# LEAP update



## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Hi guys - decided to start a new thread since the old one got so long. Haven't been on in a few days, though I've been lurking.







Let's see, where am I? Oh yes, phase 3. I have been eating entirely too much fruit and it's giving me gas pains (the too much too fast phenom.). Well, not so much pain as bloating, but either way it gets uncomfortable. I can't help it - everything around here is in season and soooo juicy and fresh! I live in an agricultural area and I can get fresh fruits very easily and cheaply. I overdid it on the cherries today, though....mmmmmm! I got myself into C trouble yesterday (too much fiber, too little water). As of 15 minutes ago, however, that problem has corrected itself!







I am feeling fairly well. I haven't been able to sleep lately and am feeling the fatigue from that. But on the bright side, I have not had to make myself ginger tea for queasies all week at work. Over the past year or so I've downed 8-15oz a day almost everyday to control the queasies, so this is quite amazing! My BM's have been fairly regular (except for yesterday) and well formed. No bunnies and No loosies - again, a vast improvement as it was usually one or the other for me. I did test a theory over the weekend to see what would happen. I have suspected that corn and I do not agree for a very long time. I decided to eat some and see what happens. Only a little bit, though, as I didn't want to overdo it. Nothing seemed to happen. However, the next day I woke up and wouldn't you know it? My itchy ears and nose were back! It only lasted a day or so, but it convinced me that corn, despite being in the yellow and not the red, is something that I will strive to avoid for a long time. Believe me, it isn't easy. I didn't realize how many foods, even touted to be healthy, add corn syrup or corn starch, or modified corn this or that. I would say that LEAP has pushed me into the right direction, finally, but I do still crave my old favorites (Peanut M&M's, powdered donuts, chicken, plums, Dove bars....**drool**). I have sensed that it is more out of habit than a real, physical craving. They are my comfort foods and I can't go near them. It can get quite frustrating. But then I think back to how I used to feel when I WOULD eat those things and I just sort of slink away from the temptations and try to think about something else, like how the Kings or Giants are doing, or balancing my checkbook, or typing long, babbling posts on the IBS BB.It's hot and I'm grumpy. I don't like hot. Silicone sweat is not a pretty thing. It's like the heat builds up pressure inside my can and I need someone to, er, press the spray nozzle to relieve some of the pressure. Preferably in a very well air-conditioned area! I used to love summer and thought sweating was nature's way of saying "good job! way to get off your tush!". But now when I get hot and sweaty I just get dizzy and nauseated, and very tired. Maybe this summer will be different! Let's hope so...I so want to be able to have fun outside in the summer again. Of course, the Elavil doesn't help, it does weird things to me when I go out in the sun.Til next time...


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Hi WD40,So good to see you!!!







Yes, Elavil and HOT do not mix... I was so glad to be able to get off that stuff.It looks like you are doing really well and your body is healing itself as you go along the phases.COOL!!














Big hugs,Lisa from NevadaP.S. Its HOT here too. Gotta rev up the swamp cooler this weekend...


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

WD40,That's what kept me from eating soy - reminding myself how bad I would feel. It works with sweets, too.







Being sensitive to corn is a b*tch! I've heard stories of people reacting to corn in food packaging, toilet paper... If you don't get rashes from external corn products that will help you though. It's good your cravings are only from habit, it will be easier to resist them. I find it helpful to use substitutes - can you eat turkey instead of chicken? Carob instead of chocolate? I'm sure you'll think of others.Did you get my e-mail before or while you were on vacation? I just got a post that they're looking for IT people on the WC, as opposed to here...


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40I was wondering where you have been..I posted a question on the LEAP post asking about you and Bob....Glad to hear that you are feeling good..I know with me the items in the yellow I though I could get by with....I took those excedrins for several weeks....untill one day I looked up the ingredients and it said sodium benzonate list on it...I could tell something was upsetting my stomach and it wasnt the asprin or caffeine in it.So yes the items in the yellow when you keep putting them in your system and you will see the effects...Stay in touch and let us know how you are doing







Couple more days and I will have 6 months without going to the Doctor's office or Hospital







I just counted and it is going to be 7 MONTHS


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

HEY SPRAY!Sorry i missed you for a day in May. Still on the road but this was my last stop (Georgia) and heading back home today. 2,900 miles so far.Do you know what America has too much of? WAYYY too much EMPTY LAND!!! Once you are down in it, for about 12 states, you realize HOLY MACKEREL we could either feed or house half the cotton pickin world if we really needed to. Land land land everywhere!!!few quickies then gotta run: ______________________________________"I have been eating entirely too much fruit and it's giving me gas pains (the too much too fast phenom.). " ______________________________________This can happen when one moves from one Phase of the plan to the next if one introduces each new food or foods en huge quantity..esp. if it is something with an indigenous characteristic...like fruits and pectin or beans and lectin.During the Phase Period of the program sometimes the IBS-d people have a bowel that "returns towrds normal" at a slower rate than others so their adaption from phase to phase varies. So you did the right thing...esp. those cherries...back it down a notch now and in the future. Intrsoduce each new food in some moderation so you can see how well you adjust to it. _______________________________"...but I do still crave my old favorites (Peanut M&M's, powdered donuts, chicken, plums, Dove bars....**drool**). I have sensed that it is more out of habit than a real, physical craving." ________________________________Sometimes the cravings and habits are hard to discern from another as far as which is chemical (endorphins, exorphin, or serotonin "generators" that one became accustomed to chemically) and which are simply habitual.In either case, 2 things are certain:1. stay with the new patterns and new habits will replace ther old ones as each day passes2. if it is indeed chemo-active that will also pass.If at any time one feels overwhelmed with the urge to give in to any craving, get ahold of your dietician...this should be considered a "fire alarm" and can lead to recidivism. __________________________________"I haven't been able to sleep lately and am feeling the fatigue from that. " _________________________________This can happen as a concequence at the beginning of each phase, as you once again alter the content of the diet, bit if it persists more than the first couple days you and the dietician should investigate the new foods that were added. SAome foods have naturally occurring chemicals in them to which you may respond with thgis or other discomfort when it is reintroduced after the wothdrawal perios, and the dietician would need to check and make sure that this may not be the case...so if it is an adjuctment can be made and something else replaces the problem food.Bye







MNL


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

This thread has been moved to the Nutrition / Diet / Recipes forum.Use the Hop to below to jump there.


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## partypooper (Mar 22, 2000)

Question for OHNOMETO:I saw that you said you had problems with sodium benzoate. I also think that I have a problem with this. But then I read MNL's food alergy book, and it said that having an intolerance for this was unlikely. Please tell me what you think. Thanks!


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Hi guys...ahhh I do love air conditioning!







Julia, I got your email. There do seem to be a lot of jobs out here. What were you looking for specifically again? I have a backlog of emails to respond to. For some reason I've been anti-computer for the last week or two. I think it's because we got our new furniture and it's too comfortable to get off of! (I gotta get me a laptop!)Donna, I am so glad that your life has returned to some sort of normalcy! I don't think "regular" people understand that when we give each other cyber-hi-fives about not going to the doctor or to the hospital, it's because NOT going feels abnormal when you've been sick for so long. I think your recovery/remission/new found lifestyle/control over symptoms is absolutely wonderful!







Hey Lisa, they said tomorrow is supposed to be humid. UGH! Just what I need, hot AND muggy! Blech! Today when I left work, we had to go to the Home Depot (putting a new floor and vinyl in the bathroom this weekend) for supplies and walking outside from my office was like walking into a wall of lava. Normally when that happens I get an instant headache. This time it didn't do anything but make me sweat. For me, that's a vast improvement! Maybe it's because on LEAP I've been told to really watch the water intake and I try hard to keep myself hydrated. I'm just glad I'm not poppin' Motrin right now.







Mike, whenever I've had the chance to fly over the vast midwest I'm amazed at how much farmland and open spaces truly exist in this country. Even rural California surprises me sometimes. Do you do all your biz travelling by car? How do you keep your butt from falling asleep?







Speaking of sleep, I've had insomnia for almost all of my adult life. One of the reasons I haven't flushed the Elavil is because it helps me sleep at night. Not working too well right now, though! Then again, I'm only laying awake until 11pm or so, instead of 1am and 2am like before. I never had trouble sleeping as a child; in fact I used to be able to direct my dreaming for the night. Too much on my mind, I guess.My pups are begging me to play so I will sign off. I think one of them needs puppy prozac - this is one neurotic dog!


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Donna, big congrats on seven doctor-free months! I remember your description of what you were going through before. I'm so happy for you!



































WD, I'm glad you got it because I think I forgot to save it! It's long and goes into detail, but briefly I love all kinds of technical work, even Mike NLs posts,







and my experience is mostly with relational databases and MS Office. I've successfully designed and implemented 2 MS Accesss databases - no formal training - I'm very proud.


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

partypooperHi, It come back on my bloodtest that I took with LEAP...and I use to live on Gingerale and that has sodium benzonate in it along with baked goods and other items...I can tell a big difference in my IBS since I have tried to cut it out of my system...Now I still sneak some things that has sodium benzonate in it but it is only a little bite...because with food intolerance it can be dose related...The test that Mike uses has only been out for 2 years....and have got so much relief...Let me know if I can help you in any way.


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Donna,CONGRATS on 7 months of freedom!!! I am so happy to have you on THIS side of all that garbage- looking back- with me!WD40,Ugh. Yes. Its supposed to thunderstorm here today and tomorrow. The only good thing is that ot does cool off the air when we get them. Its not a hot rain, like in SoCal. Glad that headache seems to have been banished! Ita always so incredible to me how many things food intolerance can influence in the body.Hugs to all,Lisa from Nevada


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Thanks LisaI sure had my head in the garbage can more than one time







I would be on the toilet and throwing up in the trash can the same time...







Off to DC tonight for a concert and some plain ole fun...and the fun part about it is I will be able to eat with my friends with no fear....


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Inquiring minds want to know... ________________________________________"...and it said that having an intolerance for this was unlikely". ________________________________________From the perspective of statistical probability, and based upon the fact that as of the date Brostoffs last book was written there was no commercially available reliable way of detetcting this type of sensitivity to the satisfaction of said author, the statement was and is true. It is uncommon...even unlikely...yet it does occur and now with the new methododlogy we can see it more easily. And it does occur more frequently than one would have suspected. However rarely is it as severe as ONO had it. __________________________________"Do you do all your biz travelling by car?" __________________________________Everything east of the Rockies. If I have to go wayyyy over there I will bote the bullet, open the Xanax bottle and just do it. But I have avoided it as much as possible for years...ever since I was ina very near death experience on a plane which was as close as you can get to crashing without it actually "ending up crashed".Before that I was an avid and fearless flyer. Dose of reality changed that.Anyway, even if I did not have that ex[erience, at this time until I am certain they are checking every piece of luggage as closely as they are checking the passengers there is only one checked bag between any American in the air and a repeat of the Lockerbie Crash.No way Jose I have got kids who cannot yet take care of themselves and need a Dad around. ________________________ "How do you keep your butt from falling asleep?" __________________________1. Work in the car...alot of what I do involves "skull sessions" alone or in conference with staff or affiliates, and the cell phone does that if I want.2. Think...self talker







3. 200+ Watt Bose CD Stereo system and a large collection of remastered and reissued on CD records appropriate to one who grew up during the hippie-and -post hippie era4. I like to drive fast. Sometimes very fast. Teamed with 2-4 others in the same group it becomes a cat and mouse game, so to speak, with the Guardians of the Speed Limits...."running in 3 digits" from time to time will keep yer butt awake alright.Eat well. Think well. Be wellMNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Hey Frequent Driver,You're my kinda traveler! I prefer to go by car, but have gotten on planes. I think I leave dents in the arm rests during take offs and turbulence but I seem to deal with it well. Especially if I fall asleep for the whole ride. If I get too anxious about it I yak and that's too embarrassing. By car I average a speeding ticket every 20 months or so. My last one was almost 2 years ago so I'm starting to watch my rearview mirror! Although, I did get caught 3 weeks ago by a cop who didn't feel like writing a ticket and let me go with an "I'm so sorry I truly wasn't paying attention to my speedometer". WHEW!LEAP update: We spent the entire weekend putting in a new floor and vinyl linoleum in our bathroom. The resulting eating habits were not very strict. I am now officially C again! UGH! I've been drinking a lot of water and popping Motrin at night, and so far it's gotten me by, except for the C. No itchy ears or nose, no abdom. pain, no heartburn. So I'm fairing pretty well. Slight headache today, but I think it was from stress (the job was a little more cumbersome than it needed to be!), and the Kings losing the 7th game did NOT help my head feel better (how can you do everything well and then miss all your doggone free throws???????) ...oh-oh, I digress... Actually the C was a blessing - our toilet was not in the installed position for 2 days! We used a little camping toilet, if you're wondering.







Normally with all the stress I would be having psuedo-D attacks, especially with what I ate this weekend. There do not seem to be any lingering effects, but we shall see what happens to me tomorrow. Bye til next time!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

LUBSPRAY: _________________________________"I think I leave dents in the arm rests during take offs and turbulence but I seem to deal with it well. " __________________________________LOL talk about recognition of self! Some of the headache could come from the volatile chemicals in the adhesives used to put down the flooring, too, and people with sensitivities are often as not sensitivie to chemicals as well as food and chemcials in food. Even non-sensitivie epople can get some discomfort from various volatile chemicals which offgas from these types of adhesives and such. it should pass.And I am sorry that you have some C again...I won't lecture you..but it just points out just how sensitive to a change, or inadeuacy in fluid or fiber intake, many c-predisposed people can be. When I used to be severly cyclic, just eating a small piece of beef could simply stop everything for days. Anywa you are making progress and early on everyone learns, from slight episodes of recidivism, just how much they cannot stary from the beaten path (at least early on) without disrupting the status quo.Hows the new floor look? Wanna come over and do our kitchen? I am NOT Mr. Handyman at all







MNL


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Ok- WD40, when you are on your way to do Mike's floor, you need to stop here on your way to or from and do mine to.







YOu are definitely learning the ropes of all this too and that's great! After a while you will know what you can and can't eat and it will be habit. BUT you gotta remember it all rests with you and how good you are! (Remember my chocolate episode a couple of weeks ago??)Also, I read in the other thread on the big BB that if you had read that thread before LEAP, you wouldn;t have LEAPed. Well, I think that is what they are trying to do....Big hugs,Lisa from Nevada


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Me again, and feeling all cleaned out!







It's amazing what a REALLY good BM will do to clear one's head! I forgot to mention that although I had C, I didn't have any of the associated symptoms, ie the bloating and distention and ab pain. I just didn't "go". AND I have a confession to make...ahem!...Seeing as how I knew our toilet, our one little toilet, would be out of commission for two full days, I sort of purposefully ate something I knew makes me C every time I eat it: chow mein. I know!!! I am so naughty! But it was sooooooo good and I didn't have to have a BM in the shed in our little tent toilet!







So overall it worked out well. I never felt truly yucky and when I finally did go this afternoon it was normal, not all explosive like it used to be if I had been backed up for 2 days (that would be the C/D swingin' life I am looking at in the rearview mirror!).Now as far as your floors go....!




























Ever since her nephew's accident, G has been getting very frustrated quite easily. Since the, er, project did not go as smoothly as she would have liked she became quite irate. I just tried to smooth the waters and on the outside stayed very calm. On the inside it totally stressed me, and again, that would have normally triggered a D or psuedo-D event, but this time, nothing. Now that it's all done she feels a little silly, as I knew she would, so I'm glad I didn't start yelling at her or something, even though at one point all I wanted to do was shake her and scream, "snap out of it!".....







Again, a testament to the effectiveness of the LEAP protocol!Now personally I had fun fixing the floor (had to replace a board on the subfloor, even) and laying everything out, but I think one floor every 3 or 4 years will suit me just fine, so Lisa, Mike, call me in a couple of years and we'll talk!







So my LEAP UPDATE for today is, all is well, and so far everything I'm adding has sat well with my tummy. The only thing I did was switch from 2% to Fat Free milk and that has helped with the gas. Otherwise nothing new to report. It's almost boring how well I feel, huh? Is this what it feels like to be normal? Going thru the day without constantly feeling my bowels in distress? It's been so long I'd forgotton! I add eggs next, so we shall see if the good streak lasts!


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

> quote:Is this what it feels like to be normal?


I'm still adjusting to that also!


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

YES! Normal!!I had forgotten too how that felt!Hurray!!Yeah, OK. I'll give you a break on the floor and check with you again in a few years!














SOOOO glad you did so well and continue to do so! (As I knew you would!!)Hugs,Lisa from Nevada


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40 I am so so so so so so sooooooooooo proud that you are working so hard on getting better..As of today I am still not mentally normal..







Dont start feeling so good that you leave us


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Donna, no threat of that happening. I added the eggs and wouldn't ya know it? A bout less than an hour later! And it was a doozy! I am going to try to eliminate the yolk and see what happens. If the eggs are in something else they don't bother me, but just plain old eggs by themselves on a very empty stomach....yikes! I sort of expected that, however, because even when I was normal and healthy eggs on an empty stomach gave me terrible stomach aches. So, #1 I'll try just the yolks and #2 I'll try whole eggs again on a semi-full stomach and see if they have the same effect. How they are cooked seems to determine how I feel, too. Boiled I'm fine with, but scrambled, fried, or omelet-like, no way! Why is that? I should also realize that I may have had a delayed reaction to the weekend stress I went through, not uncommon for me, either. So, I'm not going to rule eggs out just yet until I do further "investigating".Thankfully the recovery time from the bout was rather fast, about two hours, instead of a day or two. THAT was great!


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Yep- the recovery time does improve alot---that part is great!This whole phasing in time is all about investigation: I found out about beets and pumpkin that way. Thus, the phases!So what do you think about your whole experience so far? Is is what we promised??Hugs,Lisa from Nevada


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Washoe, yes, the program is just as you all described. I seemed to follow the normal path that LEAPers walk, right down to feeling ultra gnarly that 4th day of phase 1!Today I was SOOOO sleepy at work! I did everything I could to try to wake myself up and get my blood flowing but I was still yawning and trying to keep my eyes focused on the policies I was entering. And, of course, like an idiot I broke down and got a cup of coffee and literally downed it in about 5 gulps. Oh, it woke me up, alright, for about an hour and a half, and then I crashed back down. Not only that, I drank it on an empty stomach and now my tummy lining is irritated! *WD40*







Ah, but cottage cheese is quite soothing....I am so glad I finally found a brand I can actually tolerate the taste of!


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

WD40,Congrats on making it so far with the program. You're experiencing many of the same things I did. Once past the first phase things only kept getting better. I'm the same as you when it comes to tolerating eggs --- I don't! Even though I was not reactive on the test to eggs the damn things just tear me up. I simply added eggs to the 'don't even think about it' list. I've tried making a one-yolk five-white omelet (yuck) and it still did a number on me. No more!I gave my system the ultimate test this week. I ate pizza on two different nights for dinner and had only a very mild reaction to it. Pizza used to put me on the toilet for hours and cause some of the most painful D-attacks I ever had. I had some mild discomfort a few hours after eating it and the next day I used the toilet several times more than I usually would but had no D and the little bit of discomfort was absolutely nothing compared to what happened in my 'previous life'. I don't plan on doing this too often but I'm getting more adventurous as time goes on and I'm finding out exactly what I really can and cannot eat. Isn't it great to get your life back? I'm nowhere near cured and probably never will be but the improvement so far is just incredible!Bob


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

HI Bob and WD40,Yep- we all still have our "adventures with food" and times we eat things we KNOW we shouldn't.I chalk that up to being human and to just learning the coping skills that have to come along with the GI tracts we have.Today was party day for me (luncheon to celebrate our Avon fiscal year and end of the year Girl Scout Leader dinner). I ate waaayyyy too much wheat for my own good- and I know I shouldn't. But its MY choice to do that on occasion and that's the great thing about it. I will probably have a mild flare up tomorrow and starting now, I am being good again. Lisa from Nevada


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

BobWhere in the world have you been







I wondered what happend to you...You will start feeling so much better as the time goes on ..With these egg stories...I love eggs but there is something in them that tears me up...Bob please keep in touch here and let us know how you are doing...I am not perfect at following directions but I have done good so far...EXCEPT TURN YOU HEAD MIKE..I did drink a ginger ale mixed with fruit punch...both had sodium benzonate in thembut I was fine...Just had to take that test...We had a tornado here at work the other day and I just left...It crushed 6 cars and all that is left is the tires...It didnt bother our building but they sent us home yesterday with the day off with pay.....







No one was hurt but the power of Mother Nature is incredible...


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Donna...see this on the other thread? You have comany...where is that CVS community, time to visit







Just arrived in mail today and do not know if MD intended to allow use of his name or not. Pending release letter is set forth absent phsycian name: ____________________________________May 29, 2002To whom It May Concern,R.M. is a middle aged white female whom I have been seeing for approximately one year. She suffers from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome, which is only recently recognized in adults and is known to be a migraine variant affecting the GI tract.It is a syndrome characterized by intermittent profuse vomiting , usually associated with severe pain. R.M. has had a particularly severe case and has been evaluated at multiple medical centers including university medical centers such as the Mayo Clinic.We conducted LEAP testing on the patient and after counseling and adherance to diet, she has set a new record by going as long as 7 weeks and counting without narcotic injection for pain and symptom control. She and I have both been very impressed with the success, not only of this patient but others, and she is, for obvious reasons, highly motivated to remain compliant.Sincerely,Dr. XXXX XXXX, M.D. (Texas)(letter on file)







MNL


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Mike I sent you email about what I was going to put here


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

DONNA!So glad you are safe!!!!Hugs,Lisa from Nevada


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

So sleepy today again, but resisted the urge to use coffee to snap me out of it. Instead I ate fruit and listened to the new Amy Grant CD, and it got me thru 'til lunch.Donna, on the bright side, there are no storms raging in your intestines! Natural disasters are interesting. I've been thru a hurricane, tornado, and flood. None of them very major. The tornadoes that tore thru Moore, OK a couple years back missed my brother's house by less than a mile. WHEW! Glad to hear you're okay.UPDATE:Had 3 BM's today, the last one semi-urgent, but not painful. As far as the IBS goes (meaning D attacks, pain in the lower regions, stubborn C) it seems very well under control. The nausea has been kept to a minimum. I had a little bit of queasies today but a little ginger tea took care of it right away. Still having chest pains, although I don't feel like there is an elephant sitting on my chest anymore! I seem to get the pains when I eat only a little bit of food, like just enough cherries or yogurt to make my stomach stop growling until my next meal. I really want the pain to go away because then I can wean myself off of the Elavil.Been having trouble staying asleep at night, probably due to my bizarre dreams as of late. Relaxation exercises seem to be helping with the chset pain, but not so much with the sleep thing. I had posted a big ol long thing but it didn't go thru, so this is the abbreviated version. It's time for bed and my hands are really tired today.Til next time!


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Hey all,







This egg thing is interesting because I have trouble with them also. I noticed for a few years back when I ate scrambled or omelette style I got bad indigestion. I stopped that but still used them for baking.Then last Dec. I made a salmon loaf with 2 eggs and ate some every day, and I identified what appeared to be an allergic reaction - fatige for 3 days and then also a nagging sinus headache for 3 days. I posted it at the time, and this is part of Mike's comment: "it could be reflective of either a delayed hypersensitivity reaction or an allergic reaction with a mild initial reaction and mild late phase reaction."I'm mentioning this because until then I had not been aware of the fatigue and other effects from eggs, so you all might want to watch for such things - Like you I had noticed the tummy ache from eating eggs by themselves.WD40, can you drink tea instead of coffee? I do, it really helps - I doubt I could get through a workday without caffeine! It comes in so many kinds, I'm currently drinking China Black and Earl Gray, as well as Cammomile. Also I think maybe a piece of bread or another starch would be a better snack for you than just fruit - I always find something starchy is better at quelling hunger pangs.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

WD40Listening to your tight chest and bizarro dreams, something I can relate to froma life of bizaro dreams, have you discussed this with your doctor as a doseage adjustment might be warranted...or might not....that's her job to determine?Waht other meds are you on or is that it? Also have you used the Stress Reduction CD's we use from Dr's Weinstock and Lipsitz? This is an adjunct which may also be helpful.Also, what phase are you in and what specific foods are you eating now....sort of have to see if the residual nausea you get is related to the phsyiology of the diet or perhaps the medication...first look and make sure that there maym not be a food which can cause any pseudoallergy still in the diet or contains any neuroactive chemicals by nature.Now you start getting into the finer points and a chance to refine within a narrow range reather than an overhwelming array.Such is the nature of a "program" vs "a diet".You might cc c lip of this post to your RD so she knows what I asked you here all on my own without talking to her..."all on same page" so to speak.MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

*Mike*, when I was a kid I used to be able to "direct" my dreams, kind of control what it was I would dream about. If I went to sleep without thinking about it I would always have strange, vivid, and colorful dreams. It's been chalked up to a very active mind and imagination. Apparantly a lot of people don't remember their dreams. I not only remember them, I can write detailed stories based on them! Since the Elavil the dreams have become much more surreal, and sometimes disturbing. I told my doctor about it and he said that's actually a normal side effect of the Elavil and not to worry about it. This has been happening for a long time so I know it has nothing to do with LEAP. Oh, BTW I start phase 4 tomorrow. As far as the nausea goes, it is a side effect of my lack of proper sleep, I think. When I was a teenager I would get queasy if I didn't get enough sleep. Usually food helps it go away. After the IBS started it was just non-stop nausea for about 6 years, until I managed to get it down to just being queasy all the time with occasionally severe nausea (and I won't mention how I would handle the REALLY bad nausea episodes!







). The fact that I'm only mildly queasy every once in a while is a vast improvement, and it's actually a good sign for me that LEAP is helping. Jan will be calling me Monday or Tuesday - I was going to mention all this to her then. *Julia*, eggs don't bother me if it's mixed in with something else, either. I can bake with them, eat them in a potato salad, etc. I can also eat boiled eggs without any kind of reaction. (Okay, except maybe some stinky gas a few hours later, but that's another story!







) But if I scramble them or make an omelet, watch out belly! Fried eggs are hit and miss. Very strange!







As far as tea goes, it's on my yellow list! Before the IBS I used to drink iced tea almost exclusively, I love it so much. Now it will have to wait for phase 6 when I can test it. I can have herbal teas but most of them relax me to the point of drowsiness. I'll stick with ginger tea for now. Coffee is actually on my phase 5 list. It doesn't really trigger IBS attacks, it just makes my stomach lining burn sometimes. I can't take it on an empty stomach, but with food I think I'd be okay with a little coffee. Today I slept in until 8am and I feel fine, not sleepy at all.*Bob*, that omelet sounds like it was pretty yuck! Pizza??? I remember pizza....er, I think I remember it anyway...it's that pie-shaped thing with tomato sauce and pepperoni, right? LOL - pizza used to tear me up as well. I'm going to test it during phase 6. Are you starting to recognize when your body says it's okay to indulge a little bit in something that was once a gut killer? I find that if I wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed (or, rather, with a shine on my can and my nozzle unclogged) I can cheat a little bit with little to no effect. If I wake up feeling slightly grungy I know to stick to the plan like my life depends on it (and in a way, it does!) and I will feel fine in a matter of hours. I haven't had a true IBS attack since phase 1, with a slight bout during the beginning of phase 3, and then the attack of the killer omelet. Even then the egg bout wasn't as bad as it used to be and I recovered from it in about 2 hours. Are you finding your energy level increased? Except for the last few days when I've felt sleepy all day, I definately get more done around the house now. I'm just loving this!


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

WD40,A 1-yolk 5-egg white omelette is, in my opinion, not edible. I forced myself to eat it just to see what would happen. I could not eat one of those things regularly -- I either have to eat a fully-yolked omelette or no omelette -- and I've decided to make it 'no omelette'. I am going to have to try hard-boiled eggs and see what happens. I used to like deviled eggs and don't remember a big reaction to them but it was so long ago that I've had deviled eggs I even forgot what they tasted like. Sounds like another experiment for the weekend!I can usually tell after the morning BM how the rest of the day will go. If I feel pretty good at 10:00 then I might 'loosen up' on the diet for one meal only, usually to see what will happen. I won't do this two days in a row, only once or maybe twice a week and again only at one meal. If I don't feel really good that day then I follow the diet to the letter. I still have good days and not-so-good days but haven't had a D-attack in (for me) a long time. The urgency is still there but is easier to control than before. I don't get the 'explosions' and the 30-second warnings anymore. The urgency is still something I have to work on. A 1/2 tablet of Imodium every two or three days usually takes care of the urgency issue but I'm also attempting to go completely drug-free now. I think I've gone almost two weeks without any drugs, something I've never done before--- when I can't specifically remember when I took the last pill then it must've been a while back. The pizza test of last week was just that --- a test. I won't add pizza to my diet because I know it will screw things up real bad if I do. I still try to eat foods in their most simple form, not spiced up with 25 different ingredients. Salt and pepper are the most common flavor-enhancers I use.Energy-wise I can't really say if there is a difference. Sometimes I get sleepy right after lunch but I've always done this. I sometimes don't sleep especially well at night but that's been going on for a few years now. For me, caffeine initially works in reverse. After a cup of regular tea or coffee my eyes get heavy and I get tired and even talking on the phone is a 'chore'. About an hour later I wake back up and get slightly jittery and about an hour after that I'm back to where I started from. Wierd, I know, but I've always been that way!This program is starting to cost me more money. I had to go to the mall this evening and buy some new pants and belts because the old ones were too big. My weight stabilized at 15 pounds under what I started at and my waist size is down about 3", I now need a 34 waist and when I started the LEAP program the 36's were getting really tight. Actually, I'm happy to be buying smaller clothes instead of larger ones. It's truly an expense I am happy to pay!I'm glad I started this program. Thanks again everybody for all the help you've given me!Bob


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Bob, no weight loss for me, so I'm quite jealous! But on the other hand I will be able to start exercising soon, and I've always been one who MUST exercise to lose weight. I can't cut too much food out because feeling hungry makes me extremely nauseated and I get really bad headaches. It's not as bad now as it used to be, that's for sure, so maybe one day my stomach growling won't feel like a torture chamber caught in my insides. I love deviled eggs (my mom calls them angel eggs







) and they never seemed to do anything to me, either. I have to stay away from mustard right now, so I can't indulge in that particular treat.Today has been strange as I've not really had an appetite since lunch. Before then I was growling like crazy. But since then, I just feel yuk. Not IBS yuk, just yuk in general because it's "that" time of month and I'm very crampy and miserable. Ugh!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Morning quickies... _________________________________________“….This has been happening for a long time so I know it has nothing to do with LEAP.” _________________________________________Kind of figured it was from the Elavil but was/is “not my place” to make that determination, only the doc should evaluate that and consider the dose/results. I know what you mean about dream consciousness….have always been able to demonstrate good recollection of full Technicolor dreaming, and as you suggest, able to direct them to a degree based upon line of focuses thought while going to sleep. Also was able even as a kid to sometimes with concentration isolate my conscious mind from the dreaming mind, recognize I was dreaming and observe it as a third party, and even decide if I did or did not like the way things were going to terminate or continue (terminate by forcing myself to awaken when the meat-ravenous bloody toothed wolves were tearing into my various body parts etc…”OK lets wake up now this is not where I want to be”…POP!). Also struggled terribly with the experience of frequent precognition was a kid. Scred the stuffins outta me whenever it happned… _____________________________________"The fact that I'm only mildly queasy every once in a while is a vast improvement," ______________________________________Good as long as symptoms diminish it is normal for it to happen over time…we did not instantly develop the problems so they do not melt away in a day. So long as there is improvement, I will be interested to see where it as after about 120 days…if any persists this would be a good time to zero in on other lifestyle issues and precursor events for patterning ____________________________________“eggs don't bother me if it's mixed in with something else,….etc.” ____________________________________This is a very good description of one aspect of dose-dependency in food hypersensitivity that eludes most people sunderstanding. DOSE (ingestion) over TIME (amount of exposure to small gut surface over time thus presentation to whatever the lost-tolerance mechanisms is for you).People tend to think in terms of allergy (no dose dependency) and then sort fo get the idea when on the limited-foods diet phases of potato in reaction on….think of it this way…if you mix the egs in with other food as an ingredient the amount of the provoking substance contained within a given amount of food is reduced. Thus as that volume of food passes through the intestine being digested at any given time less of the offending food or chemical is exposed to the surface are of the bowel at each specific location for each specific time….so the degree of reaction provoked is less, or may even be below the provoking dose.Now you could reverse this by combining a bunch of foods which each have eggs in them into the same meal so that you then increase the dose per time to a level approaching eating a whole egg…which puts a big bolus of “antigen” right there at the lumen-gut wall interface where whatever mechanism of the many possible would be activated…dose dependency comes in many forms. And this is one aspect of food sensitivity that makes those without experience in it deny it exists…they have not considered these parameters nor observed them. Nor read the work of those who have. _____________________________________“I had to go to the mall this evening and buy some new pants and belts because the old ones were too big. My weight stabilized at 15 pounds under what I started at and my waist size is down about 3", I now need a 34 waist and when I started the LEAP program the 36's were getting really tight. Actually, I'm happy to be buying smaller clothes instead of larger ones. It's truly an expense I am happy to pay!” _________________________________________This is very common…the average weight loss varies but is usually 10 pounds or less. But depending upon the person and the many factors which will influence their weight as their diet is changed and reactive foods removed it is occasionally much more. Have seen up to 40 pounds or more evaporate. _____________________________________“Not IBS yuk, just yuk in general because it's "that" time of month and I'm very crampy and miserable. Ugh! ” ____________________________________Your lucky in a way as a lot of females experience exacerbatuion of their gut symptoms as the prostaglandin levels change with their cycle….they don’t just casue the smooth muscle of the uterus to cramp but often the smooth muscle of the gut as well. Hope you feel better.Eat well. Think well. Be well.MNL


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Glad you are doing good Bob...It is strange about the eggs...because they will tear me up...but I love them..


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Today I again have had no appetite. I felt so sick after eating a very small lunch that I almost went home from work. I really hate doing that. I stuck it out, but ended up sipping a couple of ounces of Sprite to help calm my stomach down. I shouldn't have had any because of the corn syrup but it did seem to help the queasies a bit and I only had a couple of ounces, like I said. (Unfortunately I forgot my coffee mug and couldn't make any ginger tea. I gotta remember to take a spare mug tomorrow!)I'm not sure why I feel so yucky, except that "G" just told me there's a D bug going around her place of employment. Plus, there were 4 people out yesterday in my department, and only 2 had previous requests. The other two did not feel well. So I may have picked up a bug from either place. That's certainly how I feel. Plus my period is being unusually heavy this month and it's not helping matters.I managed to eat some bread, cottage cheese, and a couple bites of pineapple for dinner. It's almost time for bed and I'm still not hungry. Plus I was very, very gassy this morning and made me feel all bloated. I don't know why I'm so queasy, too...I had been feeling so well lately that I'd forgotton what this all feels like. YUK is how it feels! I was also having hot flashes all day. Maybe this is all just hormonal. I hope so, because maybe then I'll feel better tomorrow. I can't say I've eaten anything bad for me because I've hardly eaten in 2 days. We'll see how tomorrow goes. It's gotta get better as I can't feel much worse.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

WDif it is any consolation, I woke up feeling crappy and with a fever...queasy belly, fog brain, dull head pain and I am prety sure it is not food intolerance too.the only diff is it is not my time of the month, so this variable is added to your picture. If you have been sticking to the protocol it is unlikely it is anything but the way some ladies feel at crtain points in the cycle. One thing to keep in mind is that the propemsity to have reduced oral tolerasnce, from a clinical perspective, will appear and feel to be greater whenever some event occurs which causes some of the same "mediator events" to occur as if you were reacting. Thus, during times of the cycle when prostaglnadin levels are elevated as a consequence, the threshold for symptom onset from any food or chemical sensitivity will feel like it has been lowered. Something that is very mild to borderline under normal conditions (like a food or chemical which would be seen on your assay report as "safe", in the green, but at the highe end of the plasma volume differential scale, green bar near the yellow zone, or a yellow which is so low that you probably would not even noptice it if you had it alone) during a period you are experiencing, or if you got the flu or a cold, or some other ecvent which cranks up immune response, will feel like you have a lot less tolerance for it.This may be because you do become more reactive during phase of active infection or during a period of eleveted PG levels, or simply the additive effetcs of 2+2 now equals 4 and you feel crappy when you would not normally feel crappy.It is so much more hassle, and much more labile, than "food allergy" for many reasons....this is one example.Me? ugh I just got the flu like I need this right now...







Shutup MNL







CrybabyNL


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

3 people have the flu here at work and one stayed and didnt go home...I hope I dont get that stuff..She would go in the bathroom and get sick and then go back to her office







I dont know why in the world they stay home instead of bringing it here...I dont want that throwing-up for nothing..it has been 7 months since I throwed-up and I dont want to know...


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Wow, I hope everyone feels better! I guess we're lucky here, there's only a fairly mild cold going around. I had it about 2 weeks ago, my colleague had it this week.Donna, don't you just hate people who are "so important" they can't go home when they're sick?







like the world will stop without them!







I hope you all feel better soon and those who haven't caught it, don't! Mike, go ahead and cry, you'll feel better.


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

WD40, Mike- feel better!Donna and Julia, Hope you stay well!So far, we are OK here- just some mild colds/sinus #### that we will be over soon.Mike? You have a time of the month? Wow.Hugs to all,Lisa from Nevada


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

yeah, the time when the mortgage and car payments come due..talk about cramping....


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Ah, yes.Then I have two times of the month.I think I dislike the mortgage/car payment one worse. (BUT this next month is our last car payment! YAY! And just in time for the thing to die... its a 1990 Dodge Caravan which is not known for its longevity...)Lisa fron Nevada


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

I stayed home from work yesterday but was able to go in today. I feel better but still a bit woozy. I am starting to think that my GERD was triggered as I had all the symptoms - gastritis-type pain, reflux, nausea, trouble swallowing and globus, lack of appetite. My appetite is a little better today as is the gastritis. Still having spasms in my throat and some reflux. I definately need to do relaxation therapy tonight - everything inside feels tight.I think what triggered the GERD was taking 600+mg Motrin 4 days in a row. (2 days before my period for PMS headaches and the first 2 days of my period for massive cramps). I realized that whenever I have had to take that much Motrin I always feel really bad afterward in my stomach. I don't think it was a bug because I didn't ever really get D or a temperature or anything like that. I don't really know why my period was so bad this month, but it was. I wasn't expecting it because I've been eating so many veggies and drinking so much water. I heard that was supposed to help with PMS and cramps. Today I'm recovering, still very aware of my stomach lining and throat. And, for some reason, I've become very melancholy, feeling sad or down for absolutely no reason whatsoever. It's weird. Like I have tunnel vision and couldn't care less about anything happening around me. And tired. Very, very tired. But, no D or C or intestinal cramps so I should be happy about that at least. "G" brought me flowers today to try to cheer me up. Poor thing can't figure me out this week.Anyway, I've stalled my "Phase" at where I was on Tuesday. I didn't want to add anything in until I felt better so I could more accurately read my body's reactions. But to be honest, right now if I never saw another morsel of food I would not care. Somebody, please slap me outta this!


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Nah, WD40 I'd rather give you a hug (((WD40))) than slap you!Is there something else you can take besides the Motrin to help? What a bummer to feel so horrid.I'll say some extra prayers for you tonight,OK?HUgs,Lisa from Nevada


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40Sorry you feel so bad







Motrin can tear your stomach up...Like Lisasaid maybe try something else...Thank God I didnt get that stuf here at work..WellI better knock on wood







cause the weekend is coming up and I am goingto paint my porch...Oh my such fun


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Woman, Delirious at 40:Greetings from Jacksonville...sorry to hear of your discomfort but this is something you and others can learn from...sure wish I had my big computer here so I could post the abstracts from whence what I say is derived. But since they are home and I am not I will just summarize: ______________________________________"I think what triggered the GERD was taking 600+mg Motrin 4 days in a row. (2 days before my period for PMS headaches and the first 2 days of my period for massive cramps). " ______________________________________oy vay mit der Motrin! Especially in light of saying... ______________________________________"I realized that whenever I have had to take that much Motrin I always feel really bad afterward in my stomach." _______________________________________Dis stuff can tear you up girl, like aspirin. And not help with the cramps as well as Tylenol. If you are not reactive to acetaminophen, try plain old Tylenol next time, and don't exceed the doseing and never use Tylenol continuously for reasons of toxicity. BUT it is better at reducing the "prostaglandin effects" thus better for the symptoms you know you get during this time and easier on your GI tract. ________________________________________"And, for some reason, I've become very melancholy, feeling sad or down for absolutely no reason whatsoever. It's weird. " _________________________________________Add to the hormone-effects the effects of any mediators that are released by your immunocytes during this reaction and the mechanisms of generating more melancholia or depressive feelings are amplified. Studies have been done showing the relationships between these mechanisms (specific mediators released by immunocytes when provoked to do so)and "depression", acute or chronic, so sadly this is not unexpected. Hey, not to mention the amplification of this response by your state of mind.







Again, skip the Motrin next time and try the Tylenol as long as you know you are not reactive. It should be better. ________________________________________"I've stalled my "Phase" at where I was on Tuesday. I didn't want to add anything in until I felt better so I could more accurately read my body's reactions. " ________________________________________This is exactly the right thing to do and what the protocol would dictate. If you find yourself in the minefield, hold still. Do not go forward OR back until the smoke clears and you can "see" again.







MNL


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD, he has made alot of names up for you but no way would I let him get away with this one...Woman, Delirious at 40:


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

40??? I'm no where NEAR that yet! Ack! I can't even begin to CONTEMPLATE!







My actual initials are CS and I'm a good decade behind 40 (or shall I say _almost_ a full decade). "WD40" came about as a fervent wish that someone would invent a WD40-like spray that could help with, er, lack of enough, uhm, "lubricant", as it were, for those vicious C attacks that cause massive straining because it's so dry. (incidently I am actually a member of the WD40 fan club - I get daily email tips and everything! LONG story how that happened!)I feel much better today. My appetite is back and I love living again. Well, sort of. Okay, I'm tolerating it







, but the point is that I don't feel the doom and gloom of my last post. I did do something rash, however - I chopped off all of my hair! (hey, I was hot!) It's about at my shoulders now, a little shorter than I wanted to get it. When it gets to a certain length I donate it to Locks of Love (they make wigs for children with cancer, 10" minimum length). I figured if I did something nice for someone I'd feel better, and it was the right length again. And I do feel better. That's one good thing about having extra thick hair that grows faster than grass, right?Mike, I have tried Tylenol for my period woes but to no avail. Tylenol has never seemed to work for me for anything. Besides, acetaminophen was a very high green while ibuprofen barely registered. But THAT much always kills me...what was I thinking???!!! (Well, I know what I was thinking, it was, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUCH!!!! STOP THIS PAIN NOOOOOOWWWWW!" , or something to that effect







) Anyway, I did find some Tylenol for Women, specifically for this kinda thing, and I will try it next month if I feel I need to. Still having spasms making my chest hurt today, but that should go away somewhat when I get myself rehydrated. That's a problem when I'm not feeling well -- I can't even get water down. And I was definately feeling hormonal. Yikes! I even scared myself. Not that I got loud and angry while throwing stuff around, I just became very quiet and withdrawn, which seems much scarier to the people around me. Wonder why that is?Anyway, I hope you all who are Daddys will have a very nice Father's Day! We are having a potluck BBQ out at my parents' ranch -- we're supposed to bring marinated meat and stuff for shishkabobs. We haven't had those in years! For desert we'll have shishkabob'd fruit and chocolate pie (not me







- for now I have to stick with the fruit!). Early Happy Dad's Day, Mike!


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

WD40,You mean my picture of you is ALREADY out of date??







I know what you mean about the hair. I go short/long/short/long because it does grow soooo fast. I am in a long mood right now (as you know from seeing me!!).Good for you doing something so nice for a sick child!  WOW- you even get WD40 updates?!! Now that really is a fan!







Glad you are on the upswing!Love,Lisa from Nevada


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

________________________________________""WD40" came about as a fervent wish that someone would invent a WD40-like spray that could help with,...." ________________________________________Aha! Works everytime. Keep hammering at the knee and sooner or later you hit a nerve that will result in the desired reflex: in this case "the origins of the acronym".The truth will out!







________________"Mike, I have tried Tylenol for my period woes but to no avail. Tylenol has never seemed to work for me for anything. Besides, acetaminophen was a very high green while ibuprofen barely registered. But THAT much always kills me...what was I thinking???!!! ________________Hope springs eternal!________________"Yikes! I even scared myself. Not that I got loud and angry while throwing stuff around, I just became very quiet and withdrawn, &#8230;."_________________Perfect&#8230;from now on when it is your time I would like you to come to my house and switch places with MrsNL&#8230;all we need to do is get you two to become friends so you get "synchronized" first. I could really use the change of pace each month.________________"We are having a potluck BBQ out at my parents' ranch - "________________Perfect. I'll be over. Don't worry I'll bring the Heinekins or Pilsner Urquelle________________"Early Happy Dad's Day, Mike"________________Thanks. It should be about perfect. I am in Jacksonville and a bunch of MrsNL's family picked my house for the party. Great timing&#8230;.







________________"I did do something rash, however - I chopped off all of my hair! (hey, I was hot!) It's about at my shoulders now,&#8230;.."________________So is mine and there is no way I am chopping it off&#8230;at my age you really have to work to grow it this long. If you cut it&#8230;I don't know if I have enough time left for it to grow out again!___________________"When it gets to a certain length I donate it"_________________Feel free to send any implantable plugs this way.Eat well. Think Well. Be well.MNL


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

MIKE!! YOu grew your hair out again??!! AFTER you cut off the ponytail last year??







OK- I can't wait to see it this way in September when we swing by!







Since we are talking about times of the month- I just get really emotional (good and bad!). And I'm already pretty emotional! LOL!But mostly I get HUNGRY! Give me the potato chips, and now the ice cream, and now the chips and another bowl of ice cream- and the occasional chocolate too!And one other symptom that Todd really enjoys that we won't discuss here- but you can use your imagination!














Lisa from Nevada


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Made it through Father's Day and was very good. Up until the very end when I had a sliver of chocolate pie.







Honest, it was a VERY small sliver! Just enough to stimulate the palate! Thank goodness I took rice for myself because it filled me up nicely so I wasn't tempted to cheat beyond my two or three bites of pie.AFter everyone got over the shock of seeing me without my long mane of hair








, we set about having a good time. I had a hilarious conversation with two of my sisters today. My youngest sister still lives at home and wanted to show us her rearranged room. While we were back there my other sister had a gas attack that was soooooooooo stinky! We were just dying laughing...and then she ran into the bathroom to have a bout. (No, she doesn't have IBS). When she got out we started this conversation about how when we REALLY have to go we don't like noise, don't like to be touched, and unbutton our pants until we hit the bathroom. My other sister told us about the time she and her best friend went to the mall and she suddenly had to go so she just jumped out of the car at the stop sign by the entrance and said, "I have to go NOW!







" leaving her poor friend in the passenger seat with cars honking at them until she could get around to the other side of the car to move and park it. We were laughing so hard at our bathroom hunts/BM horror stories that I almost lost a contact lense! So IBSers, don't fret too badly -- even the normal people have bouts of urgency that we can laugh at







. This other sister works in the ER at the local hospital and she calls these emergencies "Code Brown" - so that's my new name for an urgent bout of loose BM's or just plain D!LEAP UPDATE:I feel really good today, except for a slight headache (too much sodium, not enough water). I'm downing the H2O as we speak to rectify the situation. I am quickly learning that water is an integral part of this program, at least in my case. I have good energy levels today, feeling like myself again, all optimistic and what not. I'm back on track with my phases and so far the additions the last couple of days have been fine. Now that I am back to more of a routine I feel much, much better. Have now had 3 good BM's in a row. "G" got me this Bathroom Reader book about History and now I'm staying on the pot too long because I'm reading funny stuff, instead of staying too long because of C! It's almost like I suddenly realize, "Oh, yeah! I can get up now, I'm already done going!" What a good feeling that is! Tomorrow it's back to work and routine so I think I'm back on track.Lisa, BTW, I know EXACTLY what symptom you are talking about







- I get that 2 days before I start and at my two week peak!!!


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

"Code Brown"- ROFLOL!!!!!!Lisa from NevadaP.S. WD40, we are more alike each time we talk!!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Question: __________________________________________"And one other symptom that Todd really enjoys that we won't discuss here- but you can use your imagination! " __________________________________________You get the overpowering urge to change the plugs, oil and and set the timing on the Mustang?Cool.







MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Oil? Plug? NOW you're getting personal!


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Had a REALLY bad headache today! I took 3 Tylenol for it, but it just numbed it to the point I could still feel it but tolerate it. I ate some yogurt which I thought was one kind but it was actually another. It had not only corn syrup, it also had the nemesis to my poor head - aspartame! Ack! I tested low green for that but it gives me a headache everytime I go near it. Otherwise I feel okay, I think. It's kind of hard to feel anything else when I feel like my head is about to explode.


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

(((WD40)))What a bummer! When I get a headache that bad, I try to get to my chiro. My neck is whacked out from an old car accident and I have to have it adjusted every so often because of it. Not fun.Mike,Oh MY GOSH! You found me out and here I thought I was being so coy and secretive. Yes... I have a closet Mustang fetish. But only for the 1960 editions. I amso embarrassed







Lisa from Nevada


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40I hope your headache is better...I hate those things







The only thing that works for mine is Excedrine Migraine...but I should take them...but I do sometimes..


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

WD: _________________________________________"I ate some yogurt which I thought was one kind but it was actually another. It had not only corn syrup, it also had the nemesis to my poor head - aspartame! Ack! I tested low green for that but it gives me a headache everytime I go near it. " ___________________________________________This is a good chance to do a little repeat teaching. I will try to simplify.Remember the gastro and extra-intestinal symptoms of food and chemical hypersensitivities can be from several kinds of abnormal reactions1. "allergic" (low frequency of occurrence and easily detectable with existing allergy testing)2. "non allergic" but involves "cellular immune reactions" (much more common-white blood cells of all kinds and platelets can have many kinds of reactions to foods or chemicals which occur in the gut and in the blood stream releasing mediators of inflammatory response...previously highly elusive now detected with MRT test which you had)3. "pseudoallergy" which is when some substance in a food can trigger a response of tissue immune cells...like mast cells...directly AS IF an allergic reaction were occurring but without the NEED for any immunoglobulin to the substance to be present. Like lectins in beans, for example. CANNOT be detected with any cell or Ig[x] blood test...only by either oral challenge (history and intake log matched) or by directly capturing the fluid from the affected area and analyzing it for some specific chemical mediators (in vivo test like jejunal isolation that they do for research in Sweden). ANYTHING which can cause this kind of reaction will not show up on any in vitro assay, allergy or "cell mediated" since it is direct-action on cells.4. direct chemical action sensitivity (vasoactive peptides, histamine, and other chemicals in foods which can act directly on vessels, nerves, smooth muscle in vivo and produce symptoms)5. enzymatic insufficiencies (defects in processing foods in the gut or detoxifying elsewhere, like the liver).Now, since for "screening purposes" you can do allergy tests (or a good history) for food allergy and avoid those, and now an MRT test for all the cellular reactions you can reproduce in vitro and remove those, if that is ALL you did (as in the classic approach...just put the patient on rotation-elimination dieting) you will get in some patients full remission but in others only partial and in others little help. It depends upon to what degree they have OTHER reactions occurring inside the body which you cannot duplicate OUTSIDE the body, and for which no easy invasive procedure exists.This is where the extra years of clinical work in our own clinics with our own doctors and dieticians came in. We sought to develop a protocol which could first isolate and remove the most common and testable reactions to foods and chemicals in foods.BUT THEN once having confirmed that the patient was on an essentially test-negative diet...the first phase would show if any pseudoallergy or other intolerance was present for any of the foods being eaten in the first phase which were of course all tested safe.NOW you can easily isolate one of the other reactions by open oral challenge and then remove it. SO the patient at the end of the first phase is on a 100% safe diet before you reintroduce some more foods which were "allergy and cell immunity safe". Then you see if no symptoms occur then ALL reactivity has been checked. if a symptom appears then you KNOW that the food which caused it is causing another type of reaction you CANNOT test for without getting invasive (local challenges).So you can get a little insight into why the LEAP diets are set up the way they are, and why they are phased as they are and how each substance is selected or deselected, and thus understand why no other dietary protocol can be as effective at isolating as many of the possible food or chemical intolerances a patient may have . This whole concept eludes those who have no understanding of the subject, and who view the protocol as "nothing special" or "not unique"&#8230;and do not understand the concept of integrative approaches to disease management vs. just throw a single modality or drugs at the problem.In your case, we have an example of a person with no demonstrable cell mediated reaction to aspartame, but who has some other form of intolerance to aspartame. It is probably the phenylalanine as opposed to the aspartic acid (two active components of Aspartame). Not to mention, I think you said, the corn syrup sensitivity you did test (+) for.Anyway that's the Cliff's Notes version&#8230;MNL


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

PSWashedoutvalleygirl Lisa: _______________________________________"Yes... I have a closet Mustang fetish. But only for the 1960 editions" _______________________________________Ok. I'll make it up to you...I will out myself. I still have a fetish for late 60's and early 70's 'Vettes. I just had to stop indulging it some years ago as I was







out of control! So was my drivers license and insurance.MNL


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Thanks, Mike-its good to know I am not alone....







Lisa in the Land of Mustangs (otherwise known as Southern California)


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Thanks Mike. I needed that review.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

LOLHell at my age I need it every couple of days.Now where did I put those big yeasty glazed donuts I bought last night? I mean this is not THAT big a hotel room????MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Donuts....mmmmmmm.....I feel absolutely lousy today. I don't feel queasy or anything, I'm not C and don't have D. For some reason today I have pain. Both in my stomach lining and down towards my colorectal area, kind of in the front of my lower abdomen. BUT I know I brought it on myself, because, fellow LEAPers, I am ashamed to admit, I ate some no-no stuff and now I am paying for it.







I felt so good I wanted to see what it would do to me to add some no-no's. I didn't have very much, just a great big swallow of soda (h.f. corn syrup, natural flavors [i.e. msg]), a big bite of G's dinner last night (corn starch and msg), and two squares of dark chocolate (h.f. corn syrup, soy lecithin, msg). On top of that I had a very small dinner myself and ate absolutely NO vegetables yesterday (but a lot of fruit). Tonight it's back to the basics. Rice, rice, rice, and carrots and broccoli.How could I be so stupid? I thought, it's only a little bit, I'm doing good, it shouldn't hurt me too bad. ACK! I felt run down on top of the pain and ended up taking a nap - me, in the middle of the afternoon - I do not take naps! I always wake up feeling worse, all groggy and everything.







Who woulda thought so little could hurt so much???So, please give me a few cyber spankings and I promise to be good this week.


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## Audrey Fussell (May 22, 2002)

WD40 shame on you - you are supposed to be one of my role models. The hill to good health seems like a mighty tall one. Hope you are feeling better tomorrow. No sense in beating yourself as they say "this to shall pass" no pun intended. Have a good one.


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40




























There is one good thing that comes out of this is now you know what triggers you IBS ...You dont have to search any longer


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

WD40: ________________________________________BUT I know I brought it on myself, because, fellow LEAPers, I am ashamed to admit, I ate some no-no stuff and now I am paying for it ________________________________________Benjamin Franklin once said "Experience is a dear school and fools will learn no other way"







BUTThere is NOTHING as effective as a failed oral challenge (read: cheat-job that goes bad and makes ya sick) to prove that indeed that damn weird test and diet have truth to them!Too bad the proof hurts so bad...







However, don't think that even ol'MNL has not done this more than once...when that "just one spoon of ice cream" or "just one forkfull of pasta" turned into a whole bowl...and I spent the next day paying homage to the porcelain bowl.







Even Moses screwed up, no? The good thing here is that we don't take your lifestyle plan away from you if you do!







Feel better tomorrow, and try again!  hence my motto:Eat well. THINK well. Be well.MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

I am hereby admonished. thanks!I'm still in pain today, but I suspect my ovarian cyst problem is hitting me today. I really hate those things, they hurt like heck. AND since it's obvious I can't take Motrin for it like my doc said to, I'm just stuck with it. Sometimes I just wanna yank that uterus-ovary tandem right outta me!







I counted and sure enough it's my 2 week peak and I'm ovulating. I have no appetite whatsoever today and I feel all bloaty. Then the bloatys make me feel like something is pushing up against my stomach, causing reflux to the max degree (yuck!) so I had to pop the Pepcids today as well. On top of this all the rice I ate last night has me thoroughly stopped up! ack! I'm going to have to go back to square one tonight until I feel better. Not that I feel bad. I just feel bloaty. And it hurts. ***sigh*** when will this week be over? (oh, wait, that's right...it JUST STARTED!)


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

WD, that chocolate will get me every time. It's the one thing I consistently cheat with. I figure if I limit to 2 chocolates, about 2 months apart, I'll be ok.This was working until the day I ate 3 in one day, and it was early summer and warm, and the combo of the (soy) lecithin in the chocolate and pollen in the air did a number on me for 3 days.







So now it's altered to "except during allergy season".The sugar and dairy doesn't affect me as bad as I would have thought - I suspect they cancel each other out!







But I'm getting better - I used to always eat chocolate whenever it was offered in the bad old unhealthy days - couldn't resist even a little bit - It was always my downfall. However, the week after my attack I was offered chocolates again, and resisted! Yay! And you will too...keep trying.....


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40 I wont use this







on you today..I hope you start feeling better...Your friend needs to sit a mouse trap right beside the food you shouldnt be eating...







I need to have a talk with her


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Now Pilgrims..let us not be too hard on ol' WillDrive40...remember the admonishment:"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."Go forth and sin no more!







MNL


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40 ask us to give her a cyber spanking..







********************QUOTE*******************So, please give me a few cyber spankings and I promise to be good this week.


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Oh my little can of spray,Yep- I've done it too...Not fun, but as Mike said, it sure proves that this stuff works.Did you get our pic???Hugs,Lisa from Nevada


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

AUDREY F~ Role model? ack! the pressure!







Just learn from my mistake -- not even small bites of anything in your red (lecithin for me) and no big bites of those pesky yellows. When you're tempted, remember me....







Julia, I've done away with the chocolate yummies in the house and only have powdered cocoa. That should take care of that problem for now. Not that I am even craving it anymore after what it did to me!Mike, Donna's right, I did ask for a scolding. Actually, coming out and admitting my folly was embarrassing enough, but I felt I had to be honest. Lisa, yes I got the pic and I can only say one thing: I gotta lose some weight! So glad your cat came home! We lost the birdies -- all of 'em. Not sure if it was the cats or the dogs. Too, too sad.







UPDATE:Talked to Jan last night and she gave me more ideas about food variety and prep. She's a well of ideas, that woman!Today I feel a whole lot better. I had a massive BM this morning while at work and it was like 5 lbs. had been taken out of me! Most of the bloating went away with the flush of the toilet and the pain in my lower ab isn't so noticeable now. I still think I'm having the cyst problem because that feels so totally different, esp. when I'm walking. We went to the grocery store after work and walking around was a little uncomfortable. I can't wait for the thing to burst so the feeling goes away. As far as the IBS, my recovery was so fast, it seems. Usually it takes a couple days to get over the bloat and pain, but this only lasted a day and maybe half a day and now I feel fine again. I was extremely thirsty all day so my water intake was good. I also had the juiciest, yummiest, most succulent nectarine that I've had in a long, long time! (we need a smileyface drool icon!) I don't really understand why I'm not losing any weight, though. I know I don't even come near 1500 calories a day and I'm eating WAY better. I gotta build my muscle tone, I guess, plain and simple. I used to be an athlete and this overweight/toneless-muscle thing is just killing me. As if the IBS hadn't already sapped half of my self esteem! I do have more energy, little by little. Those depressingly sleepy days seem to have gone for now. Still not sleeping well through the night, however. My appetite seems to be back to "normal" (I have one, in other words) and my outlook is more optimistic. Jan is having me start the rotation diet, so we will see how that goes for the next month or so.Hey, what happened to Bob? Is he doing so well he isn't visiting anymore? That would be a good thing, right?


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40Bob posted the other day ...but I wish I would here more from him...I like Bob







Hopefully all is well with him...Bob the search is on for you


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

"Usually it takes a couple days to get over the bloat and pain, but this only lasted a day and maybe half a day and now I feel fine again. "This is one of the other characteristics of progress. As you reduce the constant exposure to reactive foods, the baseline of symptoms gets slowly lower and lower, and when you do get an exposure it produces a less severe effect (as the cumulative affect..additive on atop another...) has been reduced or eliminated.Over time what used to be a 36 hour nightmare when I did get exposed has turned into a 3-4 hour inconvenience. Sometimes when I do get exposed and get a reaction and start crabbing (whay did I eat that this sux)...I have to put it back in the perspective that my life before was a nonstop NIGHTMARE...totaly unmanageable.It is just that the memory of severe sufferign starts to fade with time (8 or more years for me now...I lost track...since I have had even ONE bout like I used to get).So you will see this...they get less frequent and when they do come they are less severe until one in time becomes stable and an episode becomes the exception rather thasn the rule, and when it comes it will be mild with rapid recovery.Good news...keep it up!







MNL


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

WD40,I've been lurking instead of posting recently as there is really nothing new for me to say. My digestive system has been doing better than it ever has in my entire adult life. There is still more work to be done, but with 85% of the problem eliminated I can deal with daily life much better now. I hope you're feeling better after the bit of 'cheating' you did. That's apparently what happens when you eat those things! I have not put any of the items that are in the red or yellow areas into my system in any amount so I can't say if I would suffer the same way. It's been weeks since I've had the 'squirts' and I have no intention of purposely causing myself to have them ever again. In the 'old days' I used to have as much diarrhea in a month as most normal people would have in a decade so you know I don't want to go back to 'the way it was'. My worst 'vice' now is to have the same food several days in a row. I am trying to follow the rotation diet in the LEAP results but sometimes I switch foods around and end up having, for example, Chicken for two or three days in a row. Mostly this occurs when I am out and about visiting customers and depending where I am at lunchtime makes a difference where and what I eat. For me, this is a complete lifestyle change. I eat much differently than before and I poop much differently.







As a side benefit, I also don't have to take Rolaids like I had to ever since I was in grade school (damn oatmeal!). The makers of Imodium and Bentyl probably hate me as I've cut the consumption of these drugs by probably 95%. I take a total of 1 Imodium pill and 1 Bentyl pill a week to slow things down a bit as I still have some urgency (gotta go NOW) problems that need to be worked out. At least when I 'gotta go' it's not an attack, it's just that I've gotta go make real poop. Hey, after years of blowing water and gas thru my system, I'm excited that real poop now comes out! I didn't think it was possible!Keep up the good work and follow the diet to the letter. There is a reason that various foods are rated red or yellow -- it means DON'T TOUCH THEM! Maybe in a few months you can bring back some of the 'forbidden' substances, but I am not going to even think about doing this myself. I was thinking of taking the LEAP test again at the one year mark just to see if I react to different foods -- Mike, is this necessary? I hope everybody that takes the LEAP test has the same wonderful experience I've had. All you have to do is follow the plan and don't touch anything in the yellow or red areas. It's easy if you set your mind to it!Bob


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Donna,I'm still here! Life is getting rather boring as it relates to my digestive system -- I eat what I'm supposed to and, believe it or not, no D-attacks in weeks. I just stay 'in the background' and try to log in to the board at least every other day to see what everyone is up to. Thanks for thinking of me -- I'm always thinking of all of you.Bob


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

!!!!! Exactly the desired result!!! _______________________________________"Life is getting rather boring as it relates to my digestive system -- I eat what I'm supposed to and, believe it or not, no D-attacks in weeks. " _____________________________________Nothing better than an IBS-life becoming an IBS-BOR-ing life!!!Take Care Bob and glad we could help make your life a dull uneventful potty-less gray amorphous event!!














MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Bob, so glad to hear how boring things have become for you - can't wait til I reach that point! I'm still having some rather interesting moments every now and then, usually as a result of my lack of willpower. I wonder if my improvement, which was WOW the first two weeks, will become a very slow change given that I'm more prone to C the last year or so. LEAP seems to be a miracle worker for D-types (Oh, I remember those days! wish I had LEAP 7 years ago!) but a much slower improver of C-types' symptoms (i.e. the bloating and nausea, etc.). I am still drinking ginger tea most days for queasies but haven't had full-blown nausea in weeks. The bloating comes and goes; I think I need to cut down on the dairy. I still have those pesky upper gastric pains and spasms that cause that pain in my chest. Most of the feelings of pressure are gone but the pain is definately still there, however muted by the Elavil it may be. I think the reflux and GERDy symptoms are worse than the symptoms associated with the C. If only I could burp! That might solve a lot of this. Alas, I just don't know how. Either that or I am just physically incapable of producing belches. Very bizarre.I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Do you ever just have those days where you keep dropping stuff, tripping over things, banging your head trying to get into the car, etc.? Today was one of those days! I was getting so depressed I started craving ice cream! THAT hasn't happened in a LONG time. Then there was the construction on the roadways that made me late whenever I needed to get somewhere. Add to that my disgust over the 9th Circuit Court out here in the land of fruits and nuts and getting my report from the company handling my mutual funds and it's a recipe for a really bad day.But as far as the LEAP update for today, nothing to write home about as I am about the same. I seem to be on a plateau of sorts with the level of relief. I am hoping that will change as I start the 3 day rotation diet tomorrow. I certainly don't feel bad but I don't feel 100% yet either. I guess I will have to wait quite a few more months for that? (I have always been something of an impatient woman!)Today was basically a phase one food day, quite by accident, so I don't anticipate any problems tomorrow or later tonight. I am thirstier these days, but I think that's probably a good thing given my penchant for becoming constipated. Had a rather loose BM today and felt a little funky for about 10 minutes afterward. No harm done, I guess. Don't quite know what caused it except for the fact that I was stressing myself out with my klutzyness.I am going to hit the bed early tonight. The sooner this day is over, the better!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

HI LUBESPRAY.A couple comments, then please ask JAN to stop by here as I am running late and don’t have time to catch up to her and you offline… ____________________________________________“..but a much slower improver of C-types' symptoms (i.e. the bloating and nausea, etc.).”and"I seem to be on a plateau of sorts with the level of relief. I am hoping that will change as I start the 3 day rotation diet tomorrow. I certainly don't feel bad but I don't feel 100% yet either. I guess I will have to wait quite a few more months for that? (I have always been something of an impatient woman!)" _________________________________This is indeed true as the d-type symptom cluster while much more dramatic is indeed a much more dramatic, thus easily reversible, food-sensitivity symptom set. It's core is the classic evacuatory-response secondary to mediator release.Many c-types have no signs of food or chemical sensitivities at all, as it becomes clearer each year in research that the c-population has a different problem, much more likely to be some form of motility defect as opposed to enhanced motility secondary to inflammatory response. This was discussed by several and shown again in a study just presented at Digestive Disease Week…that there are distinctions between c[s and d’s and the inflammatory response is key.That having een said there are folks like you who have a comorbid degeree iof food or chemical intolerance….but it manifests itself differently since there are different cell types involved, or the locus of the reaction might no be right there in the lamina propria but delayed and occurs in the systemic circulation…so the patient gets more extraintestinal symptoms. The extreme example being migraine or eczema (Lisa knows someone like that…it was manifest as refractory eczema).Now that being said, at this phase of the diet if you have some persistent bloating and we are certain we have removed all the test positive substances for some time now, the residual symptoms require us to shift to thinking like a game of Clue.That is, what are the remaining possibilities?1.	That there is a false negative among the test results ? This is part of the rationale for the phased introduction…if there is a false negative (about a 10% chance of this happening) it should show up as symptoms that appear within a day or two of introduction.2.	Pseudoallergy…that is a mild reaction to a chemical in a food (like lectin) which is mast-cell specific so it cannot be detected by ANY test except direct intestinal challenge internally, or a histaminic source in the diet…typical pseudoallergy reactions3.	Enzymatic deficiency or an enzyme intolerance….So some bloating and discomfort persist. We need to look at the dietary intake for any possible pseudioallergens and remove them for a few days if present, BUT we also must consider that if the person is a c-type we are talking about the possibility that NO further proinflammatory response is occurring and that this is secondary to the fundamental slo-mo problem. Constipated people feel bloated when they are in that phase.IF it is relived with passage, then one goes to the rudimentary motility enhancing dietary maneuvers of….more pectin fiber from whole fruits that are safe (I prefer the whole fruit to the pectin supplements…it is better to split the doe of 4-6 apples or pears a day for example than to glom down a big glass of pectin in water once a day). It is more physiologic. BUT I do not know your reaction profile that is just an example.If the patient with “reduced reflexes” and/or reduced “contractile strength” has their gut cintents modified such that they are consistently easier to pass, the c can be minimzed as will the sensation of being bloated.You also have to look at the dietary intake for any foods that are of course non-reactive BUT still may just be gas forming by nature. If motility is impeded the gas is too, and you can feel the “tension” within.In a nutshell just describing how the dietary scope must broaden when dealing with c-predominant people to consider things which you don’t worry so much about with the d-types. It is easier to shut off a faucet than to squeeze water out of a blocked pipe, so to speak Gotta go just some random ideas to show that there are things we can do but they become more subtle…and are not usually pursued in the treatment of c-type IBS in the typical practice…it is labor intensive so it is easier to try to find a pill.MNL.


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Hi Mike,I should clarify that I have been a C/D swinger since the 2nd year of the IBS, the whole first year was the unhappy and violent D episodes. Since then I have been going back and forth, having C for two or three days and then having loose-to-D for the next several days, and then back to C for two or three days, and on it went. The past three years or so I have managed to stop the D and only had to deal with bouts of pain with loose but voluminous stools every other week or so (sometimes lasting 2 days), with the aftermath of C only being slight and only if I did not take in enough fiber or water or both (usually because the LB bouts made me queezy for days and I just plain wouldn't eat and drank only a little bit). Since starting LEAP I had that D episode(s) on day 4 (and a bit on 5 and 6) but since then if I have a problem at all it's having to strain, but only mildly, not like the C of yesteryear for sure! [you know I just realized I am using run on sentences! really hate when I do that!]Anyway, that was a bit more info. I have found that if I take in any amount of red foods and a combo of the yellows (except corn, which although yellow acts red) I have the bloating followed by loose BM's that turn into a little bit of D at the end. My point being that I do think there is some kind of inflammatory response in my case, despite my predisposition as of late to be more C than anything. BUT I do understand it's really not bad C because I have gone almost every day, not like before when I had gone up to as many as 6 days with no BMs.I'm going to stop now. I'm babbling.


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

WD,







I have some thoughts from my experience that might help your C and bloating.First, if you're generally having a BM every day you're technically not C right now. Maybe you feel C because of bloating? I know how that is







 One food that is a common cause of bloating is dairy. My doctor suggested I try avoiding it for 2 weeks and that cleared up 99% of my bloating. It was amazing, I was raised on dairy and junk food and had never gone a day without it! It's not clear whether I'm lactose intolerant or reactive to other dairy fractions also. I tried using lactaid and it helped, but I still got some symptoms. But, the lactaid has sugar in it







to which I'm more reactive than to dairy. Someday when my life settles down I'll find some lactase with no sugar and do some structured elimination testing of dairy products, but for now I'm avoiding all of them.Other foods that can cause bloating are beans, cabbage, broccoli and dried fruit off the top of my head, I think there are a few others. So you might want to eat these sparingly and see if that helps.Good luck, I know what you mean about those days, I hope it's going better now!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Cleveland AC!(WindowsDown40mph)run on sentences bother me? LOLI am outta time gotta run too many threads today and gots some work to do.I will come back tomorrow morning and read the rest of this and any others I missed.MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Julia! Thank you, thank you! I think you have found the culprit for me! I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but lately I have been eating dried bananas (banana chips) by the handful! I think I figured bananas are a phase one food so it should be fine. Overly ripe bananas give me headaches so I tend to avoid them but I didn't think the dried ones would bother me. It never even crossed my mind, how stupid do I feel now? I will stop eating them now and see if it helps. Nuts! They really helped with my sweet tooth, too!The only other update today is that I added paprika for the first time on some baked potatoes and now I have major reflux. I feel downright gaggy! I'll pop a Pepcid Complete, that usually helps with this level of acid.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

"with the aftermath of C only being slight and only if I did not take in enough fiber or water or both (usually because the LB bouts made me queezy for days and I just plain wouldn't eat and drank only a little bit)." _____________________________You NAILED the exact mechanism of why some people get what we call "cyclic diarreha and constipation".If you do a very careful history which includes an examination of dietary intake and symptoms over enough time to include several episodes, one so often finds there is no mystical phsyiology as to why some people ge constipated after their diarrheic episodes...look at hw long they soend during the emptying epsisode, the intake restrictuions on food and liquids, the drugs which they often dose up on trying to make the gut stop contracting and the pattern starts to make perfect sense.So many times the observations are superficial and people who simply get diarrheic episodes from dietary provocation are misundertood as having some other weird flip-flop physiology when in fact some coaching in how to manage the post-episode phase to PREVENT getting plugged up later woud break the cycle.No one should misread this as having anything to do with the patients presently called 'C-type IBS"...that, it is clear, is a whole nudder animal. Keep that in context.Your case makes more sense to me now.Especilly since it is exactly what I went through for 30+ years.MNL


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

PS: ___________________________________"Overly ripe bananas give me headaches so I tend to avoid them but I didn't think the dried ones would bother me" ___________________________________This is just a way of giving yourself a more concentrated dose of tyramine. It acts directly on the blood vessels and can produce headache. Unless it also blows up white blood cells this does not show up on any blood test including MRT, since we do not include blood vessel tissue in the sample (uness your tech used a really big needle and twisted it on the way out. This happens.)*MNL*Uh, that's a joke guys







PSAGH!! I missed this comment until after I hit the button: _____________________________________"The only other update today is that I added paprika for the first time on some baked potatoes and now I have major reflux. " ____________________________________Paprika is nothing but dried ground up red peppers....pepper powder. Peppers be no good for GERD, period, and reactivity of leukocytes is not required for peppers to aggrvate GERD. Don't be's eaten no peppers and chilies and stuff with GERD. You know. Probably forget what paprika was







MNL


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Everyone,Well, here it is just over 2 months into the program and things are still going fine. I've tried some 'food experiments' recently and was surprised at the outcome.Over the last few weeks when I tried to add beef back into my diet I had problems every time. What I was doing was using a product called 'Bubba Burgers' that are frozen hamburger patties I purchased from my local grocery store. They taste good and I thought they were just beef, not some composition of odd ingredients mixed with beef. The past 3 times I ate one of those burgers I suffered the consequences the next day. This made me think that 'beef' is not an easily tolerated food. This past Friday night and Saturday morning I did something that, in the past, would have caused a guaranteed 'blast'. I ate a huge serving of rib-eye steak (grilled, of course), baked potatoes, green beans, and two Michelob beers. I stuffed myself! On Saturday morning I did the unthinkable and had a whole cup of coffee and several peaches and a banana for breakfast. Normally the coffee alone would have killed me, but as of right now (Sunday evening) my system is working perfectly normal. I have had no pains whatsoever and everything is 'moving along' at the proper pace. About the only thing I've noticed that might be considered abnormal is ... well.. um.. I farted a couple of times. Gee, that's just terrible isn't it! I don't plan on doing this kind of thing very often but my sister-in-law and her family were in town and we had a big dinner at my place, what can I say? I think this proves that all beef products are not created equally and also that my system is now able to tolerate a bit of abuse. The rib-eye steak was all-beef while the Bubba Burgers have to contain something other than just beef (or maybe it was a lower-quality beef). The fact that I could drink the coffee on Saturday morning and still live to tell about it is nothing short of amazing. I've always loved coffee but could not drink even a half cup of watered-down Folgers without having digestive problems. I'm not going to start drinking coffee on a regular basis but if I can enjoy a cup of coffee once a week then that would be fine. Jan, I'm back on the diet now! I just wanted to see what would happen. This is just an example of what I mean when I say my life, as it relates to my digestive system, is getting pretty boring-- no D-attacks, gut pains, or hours on the toilet exercising my abdominal muscles. What more could an IBS'er ask for?







Bob


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

BOB:Good stuff and perfect for a brief tutorial or two. _________________________________________"..called 'Bubba Burgers' that are frozen hamburger patties I purchased from my local grocery store. They taste good and I thought they were just beef, not some composition of odd ingredients mixed with beef." __________________________________________Yeah, Bob, probably if you read the label you will see some volume expander or flavoring or preservative or something stuck in there&#8230;Bubba Burgers are processed I believe not just 100% beef. I am like you&#8230;I can only eat 100% beef&#8230;I am very intolerant of most things that go into processed beef. Especially the "100% beef" fast food burgers&#8230;.yeah right







except Wendy's. _______________________________________"I think this proves that all beef products are not created equally and also that my system is now able to tolerate a bit of abuse..." ________________________________________







What you are experiencing is manifestation of something that is so HARD to get people who are stuck on "one cause of IBS symptoms" to grasp. Some people are totally hung up on this "symptom" of an upregulated GI tract as if it is an etiology.When you have lived with ongoing exposure to foods or additives which provoke an abnormal activation of immunocytes in the small bowel, you are living with the smooth muscle and nerves under constant exposure to chemical mediators being released into the bowel wall and vessels which stimulate the bowel motor nerves and smooth muscle. It makes then "twitchy" in EXACTLY the same way the same chemicals make the airways of an asthmatic twitchy. The two are very very similar.So, just as an asthmatic constantly inhaling allergens lives with a constantly upregulated airway (nerves and smooth muscle) in some cases so bad that inhaling cold air will set them off, the IBS-d types wherein this odd inflammtory respionse seen in the small bowel wall is provoked by different dietary components get the same thing.This is why there is some basis for the arhument that patients with a gut reactive to specific foods or chemicals with this inflammatory response perhaps should not be "diagnosed" as so called IBS since there is a physicial phenomanon ocuuring which explains where the symptoms come from. The Symptom Based Diagnostic Criteria like the Rome Criteria cannot discriminate between d-types like this and, say, post-infectious d-types clinically. So are they or are they not...that debate is moot since we are concerned with wellness not semantics, and this population is diagnosed with "IBS" and probably will be for the foreseable future due to this desire to make a symptom-baed diagnosis and stop testing (since the tests being used in most places at this time cannot discriminate).Sometimes the "twitchiness" is so exaggerated that just drinking cold water, or taking in too much food at once, when it enters the proximal small bowel, can set off an exaggerated gastrocolonic reflex. And further on&#8230;.the tolerance to what would normally be benign chemicals or enzymes in some foods is reduced and the person seems to get diarrhea, pain, spasm , bloating ALL THE TIME and from ANYTHING.But when the food sensitive person (in this particular kind of food sensitivity) STOPS ingesting reactive foods day after day after day, afer a few months the gut returns to a more normal state&#8230;as the nerves and smooth muscles are not being chronically overstimulated directly, and indirectly as they send signals to the brain too, to which the brain reacts and amplifies things further, so that your TOLERANCE INCREASES&#8230;.It is seen so many times BY THOSE PEOPLE who do this kind of work with IBS patients. Others that do not do this work and have not studied the meachanisms, or persist in their belief they do not exist, never see this phenomena you experienced. When presented with it they must interpet it in the context of what they personally believe, and so it is said to be imaginary, or stress related, or placebo, or simply an erroneous assumptive observation on your part. It is mere chance that you happened to have a good day.Anyway, I am glad you posted this since it also one of those things that some patients will eventually experience: partial restoration of tolerance.MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Hi Bob, I loved reading your post. I can't believe how happy I am for you and I have never even met you! I have the same problem with Turkey as you do with beef: all turkey is not the same. I bought some ground turkey and some turkey breast "filets" and when I got home I saw it on the ingredients list: natural flavorings. That's MSG to me, a definate no-no. I have found a canned turkey that I can eat, though, and it's made my lunches so much easier to handle! MMmmmmm....steak...drool drool.....I haven't attempted the full steak thing yet. I have done well with shishkabob'd, stir-fried, and 7% lean hamburger beef with no problem, though! Yay!







Last night I made pork tenderloins, baked potatoes with sour cream, and steamed baby carrots with a little brown sugar glaze. Yummy! And no problems whatsoever! In fact, today after lunch (the aforementioned canned turkey in a sandwich plus a small apple) I had the most fulfilling BM I've had in a long, long time! I should be embarrassed talking about it this way but somehow I know THIS group understands exactly what I mean! So fast and big and clean! Yes!







Mike, I know what you mean about the cyclic C/D thing. It took me years and years to figure out how to make the cycle not be so violent. LEAP seems to be naturally working all that out for me without me having to think, okay what did I eat and what do I need to do now to balance the fluids and spasms? I used to get that horrendous C with the explosive 30-minute bouts every few days. VERY painful! I am SOOOOOOO glad to be done with that. As far as the paprika, I know what it is and I probably should have kept avoiding it (I could have actually added it in during phase 2). But ya know, I'm half Thai, darn it, and I like it HOT! Okay, so my tummy disagrees, but I like the spice. I just overdid it. I tried some paprika again yesterday and used only a minute amount to just barely add flavor and I was fine. Like I said, I totally overdid it. I must have consumed the equivalent of a full 1/4 tsp! When I think of what I used to eat, all the hot and spicy dishes that barely caused a tongue burn in me while it made other people sweat....I just sigh in sadness. Maybe someday....???Julia, I had stopped the banana chips and wouldn't ya know it, that bloaty feeling is pretty much history! I'm so glad you posted that reply! Thanks again!


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

I just love bananas! All things being equal they would be my favorite food. And those yummy banana chips (siiiiggggghhhh) But ever since I can remember, bananas gave me awful tummy aches







To me heaven is a place where I can eat anything with no ill effect - and I'll start with banana chips and strawberry jam please.







I know what you mean about meat issues. I have to buy my meat and poultry at Whole Foods because all they have at the Jewel has MSG added, the criminals! Jewel has generic chicken pieces that I can have, and some canned chicken and salmon, but for ground meat, sausage, etc. I have to go to Whole Foods. I still haven't figured out why frozen turkey burgers usually give me a pain.


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

PS - Jewel also has a gourmet natural chicken sausage (yuppies are good for some things, there's more natural food since the area began "gentrifying") and I can have the mild Italian flavor. They're very good, but expensive. 4 huge links costs almost $6. I think the brand is Hans, or something like that.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

LUBESPRAY"As far as the paprika, I know what it is and I probably should have kept avoiding it"I figured you did, just being, uh, a smart a - -with you







BOBWhen I was in PUBLIX last night I picked up and read some BUBBA BURGERS boxes&#8230;.now besides the ones with Vidalia Onion added, unless I am blind (and this is possible&#8230;thump) I could not find an ingredients list on the box anywhere, except a claim that they were from Ground Chuck (Knox?)As Alfalfa once said "Beats me, Wheezer."JULIA"I think the brand is Hans"Boy I hope not for his sake, can you imagine someone suggesting you try "Hans Wurst" Italian Sausages"? Who would by them?Oh never mind if ya have to explain em they are no good.MNL


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

You don't have to explain it to me! I'm the first generation in my family that doesn't speak the German dialect.







But this isn't a German brand, I think it's Dutch. They're delicious!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Do they make kielbasa? I would give a good piece of $$$ for a kielbasa I could eat (my next door neighbors growing up were Polish, I worked my way through college in a Bohemian meat factory ...later a machine shop) and used to shop at the huge ethnic West Side Market in Cleveland.Grew up with kielbasa on the brain...have not had one for years....ingredients always look like a thermonuclear gut bombMNL


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Everyone, I've been doing more 'food experiments' this week just to see what would happen and I suffered my first D-attack in weeks. I know exactly what did it, though.I've been eating Chicken Breast (plain chicken, not the cold cuts) seasoned with only salt and pepper for quite some time now and have had no problems. Also, Pita Bread is fine. Well, on Tuesday, my son wanted to stop at the McDonalds for lunch so while he ate his cheeseburgers I ate a McDonalds Grilled Chicken Sandwich. I ordered it plain, just the roll and chicken piece. BIG MISTAKE!! About 2 hours later the rumbling began and I started tasting garlic (one of my very-reactive foods) every time I burped. At the 4 hour mark I was on the toilet having a good-old-fashioned purge. The classic pains and cramping were there and I must've spent hours in the bathroom that afternoon and evening. Even the next morning I still felt 'crappy'. It wasn't until Wednesday afternoon -- over 24 hours later-- that my system returned to normal. My only explanation for what happened would be the seasonings in the chicken piece (garlic and onion are in-the-red foods for me) and the roll has sesame seeds on it (sesame is another 'red' food). The combination of all these reactive ingredients together really gave my system a shock which caused it to try to get rid of all the offending substances. So for those non-IBSer's who say 'It's only chicken and bread' ---well, no, there are other ingredients involved that I had no idea were there. My body knows that they are there and doesn't like them one bit! Since the Bubba Burgers reacted badly last week I bought some ultra-lean (4%) ground beef and made myself a 1/2 pound burger with it. I used soy sauce to season it and put it in the middle of a Pita Bread. The lean beef makes a lousy burger because it is so dry but here it is about 35 hours later and absolutely no negative reaction. This would prove to me that the Bubba Burgers have something in them other than just plain ground beef. Mike, I had bought the plain Bubba Burgers in the brown box, not the vidalia onion ones in the yellow box. There was no ingredient list so I assumed it was pure beef. I thought there had to be a listing of ingredients on all prepared food products. Well, now I'm a bit smarter and I prepare as much food from scratch as I can. It seems that basic foods are fine, it's when spices and who-knows-what are added to it that I have problems. Cold cuts are a perfect example -- I only buy Boars Head brand cold cuts at the Publix and if I eat small amounts of Roast Beef or Turkey very occasionally then I am fine, more than that and the food starts talking back. However, as I just proved within the last week, I can eat large quantities of beef (steak and ground beef) as long as it's just the beef with some salt and pepper for seasoning. For Turkey I have a big smoker out in the back yard that'll cook up to 3 birds at a time. Several times a year we cook up fresh Turkeys and I eat way too much for a few days but don't have any bad reactions to it. Now if I ate cold-cut Turkey in large quantities I would be on the toilet for hours. With the amount I eat I'm happy with my weight. I'm 5'9" and now down to 185 pounds (from 205). I'm surprised I'm not 300 pounds! WD40, I know exactly how you feel about having a normal BM for the first time in years. What amazes me now is the savings in toilet paper. I don't need half a roll to clean myself up each time. It's nice to sit down, poop, wipe, and be out of the bathroom in a reasonable time. I have lots of reading to catch up on because I don't spend hours sitting and suffering like I used to. I'm sure that you'll find that your system will start working smoother as time goes on. There may be some days when you don't feel right but those days get fewer and fewer as the days go by. After your system stabilizes somewhat then you can try your own 'food experiments' to find out exactly, down to the individual ingredient, what you can and cannot eat. The LEAP tests are wonderful in that they identified probably 97% of the problematic foods leaving me with only a couple of foods to find on my own. I also have not found any foods to have been given a 'false red' as everything in the yellow or red ranges definitely causes a reaction. I've proven this to myself several times now!Lisa, In a previous post you wrote about Todd getting rid of a family of mice and I'm thinking that we pay a buck a mouse to the pet store for snake food. Too bad we don't live close by. The kids brought home a baby Ball Python and it eats one small mouse a week. The older Ball Python eats about 4 full-sized mice a week. This starts to add up at a buck a mouse. The pet store loves us! That family of mice would've saved me a few dollars.Donna,Hope you're still doing fine. I know I'm a helluva lot better now than I was at this time last year!That's enough for now. I've got to get outside and drive the lawnmower around the yard. Bob


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Mike,They don't call it kielbasa, but they make several flavors and maybe you could find an approximation. The only one with none of my reactives (mainly soy sauce or onion) is Mild Italian. It has red and green bell pepper, black pepper, and a few other things. I had 2 yesterday after I learned we were supposed to bring grillables to the BBQ. They're even better grilled! Yummy! Then later at the music festival I was hungry and had an Andoille sausage (with the bagel I had in my purse, of course). It was spicier than I'm used to but delicious, and I had no averse reaction. Best 4th of July in years, maybe ever. Good food, good music, good company - every day should be like that. Well, every second day - I'm still recovering!







Bobby, you smoke your own turkeys? I'm coming to live with you!







I love smoked meat, sausage and bacon are my favorite foods !














There's a law that all foods have to have ingredient labels. If Bucky Burgers doesn't they are breaking the law. I don't know about you, but I might want to draw the attention of the appropriate authorities if it was me.You can call or write McDonald's and they'll send an ingredient list of all their menu items. I have one from a few years ago. The only thing I can have is the beef from the burger. You might want to stay away from their new or limited time special offers though. They're usually test marketing those and may not have an ingredient list yet.I do better with pure foods made from scratch also.


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Julia,In the past I cooked probably 40% of the food I eat and bought prepared food for the remaining 60%. Now I cook about 90% of my food and use very little prepared food products. I think the main problems with prepared foods are the sheer number of ingredients in them and the possibility of there being something in them that isn't listed. Whatever it is, I'm much better off eating basic foods.I used to eat lots of sausage-type foods. That is the one food I really miss. The problem is not the meat or the fat, it's the spices. I am reactive to dill, onion, and garlic. This eliminates virtually all sausage, keilbasa, bratwurst, etc. It's either eat what I really like and suffer the consequences or eat what I should and feel good. Maybe one day I will just stuff myself with a good Keilbasa or really overdo it and have a few Bratwursts loaded with mustard and pay the price for a day or two and then it's done and over with (for a while anyway).At least I can still eat my smoked turkey. I take a 15 or so pound turkey and cake it with Lowry's Seasoned Salt. The smoker is made from an old 80 or so gallon propane tank and is very heavy. It has a small gas burner on one side over which I put several pieces of orange wood to make the smoke. Keeping the temperature at about 230 for about 4 to 5 hours makes for a great tasting, juicy turkey. It's a trial-and-error thing but I've got it figured out now. Chicken also comes out pretty good, it just takes a long time. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Hmmmm, maybe this weekend? I will take a look at a package of Bubba Burgers the next time I go to the store. I don't recall there being an actual ingredient list on the box, just something saying it was made with USDA ground chuck (I think). I don't have a box of them in the freezer anymore so I can't go look right now. They really are good tasting burgers, they just react badly with my system. I think I've learned my lesson with McDonalds food. It's simple ---- don't even think of eating it. This is the second time I've eaten their food in the past two months and each time I end up with the squirts. That's it! Never again! The very occasional Wendy's single with lettuce only will have to do. I haven't had one of those Wendy's burgers in months (before LEAP) so I might try one and see what happens. I will be prepared to be around the house just in case. In all honesty, I should just give up all prepared foods. Tough to do.Hopefully you're having the same great results that I've been having with the LEAP program. It's amazing the effect that different foods have on people like us. Bob


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Bob: ____________________________________________"I've been eating Chicken Breast (plain chicken, not the cold cuts) seasoned with only salt and pepper for quite some time now and have had no problems." _______________________________________yeah this has been my Monday Wednesday Friday dinner protein for at least 4 years&#8230;I just rotate which part of the chicken I eat. July 4th was WINGS AND DRUMSTICKS!!! SHould seen the pile of BBQ'ed wing bones in front of my plate. ___________________________________"McDonalds Grilled Chicken Sandwich. I ordered it plain, just the roll and chicken piece. BIG MISTAKE!!" ____________________________________Yeah I cannot eat whatever they marinate that thing in either, same with the Wendys grilled chicken.BUT I don't know about you but both the McDonalds CRISPY CHICKEN sandwich and the Wendys equivalent (the plain old deep fried in breading one whatever they call it&#8230;Chicken Fillet?) are well tolerated. I can eat one of either and seem to have no noticeable reaction to the ingredients.After recovery, if you are brave, you could try an oral challenge of those, close to home I have also found I tolerate the fried chicken at HARDEES very well&#8230;but KFC will send me to the Porcelain Receptacle within hours&#8230;with "extreme predjudice" . ___________________________________________"The lean beef makes a lousy burger because it is so dry but here it is about 35 hours later and absolutely no negative reaction." _____________________________________________Since you tolerated it get some with a little more fat content (unless you have to have a cardia cath every year) and give it a whirl. When a person has been avoiding reactive foods a long time, all those old rules about "too much fat provokes it" often fall-away as the chronically twitchy gut is no longer twitchy due to the mediator bombardment (in simplest terms). Unless you have a gall bladder problem comorbidity&#8230;or no gall bladder. In which case you are stuck with low fat.Also, with real lean meats, there are certain cooking oils that I tolerate which I will add some to the pan when preheating&#8230;.I don't know which oils are OK for you but this is another thing that can help.I am pretty much the same as you with cow. As long as it is ground-up just cow with salt and pepper, no sweat. I cannot eat it any way but ground up though, as I cannot even begin to break it down no matter how much I chew a roast or steak&#8230;.might as well just eat a plateful of rubber erasers or a big latex rubber stopper. ___________________________________________"The LEAP tests are wonderful in that they identified probably 97% of the problematic foods leaving me with only a couple of foods to find on my own. I also have not found any foods to have been given a 'false red' as everything in the yellow or red ranges definitely causes a reaction. I've proven this to myself several times now! _____________________________________You hit right on WHY the LEAP protocol was created, not just "take a test and avoid these foods"&#8230;even with the most current technology like MRT combined with current testing for true food allergies, there are still mechanisms of intolerance that cannot be tested for with a machine and blood yet. Because they happen without involving any systemic immunocyte reaction, or are not related to anything which puts immunoglobulins in the plasma&#8230;.but can be direct-to-mast-cell provocation in the gut, or an enzyme deficiency related reaction, or direct-chemical action, etc.So we get MORE than anyone else can by adding that test to the history and symptoms for allergy, then the docs and dieticians contrived a way to NARROW YOUR FOCUS DOWN (reduce the range) on serial oral challenges so the patient CAN FIND the ones that no one can yet detect (unless they shove a hose into your guts and pump food challenges in! And who wants to go to Sweden for that?)That is why it is so important to follow the exact protocols,(this is not for you but any observers reading the thread) as the method is designed by intent to find things the person does not tolerate even though an allergy test or a sensitivity test says they are OK&#8230;.just avoiding the test-positive stuff will produce positive results, BUT depending on the person, not as good as it COULD BE. We desire the MOST symptom reduction we can achieve with the minimum need for long term drug therapy.JEWELYAeppers, peppers everywhere but not a one to eat. _____________________________________________"Bobby, you smoke your own turkeys? I'm coming to live with you!" ______________________________________________MAN I'll bet those things are hard to light! Or do you just use the cavity like a big pipe bowl?







Outta here....MNLOh...now I see...well that's very different isn't it? Never Mind.








MNLatella


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Mike,





































> quote:but KFC will send me to the Porcelain Receptacle within hours


I once tried to find out the ingredients in KFC by asking the manager at a store. He said it was a secret, he didn't know and wasn't allowed to find out. I said fine, I'll eat elsewhere. I haven't been in one since, and that was 15 years ago.


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Glad to see everyone is doing good...Glad to see you back Bobby..Thank God I am back from my very interesting vacation to say the least...As of this minute I am not taking another vacation for 50 years...







Atlanta is not a place to go to a conference with 41,000 people ...and all I can say is they wont be seeing me again..







anyway there is no place like home







Glad I am back home with all my animals....and it was my first vacation following my new diet...and that went well


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Julia, I once read this cookbook about how to make things you can eat at restaurants. Someone smuggled out some KFC spices and it was analyzed. I believe the only ingredients were salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and msg. That's all...no where near 11 herbs and spices. It made me laugh. No wonder KFC used to kill my insides. I stopped eating there years ago. I did get the recipe for Tony Roma's BBQ sauce. Not the exact recipe, but a pretty good copy. I can't use it now, unfortunately.Donna, so glad you're back, but sorry to hear you didn't have a bang up time! At least the tummy was kind to you....Bobby, "BACK AWAY FROM MCDONALDS! DO NOT COME ANY CLOSER OR I WILL BE FORCED TO GIVE YOU DIARRHEA!!!" Yup, I learned that lesson quite a while ago as well. Although I love the yogurt parfaits.Mike, as always you are a wealth of information. Just so you know I read every word of yours posts to make sure I didn't miss anything. I don't think I could have done as well on the program without your input and feedback. It's been as valuable as Jan's.UPDATE:Forgot to refill my Elavil so today I had very voluminous and loose BM. On the bright side it didn't hurt at all and it didn't last very long. I'm having pre-period troubles (mostly cramps and bloating) but so far not bad enough to have to take anything for pain. I have that bottle of Tylenol for Women ready and waiting. I hope it works because Motrin just kills.On phase 6 now, trying to rotate my diet, but I'm not doing a very good job of it. It's been such a busy couple of weeks that I'm sort of halfway doing it. Still following the phase 1-5 foods, but not rotating like I should be. So far no harm has come of it but I know I really need to get hopping on it. I was extremely nauseated Tuesday and Wednesday, but I don't really know why. Then all day Thursday I had a KILLER headache. I tried to ignore it thru the 4th of July BBQ at my parent's house, but by the time I got done with the kids' face paintings and a board game or two I couldn't take it anymore. G and I went home and I laid down in the dark with an ice pack on my head for an hour. Doggone but it hurt! Friday was a little better, and by yesterday I felt fine again. It was so bizarre. I wonder if I got a little bug or something. The headache was most like PMS related. I get them every month; big ol' headaches right in the front of my head. This one started there and just kept going until my whole scalp felt like it would explode. Today's been fine. So, other than some funky mid-week yuck fest I've been doing fine. And considering I didn't miss any work because of it I guess it wasn't TOO bad.That's all for now. My rice is ready so it's dinner time.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

So much work these days so little time....Quick Now, could not even GET here since Sat. am: ____________________________________"onion powder, and msg." _____________________________________Hence the personal reaction to KFC....fits these ingredients exactly. _____________________________________"So far no harm has come of it but I know I really need to get hopping on it." _____________________________________"So far no harm has come of it....BOOM!! [thud]." (Christopher Walken in "The Deer Hunter")How long any particular patient can "not rotate foods" before they reach a dose of any food or chemical to which they lose tolerance is utterly unpredictable, as is when the hammer will fall on the chamber with a cartridge in it.Be cautious, my dear, lest all that has gone before goes to waste when a new intolerance appears, delayed onset and dose dependent, SOMEWHERE in everything you are eating and you cannot find it. Remember, unlike allergy many of these types of sensivitity are labile. Hence the need to limit exposure to each ingestant by rotating them.Listen to papa!







or I will send Professor B with the hammer







Or maybe we have already had a little visitor?: ____________________________________"I was extremely nauseated Tuesday and Wednesday, but I don't really know why. Then all day Thursday I had a KILLER headache&#8230;. Friday was a little better, and by yesterday I felt fine again." ____________________________________I hate to say it but this is one of the classic patterns of exposure to something that someone has a lost-oral-tolerance-response to.The initial response when it gets into the gut is some GI symptom...sometimes combined with an extraintestinal sign...like the nasuea...as a result of mediators in the bloodstream which can act systemically. Headache? Severe? of a day or so duration as the reaction proceeds and the culprit passes on through the GI tract, followed by a recovery-resolutrion period. We seem to be describing a 4-5 day symptom cycle here....now maybe I am wrong, just guessing, but in a person with food and chemical sensitivity this is, uh, what looks like "an episode". Especially in a patient who is prone to them as her cycle "cycles". As Aristotle said "What we have to learn, we learn by doing". Then there is Benjamin Franklins version, much less delicate to the sensitivities of the object of the lesson....???As another wise man once said to me..again and again..."You have heard what I said, no do as you wish."







Eat well. Think well. Be well.MNL


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

I got my LEAP blood test results back two weeks ago, and have been totally "on" the diet as of just last week. The result has been very dramatic. I have had pain predominant IBS for 25 years, but up until about 5 years ago I could manage it with food, sleep, valium. Five years ago I started on a downward spiral, with bad cramping in the afternoons followed by urgent BM's. And more pain. I have been at the end of my rope for a few years now. I really don't know what to say about this...the absence of pain...????....does anyone understand that you could feel intense pleasure from just feeling pain-free, relaxed and calm within your own body?? I consider myself a real "foodie" -- love the exotic stuff--- thai, indian, italian --- but I am not even tempted by any foods right now, I am so at peace with JUST FEELING LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING. That's how I feel for now. I am scared that something will happen as has happened so many times before with remedies for IBS-- my body will find a way around it and deliver the pain anyway.......I hope not. I think it's important to realize that IBS is not just one thing...I have probably three things that contribute to stomach problems....nerves, general disposition, and now I know about the food sensitivities. Right now I am just thankful, so thankful for each day without pain. My main reactive foods were black pepper, tyramine (bananas) and wheat, all of which I ate every day.


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Thats wonderful that you feel so good...Back from Atlanta and glad to be in the hills of good old west virgiain...I have missed being here but I am so glad to see where people is improving after following the directions from LEAP.....It works


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

KAROSYRUP:Thanks. You made my day. Do not be afraid as it is not a dream it is based upon sound physiology and actual real evenmts within your body that can be avoided.Stay with the plan, and if something pops up which produces a symptom, it will be easy to find and add to the list of personal danger. When this happens it is usually what is called "pseudoallergy"...a type of direct-response that happens in the body which cannot be duplicated outside the body with any blood test of any kind.That is one reason the LEAP protocol is designed the way it is...to make sure we find as many things possible as may contribute to your symptoms so that you can achive as much relief as possible.I am very happy for you...your experience and the others here are mirrors of my own personal experience many years ago when the whole technology was still ver early in its epxerimental stages, and what brought me to become involved. I knew that what worked fro me could work for others like me and help restore some normalcy to our disruptive lives.This is the kind of stuff that makes it all worthwhile!







MNL


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

thanks, ohnometo & mike--- I appreciate your encouragement and reassurance. But I'm still scared!!!!!!!


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

KaroeBeing scared took up so much of my time...and I had a good reason to have all the fear that I did. and I have to remember it isnt going to leave overnight...I lived my whole life around the "WHAT IF'S" It will take alot of time and practice to change the way we think....but the good thing about it is there is hope and as the time goes on and you start feeling better the fear and anxiety will leave you...You will start making the little trips out and for me one day it was like I went some where and after I got there I remembered that I had forgot to think about the fear before I left the house







It just takes time to erase all the negative message that IBS left us with....You will be fine


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

"But I'm still scared!!!!!!!







me too!!!! I just got an envelope from the IRS.


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## mrygrl (Jun 26, 2002)

Hi,Just wanted to thank everyone for their posts about LEAP process. I sent my samples yesterday.Carol


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## jggavl (Mar 14, 2002)

Carol,Glad to hear that you are trying the LEAP program. Let us know when you get back your results. I've been on the program since June 2nd. I have had a few setbacks but have been doing very well.Annie


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

UPDATE:This week has been very good. I mostly stuck to the rotation and have had regular, normal, even robust BM's every day for the entire week. Very quick and very clean. Ditto Bob's TP experience - cleaning myself has become so much easier! I have been on my period this week and was a little nervous because of how bad it was last month. But this month I had only mild cramps, although I did have a lot of bloating and water retention. My headaches went away once I finally started. Then it was really heavy right from the start, and that lasted 3 days. And then it just tapered off, like a normal person's period. So, I was nervous for nothing! I knew all these fruits and veggies had to help with the period pains eventually.Tomorrow I'm going to a Giant's game in SF. My second one this year! "G" and I are even going to leave early, as she wants to catch batting practice for once. Thanks to LEAP I think I will be enjoying the ENTIRE game again this time, without having to run to the bathroom every other inning. Ahhh, normal life is a good thing. We won't get home until very late again, I'm sure. Hopefully there won't be another earthquake, like last time. My motion sickness didn't like it. Did I ever mention that my inner ear is slightly deformed?Anyway, I'm well into phase 6 and the rotation thing. I went off of the Elavil, too. Quite by accident. You see, I call in my refills and they mail them to me. Normally it only takes 4 days, but so far it's been 9 and still no delivery! So, I ran out 3 nights ago. So far I haven't had any major withdrawals except that last night I couldn't sleep for NOTHIN' and today I have a slight headache. Of course these high temps we're having in northern california aren't helping matters. Mike, how far along into phase 6 should we introduce the lower yellows? 6 months? 3 months? 3 weeks? I'm really itching to test chicken. I love chicken. Turkey is good, but chicken is different. Actually it wouldn't even be a full grown chicken, just a cornish game hen.Oh, that reminds me! A little starling birdy flew into my windshield on my way home from work! I was doing about 62mph and it just slammed into it, right in front of my face! I just about lost it, poor thing! It must've flew 20 feet into the air before it landed in some long grass. I feel soooooooooooo terrible!!!! But honest, it was involuntary birdslaughter. I literally had time to say, "oh, my....!' and barely took my foot off the gas before the little thing hit me. It tried to veer upwards but it was too late. I called G nearly in tears but she said it wasn't my fault, birds are just stupid sometimes. I can't believe it didn't see me! I'm just heartbroken over it. Thankfully it probably died on impact. I'm just glad he didn't leave a trail of blood. I would've yakked if that happened.The relaxation tonight should help with my guilt. I was horrified, really. But other than killing the local wildlife I had a very good day, albeit tired from lack of sleep. Like Bob, my reports are becoming a bit boring. "HAD NORMAL BOWELS TODAY AGAIN, HO HUM". I am beginning to feel some pressure and pain in my chest (a la lack of Elavil) so I'm hoping it doesn't get too bad. Should I try to stay off of it or go back on it when I finally get it? What do you guys think?


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Glad to see everyone is doing good...Well, I can say yesterday was my first round with the bathroom since last year...It just might be because I ate a whole box of taffy over 1 day.i dont think I am going to do that anymore







Today is a brand new day and I need to let go of yesterday...The potty trips was brief compared to the last 40 years....and didnt have to run to any doctores office or ER rooms...


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Taffy?! Blech!





















The game was great...SF won 9-0, Livan Hernandez threw a 9 inning shut out - woohoo! Our seats were terrible though! Going to write a sternly worded letter about the obstructed view! Thankfully the people next to us left early so the best part of the game was clearly viewable. The ride home was an absolute nightmare! The Bay Bridge was backed up because of a fender bender and some kind of CalTrans clean up. Then when we hit just south of Stockton on I-5 there was a major accident that had traffic at a complete standstill for miles. So, I told "G" to take a back road I knew over to Highway 99, and then we ran into construction that had us crawling in a single lane for 5 miles! ACK! Finally made it home at 1:30am. Needless to say I slept in.At the game I had some Garlic Fries. Big mistake! Total heartburn and I only had one lousy little Pepcid AC pill when I needed 2 or 3. I swear sometimes the GERD is worse than the IBS! In fact, it totally is now because the IBS is virtually nill! Anyway, I had a mini-bout of Loosies this morning because I ate crappy last night - no reds or yellows, just not very good combo of greens. I baked cookies with all my approved greens and they were absolutely delicious!!!!!!! Problem is, I overdid it. Even too much of good greens can be a bad thing. Other than that I feel great. Good energy, no pain. Of course I slept in til 10am since I didn't get to sleep until 2am - have to get my 8 hours on the weekends or else the rest of the week is shot.Have I said lately how much I love the LEAP protocol? I love not being nauseated every day. I love not being totally and completely constipated. I love not having to run to the nearest toilet when the back up explodes as the dam bursts with major D attacks. I love being able to go to a Giant's game 2 hours early, having crappy seats the first 5 innings, eating poorly because we're at a ballgame, having THREE major backups on the way home, and only having ONE tiny, measly, laughable, forgetful little bout of semi-loosies that lasted all of 3 minutes.Oh, yes, I love LEAP!


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Congratulations WD! I'm happy for you!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Tsk tskGo away for two days and look what happens...next time I am leaving StephanieNL to keep an eye on you guys!(Her remonsrations to the sales people at the car dealership yesterday...I am trying to negotiate and she is over there talking loudly and sternly to 2 of the salesmen: "You peoples. You peoples don't listen to NOTHING I say! Sit over here in deees chairz. You Sit down. With ME!" and to her brother "...and YOU! David! Give me my juice. My daddy's busy....he's gotiatin!")Uh, maybe I better come back later she needs her nap. ______________________________"It just might be because I ate a whole box of taffy over 1 day." _______________________________Don't feel bad about doing something, uh, unwise. I had me a bout yesterday too. YOU MNL???Well, there I was friday night with the plain old pan seared chicken strips I just dropped onto the plate of plain peas and plain white rice...tired hungry but had a good day...and there is all this hot oild an grease in the bottom of the pan...and the rice looked so dry and so naked and so unappealing and so so so much better with allll that oil and dregs from the pan poured all over it!(I could even hear the fat new Orleans Detectives' voice as I slobbered it all down "Yer gonna burn fer this, Angel."...and Mickey Rourkes face as he replies "I know. I know.")







________________________________"Even too much of good greens can be a bad thing." __________________________________Now IF you indeed were totally on your dietary plan and combined some foods that were test non-reactive for celular reactions by your MRT there are 2 possibilities.On the assay were any of the foods you ate at this time sort of just inside the green area....or approaching the yellow...same thing...and if so how many did you combine.Also are they foods that you had NO reaction to during reintroduction, where we are checking for comorbid allergy or false-allergy which "hides" from blood tests?Your are thinking correctly....what you r=try to duplicate in the test tube is adynamic situatuion in the small bowel when you eat something and begin to break it down and the various immune cells "see it" in an average concentraion from an average amoung ingested, averaged by the computers over millions of test runs per food to find what the "reaction probability threahsold" is.The device quantifies the amont of fluid released from the immune cells in the "tes tube" when exposed to the possible antigen or toxin....copared to normals ahich are you....so the furter left the less fluid release....some evoke nothing zip nada. Some a little some a lot and some the cells just fall apart. Those go WAYYY out into red...very toxic.Food sensitivityr eactions of this nature are dose dependent internally so from a practical view if you have a couple which were "close" but alone not enough to be clinically reactive (green is close to yellow range) you could have a problem if you combined a couple of those and then ingested good portion...or maybe muktiples at lunch and dinner for example.So keep note of what you ate and what their reaction level was and then try to avoid what looks like a possible in vivo prcoking dose in the future.Agin the testing is a tool....the better we uderstand what it actually tells us and hwat it does not the better we can use it in our diatry planning.Oh yes Steffie enough already....







here's your juice!MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Yes, one of the things I ate was a reintroduced green that was fairly close to being yellow. Like I said I just overdid it. I ended up having D again last night at about 10pm. That's very strange for me, but even then it wasn't awful. In fact it surprised me because I had felt fine all day. After dinner I sort of felt gurgly all over my left abdomen so I knew something was amiss. Of course I blame myself because I couldn't stay away from those darned cookies. It's a good thing I only made a dozen of them because they are already gone, hehehe. Did everything strictly by the book today but a bit constipated from the Pepto I took after the D bout. I really hate when that happens!


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

MikeI just wanted you to know that I didnt throw-up one time and didnt even feel like I had to...Oh Yes..I added some high green spots back in my diet for sure at the beach...The symptoms was nothing like before....The way I have been on here and telling others to stay away..Just look what I turn around and do







Yep ! I am just a big ole dummy...WD40 Like you said I love LEAP also...They rock


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

WD....Actually the reason that the D-episodes are not as bad when provoked after we have been on our diet for awhile is quite simple.I call it the "salt in the wound" analogy.When you have a open wound already which hurts and you rub salt on it it hurts more.When you are daily, even hourly, eating food or chemical which are provoking reactions in the small bowel and thus affecting things elsewhere as well you are in a constant state of upregulation due to the constant re;ease of proinflammatory mediators....they are released again before they can be "cleared" so you have an open wound.When you ingest acutely something you are very reactive to you get the summative affects. And you get real sick.eliminate the chronic exposure and all you will get is the acute response, and that is usually lessened by the reduced frequency of exposure (if it is something you ate a lot of before).This is why I ate some tomato sauce last night, on a small portion of pasta, and even though I am reactive I so far feelnothing.And if I do it will benegligibleuntil I ingest enough to get to a real heavyprovoking dose!make sense?OH man gotta go no time to play today....make my apologies please be back tomorrowMNL


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## mrygrl (Jun 26, 2002)

Hi, I received my results. They really follow-up. I even got an email telling me the results were on the way. I don't know though, barley, oat, and wheat? What grains are left, aside from rice? I already know I can't handle kamut and millet from past trial and error.ThanksCarol


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## adorableblueeyedblonde (Nov 30, 2001)

What is LEAP? I'm lost.Patty


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Patty - check out www.nowleap.com LEAP has done wonders for many of us. Check out all the posts about the updates and "new leapers", etc. and you can get a gist of how well it has worked for some of us.UPDATE:FINALLY feeling better after 5 days of yuckies. Between the Pepto Bismal induced C and the "lack-of-Elavil"-induced D that followed that it has been somewhat of a harrowing week for me. The nausea was soooo bad. Today I'm starting to feel like myself again. Whew! I had that weird C for a couple of days and then I had major D the last 3 evenings. Thankfully it was only once a day, but the first one was at 1am and was horribly painful. The next episode was less painful and the one last night didn't really hurt, it just took a long time (and 3 flushes!). I haven't had a BM yet today. Last night I packed myself with both kinds of fibers to try to get some bulk going. Potatoes, barley, carrots, broccoli, and apple. And lots of water as I was getting a bit dehydrated from all the D. I have been very gassy all day and feel a bit bloated right now after dinner. I wish I could burp as that would help tremendously. I am reverting back to about phase 3 until I can get my system in order again. I feel like I set myself back several weeks. It's okay - I learned my lesson this way! LOLTomorrow I have an appointment with my hypnotherapist. I think I need a "booster" visit for all this pain that I'm feeling in my chest. The Elavil is only dulling the pain and masking the feeling of the spasms in my throat. She helped me with this pain before so I am looking forward to it. I have been having a hard time with the relaxation sessions on my own so I think it's time for the expert to step in, so to speak. I just feel so out of sorts...this pill thing has my head all messed up. That's one reason I really want off the stuff. It just dulls my senses, I can't stand that. AND if I'm supposed to lose weight to help reduce the GERD I will have to get off of it, because the darned stuff makes it impossible to lose weight.Anyway, everything is slowly getting back to where it was before. I'm not quite there yet, maybe in another couple of days. Until then, I will just have to suffer. ICK


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

WD40I am glad you are feeling better...I am sure you read my story about eating almost a whole box of taffy







expecially after I am the one on here preaching about staying away from foods...My system has been whacky every since I did that...I have never had problems going to the bathroom and I didnt go for 4 or 5 days







I think after we get our system working properly and then add something to it we shouldnt we really see the effects...







Also after I pulled that trick I have belched and belched...I think it is all over now....but nothing like before...


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Hi everyone! Time to check in.I spent a week at the beach and actually had the first vacation in years in which I was able to enjoy myself and not spend most of the time finding and using toilets. I felt fine and did not have any digestive system attacks the entire time. Several things I discovered:1. I can eat a large Quiznos Turkey Sub, without onions or peppers, and it doesn't 'talk back'. Absolutely no problems whatsoever with eating these subs. They also give you plenty of food, you don't go hungry!2. I did not eat at low-priced restaurants like Dennys or Perkins. It seems like every time I ate a meal there I paid dearly for it. If you want to save money on food, cook it yourself. Stay away from the low-buck restaurants. Normal people can eat that #### and not suffer. Tears me up every time!3. At dinner we went to good restaurants. It seems like more expensive places use better quality foods and they are happy to prepare it exactly the way I ask. I'm not talking about really ritzy places where they park your car for you and charge exorbitant prices, just good quality restaurants with a good local reputation that has some Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Mercedes cars with local license plates in the parking lot. The local retired people know where to eat! I had to special-order just about everything I ate but the food was always excellent and, best of all, non-reactive to my system. My better-half even commented that this was the first time she had ever seen me sit and relax in a restaurant after eating instead of rushing back to the hotel to sit on the toilet. I ate beef (filet mignon, sirloin, and chateaubriand) and all kinds of seafood (fish, lobster, and crab) without any problems. If anyone finds themselves in the Ormond Beach/Daytona Beach area, Justins Restaurant and Stonewood Tavern in Ormond are excellent as well as Breakers Restaurant in Daytona to a lesser extent. I've finally learned that, for the most part, you get what you pay for. 4. Breakfasts are better when kept simple. For me a couple of Bananas and Peaches or Pineapple along with a cup of tea or coffee was all I needed.5. One can of Coors beer a day doesn't cause any problems. I only did this for 5 days. I'm back to being a non-drinker. While I enjoyed the time at the beach I also missed my daily routine after a few days. It was great to get back! I hope all my fellow LEAPers are doing good and feeling fine. I am so thankful for the changes this program has made in my life. Thanks again Mike, Lisa, and Donna! Bob


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Bob







I am glad that you are doing so good...It really does work...Glad you enjoyed yourself on your vacation


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

BOBBER! ________________________________"I did not eat at low-priced restaurants like Dennys or Perkins." _________________________________Bingo...smart move. Talk about your entrees wnhich are actually processed food analog.







__________________________________"It seems like more expensive places use better quality foods and they are happy to prepare it exactly the way I ask." __________________________________Beig able to get "cooked to order and untreated" is necessary. My favorite insurance trick is to just tell the waitress I have severe food allergies so it is essential that they follow my instructions as I am NOT the guy you want having an allergic reaction in your dining room. This usually flushes out the cook who cannot met my needs right away so I know whether to eat or have MY Heinekin instead of your Coors.







_________________________________"The local retired people know where to eat!" ___________________________________







Hey tell me about it. I live in West Palm Beach area!Don't forget that they also know where ALL THE EARLY BIRD SPECIALS ARE!!!! (like the $4.95 prime rib from 4-5:30 pm) _______________________"Thanks again Mike, Lisa, and Donna!" _______________________All in a good days work....and thanks for keepng us posted on your success!!!MNL


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## WashoeLisa (Sep 12, 2000)

Great to hear from you, Bob!!AND glad we could be there to help you get to your better health!Hugs,Lisa


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

i posted something on the wrong post..


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)




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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Mike,I took your advice and tried a McDonalds Crispy Chicken sandwich today. I ordered it plain, just the piece of chicken and the roll. It is now 9 hours later and I have not had any really bad effects yet other than that I've been pretty 'gaseous' for the last several hours. I can live with that! As long as I don't have to rush from toilet-to-toilet, that's fine with me.I have to go on a business trip to Rockville MD next week. I'm driving, not flying. For me it is much less stressful to drive from the Orlando area to anywhere on the east coast (actually anywhere east of the Miss river) than it is to fly. I can stop whenever I want to, eat at the restaurant of my choice, not worry about the inevitable flight delays, not have my flight cancelled at the last minute (thanks United!), and if I wrap things up early I can leave immediately without playing the flight-change game. For some strange reason I don't mind long trips on I-95 especially in the southeast. The only traffic that might annoy me is on the Capital Beltway around DC (I-495). That road is always a 'parking lot' whenever I'm there.Also, for anyone finding themselves in the Rockville/Gaithersburg MD area, Momo Taro Sushi on Route 355 close to Shady Grove Rd is one of the best Sushi restaurants I've ever been to. Their food is top quality and the service is superb. I go there whenever I'm in the Rockville area (usually once or twice a year) and have never been disappointed. This will be the highlight of my trip -- to eat too much sushi and have the company pay for it! Jan, I know it is important to rotate foods and not eat the same thing all the time, but I may have a problem next week. I'll make sure I hit a couple of steakhouses as well as the sushi bar.I'll let everybody know how I survive this trip when I get back home. Until then keep smiling!Bob


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

BobWow you are going to be in my neck of the woods...I only live about 45 minutes from the Gaithersburg area....Is your visit for a week ?


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Mike,Forget what I said in the previous post about the McDonalds Crispy Chicken sandwich. At about the 20 hour mark (8 AM this morning) it wanted out! Here it is 3 hours later and my guts are still quivering. I don't know what they put into their food but everything I have eaten from McDonalds causes major problems. That's it! No more McDonalds!!Donna,I will be leaving Florida tomorrow (Saturday) and take a leisurely two-day trip to Rockville. I have to attend a new-product training course for my company. The course is scheduled to end on Friday afternoon. Hopefully they will be finished before 5PM Friday so I don't have to sit in the beltway traffic --- that's got to be some of the worst traffic I've ever been in --- from just south of Rockville through about half of Virginia on I-95. There's some beautiful country just outside the Rockville/Gaithersburg area. Last year I had a two-week stay and I did some traveling thru MD, PA, and NJ on the weekend I was there. This year it's just a one-week stay (two weeks of work crammed into one week) as, like companies everywhere, they are trying to make us 'more productive'. Oh well, I just 'go with the flow'. The pay is the same if I remain calm or get all worked up. I may as well just stay calm and do whatever they want me to do. I just hope my guts don't give me too many problems!


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

Take your time and enjoy your trip..The beltway around DC is horrible ...expecially on friday's and maybe you will be able to leave alittle early..I have been to probably every bathroom up and down the east coast at one time in my life


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Hi Everyone!I survived my trip to Maryland and learned several more things about my digestive system:1. I should not skip meals. I'm going to capitalize that so I won't forget .... I SHOULD NOT SKIP MEALS ... there! On the way north I took two days for the trip. On the second day I had a small breakfast and skipped lunch. Big mistake! Within 10 minutes of arriving at the hotel I was on the toilet paying the price. Thank god I made it to the hotel ... I didn't see anyplace to stop while on the I495/I270 leg of the trip. 2. Since I screwed up on the trip north I decided to do it right on the way back home. I left Maryland at 3PM so as to get a head-start on the inevitable traffic jam on the Beltway and I95. I have an electric cooler in my van so I bought some roast beef and turkey cold cuts as well as some pita bread. On the way south I ate a sandwich at 4-hour intervals and snacked on some crackers between sandwich breaks. The only other thing I had besies water was some coffee at about 2AM. I stopped at every other rest area and walked around for a few minutes just to keep the blood flowing. I had no digestive problems whatsoever. I did the entire trip from Rockville MD to Winter Springs FL straight-thru in 15 hours. Geez, the traffic in the DC area! It took 4 hours to get from Rockville MD to Richmond VA, a roughly 100 mile ride! That's an average speed of 25 mph!! I'm glad I don't have to commute thru that traffic on a regular basis.3. I can't eat quite as much sushi as I used to. I now get full where in the past (pre-LEAP) I could eat seemingly forever and still be hungry. I consumed my fair share though! I kept my diet reasonably balanced by also eating at Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse in Rockville (another place that serves excellent food) and I also made myself a gigantic salad at the salad bar for lunch. The trip was great-- absolutely no digestive problems at all after the first day-- and I know exactly what caused that problem! That's the part I love ... a relatively predictable and stable digestive system. I was at the doctor last week and had my blood pressure measured while I was there. It was 120/70. That's the lowest it has been in my entire adult life. I was always 140/90, or very close to it, since I was a teenager. Since I use quite a bit of salt on my foods now (it's about the only seasoning I can use) I wanted to see if it was negatively affecting me. He double-checked the blood pressure reading and it really was 120/70 so it looks like I'm doing fine. He suggested that I come in some morning after not eating breakfast and get my blood drawn and he will have the lab run all the usual tests so I can see how the other numbers (like cholesterol) look. The blood pressure number really surprised me. The doctors have always said my blood pressure was on the borderline and if it got much higher they would have to give me medicine for it (they've said that for years). I'm going to have it checked frequently to see if it goes back up (hope not!). Looks to me like another health issue has been controlled by following the LEAP program!I can eat tomatoes now! Tomatoes used to tear me up but now as long as I eat only one every other day I'm fine. Also, I only eat a raw tomato, not cooked or processed foods with tomato in them. One of my lunch meals is a big tomato seasoned with salt & pepper and a few chicken breast strips which I can eat with no problems whatsoever. However, two tomatoes at lunch get things moving a little too quickly. It's a quantity thing. I'm slowly learning which foods I have to limit the quantity of and which foods I can eat seemingly unlimited amounts of. My weight has stabilized at 187 pounds, down from 205 when I started the program in April. Believe me, I'm not trying to lose weight and I refuse to be hungry. This happened because I'm eating the proper foods for my body. I still laugh when co-workers go on and off various 'fad' diets and lose and then regain their weight and feel lousy because they are starving themselves. I don't limit the calories or count fat grams or go hungry at all and my weight is now pretty close to what the medical community says is ideal. Needless to say, I'm happy!I still have some anxiety issues to deal with and still have some urgency problems (gotta go NOW!)as well. These will take time to resolve. I'm very slowly getting the anxiety issue under control. I want to do this without medication. Speaking of which, my medicine intake is still about one Imodium pill a week --- that's one pill, not one box of pills like before. If it's a stressful day I might take one Bentyl pill to head off the gut spasms that inevitably occur. I take on average two Bentyl pills a week, far fewer than I ever used to. I hope everybody is doing fine and keeping their digestive system under control. It's easy, just follow the menu and eat only what you're supposed to!Bob


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

BobI am glad that you are doing good..The traffic is so bad out of DC until you get to Richmond..When I go to Potomac Mills Outlet around the holidays it is a nightmare...and when you are in that stretch of traffic you are not going to get right out of it to get to a bathroom fast..Been there and done that







I need to really cut back on the junk food I am eating...I think I can get away with it..It's not effecting my stomach just my chlosterol to be over 300..I really dont need to loose any weight but I am going back to the gym but I want to wait till around fall to do that...Yep ! just another excuse to put it off







Who know it may not be my diet at all maybe something else is causing this...I have about 7 more weeks to see if I can get it down with medication...Glad you are doing will


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Donna,You're not still eating butter, cream, and steak, are you?







A good substitute for butter is olive oil. You can dip your toast or bread in it at dinner, and you can cook things in it or put it on pasta, and last I heard it *lowers* cholesterol!Bobby,I can't skip meals either, I never have. Before I identified my food sensitivities I had to eat a lot of bread and pasta to control the spasms. In fact, I'm now realizing I made most of my food choices to control my digestive symptoms. I wish I could eat tomatos like you do. If I'm not careful with them I get heartburn







I had a taste for sloppy joes and compromised by using a fresh diced tomato instead of sauce, with celery instead of onion, and liquid smoke instead of worcestershire sauce (soy and sugar). I skipped the ketchup (mostly sugar). Actually with a little salt and pepper it's pretty good!







Of all the sauces at Whole Foods, the only one with neither soy, sugar, or both, was this liquid smoke I found on the bottom shelf in the back. It continues to amaze me how many things have sugar added.


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## ohnometo (Sep 20, 2001)

JuliaWelllllllllllllll maybe alittle....but I just cant figure myself out







I am feeling so much better and I am eating healthy but it is like I am justifying my behavior by being able to eat some high fat foods...It's like my mind is trying to find another reason why it is high besides the food....Hope you are doing well Julia


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

Julia,I haven't been able to eat tomato products for many years without having major problems. Now that I've been on the LEAP program for a few months and have eliminated many of the 'bad' foods from my diet, I've been able to eat some tomatoes with very little problems.Examples of what I can eat:1. Chicken strips from the local grocery store deli and a medium-sized tomato sliced up and seasoned with only salt. I found that a tomato that is still moderately firm is better for me than one that is getting soft and ripe (less gas later in the afternoon!). Also, a really big tomato causes some gas and excessive gut pressure a couple of hours after eating it -- must be a dose-related issue. As long as I eat the proper amount of tomato and only do it once every other day I'm fine.2. With spaghetti, I use a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and just enough Hunts Tomato Puree to give it a tomato-y flavor. It certainly isn't the same as using a real spaghetti sauce product, but it is the closest thing to real spaghetti sauce that I can tolerate. I use enough tomato/olive oil mix to moisten the spaghetti and make it taste good, not a whole bunch to where the spaghetti is swimming in the sauce. I only use tomato puree, not tomato paste or tomato sauce because they have extra added ingredients that I cannot tolerate. I can eat a big platefull of spaghetti and my 'custom' sauce and not have any digestive problems.After several months on the LEAP program and after your system has stabilized you may notice that you can also eat foods that previously caused problems. When your body figures out that you are not bombarding it with reactive foods all the time it becomes somewhat more tolerant to other foods. I know my system is now much more tolerant of the occasional dietary slip-up since I've been on the program. The one thing that can really tear me up is skipping or excessively delaying meals. That's just something I cannot do. One sure way to ruin a good day is to skip lunch or eat it at 3:00 instead of at noon like I should. I hope the LEAP program is working as good for you as it is for me. It's changed my life immensely.Bob


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Yup, much like Bob I can't skip meals either, and my reactive foods seem more reactive only when they reach a certain level in my body. Tomatoes are also only okay while a bit firm, and bananas while still slightly green. I definately have problems with over ripe fruits and veggies.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Bob....I have been travelling and off-line here for some time...so I missed your last post.Let me say that reading what you wrote makes everything we here collectively struggled with and worked to achieve makes today worth living...a great day to know that out there is one more person who KNOWS that this was the right thing for them and gave them back something no on else could...a better life.THANKS for making my day, as ALL the LEAP patients who post in this community do EVERY day!!!Like I always say...follow the instructions and you will see what we mean.







MNL


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

PSYou do point out something that some people experience...a partial restoration of tolerance. This is one of the distnct differences from food ALLERGY. This problem is LABILE...if you eat too much you lose tolerance...but sometimes if you lay off it 100% for a period of time your dose tolerance increases and you can reintriduce some foods in moderation.Instead of going into the theories behind endogenous chemicals and fertilizers and detoxofication enzyme and liver saturation and all that. lets just agree that it happens and be glad.!!!mikeNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Liver saturation? Like what I used to do with gravy over the liver my mother made me eat? yyeeeeeeeeech!We are having a big luau next month and I'm thinking about trying an oral challenge with chicken, because there's gonna be lots of it there, and it's a yellow, not a red. Believe me, if I have an unpleasant reaction, it will bump into my red zone in my mind and I probably will never touch it again!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Just keep the dose low, don't eat the whole bird, and you may get away with it OK. Also, if you put one of them grass skirts on and move the hips around while eating it, with drums beating and hands clapping, this provides some degree of immunosupression which can also reduce reactivity. BUT too much Pina Colada or Planters Punch will reverse the effect.Have a blast.MNL


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Not Pina Colada, it'll be Kalua! And Fuzzy Navels, and Hard Lemonade, and Mai Tais, and........Actually I almost never drink. For one thing it used to give me D and gas so I learned to just stay away. Secondly, after one and a half drinks I am already tipsy (I can NOT hold my liquor!) and third, I don't tend to like the taste of alcohol in the first place. However, I WILL be consuming at least ONE drink before the Hula and Karaoke contests just to make things more interesting! (teehee!)


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

WD: ___________________________________"I can NOT hold my liquor" ___________________________________StephanieNL says you can borrow one of her "Sippie Cups" to help with that.







MNLPSShe advises you can have any one except Pooh Bear. Sorry.


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Bobby,I think you're right about not eating tomatos too often. I don't think I have an intolerance to them, it's just the acid, etc. that gives me heartburn. But I've noticed I do better with raw tomatos than cooked, so I'm trying slightly cooked tomato in moderation (I don't like cold food). Last week I made a dish from a Hungarian stew recipe that called for canned whole tomatos. I used a large fresh one diced, with juiec, and it came out rather like minestrone. I didn't eat all the juice though, just enough to moisten the rice.A few years ago I used to eat pasta every night and my favorite thing to put on it was tomato sauce made fresh, by dicing a tomato and cooking it in a saucepan. But too often gives me heartburn. Oh well, I feel better knowing I can have it sometimes.







BTW I'm not on the LEAP program - I figured out my food allergies and sensitivities by myself, starting with soy in 1992.







Learning about the symptoms and mechanisms here has helped me get a good handle on it.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

"But I've noticed I do better with raw tomatos than cooked"Me too since cooking em down concentrates them...last night I ate some elbow pasta with chopped tomatoes in the mix. Today no problem. If that was tomato sauce, well, I would not be sitting here so casually.maybe its the tyramine, salycylic acid, or just concentrating the antigen since the cell mediated reactions are dose dependent. Anyway I share this cloud's silver lining though.MNL


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## Audrey Fussell (May 22, 2002)

Hey everyone. I haven't posted for weeks and thought I would check in to see how everyone is doing. I've been doing so much better since I've been on the LEAP program. My weight has dropped over 20 pounds since the end of June. I get so many compliments and everyone wants to know what I am doing to loose the weight. I've been telling everyone about LEAP program. For IBS, weight loss etc. I still have the mental worries about available bathroom but they have decreased a bit as well. I am not doing well with the rotation part of the diet but still see a significant decrease in my D. Those little slip ups sure become obvious real fast. Still working on trying to get regular. I've been able to decrease my need for medications relating to IBS. Now if I can just get my LUPUS under control as well. I did have a question. Has anyone ever read anything about a connection between IBS and LUPS? Fond regards to all. Audrey


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Audry, I know what you mean about bathrooms and slipups. I still HAVE to have a bathroom nearby, "just in case". I'm not as neurotic about it but I still think about it. Old habits are hard to break I guess. Also, about the slip ups. I slipped again this week and boy am I paying for it today. I actually thought I was going to hurl last night so I stayed home today, my tummy is SO upset. That's what I get for eating Mexican food virtually swimming in corn oil and cheese! Ack! I have problems staying with the rotation at times as well. But you know, on LEAP you either feel really good or really bad, and the really bad usually only lasts a day and then we get back on track with the program and feel better again. I wish there was a way to totally eliminate the responses to our reactives but for now this will have to do, and it's worth it to me, compared to the last 9 years!Mike, tell your daughter thanks, I'll keep the sippy cup in mind!


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

yes human nature IS hard to control...once you get attached to a certan way of eating is IS very difficult and takes time for the NEW way to become 100% habitual. Sooner or later, even the most recalcitrant patients get sick enough enough times by "srating" from the protocol that their new habits solidify.Others spend their whole lives doing well in direct proportion to their compliance.It is a lot like alcoholism...only one drink away from the next drunk vs only one greasy tamale away from the Porcelain god.So we choose, and we rise or fall on our own choices. I am no exception as I have freely admitted from time to time.One of the pitfalls of the fact that, in answer to your plea, even though SOME patients will experience SOME DEGREE of regained tolerance based on a prolonged period of 100% abstinence from SOME of their offending foods, is that there is NO predictability and in many cases NO tolerance is regained. So the only way to know is by oral challenge (as you both have experienced).BUT the upside IS that CONTROL OF OUR SYMPTOMS YOU BOTH CLEARLY KNOW is now in OUR hands, NOT in the hands of some total mystery which is unfathomable. SO we can be as well as we choose, or find that comprimise between the attachment of the palate and the tolerance for pain and discomfort and inconvenieece and even humiliation.So sayeth The Book of The Bowel, so leadeth The Path of the Potty Paper!Ya'll be good and ENJOY the feeling! I know I still do...esp. now that I found out out I overconsumed chicken and lost tolerance. As soon as I STOPPED eating chicken you will never GUESS what happened?














MNL


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

PSI will look into the lupus question as I have not "gone there" for a very long time and will come back.MNL


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## Audrey Fussell (May 22, 2002)

Mike - Thanks for your words of encouragement. Anything you can find on Lupus would be appreicated. If you wouldn't mind emailing me as there are times I don't get on the bb for weeks. This week is an exception. Take care, be strong and be well. Audrey


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## Jan LEAP RD (May 19, 2002)

Hi from your Lurker RD,Glad to hear how well everybody is doing, and enjoying your new roles as "Food Detectives."And, I've been cracking up at some of the posts. . . love the humor!














Anyway, Bob wrote:


> quote:Forget what I said in the previous post about the McDonalds Crispy Chicken sandwich. At about the 20 hour mark (8 AM this morning) it wanted out! Here it is 3 hours later and my guts are still quivering. I don't know what they put into their food but everything I have eaten from McDonalds causes major problems.


Well, guess what I went and found? McDonalds has a website that lists all the ingredients in all their foods (provided they don't have some inventive cooks adding secret ingredients in certain locations!). I think this will take you there. http://www.mcdonalds.com/countries/usa/foo...list/index.html Let's see. . . Crispy chicken sandwich:Crispy Chicken: Crispy Chicken Breast Filet, sesame seed bun, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise:Chicken Filet: Boneless chicken breast with rib meat containing up to 19.5% of a solution of water seasoning (salt, spices and spice extractive), sodium phosphates. Battered and breaded with wheat flour, water, modified corn starch, salt, spice, dried egg white, wheat gluten, and leavening (sodium acid pyrophospate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate). Breading set in vegetable oil.(Now, that's JUST the patty. . . not the bread or sauces. And, they don't specify WHAT spices. And, they don't say WHAT kind of vegetable oil!)Mayonanaise: Soybean oil, whole eggs, egg yolks, vinegar, water, salt, sugar, mustard flour, lemon juice concentrate, calcium disodiumSesame Seed Bun: Enriched bleached wheat flour (malted barley flour, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated soybean, corn, canola and/or cottonseed). Contains 2% or less of salt, wheat gluten, malted barley flour, alpha amylase, mono and diglycerides, propionic acid, phosphoric acid, calcium sulfate, ammonium chloride, monocalcium phosphate, ascorbic acid, asodicarbomide, corn flour, soy flour, potato flour, calcium peroxide, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono-and diglycerides, dilicon dioxide, sodium steryol 2 lactylate, fungal enzymes, emulsifiers, sodium or calcium propionate, sesame seeds. WHEW!!! My bread recipe only has about 6 ingredients!So, Bob. . . let's see: onion (spice?), corn, more corn, and more corn, garlic (spice?), egg, lemon juice concentrate may have sulfite in it, sugar and sesame. . .A-HAH!







Now we know why it didn't set well. . .


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

Yikes!!!! I knew most white buns contain soy oil, but I didn't know they're now adding the dreaded HFCS (why, for God's sake??????) and a zillion chemicals! When if they made bread the proper way with flour, water, sugar and yeast they wouldn't need all those emulsifiers etc. - corn flour? soy flour? What the hell????I'm so glad I've learned to carry my bagels with me!


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## WD40 (Jun 7, 1999)

Julia, I know! That darned corn syrup is everywhere! I always have to watch out for that one as it seems to be in things you wouldn't associate with it.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

A QUICKIE FOR THE ALPHANUMERIC LEAPERS: _____________________________________"the dreaded HFCS (why, for God's sake?" _____________________________________It's in everything primarily as a cheap sweetener. The taste buds of every culture (not the bds per se but the brain attached to them buds) "learns" from birth what tastes are preferred.In our culture in particular, sweet is poured dowm us from an early age. And salty as well. You know if nothing but natural-sweetness was experienced from birth, and then someone introduced into our diet suddenyl ALL the stuff which is artifically enhanced by sweeteners, like even BREAD gets high-fructose corn syrup added, we would be so under-sensitizied to sweet that it would be almost repulsive to us.But its been for the last 4 decades one of the biggest growing problems with processed foods.The general populace is pretty much aware of the "high fat bad" and "too much salt bad" and have learned to watch for those things which they beleive (with some accuracy and some degree of exaggeration) are bad. To some degree with "sugar" too, all the way back to "sugar rots your teeth" etc.BUT the food industry types have never been stupid or nutrionally concerned...they are cincerned with what makes products sell. SO since sweet sells, what bgetter thing to do than slip a little (or a lot) of sweet into everything BUT if its right out there on the label as "sweetened" ot ehr ingredient "sugar" is there, well, this can work against you.BUT the stduies show far fewer consumers know the significance of HFCS when they read it...even to the point of "oh, corn is in there, I guess thats good, corn is good, and look no 'sugar' (no idea what fructose is).So from cradle to grave (starting with the formula when used) sweet is used to sell product...mine is a little sweeter than your so I am gonna steal your market share.Nothing more to it than that....ans it is no wonder that so many people lose tolerance to corn...overconsumption is one of the known associations with loss of oral tolerance, not a rule per se, but increases the probabilities.Anyway, my alphanumeric friends...gotta move on...time to go home today.


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## Julia37 (May 9, 2001)

> quote:That darned corn syrup is everywhere! I always have to watch out for that one as it seems to be in things you wouldn't associate with it.


Ditto sugar! Since I've had to avoid it I've been amazed at how many things it's in where I didn't expect it! It's in ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, meat sauces, marinades, canned corn







, other canned veggies, frozen dinners, almost all cereals including those that don't taste sweet, and on and on......... And "health" food is no better, they just try to disguise it with a fancy name like "evaporated cane syrup".Mike, thanks for the rundown. I had already gathered some of that from reading labels. Lovely how they don't care if we die from food sensitivity or diabetes, as long as they make their profit.





















I hope you made it home ok. I'm posting a question for you, Mark, and Dr. B. on another thread.


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## bobby5832708 (May 30, 2000)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and, even though we all probably ate things we shouldn't have, in quantities we shouldn't have, we are not paying too high a price today.I haven't been posting much because -- well -- there isn't really anything for me to post. As long as I follow my diet and rotate foods I'm still doing really good. If I don't rotate foods properly it seems to affect me after a few days after which I go back to following the diet exactly as printed and things get better again. I still try eating things I shouldn't every now and then and, for the most part, as long as I don't overdo it I don't feel too bad afterwards. Some substances (like onion) just tear me up even in very small quantities (although not nearly as bad as pre-LEAP) so I just avoid those things completely. It's just so different to go from living most of my life on the toilet to actually feeling good, not having stomachaches and D-attacks regularly, and being able to lead a fairly normal life.Bob


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

The best part of Thanksgiving was that THIS year for the first time all MrsNL's extended Colombian family did not drive up in a caravan from Miami to enjoy the traditional "****** Pabo" cooked by yours truly.







This macrhing around doubled over waiting for the surgery has its advantages!!However, damned if they did not show up on FRIDAY looking for leftovers!!!!







(Anyone else know the value of Bud's Chicken? Anyone else had it? Mmmmmmmm.......oh and once I put it on the platters they all thought I cooked it.







Cool.)MNL


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