Anyone else with Stomach Ailments?

[georgejungle]

I posted last month. I was pretty down. Pretty bummed out.

Been having stomach issues for 6 or 7 months and they

were just depressing the heck out of me. Been to the Doc

a few times, they claimed stress. Am I a stressful person?

sure I guess so. do I have Anxiety? yep. But i'm a pretty

positive person Generally. Everyone's advice with going to therapy

or just to talk to someone was great, but again, i'm not

an emotional mess. I can fuction fine, i'm tough. Overall I overcame

all the silly negative thinking from last month that had been building

up and i've been feeling GREAT....til the other day.

 

Again, i've been to the doc, But they claimed stress or mild IBS,

didn't seem too worried about it. All I want now is just to figure out

how to relieve this problem.

 

What happens is out of the blue, i'll eat something and then a couple

hours later i'll get a mild stomach ache. It radiates over the days

after and kinda comes and goes. feels like trapped gas,

like a painful bloated feeling. And it can get PAINFUL, lemme tell ya. But

that's kinda the extent of it. Then it dissipates after 2-3 days

and i'm cool. AND it doesn't happen all the time, with every single meal

and I eat good and healthy. At first i thought maybe I had an Ulcer and that

spicy things were irritating it, so I laid off "hot" things and have been

off them for months, no Alcohol, no coffee, caffeine maybe once a

week, that's it. I had was a sandwich a few days ago with

Maynonnaise (the only thing i can think of that's i haven't had in while

since i've been trying to eat better) and that's what triggered it.

 

I'm baffled. I plan to go back to the Doc, (i told them about these

attacks before) but I've been trying to do my own research first. Now i'm at

a loss, i don't know WHAT foods cause my problems. A Bowl of peppers

i could see. A simple sandwich i can't see.

Edited February 19, 2008 by georgejungle

[blind_otter]

Have you seen a gastroenterologist?

 

I had stomach problems for years when I was younger. Ulcers, idiopathic gastropareisis, IBS. The primary care physician had no idea what she was talking about and had the good sense to send me to a specialist, who DID have an idea what she was talking about.

[georgejungle]

same with me, my regular doc didn't seem to know anything

so i pushed for a Gastroenterologist, which is who i saw

last. And he didn't seem worried. Kept asking if I was Stressed,

nervous, anxious, etc. This had happened prior to seeing him, so

i told him everything and he still didn't seem too worried.

 

again i'm not in agonizing pain constantly. Only when this happens

which seems like it's once a month and I never know what food

will trigger it. when it happens, it does suck. It's enough of a pain

to warrant my worry and frustration. So i've been trying to take a

food diary and eat REALLY good, supplements, Drinking only water,

etc.

 

OTTER, how did you overcome your problems?

Edited February 19, 2008 by georgejungle

[KittenMoon]

What about a gluten allergy? Or allergy to something odd like eggs? (going back to the mayo) Try to think of the oddest stuff you can!

 

You might try an active cultures supplement, ie eat yogurt. Or health stores have actual pills for this. It might help the digestion.

[blind_otter]

So i've been trying to take a

food diary and eat REALLY good, supplements, Drinking only water,

etc.

 

OTTER, how did you overcome your problems?

 

The food diary is a good thing.

 

To find out about food allergies, discuss a possible elimination diet with your gastro (http://www.webmd.com/allergies/allergies-elimination-diet)

 

My problem went away as mysteriously as it appeared. I guess in the end it did have something to do with my psyche.

[ShoeGirl]

Ask you doc about taking a probiotic supplement. I was having stomach problems not to long ago and my doc had me take lactobacillus acidophilus for 2 weeks to get my digestive system back in order. It basically replenished the good bacteria that live in your system.

 

After I started taking the probiotic we found out that my problems were from an allergic reaction but the probiotic helped me get over it a lot faster.

[georgejungle]

Thanks ShoeGirl.

 

That's so funny, because I was just reading yesterday

about how important Probiotics can be to regulating

your digestive track. Maybe my track is just off. I've

never had problems like this before up until 6 months

ago when i'll admit, i was eating pretty bad, junk food,

fountain drinks all the time, etc. Since then i've totally

cleaned up my act and eat good all the time.

 

I read plain yogurt with live bacteria can help in these cases.

Plain, rather than flavored and fruit filled. I'm willing to give it a

try and look into supplements, also i'm going back to the doc.

 

Thanks For everyone's help.

Edited February 20, 2008 by georgejungle

[josie54]

I had similar symptoms and kept a food diary, but in my case, I COULD find the culprit. Nuts, seeds, peanut butter, etc. Thing is, it took months for me to figure that out! Now whenever I start to feel icky, I look back over the last couple days and I can always track it back to cereal or cookie I had that happened to have nuts in it.

 

It's a bummer, because I LOVE almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds. I read up on it and found that this particular allergy is caused by a lack of the proper enzyme to break this stuff down. Products like Beano, taken before eating these items, is recommended, although I haven't tried that yet. For now, I just steer clear of the stuff.

 

The other thing you might look into is, unfortunately, sugar. Sugar also affects me poorly and it's in EVERYTHING. So you might try to cut out bread and items with refined sugars for a week to see if things even out. It always makes me feel better, although I can never stay off the stuff indefinitely (sweet tooth). The reason that you may only have troubles once a month or so is because your body just reaches a saturation point and you need to get it out of your system. Although I'm speaking from my own experience, and realize that yours may be completely different.

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles, but believe me, they're not uncommon. And I also have had the same experience as you with doctors--they can rarely track down the problem, at least initially.

 

Good luck!

[georgejungle]

Thanks JOSIE,

 

the funny thing is it's hard for me to detect just who the enemy is.

I'll be fine for a few weeks, like a good solid 3-4 weeks eating 100%

Whole Wheat breads, natural sugars (not fructose or corn syrup), nuts,

Greens, fruits, veggies, flax, eating normal but healthy & avoiding typical

irritants like spicy things, Alcohol, caffeine and i'll have ZERO Problems.

But all of the sudden, something will Get Me and messes up my insides

for a good few days where even to this day since last Saturday, i still

feel kinda icky in my belly...not in pain like the days before, but still

gross. It’s always gas, bloating, painful cramps and nausea. The

saturation limit you mentioned is something to ponder. That's an

interesting thought

 

Seems like I’m lacking something that used to be there to break

down certain things. That’s why I’m looking into the Probiotics. I

NEVER eat Yogurt, ever. It’s time to start adding that and see what

works. Again, I’ve never had problems like this before. But they rose

to the occasion during a period when I was eating poorly 6 months ago,

just junk and processed foods, fast food, a LOT of soda fountain drinks,

just a lot of high fat, High cholesterol foods. I’d eat healthy with my wife,

but when at work, Sky was the limit, meaning Chicken McNuggets, Soda,

and Fries for lunch and overeating late at night.

 

I’m so much wiser now; I just hope to fix my insides up. I hope that

for all sufferers. It’s a terrible thing to have to go thru and I wish the best

for all others out there who have probs.

Edited February 21, 2008 by georgejungle

[ShoeGirl]

Thanks ShoeGirl.

 

That's so funny, because I was just reading yesterday

about how important Probiotics can be to regulating

your digestive track. Maybe my track is just off. I've

never had problems like this before up until 6 months

ago when i'll admit, i was eating pretty bad, junk food,

fountain drinks all the time, etc. Since then i've totally

cleaned up my act and eat good all the time.

 

I read plain yogurt with live bacteria can help in these cases.

Plain, rather than flavored and fruit filled. I'm willing to give it a

try and look into supplements, also i'm going back to the doc.

 

Thanks For everyone's help.

 

If you decide to try the yogurt idea buy activia and it doesn't matter if it is plain or flavored the bacteria are still there.