# always a tummy ache



## tessamess67 (Aug 9, 2016)

Hi  I don't know how to start really. I had stomach problems as a child, always throwing up. Bad enough to be go the the ER when I was 7, then be admitted to the hospital about once a year starting around age 11. It just started happening yearly. Then in my early teens I needed laxatives almost weekly just to be able to use the restroom.So much pain. Then I would be ok for a few months. The IBS switched from diarrhea to constipation and back. I always had to go to the doctor for stomach issues. Late teens and I was fine. When I pregnant with my kids, severe morning sickness( don't know if that has anything to do with it but they had to give me meds for it. ) The IBS crept up on me. Things weren't so bad at first, I hid my IBS from my husband and kids because I didn't want to gross them out, but mostly i just tried to steer clear of large meals and dairy. I ate vegetarian. As I got older the IBS turned to IBS-C and got worse. In late 30's I got really sick. Got diabetes but switched to vegan and through lifestyle changes got rid of it. But also got vitamin deficiencies and had surgeries so I wasn't in the best of shape...suddenly IBS-C just flared up and stayed that way. got admitted to hospital for severe pain from it went through all sorts of tests. they gave me meds and all the meds did was treat the pain. I found out I'm allergic to Morphine. And codeine. And Motrin.

Lately I've been taking amitiza, for the past year at least. I stopped yesterday. my lower abdomen feels better today. I am going to try some ideas I found on this site. because I've tried so many meds. And I'm tired of trying meds and waiting in pharmacy waiting rooms and having docs looking at me and press on my tender abdomen. I'm going to try and fix myself. Maybe I can help myself a little and then go back to the docs when I feel a bit better


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Hi 
I have a question for you . I'm also having IBS issues I'm self diagnosed . I started to have issues with Pasta and certain foods not known yet. When you had vitamin deficiency was it from vegan or vegetarian lifestyle? I have anxiety real bad can't get to doctors with out passing out. Wife understands my issues but family think it's a joke so I basically self diagnose my self with lists of web info and videos. So I understand hiding it from family and not wanting to go to doctors they basically best guess your diagnosis anyway.


----------



## tessamess67 (Aug 9, 2016)

it was from being vegan for 4 years. I have been reading up. some people can be vegan just fine and thrive. Others can do it right and not thrive. I am on the "others" list. I ate beans, tofu, veggies for days and took vitamins, etc but obviously not enough. I went to a nutritionist and she told me I should also drink protein shakes because they are fortified. But oh well. I had only one doctor say IBS to me, the others just give me medicine for it and treat all my symptoms as they come and go. Even though I've been in and out of hospital for it and emergency room, and labs and CT scans, colonoscopy, etc. I guess they don't like talking about it either 

I just started the FODMAP diet, I just learned about it on this site. And onions and garlic! Just pulled those out of my daily eating, despite loving them. guess what? no more pain! Two days painless. Still all the weird other things but at least no pain  Gotta work on the rest.

I am tired of being a " waiting room mushroom" I hate being in the pharmacy. That's why I came looking online. The meds always stop working for me after a while and then more docs, more tests, more bags of medicine, more waiting in the pharmacy all the time. I was a regular and I feel weird waiting there all the time like it's a coffee shop?! Sorry...I get weird about stuff.

Anyways, vegan isn't the devil. I love it. I go back and forth, I supposed now I'm an omnivore. I don't even want to try and figure it out anymore  Too hard! One week a vegan, next week ovo-lacto, next day omnivore....whatever!

But educating yourself and figuring out stuff online is really good even though you see stuff on the news about " bad to google your symptoms online because.." I had talks with my doctors about it. They say they appreciated that I was informed and they also appreciated that I knew what medications I was going to take and which ones I was against before I even walked into the office ( side effects I could deal with, side effects that I was unwilling to deal with). Also, it helps to understand what the heck is going on which your innards so they you know what they are saying, so they can be talking 'with' you and not talking 'at' you. So definitely, look up everything. on the downside though, there's a finite amount of info. sometimes there is no cure yet and you end up spinning your wheels, so you have to know where to stop. ( had a doc tell me that too, after I was looking for a cure that did not exist, I think for insomnia..or something)

it helps not to be anxious about going to the doc if you have confidence in how you're going to speak to them when you get there  can't let them boss you around. Remember, they are your teammates. your health team. You're supposed to be the captain of the team, they work for you. That's how I get through it 

So, yeah, I type how a I talk..a lot. Pick out the good stuff if you can find any  Good luck. Look up FODMAP online.


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Thank you for the reply.... I looked up FODMAP apparently everything sadly Everything i ate today is on the not to eat list. Figures why I've had pain all day long...i will be using this diet from now on. Do you think I will have a issue using this on the fly 
? Or is it ok for anyone to start or is it advised to see doctor first I don't do doctors... Just to give you more Info on my fear my grandpa hurt his leg and he also was scared of doctors. They called ambulance on the way to hospital he was so nervous he had heart attack and died. This is why my fear has increased so much more it feels as if it was yesterday and it was 30 years ago..
Thank You for all your suggestions I appreciate all the kind words


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Tessa,

I started that FODMAP and I'm AMAZED I have only been doing it for a day and already my pains are fading. I went from pain level 7 out of the 10 to a "2" yes a "2" .. Hope this stays this way.. Only have to get rid of the D now ty again for that tip


----------



## tessamess67 (Aug 9, 2016)

the FODMAP is helping me out a lot too. It's hard at first because you try to stick to just a few easy meals to stay away from distressing symptoms, but don't fall into a trap of the exact same foods every single day or you might end up with a bunch of deficiencies lol. Since you don't like docs are you open to going to nutritionists? I understand the traumatic experience is still with you and it causes lots of anxiety so maybe going to a nutritionist might be easier?

They can help you plan out how much protein, carbs, etc you need everyday on a FODMAP diet, so you can be sure you're getting enough, and vitamins etc. And they aren't doctor- Doctor. Some doctors don't even know much about nutrition anyway 

As for me, I screwed up on FODMAP first week, went to deli with a friend and got a sandwich with no onions, but a pickle..oops. Messed me up for days! But now I'm have passed the onions and moved on to gluten free. I'm eliminating one thing at a time. So I'm going backwards. But I;m seeing improvement as I go. Gluten free this week, big huge difference. I got a bag of coconut flour ( I looked it up..they said it was OK) and rice flour at the Oriental Mart( actual name of the store) Potato starch, tapioca starch..mixed it in a flour bin and made bread...I should have added some Xantham gum..but I didn't remember to get any. It came out ok..not like sandwich bread, but I can slice it. Kinda like corn bread and sandwich bread hybrid. There's gluten free recipes online all over the place for free.

so that's my gluten free bread experience. No pain, no bloat, mostly over the deli( I think it's food intolerance, darn pickle.)Other than that I feel normal..it's weird! I don't have gluten sensitivity I think. I just know, I'm not poofed up at the end of the day this week. I don't know what that means.

And sticking to the fruits and veggies on the list as well.

Maybe even a nutritionist can do an phone consultation...so you won't even have to go near a hospital. If you call and explain to them. You never know, they can be quite helpful if you just ask  But I saw your other post, you said you were getting dizzy? So maybe a little professional advice could help you smooth out some rough spots. Plus Nutritionist LOVE giving out printouts and menus...


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Hi Tessa ,

Yeah I was thinking about a nutritionist. I started taking vitamins on my own take B-Complex with B12 added . Multivitamin and Cranberry supplement with vitamin C added. Yeah a lot but I don't eat much veggies. I have minor pains still almost gone but like to poke me from time to time still.. My grocery store has gluten free bread so I'm lucky . Tomatoes killed me last night made gluten free pasta and imported tin can tomatoes (was on list) but they got me like your pickle  . My BMs are not horrible was down to 2 a day but since yesterday more like 5-6 now but Few more days should go back.. To 2 hope .. I've been trying to change up dinners one night beef , next pork , chicken .. Breakfast same Eggs Bacon one day then Gluten Free waffles eggo and home made gluten free corn muffin with bacon .. Lunch is hardest ... Tuna on GF bread with Fritos there GF also or Turkey but I'm not happy with lunch... Got some GF cookies Archway makes some yummy ones.. As for dizziness think I figured out issue hypoglycemia ... I got those Hershey Mini Chocolates so I ate one in morning after muffin and no dizziness ... Did it 2 days in row and fine... Think my body was use to all the coke I drank and was in shock... Found the Pepsi Real Sugar has no high fructose in it since real sugar so I drink 2 cans a day fixed my dizziness ... I see huge improvements but still have minor cramps not much anxiety past 2 days thank God and D has been controllable ... Very happy I do most of cooking in house so been making sure I stick to list purchased a app also for iPhone IBS helps when shopping... If you find and yummy meals or anything let me know .... Thanks for all the chatting makes me feel better..


----------



## Patrick ibs c (Mar 5, 2016)

processed cheese is bad too


----------



## tessamess67 (Aug 9, 2016)

they say lots of oils sometimes has an effect on how many times you run to the bathroom. It causes the gallbladder to release bile ..sometimes that makes you go. And if you eat a large meal, I don't know if you ate a large meal or not, but it causes the gastro- colic reflex? I think that's what it's called. Like babies or kittens..after they eat..then boom! ( but not me..unfortunately. I tried. My digestive tract goes into shock) Sometimes it might not even be a large meal compared to society standards, just to your particular digestive tract, it might be like " hey, here come a big heavy meal! woo!" and then all hell breaks loose.

Easy, delicious, and small...and frequent! So you don't get blood sugar dips and spikes. And you don't trigger bathroom runs. I'm eating small all day long. Grazing lol. My weight is steady right now. These past two weeks are learning time for me. Today was good. I had lots of opportunities to eat gluten foods but I didn't and my tummy doesn't hurt at all...I don't feel like a cement truck either. So that's all good. I ate rice  and more rice. And tomatoes and tuna. Red bell pepper, chicken...(feels weird eating chicken. I chant " nutrients" in my head  So we'll see how I feel tomorrow. Got some other cool veggies in the fridge, looking forward to it.

Take your time...it's gonna take a while before we all start to feel better...and lots of ups and downs on the way.


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Hi Tessa,

Had a bad night .. Something in the diet made my sugar drop so I ate chocolate and sweet tea to raise it of course I raised it too night was 195 thank god I have my grandma's tester still she recently passed. I'm on the ropes I don't know what to do ... Thinking about adding back bread now 2 weeks in doing well but I'm loosing carbs any suggestions. I'm not sure if white bread was ever giving me issues... Looking forward to your input...


----------



## tessamess67 (Aug 9, 2016)

wow I was in your boat with loss of carb choices and diabetes too! everything was scary cause it raised my blood sugar. Well so you know the chocolate and sweet tea combo was too much. you should check right when you start having symptoms, so you know your levels then as well. They have glucose tabs at the drugstore that have set amounts for emergencies that will raise your sugars in increments.

good carb suggestions: Fruits that agree with you. Cause the fiber helps keep you from spiking and dipping. And mixing your other breads and starches with proteins and fats..for the same reasons. Breads and potatoes aren't off the list, they are ok, but mix them with other foods. Grill cheese( cheddar!) and a side. potato...and salad and pork chop? something to slow the starch from just soaking in immediately. And lots of leafy green things. But careful with that and your IBS cause you know...maybe take it easy with the leafy greens 

When I got diagnosed with diabetes, I was scared to death. Both grandfathers died from it. They each got a leg amputated and died from that. My dad died from kidney failure related to it. My mom died from complications due to it. So I was like..no way. I stopped drinking anything with sweet in it. Just drinking water and black coffee or unsweetened tea( occasionally). For the time I was vegan I was gung ho health food nut. I brought my food to people's houses. I wouldn't eat their food. It was rude and my therapist( for bipolar) thought I had an eating disorder. I told him nope..I don't want to lose a foot or a leg. So they left me to it. But that fear was over the top( that's how I roll..sometimes).

But anyways...fear is a great motivator, but it can get in the way a little bit sometimes. I have mellowed( with the help of some antipsychotics ha ha...different reasons) I still am careful still drink just water and black coffee. won't touch a soda ever. My blood sugars are normal still, but the antipsychotic might raise them if I'm not careful. The FODMAP diet is not a low sugar diet. So, you still have to make wise food choices on it. If you want sweet, stevia! That's ok on FODMAP from what I read. Gotta get used to it. It doesn't taste like sugar, my son uses it. I still think you should check on Dietician or Nutritionist. Remember....Free Printouts and Menus...wooo! I used to hang them all over my kitchen.

btw..if you eat sweet or starchy, then your sugar will drop later cause the insulin release. Just something to be aware of. Look up diabetes numbers. My doc told me a long time ago. I did a memory dump


----------



## Patricia Kammeraad Budd (Jun 12, 2016)

Test reply.


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Hi Tessa,

Good news yesterday I had a slice of white bread today made a sandwich with 2 white breads and feeling pretty good no bad signs yet... The bread had no fructose in it but has wheat and gluten... Tomorrow I will have 3 slices  I miss my bread . Today was a awesome BM day seen solid stool for the first time this year (TMI) but it's exciting to me lol... Feeling good now I can narrow the problems I think tomatoes and onion definitely tomatoes.. I used garlic infused oil today that was exciting tacos . Drank OJ first time in years no acid ... My growling stomach and pain ended so I'm happy .... Hope all is well with you my reintroducing is working out well so far ....


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Hi Tessa , 
I notice sometimes after meals I get a little light headed and dizzy . Does this happen to you at all usually breakfast? I have snacks before breakfast just to make sure I'm not hungry and drink plenty of water and peppermint tea. Just figure it out yet? Any ideas?


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Hi all ,

White bread seems on found that American Cheese gives me awful stomach pains not eating that again I had a small slice from deli when they where cutting it for kids . No no never again.. Hope all is well minor D one day and soft since bread intake but nothing severe . Should I continue on bread if it make me have soft BM but no D ?


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Hi All,

Last night seems like I went in reverse. I added white bread back in diet all week but last night all the pain and gas, nausea , bad BM all came back . I can only assume I'm gluten intolerance. What are your ideas on that thought ?


----------



## Balt72 (Aug 14, 2016)

Yeah feeling better being gluten free .. Ok all so far seems gluten is my enemy. Been few days off it again and already feeling better minor cramps lower left but nothing like it was. BM are no longer liquid but still not happy with the outcome. I will wait few days and try fructose .. Tomatoes don't like me eaither btw . Any suggestions chime in . Thanks


----------

