative, so your colon won't become 'lazy' after taking it over time. Both my GP and GI docs have said it's okay to take for a long time. The part to consult your doc with is the dosage. The RDA is 400mg and I take up to 750mg a day. Too much magnesium is bad for some people, so it's always good to double check with your doc if you decide to try this. But be forewarned, being slow motility, it will take a while for you to see the effects. I knew it would take a while for me to see the benefits as Milk of Magnesia took four days to work on me. I think after two to three weeks I was doing great!Other things to try: glyercin suppositories (sp?). I've never tried these myself, but that may be something that would help you at least get things moving again.I mentioned that I've done the fiber thing, but since I couldn't tolerate Metamucil or Citrucil, I took Fibercon. That also worked very well for me, but I really had to increase my water intake - just one day of slacking and I paid for it!Hope this helps.Ty


----------



## jo-jo (Aug 19, 2001)

I forgot to add that I'm lactose intolerant. Since I've stopped drinking milk and watch for lactose in pre-made foods I'm 99% better. The pain stopped the day after I stopped the lactose. I can eat cheddar but I find that it constipates me but does not give me pain. Butter is all right, no lactose in butter.


----------



## Guest (Oct 9, 2001)

Jo-jo,Thanks for both your replies.How did you find out about being lactose intolerance? Was it by illimination or were you tested? I suspected that I was lactose intolerance and tried Lactaid which didn't help. Then tried not having any dairy for a few days, unfortunately, no luck - but the ONLY dairy I have is yogurt and only 1 a day.Regarding soluble fiber, it's still a form of fiber which can cause problems having a motility problem, making things worse for me because there's no muscle to push it out. Also have major problems drinking lots of water because of the severity of the pain!I'm really glad this works for you!!Thanks for your help, really appreciate it, I'm not giving up YET!! I'm sure I'll find something eventually!!?Take care.[This message has been edited by onedayatatime (edited 10-08-2001).]


----------



## Guest (Oct 9, 2001)

Ty,Thanks for your advise. What form of Magnesium do you use and how much, how often??. I bought some powdered form of magnesium citrate that you dissolve in water (I heard that liquids are more absorbable than capsules and tablets). So far I've been scared to take it - especially recently because my pain is particularly bad (PMS makes everything worse.)I've tried MOM, my docs also say it's OK, however I get lots and lots of gas and bloating and nothing happens and I then have to colonic therapy which I HATE.Glycerine syppositories (sp?) are supposed to be OK too, but for some reason they don't melt??? I sometimes have to use enemas which help a bit but hurt like crazy.I'm getting so sick and tired of this problem I don't know how much more I can take. I'm going to try the magnesium when the pain isn't as severe as it's been the last few days.Thanks again![This message has been edited by onedayatatime (edited 10-08-2001).]


----------



## Guest (Oct 9, 2001)

If you've tried designer whey and it hurt your stomach, maybe you are lactose intolerant or can't digest milk correctly. My sister (has IBS, Fibromyalgia, etc.) can't have milk either. She recently had a bad bout with everything and lost a ton of weight because she couldn't eat. To get her strength back up, I convinced her to start with soy protein (Spiru-tein) shakes and she makes them with Rice Milk (RiceDream). It doesn't seem to bother her stomach and she's improving. You may want to try that. I use the soy shakes too for variety. As far as your dependency on laxatives, I understand completely. Sometimes it's what gets me moving too. My GI suggested that I use Metamucil, MOM and stool softeners. I tried it for two months. The MOM works too much and gives me much gas and makes me go too much. But, I go. Right now I take Metamucil and stool softeners daily. Sometimes it doesn't work, usually when I deviate from the liquid diet, and I use an enema. When I don't go, the pain is really bad. And since I know that they work, I use it.About three/four weeks ago I started to take acidopholous, peppermint, and cal/mag. I have not had the pain since, except for yesterday when I tried a bran cereal and it created spasms. I haven't increased my diet to "regular" foods, but the severe pain is gone when I have soup, etc. I believe the peppermint was the biggest contributor to that. I used to have the most plain things....rice, crackers, pretzels, etc. and have extreme pain. I also drink peppermint tea throughout the day. But, like I said, when I start to eat, for the most part, the constipation comes back. And because I am more aware of what is going on in my body, I know that I have to get things moving.The things that I have used and are using come from a combo of what my GI suggested and what I have learned from this board and my research. I truly believe that everyone is different and different things help different people. I can only tell you that this has helped me ALOT. I was very miserable, frustrated etc. Very sick and tired of the pain that was so bad I couldn't stand or forced meto leave work early, and everything else. I am trying to find the best ways to get back to something "normal" I have also started to take yoga. It is a great stress reliever, one of the things that makes my IBS worse.Take care of yourself!! If you want to chat more, my email address is jpc2u2###yahoo.com


----------



## Ty (Mar 8, 1999)

I take magnesium oxide, in pill form, with my first meal of the day. I usually take three 250mg pills, but sometimes I just take too if things get too soft. I haven't experienced any gas or bloating like I did with MOM. It just takes a while to see the benefits, but it's been working for me for a long time now.Ty


----------



## lk (Aug 28, 1999)

If your trying magnesium it might be better to take a less absorbable tyoe (i.e. oxide pill form). You don't actually want your body to absorb the magnesium, you just want it to stay in you colon so it can draw water into the region.


----------



## Guest (Oct 9, 2001)

Thanks you guys for the information regarding Magnesium.I'm a little confused, and as you know more about magnesium than I do, I have a question. I thought that magnesium is supposed to help the muscles relax and generally help calm and relax a person, help loosen the stool and also help with PMS??! I'm afraid that it will absorb water in the colon area. I've used osmotic laxatives before, which work the same way, but I've had major problems with bloating, pain and getting the water out of my colon!ANY SUGGESTION OR ADVICE? - PLEEEZ HELP, I'm so confused!Thanks.[This message has been edited by onedayatatime (edited 10-09-2001).]


----------



## Ty (Mar 8, 1999)

All I know about mag (and it isn't too much!) is that it softens the stool, so it must draw water into the colon. I've never had a problem with pain or gas when taking mag, but I've had problems with fiber. That will cause me pain, bloating and gas. I just make sure I drink a lot of water, which helps no matter what I take for my C, and things work out well.Ty


----------



## Guest (Oct 10, 2001)

Thanks for the info on Magnesium - I think I'm going to give it a try. I'll start on low amounts and build up gradually to see how I react.Do you think it would probably be best to take it with food? I've heard that it can bother some people's stomach and mine is real sensitive?Wish me luck. I'll let you know what happens - if you don't hear from me for a while you'll know!!Thanks again for the advise!


----------



## Ty (Mar 8, 1999)

Oh yes, definitely take it with food. It upsets my stomach if I don't.Just an FYI - some people find they get nauseous when taking mag. I haven't had this problem, but if you do experience it, I'd suggest trying a different type of mag. Good luck!Ty


----------



## jo-jo (Aug 19, 2001)

Onedayatatime: My husband told me to stop dairy for a few days to see what would happen. I told him that I had already tried eliminating dairy before and it didn't work, I was still eating cheese and other lactose containing foods and yoghurt. I stopped completely this time and felt better the next day, what a difference it made. I find that even if I take the lactaid pills I feal a bit gassy and cnstipated but no pain. I'm very sensitive to lactose because I can't eat yoghurt. I make my own lactose free yoghurt and i'm fine with that.


----------



## sabry (Oct 14, 2001)

did you try the spyrutein brand? Now they come in different flavor, and they contain chlorophille that is a cleanser too.Many years ago i couldn't eat anything for a virus that made my mouth full of aftae and so i went on for a week only on spirutein and gave me the force to recoverlet me knowtake care


----------

