# Farther and Farther Down The Rabbit Hole



## Alyeska Martinez (Sep 9, 2013)

Hi everyone,

My name is Alyeska. I'm a 23 year old young woman struggling with IBS and gut health issues. For many years I've had a sensitive digestive system, fatigue, allergies, and depression. Only recently have I seen that these issues are connected. About 8 months ago I began having severe bloating and abdominal pain after meals. After a few intense acupuncture sessions the problems subsided, and although my energy was low and stomachaches occaisionally happened, I figured I was "as good as could be". Unfortunately, in the last 4 months these symptoms have returned with a vengeance. Day to day I don't know whether I will experience constipation, reflux, bloating, cramping, or some variation of them all. I have tried more herbs and supplements than I can count (and more than are probably safe) because at times I have felt so incredibly hopeless. I have researched for hours trying to find possible causes and solutions. I feel that this is taking over my life at times.

My current plan:

Taking digestive enzymes and probiotics with meals.

I am seeing a gastoenterologist this week and I hope to have a breath test and possibly schedule an endoscopy.

I have already had a CT scan and blood work done, so I know I don't have a hernia or a gallbladder problem.

I am considering the low-FODMAP diet as a possible way to reduce symptoms. I've already eliminated some problem foods (gluten, dairy, coffee)

Most of all, I hope to hear other stories and maybe make some online friends here, because this is a terribly lonely and isolating illness.









Does anyone have any suggestions for what tests I can request from my doctor? Any experience with low-FODMAP?

Thank you to anyone and everyone who reads this


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi Alyeska,

I'm sorry to hear that your symptoms have worsened. You are definitely not alone!

In terms of tests, you should get stool tests to rule out pathogens (h. pylori, other bacteria, parasites), a test for celiac (at least a blood test, although some feel that the blood test is inadequate), and consider a colonoscopy to rule out IBD (Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis). If you can get the breath test for SIBO, that would be great; I believe there's also a breath test for fructose malabsorption. There are certainly other tests that you could get, but I'd start with those.

I have had a great deal of success on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. The low-FODMAP diet restricts foods that tend to ferment in the gut, which includes some complex carbohydrates and foods that have a high fructose-to-glucose ratio; the SCD allows some of the foods that low-FODMAP restricts, but disallows all complex carbohydrates, as these are not completely digested when the intestinal lining has been damaged, and then go on to cause problems when they are digested by the "bad bacteria" in the gut. That's a very simplistic description of the two diets, you should definitely look into both in more detail. There's a lot of low-FODMAP information online; for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I recommend getting Elaine Gottschall's book "Breaking the Vicious Cycle," it's very informative (http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info has a lot of information, and is the "official" SCD site, but you really need to read the book to completely understand the reason behind the diet).

Whichever approach you try, know that you're not alone, and with perseverance you can get better!

Cheers,

Rich

Lifetime wonky gut

3 months SCD

http://omnivoreoncemore.blogspot.com


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## Alyeska Martinez (Sep 9, 2013)

Thank you *so* much Rich! Your list of tests is extremely helpful. I've been looking into SIBO as well and that definitely seems like a possibility.

My worry with trying the SCD is that I find complex carbs are generally the safest foods for me. When my stomach is at its worst I rely on foods like rice and oatmeal. If I eliminated those foods, what would I eat when my IBS gets bad?

My interest in low-FODMAP started because I noticed that several of the foods on the list (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, fermented foods like saurkraut) triggered IBS attacks for me. But I read that low-FODMAP only treats the symptoms of IBS and won't do anything to heal my gut.


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi Alyeska,

It all depends on what's happening in your gut. If it's actually damaged, then I'd argue that the best long-term approach is something that will allow it to heal, and will presumably lessen your symptoms along the way; I think the SCD is well-designed for this.

But if what's happening is simply that undigestible, high-FODMAP foods are giving you problems, then reducing/eliminating symptoms might be all you need to do. If foods that are high in complex carbohydrates don't make your symptoms worse, this may be the case -- although if your other non-GI symptoms (fatigue, allergies, depression) are actually related, then there's a good chance that the gut lining IS compromised to some degree.

Is there any chance that foods that are high in complex carbohydrates only seem safe, but are actually causing a problem a day or two later? When my IBS-D got ten times worse after my appendectomy a couple of years ago, I assumed high-fiber foods would be good for me (this was long before I'd ever heard of the SCD). So I decided to try my own elimination diet: since I was eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast every day, I thought that I could calm everything down by eating nothing but oatmeal for a week, and then start adding foods back in. I was fine the first day; the second day my symptoms started to get worse; and I abandoned the plan on the third day, when it was clear from my symptoms that eating oatmeal three times a day was a major disaster for my gut. I don't know if that's the case for you, but you might try to devise some sort of test. Don't get too hung up on whether it's IBS-C or IBS-D, they're both just indicators of some sort of dysfunction; opposite ends of the same spectrum, so to speak.

I now believe that my gut lining had been damaged all along, and the whole system was somehow further damaged by the appendectomy, and I believe that's why the SCD is helping me. But every body is different. Unfortunately, trial and error (and a whole lot of reading!) is the only way to determine what's going on with yours.

Cheers,

Rich


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## Alyeska Martinez (Sep 9, 2013)

I agree, it could be that I think the carbs are safe but the reaction is delayed rather than immediate. It's very hard to know. Sometimes I have a reaction right after eating a food, and other times it seems like hours later.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

A lot depends on what is the reaction cause.

Right after a meal usually is a meal that is too large, too heavy or too fatty. Carbs may cause a problem later as it takes hours before they get to the colon to create gas.


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## Alyeska Martinez (Sep 9, 2013)

That makes sense. Although I've noticed that I get immediate pain from sulfurous veggies like broccoli and onions.Thanks for the input Kathleen!


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

Alyeska Martinez said:


> That makes sense. Although I've noticed that I get immediate pain from sulfurous veggies like broccoli and onions.Thanks for the input Kathleen!


Raw onions drive me nuts. But, cooked onions and broccoli are heaven for me.


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