Jennifer's Recovery Log

[lindsay]

Ha! Remember when Time to Pretend was a freebee on iTunes?
Very catchy song!

But all this talk about bile salts also has me interested. I think I'm permanently screwed due to my lack of gallbladder, but who knows. I seem to suffer typical IBS symptoms - I either have constipation or diarrhea. Happy medium not found. Sorry for the TMI. Antibiotics gave me diarrhea in the morning (could have been the coffee?), but by the evening, I felt fantastic and was having normal bowel movements - even if I'd eaten something starchy. One of my theories about digestion and diarrhea has to do with lymph fluids - is it possible that when one gets liquid poo, the body is draining toxins? I usually feel less edema after having diarrhea (sorry if that's TMI). I suffered chronic constipation when I was in college ions ago (which is why I was prescribed that hideous Zelnorm) - it was the worst thing ever. Since then, I have happily accepted diarrhea over constipation because I feel better if I'm not blocked up.

On a side note, here is some comic relief for all the talk of poo color:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw2WsXIgO6A

 

[Jennifer]

But all this talk about bile salts also has me interested. I think I'm permanently screwed due to my lack of gallbladder, but who knows. I seem to suffer typical IBS symptoms - I either have constipation or diarrhea. Happy medium not found. Sorry for the TMI. Antibiotics gave me diarrhea in the morning (could have been the coffee?), but by the evening, I felt fantastic and was having normal bowel movements - even if I'd eaten something starchy. One of my theories about digestion and diarrhea has to do with lymph fluids - is it possible that when one gets liquid poo, the body is draining toxins? I usually feel less edema after having diarrhea (sorry if that's TMI). I suffered chronic constipation when I was in college ions ago (which is why I was prescribed that hideous Zelnorm) - it was the worst thing ever. Since then, I have happily accepted diarrhea over constipation because I feel better if I'm not blocked up.

On a side note, here is some comic relief for all the talk of poo color:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw2WsXIgO6A

LOL Nothing is TMI here. I'm still awaiting my filter. It's been in the shop for years now in need of repair.

I don't think you're permanently screwed, Lindsay. I know people who've had their gallbladders removed and are completely fine so I really believe you'll get things straightened out and be fine too. From what you've told me, your digestion was operating well after your surgery so clearly it's capable of good function despite your lack of a gallbladder.

It makes sense to me that the body is trying to get rid of something unwanted through diarrhea. I'd say, even something that is aggravating to the intestines is unwanted and will be expelled as quickly as possible. I'm not sure if you saw this quote by Peatarian in regards to endotoxins:

As I know now, you usually don't have any trouble with bowel movement when there are 'enough' endotoxins in your intestines. In fact everything blocking or lowering serotonin (which is mostly promoted by endotoxins as is estrogen and as are the other stress hormones) will start a shift toward constipation. Using too much ondansetron will cause constipation. Using just enough will normalize soft stool or stop diarrhea (there is a new off label use in gastritis and other stomach diseases). Most bacteria - even the so called 'good bacteria' produce toxic waste.

I notice the rash goes away when I have diarrhea, but comes back when I eat things that bind me (dairy and activated charcoal). So it's interesting that the two things that start a trend towards constipation for me are the ones that exasperate my rash. It could be that the AC is aggravating my already irritated intestines, perhaps due to particle size like Ray has mentioned concern with and/or that I do in fact have a true dairy (protein) allergy despite its rarity. Or it could just be that what we're dealing with comes down to a bacterial/endotoxin issue, but how to solve it permanently I have yet to uncover. Hopefully the stool test will point me in the right direction because I'm tired of playing the theory game. Everything seems great in theory, but not in practice.

And that video clip is hilarious. I want to be one of the operators. I have this sexy smokey voice going on right now because of my cold and I'd really like to put it to use. Said in a low sultry tone "911, what's your urgency...I mean emergency?" Hehe! Just kidding.

Ooh...that makes me think of a song. Anyone know what song I'm thinking of?

 

[HDD]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UCTbNnoZMwc


Gotta love the hair and clothes from the 80's!

 

[tara]

I notice the rash goes away when I have diarrhea, but comes back when I eat things that bind me (dairy and activated charcoal). So it's interesting that the two things that start a trend towards constipation for me are the ones that exasperate my rash.

This is a thought I've had too. It seems that milk and especially cheese tend to be binders, and I think that applies to me too. So could be that this is a linlk in the migraine chain. This week I've eaten a good bowl of fruit salad every day, and had some milk (mostly A2) and homemade cheese, but not as much as I was.

It seems like a trade off. What's the lesser evil, serotonin that keeps things moving, or endotoxin from not moving through fast enough? Maybe I should try more cascara.

 

[Jennifer]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UCTbNnoZMwc


Gotta love the hair and clothes from the 80's!

Go Diane! I knew one of my soul sisters would get the song.

Now that's some hair like a fox. Danny Roddy would be proud of those guys.

 

[Jennifer]

I notice the rash goes away when I have diarrhea, but comes back when I eat things that bind me (dairy and activated charcoal). So it's interesting that the two things that start a trend towards constipation for me are the ones that exasperate my rash.

This is a thought I've had too. It seems that milk and especially cheese tend to be binders, and I think that applies to me too. So could be that this is a linlk in the migraine chain. This week I've eaten a good bowl of fruit salad every day, and had some milk (mostly A2) and homemade cheese, but not as much as I was.

It seems like a trade off. What's the lesser evil, serotonin that keeps things moving, or endotoxin from not moving through fast enough? Maybe I should try more cascara.

Yeah, it really does feel like a trade off. I've tried cascara, but it gave me runny stools no matter how little I took. I also tried doing coffee, but it gives me horrible diarrhea no matter how much milk I have with it. I know with my mom, cheese makes her migraines worse and she's actually going to get tested also for a dairy allergy if mine comes back positive.

I'm trying not to get ahead of myself before I even have the results of the stool test, but there were some things I really liked about a high fruit diet so I've actually been thinking about going back to that way of eating, but with the addition of potatoes/sweet potatoes, cooked greens (liquid) for calcium, eggs and possibly some crab as my staples if the stool test shows an allergy to milk. There's a quote by Ray from one of the transcribed radio interviews where he acknowledges the health of the New Guineans who subsist on a high tuber diet:

"Q: Are cooked potatoes good? Sweet potatoes?

RP: Very good. New Guineans live on basically the traditional diet of almost pure potatoes for 51 weeks per year, and one week of pork feasts. They did not have any heart disease, not a high rate of cancer or any degenerative disease."

How do you do with potatoes, tara?

The only thing I have to be careful of is my cholesterol. It tends to fall extremely low and it's already low now. Dr. Oteri told me she wanted to keep an eye on it because she felt it was starting to get too low and worried that depression would start to set in. I'm going to have to talk to her because I've got some severe depression going on that I just can't seem to kick and I don't know if it's because of the NDT supplementation and my really low TSH level or the diet situation and lack of nutrition.

I at least recognize that this isn't normal Jennifer and I've made my family aware of it so they're keeping an eye on me. Not that I feel I'd do something to myself, but I've learned when things are bad like this that I should ask for help/support. Something I've never been good at, but I'm trying. The last time my depression was this bad was when my cholesterol was at 115. Friday's doctor's appointment can't come soon enough. This year has been horrible for me depression wise. I don't think it's ever gone on for this long before.

 

[tara]

Sorry you're dealing with long depression. That sucks. I imagine not being able to eat much food would play into that. Seems like there's a good chance that if you can improve the digestion, life might look a lot better quite fast. Hope your test results give you soemething you can work with.

How do you do with potatoes, tara?

I think I'm OK with potatoes, but I'm not sure. I've never been able to go more than 3 days without craving starch, so I haven't really tested how I'd go without them. I usually eat at least some potatoes 3-4 times a week, and usually feel good at the time. I also get a bit of gas afterwards, but don't usually get either constipated or diarrhea from them as far as I'm aware. Usually either boiled with butter on them, or chips baked in coconut oil, with lots of salt, or sometimes cooked in stews with meat and onions etc. It might be partly all the salt I put on them that makes me feel good. I've been thinking if I have to drink less milk, maybe more potatoes would be a partial replacement.

 

[lindsay]

LOL Nothing is TMI here. I'm still awaiting my filter. It's been in the shop for years now in need of repair.

I don't think you're permanently screwed, Lindsay. I know people who've had their gallbladders removed and are completely fine so I really believe you'll get things straightened out and be fine too. From what you've told me, your digestion was operating well after your surgery so clearly it's capable of good function despite your lack of a gallbladder.

It makes sense to me that the body is trying to get rid of something unwanted through diarrhea. I'd say, even something that is aggravating to the intestines is unwanted and will be expelled as quickly as possible. I'm not sure if you saw this quote by Peatarian in regards to endotoxins:

As I know now, you usually don't have any trouble with bowel movement when there are 'enough' endotoxins in your intestines. In fact everything blocking or lowering serotonin (which is mostly promoted by endotoxins as is estrogen and as are the other stress hormones) will start a shift toward constipation. Using too much ondansetron will cause constipation. Using just enough will normalize soft stool or stop diarrhea (there is a new off label use in gastritis and other stomach diseases). Most bacteria - even the so called 'good bacteria' produce toxic waste.

I notice the rash goes away when I have diarrhea, but comes back when I eat things that bind me (dairy and activated charcoal). So it's interesting that the two things that start a trend towards constipation for me are the ones that exasperate my rash. It could be that the AC is aggravating my already irritated intestines, perhaps due to particle size like Ray has mentioned concern with and/or that I do in fact have a true dairy (protein) allergy despite its rarity. Or it could just be that what we're dealing with comes down to a bacterial/endotoxin issue, but how to solve it permanently I have yet to uncover. Hopefully the stool test will point me in the right direction because I'm tired of playing the theory game. Everything seems great in theory, but not in practice.

And that video clip is hilarious. I want to be one of the operators. I have this sexy smokey voice going on right now because of my cold and I'd really like to put it to use. Said in a low sultry tone "911, what's your urgency...I mean emergency?" Hehe! Just kidding.

Ooh...that makes me think of a song. Anyone know what song I'm thinking of?

There is a fine balance to be found that I just have not yet found. I still take a small amount of cascara sagrada daily because if I don't, I get slightly bound up and bloated feeling. One thing that I want to investigate more of is that magnesium bicarbonate water - when I went to my parents for Christmas, I forgot to bring my cascara. Of all the supplements to forget when I'm eating terrible food (my mom does not allow me to accommodate my special dietary issues - bring on the almond pastries!), that is the one I was not happy to have forgotten. I was feeling quite awful on Christmas day, so I walked down to Walgreens (which was open on Christmas! oh the horrors!) and bought their brand of MOM - no additives other than water - and a bottle of seltzer water and I made that magnesium bicarbonate water. By golly - it worked! I think I drank too much though - finished a liter within a day and it gave me some nausea the morning after Christmas, but I had really smooth bowel movements despite eating heavy food. So sometimes I wonder if I just have a magnesium deficiency and if I drink that water regularly, will I be able to stop using the cascara?

Another alternative is to try an anti-spasmodic paired with something like cascara - when I was prescribed Zelnorm, I complained to my doctor that I felt like I was going to have diarrhea all the time. So he prescribed me an anti-spasmodic drug to accommodate the Zelnorm. I took the Zelnorm and then once it did its job, I took the anti-spasmodic and my tummy calmed down. Not a great system, but I was under high stress and working A LOT, so I didn't care.

On a side note (sorry - my thoughts are all over the place), my eczema was at its worst in college when I was under high stress and eating crappy food (which caused the constipation). I started to get it again right before my appendicitis when I was eating lots of starch. So for me, the eczema rash is brought on my starch and yeast consumption. I used to get this one patch on my eyelid - nothing would make it go away, not even my bag balm. Once the infection was gone post-appendicitis, the eczema patch disappeared. Jennifer, you might just have a mild infection that the milk is triggering. My friend used to have similar reactions - lactaid helped, she said. And eventually she outgrew it. However, I know another person who is severely allergic to casein (since he was a baby) - he can die if he eats a dairy product. How sad is that?? Life without any gouda or cheddar!! Oh the horrors.

I hope your stool test will find something!! Let us know!!

 

[Amazoniac]

Hi again!
This might be an useful tool:

http://ubiome.com/

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Hi Jennifer, I can't remember if you mentioned this already, but have you ever been tested for Primary Hyperparathyroidism?

And to answer your question earlier, no I have never been tested for Giardia....damn doctors.

 

[Jennifer]

Sorry you're dealing with long depression. That sucks. I imagine not being able to eat much food would play into that. Seems like there's a good chance that if you can improve the digestion, life might look a lot better quite fast. Hope your test results give you soemething you can work with.

Thanks, tara. I appreciate that! :) I've managed to get in around 2000 calories, but it's just from eggs, juice and chocolate so I figure my nutrition is sorely lacking. However, I did figure out what was causing this nagging doom feeling I've been having this past month. I'll log about the details tonight, but it has to do with having to rush my grandmother to the hospital yesterday morning.

I think I'm OK with potatoes, but I'm not sure. I've never been able to go more than 3 days without craving starch, so I haven't really tested how I'd go without them. I usually eat at least some potatoes 3-4 times a week, and usually feel good at the time. I also get a bit of gas afterwards, but don't usually get either constipated or diarrhea from them as far as I'm aware. Usually either boiled with butter on them, or chips baked in coconut oil, with lots of salt, or sometimes cooked in stews with meat and onions etc. It might be partly all the salt I put on them that makes me feel good. I've been thinking if I have to drink less milk, maybe more potatoes would be a partial replacement.

Oh, okay! So you get some gas with them. Hmm...do you get gas with the chips too? I'm just wondering if having the butter(dairy) contributes to the gas or if it does come down to the starch. I'm thinking if the gas isn't due to the starch, then the onions in the stew might be what's contributing to the gas?

But yeah, I too am thinking the same thing about the salt. I ran out of some a few days ago and went to cook some eggs this morning and got very put off thinking about them without salt. I then thought about making some chicken just to get protein and calories in, but without the salt, I was really turned off by it. Funny though, I use to eat potatoes and sweet potatoes without salt, but would add maple syrup and loved having them that way.

 

[Jennifer]

One thing that I want to investigate more of is that magnesium bicarbonate water - when I went to my parents for Christmas, I forgot to bring my cascara. Of all the supplements to forget when I'm eating terrible food (my mom does not allow me to accommodate my special dietary issues - bring on the almond pastries!), that is the one I was not happy to have forgotten. I was feeling quite awful on Christmas day, so I walked down to Walgreens (which was open on Christmas! oh the horrors!) and bought their brand of MOM - no additives other than water - and a bottle of seltzer water and I made that magnesium bicarbonate water. By golly - it worked! I think I drank too much though - finished a liter within a day and it gave me some nausea the morning after Christmas, but I had really smooth bowel movements despite eating heavy food. So sometimes I wonder if I just have a magnesium deficiency and if I drink that water regularly, will I be able to stop using the cascara?

Oh good! You tried VoS' magnesium water recipe. I'm glad to know that the Walgreens brand of MOM doesn't have extra excipients. I wanted to be able to get some in town and not have to order online. I'm now wondering if that was the brand loess meant and not the CVS brand. Anyhow, I did notice my gut pain lessened when I started using it. A liter is around the amount I drink.

On a side note (sorry - my thoughts are all over the place), my eczema was at its worst in college when I was under high stress and eating crappy food (which caused the constipation). I started to get it again right before my appendicitis when I was eating lots of starch. So for me, the eczema rash is brought on my starch and yeast consumption. I used to get this one patch on my eyelid - nothing would make it go away, not even my bag balm. Once the infection was gone post-appendicitis, the eczema patch disappeared. Jennifer, you might just have a mild infection that the milk is triggering. My friend used to have similar reactions - lactaid helped, she said. And eventually she outgrew it. However, I know another person who is severely allergic to casein (since he was a baby) - he can die if he eats a dairy product. How sad is that?? Life without any gouda or cheddar!! Oh the horrors.

I hope your stool test will find something!! Let us know!!

LOL Your thoughts read like mine so if they're all over the place, I have no problem following them. :)

Hmm...yeah, you having issues with starch does line up with what Ray says about those with digestive issues. That's the reason I've been avoiding starch. I'm craving potatoes like crazy, but when I was consuming an all dairy diet, the potato cravings and any cravings really, were gone. So I'm wondering if it just comes down to lacking nutrition and protein and so my body wants the potatoes because I use to eat a lot of them and it knows the nutrients it can get from them. My body is so out of whack right that I'm having such a hard time following my intuition.

I remember you mentioning your friend before and that she solved her dairy allergy with Lactaid so depending on the stool test results, I may just give it a try. For years now I've been telling the doctors that I feel like I have some kind of bacterial/viral infection, that at the time I was just too small and weak to fight off. But I can't understand why I'm still struggling, especially after refeeding and pounding it with so many calories/nutrition. I've dropped weight and I've been worried that I was going to end up having to refeed again after all this was said and done, but I think I've managed to stop the weight loss. I got rid of my scale a while ago so I've been going by my clothes and I'm back into my tiny sizes again so I know I need to get weight back on. I'll definitely keep you guys posted with the results of the test. Thanks! :)

 

[Jennifer]

Hi again!
This might be an useful tool:

http://ubiome.com/

Thanks, Amazoniac! I'll definitely keep that in mind. :)

 

[Jennifer]

Hi Jennifer, I can't remember if you mentioned this already, but have you ever been tested for Primary Hyperparathyroidism?

And to answer your question earlier, no I have never been tested for Giardia....damn doctors.

Actually, I had my doctor check my PTH and calcium levels because the tech that did my DEXA scan in the Spring told me that losing so much bone density in my spine, but having good bone density in my arms was a sign of a possible parathyroid tumor. My calcium level at the time was high, but my PTH was normal so my doctor ruled out hyperparathyroidism.

I'd like to say I'm shocked that your doctors never checked you for Giardia given that you were dealing with diarrhea for so long, but even my doctor didn't bother to check me for any of those critters and she practices wholisticlly. I'm the one who asked to be checked. It really feels like we as the patients are now having to play the role of doctor. That before we even enter their office, we have to have studied up on all the tests and diseases so that we know things are checked and tests are performed properly.

My doctor says she gets two kinds of patients. She gets the researchers and the engineers. The problem with that is I feel like when I visit doctors armed with too much knowledge, they actually start looking to me to have the answers. I kid not! Every doctor and specialist I've been to has told me I should get into medicine because of all the knowledge I have. The problem is that I've HAD to gain all that knowledge because they were dropping the ball.

A year before I ever fractured, I had been to the ER complaining of severe back and ribcage pains (I actually threw my back out landscaping) and they took x-rays. I found out after I fractured that my x-rays from the year before showed that my bones were visibly translucent. You see it right on the x-rays. You would think the doctor reviewing my x-rays at the time would have told me I clearly had severe osteoporosis and would have been concerned enough to get me help fast to prevent any possible fracturing. Never mind that I was only around 25 years old at the time and that should cause a doctor to really look deeper into any possible juvenile bone disorders. It's just so disappointing.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

That's good to hear, one more suspicion ruled out!

"I'd like to say I'm shocked that your doctors never checked you for Giardia given that you were dealing with diarrhea for so long..."

I know, right??? Especially since I HAD the tendency to forage for chickweed, dandelions, nettles, berries etc. I rarely washed the stuff when I was out hiking around. I have never been checked for C.diff either which amazes me given my history of antibiotic use. I'm very thorough, overly so, and when I go in to see a doctor I always have a written list with specifics. I'm still astounded by the lack real knowledge and effective cures.

Have a FABULOUS New Year!

 

[lindsay]

One thing that I want to investigate more of is that magnesium bicarbonate water - when I went to my parents for Christmas, I forgot to bring my cascara. Of all the supplements to forget when I'm eating terrible food (my mom does not allow me to accommodate my special dietary issues - bring on the almond pastries!), that is the one I was not happy to have forgotten. I was feeling quite awful on Christmas day, so I walked down to Walgreens (which was open on Christmas! oh the horrors!) and bought their brand of MOM - no additives other than water - and a bottle of seltzer water and I made that magnesium bicarbonate water. By golly - it worked! I think I drank too much though - finished a liter within a day and it gave me some nausea the morning after Christmas, but I had really smooth bowel movements despite eating heavy food. So sometimes I wonder if I just have a magnesium deficiency and if I drink that water regularly, will I be able to stop using the cascara?

Oh good! You tried VoS' magnesium water recipe. I'm glad to know that the Walgreens brand of MOM doesn't have extra excipients. I wanted to be able to get some in town and not have to order online. I'm now wondering if that was the brand loess meant and not the CVS brand. Anyhow, I did notice my gut pain lessened when I started using it. A liter is around the amount I drink.

On a side note (sorry - my thoughts are all over the place), my eczema was at its worst in college when I was under high stress and eating crappy food (which caused the constipation). I started to get it again right before my appendicitis when I was eating lots of starch. So for me, the eczema rash is brought on my starch and yeast consumption. I used to get this one patch on my eyelid - nothing would make it go away, not even my bag balm. Once the infection was gone post-appendicitis, the eczema patch disappeared. Jennifer, you might just have a mild infection that the milk is triggering. My friend used to have similar reactions - lactaid helped, she said. And eventually she outgrew it. However, I know another person who is severely allergic to casein (since he was a baby) - he can die if he eats a dairy product. How sad is that?? Life without any gouda or cheddar!! Oh the horrors.

I hope your stool test will find something!! Let us know!!

LOL Your thoughts read like mine so if they're all over the place, I have no problem following them. :)

Hmm...yeah, you having issues with starch does line up with what Ray says about those with digestive issues. That's the reason I've been avoiding starch. I'm craving potatoes like crazy, but when I was consuming an all dairy diet, the potato cravings and any cravings really, were gone. So I'm wondering if it just comes down to lacking nutrition and protein and so my body wants the potatoes because I use to eat a lot of them and it knows the nutrients it can get from them. My body is so out of whack right that I'm having such a hard time following my intuition.

I remember you mentioning your friend before and that she solved her dairy allergy with Lactaid so depending on the stool test results, I may just give it a try. For years now I've been telling the doctors that I feel like I have some kind of bacterial/viral infection, that at the time I was just too small and weak to fight off. But I can't understand why I'm still struggling, especially after refeeding and pounding it with so many calories/nutrition. I've dropped weight and I've been worried that I was going to end up having to refeed again after all this was said and done, but I think I've managed to stop the weight loss. I got rid of my scale a while ago so I've been going by my clothes and I'm back into my tiny sizes again so I know I need to get weight back on. I'll definitely keep you guys posted with the results of the test. Thanks! :)

Yes! I did try the magnesium water!! It worked very well to relieve my constipation, without using cascara. However, it did leave me a little bloated feeling, but nothing unusual for me. I find that taking cascara or a safe laxative and then following it with AC works well some days, but not always. I really need to experiment more with the magnesium bicarbonate, but the Walgreens stuff is good and my husband just got a soda stream for Christmas, so we can make our own seltzer!! On a side note, you said you cannot tolerate OJ?? What brand do you buy?

I'm sorry about all your digestive issues - especially after all you've been through!! But I do understand - even taking 1 1/2 to 2 grains of Cynoplus hasn't solved my digestive woes and I've learned to manage them as best I can. I can eat some starch, so long as I make sure it "clears" out - so basically, if I choose to eat some delicious bread, I take cascara and sometimes AC and make sure it clears out. My lack of appendix has made the whole thing much better, but the antibiotics made me feel great and then the bacteria sets in again. Anyhow, I mention the OJ because Kasra sent me an article today about how drinking OJ was shown to stop endotoxemia:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2844681/
OJ usually makes me have to poo. As does yoga. Are you able to do any yoga? Even stretching? I find it usually helps my stomach feel better, but then I think we have different sorts of digestive issues. Mine is all in the lower GI, but I don't get sharp pain as you do - although I did when I got food poisoning last year. It was horrible. I couldn't eat an egg that was even close to being soft or hard boiled or it would cause the food poisoning symptoms (which was similar to my appendicitis). Have you tried the kefir and potato starch with honey? It really works and I don't think you'd have a reaction to the dairy, especially if you use good honey. But see how your stool tests come back and keep us posted!!

And yes - Happy New Year!!!

 

[lindsay]

That's good to hear, one more suspicion ruled out!

"I'd like to say I'm shocked that your doctors never checked you for Giardia given that you were dealing with diarrhea for so long..."

I know, right??? Especially since I HAD the tendency to forage for chickweed, dandelions, nettles, berries etc. I rarely washed the stuff when I was out hiking around. I have never been checked for C.diff either which amazes me given my history of antibiotic use. I'm very thorough, overly so, and when I go in to see a doctor I always have a written list with specifics. I'm still astounded by the lack real knowledge and effective cures.

Have a FABULOUS New Year!

BigPeatowski: are you seeing GI doctors or your primary doctor?? Have you ever had a colonoscopy?

Happy New Year!!

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I've seen two different female ND's waaay too many times (both are supposedly top-notch Bastyr trained with LOTS of experience), I've seen two endocrinologists and a GI doc complete with colonoscopy all in the last three years. I am currently working on getting in to see a different GI specialist at the U of W here in Seattle. I hope to hell she knows what she's doing...and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you as well!!!

 

[Jennifer]

I know, right??? Especially since I HAD the tendency to forage for chickweed, dandelions, nettles, berries etc. I rarely washed the stuff when I was out hiking around. I have never been checked for C.diff either which amazes me given my history of antibiotic use. I'm very thorough, overly so, and when I go in to see a doctor I always have a written list with specifics. I'm still astounded by the lack real knowledge and effective cures.

Have a FABULOUS New Year!

Ah, so you've been out in the dirty wildernous too. LOL

Yeah, it just amazes me that they don't bother to check. Out of curiosity, have you ever caught something while vacationing out of the country?

One of the first times I hiked was with a girl who was just a little bigger than me at the time so she was quite thin and I remember she was going to take a trip to Thialand in the coming months. I hadn't hiked with her after that, but apparently some of my other hiking friends noticed when she came back from her trip that she was dropping weight really fast and when asked, she said she was really sick, but doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Come to find out, she caught something while she was in Thailand. Luckily she recovered really fast after antibiotic treatment.

I hope you have a FABULOUS New Year as well!

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Nope, I have never been sick while traveling. My last trip to Mexico (end of Sept.) I got so fed up with "resort food" that I decided to walk several miles into a small neighboring town. I ate seafood and stuff I didn't recognize from vendors cooking/selling meals right on the dirt streets, never had a problem.

My issue seems to be seasonal: it seemed to go away when I started the low fat experiment which also happened to coincide with my garlic experiment in June. Now that I'm eating more fat and the days are so short, I wonder...
I'm now thinking that I have some sort of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency...a shortage of lipase and amylase maybe? Who knows...perhaps I need a new pancreas. That's my latest theory. Anyone know how to regenerate a pancreas???