Where to go next (long post)

[Mom2A&M]

I finished my first W30 in march, probably should have extended it but didnt and never did reintro properly, then proceeded to eat a lot of garbage foods and gained a lot of weight. I have always had stomach issues, vague symptoms like general nausea and gas. And most importantly extremely urgent, loose BMs....like I need to go NOW or else. I went to a GI a few years ago because I was having fecal incontinence after having my son and he was not very helpful and his recommendations actually made things worse and I got more health issues because of his "treatment" ....but have also been labeled IBS (I personally think this DX is BS, way too general)anyway.....

I am 11 days into my second W30 and trying to figure out where to go next. I eat sweet potato daily, lots of carrots, green beans and zucchini. I try to stay away from greens/salads because they go right thru me. I have tried kombucha and raw sauerkraut from the healthfood store and simply cannot even gag them down. I have been adding broth here and there, taking NOW super enzymes, vitamin D (about 2,000-4,000IU), fish oil, Garden of Life raw probiotics(although I just learned they have milk in them, ugh!) and limiting water WITH meals.

Now I am feeling confused as to what to try next. IBS protocol? I already rarely eat nightshades, not many eggs (except yolks in mayo) and mostly cook my veggies (sometimes raw carrots are the only way I get my veggies in) and don't drink coffee anymore OR...

Low FODMAPS? Rarely eat broccoli, cauliflour, cabbage. A few nuts here and there but not much. But I do eat apples, applesauce, onion and garlic.

Or adopt both simultaneously? And be 100% elimination with these?

Different supplements?

I should also note that over 20 years I have not been able to pinpoint what foods "cause" this as one time food A might be awful to my body and another day that same food will not bother me.

Sorry for the long winded post, I am just trying not to revolve my life around where the bathrooms are. It's embarrassing and I'm over it.

Thank you,

Anne

[Psirene]

What are your other problem foods?

Sounds a lot like gallbladder issues to me. My husband is like that with the bathroom now, and it was much worse just after he got his gallbladder out.

 

My solution for everything is acupuncture, but I know YMMV so I won't soapbox about that. I had stomach issues and acupuncture was the only thing that fixed it.

 

What makes you feel better, what makes you feel worse? 

[Renee Lee]

Hi Anne,

 

First things first: I think you need to breathe. Navigating potential intolerances, especially when digestive issues come along with them is exhausting and often times maddening. You second guess every single thing that you put in your mouth and it'll just wind up driving you crazy with data points that won't necessarily get you anywhere.

 

Did things get better while you were doing your first Whole30? If so, then I think you need to go back there and get back to a baseline before tweaking any more.  If things were still terrible, with zero improvement, then I'd do the IBS, low FODMAP-protocol.

 

You're taking all the right supplements from my perspective, so I'd just keep on trucking with those little tweaks. Honestly, gut stuff takes a long time to get sort out, so be patient and don't stress out too much about it. It's going to making it worse.

 

Last thoughts, if you get absolutely nowhere, consider a consult with the Whole9 team or another functional medicine doc.

[Mom2A&M]

Renee,

Would you recommend a different probiotic?

I did not have improvement with urgency during my first W30. But I did feel better and had less gurgles and discomfort in my digestion

I know I am being a little crazy right now... It has been so bad lately. At work (I'm a massage therapist) I've had to leave during a session a few times to go, I can't keep doing that. I'm afraid to eat anything during work or several hours before, then I get off at 9pm and its too late to eat dinner. I'd really like to get to the point where I can eat a meal and feel confident to go into a room for 1-2hours at a time without a problem. I'll keep truckin'

Thanks

Psirene, I can't pinpoint triggers, it's very random and inconsistent. I had my GB checked many years ago and it was fine. Also had colonoscopy and that was fine too.

[Renee Lee]

Oh sorry about that. My fault. What I meant was that the types of supplements you were taking looked good, I didn't mean to comment specifically on brands. I'd rather you do probiotics in food form, ala kimchi, sauerkraut, raw pickles, etc, but if you have to take a pill form, get a clean one.

 

Also, this: http://whole9life.com/2012/04/probiotics-101/

[Mom2A&M]

I've tried sauerkraut and fermented beets and just could not get them down without gagging. I will try some pickles, and I can force kombucha down too. I will need to find or order a better probiotic probably too.

Out of curiosity...if I ferment my own fruits, do I have to avoid FODMAPS or does fermentation change the carbohydrate for those reducing FODMAPS?

[Renee Lee]

Short answer? It depends. Different people have varying degrees of sensitivities, so some might be okay with them while others are a total no go. I'd obviously err on the side of caution. If they're grayed out on the ibs shopping list, avoid them in all forms.