Digestive Problems - New York,NY

Updated on May 21, 2012
E.Z. asks from New York, NY
9 answers

Hi. New to mamapedia here. I had my gallbladder removed 10 mon ago, was diagnosed lactose intolerant 4 mon ago after having a hydrogen breath test. I had an endoscopy with came back fine. Had a SIBO breath test which also came back fine. Ive cut back on dairy, take lactaid tablets if I do have dairy, I am taking omeprazole 40mg daily for some reflux. After all this I still have many many occasions of digestion problems, bloating, gas, stomach cramps, nausea, indigestion and most often loose bowel movements. Since my gallbladder removal ive lost about 40 lbs, ontop of the 30 I lost in the couple month before surgery. I dont eat fried foods, no red meat, no fatty foods. I occasionally have coke zero, or diet gingeralee, mostly I drink water. I have veggies daily, fruit regularly, plain rice grilled chicken, or lean turkey, pasta. Something I eat one day fine, can make me sick the mext time. This has completely thrown my life into a mess. I'm fearful of eating out, sometimes I eat nothing at work preferring to wait to get home in time for dinner. I carry Tums, Pepto and Lactaid tablets everywhere I go. I'm desperate, if anyone has suggestions on what may be going on, or advice on how to deal please share.

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D.R.

answers from Albany on

Have you tried taking Acidophilus capsules to aid in digestion? There are other digestive aids to help digest proteins; such as papain and bromelian from papayas and pineapples. Also chewing fennel seeds and/or eating a piece of fennel bulb (finnochio) seem to help some people digest their meals.

HTH?

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

I don't know enough about your other medical issues, but one thing to look into is IBS-diarrhea. I have it and have the same symptoms. Soda is on the bad list for that condition ... both carbonation and caffeine are bad. Fruits and vegetables can also be problematic. It takes a lot of trial and error to find out what's safe. In general, citrus/acidic ones should be avoided.

Good luck! Hope you get some answers soon.

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L.M.

answers from Houston on

I had a bloOd test done to check for IGg reactions (food sensitivities) from www.betterhealthusa.com
You can have a reaction to a food you ate 4 days ago...since eliminating my trigger foods I feel so much better & never have to worry about quickly finding a restroom after I eat. My worst food to eat is wheat.

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T.M.

answers from Redding on

Everyone I know of that's had the gall bladder removed has problems.
I'm not sure whey they remove it, honestly.
You sound like you have Crones disease now. Check the diet for that, maybe it will help with your symptoms.
Having to take chemicals all day to make your life right is just wrong.

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S.B.

answers from Redding on

My mom just had her gall bladder removed in February. She's had a little trouble figuring out what she can and can't eat as well.
Fortunately, she's not lactose intolerant, but she complains of things making her belch.
She had no choice but to have her gall bladder removed as she was just loaded with gall stones and she had been so sick and vomitting on a daily basis, not to mention bent over in agony. That part, fortunately, has greatly improved. However, she is the same way, something won't bother her one day and the next time she eats it, it does.

It might not hurt to consult with an herbalist. There may be something natural you can take to help alleviate your symptoms.

I really hope you will be feeling better soon.

Best wishes.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Sounds like you need to visit with a doc about all the over the counter stuff. Sometimes the fillers and additives in those mess me up.

I had my gallbladder out and now I can eat so many foods I could not eat before. I could not drink OJ, I would still be burping it up 2 days later. Now I can drink it and it stays down.

I find that if I eat artificial additives in the foods then I have trouble digesting them. I cannot eat Gar Gum, fake fat, they put in foods to make them low fat. It comes out like a slimy snake, sorry TMI....

Artificial sweeteners are super bad for our bodies no matter what the media tells you. People are having side effects from them that are almost universal and the companies are not letting anyone know since they would go out of business. So keep drinking the water but stop the diet drinks and any other diet foods with additives like that in them.

I also have IBS with chronic diarrhea. I have to watch each and every thing I put in my mouth or stay at home and plan on eating way before I put any liquids in my body.

Eating 1/4-1/2 cup of 100% bran cereal for breakfast every day is supposed to be the fix all for both kinds of IBS. Either the excess fiber will make the constipation softer and easier to expel or it will cause the excess fluids in the bowels to be absorbed and make less loose/runny stools.

Sometimes the whole foods and extra veggies will make the excess gas and bloating worse too. I would think visiting with a dietitian about what diet you body can work the best with might be a really good choice. Each of them have their own ideals too so if one doesn't mesh with you and your lifestyle find a different one.

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E.B.

answers from Denver on

My dd is extremely intolerant to sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, which are often in diet drinks and diet foods, and her responses to those things are what you mention (we avoid anything with those ingredients or anything not sweetened with honey or sugar). You might completely stop the diet drinks and see if you feel better. Also, those sugar alcohols are found in apples, red and purple grapes, cherries and pears. Eliminate those fruits as well. Peaches are good, as are watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and green grapes etc.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

Could be celiacs, crohns, ibs, bile issues, amoebas / worms / other parasites, reticulitis, hernia, post op abscess, chronic appendicitis, ulcers, adrenal issues, nervous system issues (sometimes, post op a nerve grows wrong and it takes a couple years to stop triggering), opiate withdrawal...

Really, dozens of possible issues... That will require A LOT of testing unless you get lucky and find the cause during the first few tests.

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

My hubby went through all kinds of pain last summer. I am honestly not sure how he functioned. He went to work, but pretty much stayed in bed otherwise. He was miserable and in pain. It started in his groin and radiated to his belly. Bloating, gassy feeling. Intermittent diahrhea and constipation. He was miserable. We started with his urologist, because the pain started in his groin shortly after a vasectomy. They thought infection and started him on antibiotics. Those appeared to work, but the pain came back two weeks later...and it was worse. So after a CAT scan the urologist determined he had diverticulitis. Hubby googled it and kept saying his symptoms didn't really match. After a colonoscopy we were told he was "riddled with infection" and needed part of his intestine removed. We thought he was insane, so we got a second opinion. This doctor looked at everything and interviewed up for almost an hour. He saw no infection. Instead he said we needed to do a food and pain diary. He said it can take hours or days to react to something, but we needed to monitor it closely. When we asked about testing for food allergies he said he generally discouraged that, but he'd do it if we wanted. He said food allergies do not find food intolerances and we could be dealing with that. So we started logging and tracking everything. We realized pretty quickly that corn or corn meal was a bit of am issue. So we cut that out. Then we made the connection that milk was an issue. We assumed it was lactose. But lactose tablets did nothing. So we decided to cut out ALL diary. This has been tricky. Dairy and lactate and in everything - french fries, lunch meat, sausage, many process food. He uses rice milk in cooking and for the occasional bowl of cereal. He started taking a soluable fiber twice and day along with peppermint pills. He is a whole other person. And if he eats something with dairy, about 12 hours later he'll know.

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