Chronic digestive problems =( page

[Siren]

For the last 5 months, I've been battling some serious, chronic digestive problems, which I'm mostly convinced are centered on either my gallbladder or some hormonal/ auto-immune condition. My (former) gastroenterologist had ZERO answers for me after numerous tests and procedures (including 2 CAT scans, blood & stool tests, and an endoscopy), and now I'm on a self-prescribed liquid diet- again- eating mostly soup and protein shakes. My stomach just doesn't seem to know how to digest solid foods anymore; even something as smooth as almond butter and mashed bananas causes cramping and pain. Liquids only keeps me out of the "hurt locker" (as I've come to call it), but I know that I can't- and WON'T- do this forever. I'm completely demoralized; I miss my bacon, steaks, and salads, but if I'm in constant pain after eating anything "normal" what the hell am I supposed to do? =( Has anyone else here had this problem? I was Primal for 6 months before any of it started, though I had been dealing with it on & off for 6 years before it got really bad and constant. Any suggestions? Please help! Thanks for any advice you can give me...

[emmie]

Are you sure it's not fat related? I had some severe gall bladder attacks about ten years ago, but every single test was negative--no stones, nothing. My GI told me that he's seen that before, and if eating very low fat helped, it probably would eliminate the problem eventually because the gall bladder had become 'irritated' for some unknown reason. Eating high fat would bring on an attack.

I know that something like almond butter seems as though it would be soothing to your stomach, but it's really high fat.

I ate low fat for about a year, and I was able to gradually increase my fat intake. This was especially true when I went Primal and gave up all grains. That combination was particularly bad.

I never found out why I had those attacks, but all is fine now.

[Siren]

That was the initial thought, when all this started 6 years ago. But it was so random, coming and going, and for the first 6 months of being Primal all was good. Then I went to North Carolina for a week, and it's been a major problem ever since. Some days I'm fine. Some days I'm really bad. There's no rhyme or reason to any of it, except the handful of symptoms that keep coming and going cyclically. If it is my gall bladder, is there any way to fix it w/o having it removed? Is there a way to test my gall bladder function to see if that's really the case?

[Timthetaco]

For all the blood work you've had, do you know your B-12 status? If that's low, and short of this being a more serious problem, you could have low stomach acid. I would probably try increasing stomach acid as a starting point. Supplementing betaine HCl with meals seems to help people a lot, and vinegar and citrus fruits increase stomach acid from what I've read. I'm in a similar boat myself, except water hurts me more than anything.

I'm not sure if a probiotic would help, but it probably couldn't hurt, if you're not taking one.

[ezeflier]

For all the blood work you've had, do you know your B-12 status? If that's low, and short of this being a more serious problem, you could have low stomach acid. I would probably try increasing stomach acid as a starting point. Supplementing betaine HCl with meals seems to help people a lot, and vinegar and citrus fruits increase stomach acid from what I've read. I'm in a similar boat myself, except water hurts me more than anything.

I'm not sure if a probiotic would help, but it probably couldn't hurt, if you're not taking one.

+1

Betain HCL has helped me quite a lot. And sleep. Sleep always improves my digestion.

[ezeflier]

Almond butter might be a problem - some people have issues with nuts - I know I can overdo nuts and be in pain.

I can feel like total crap if I only have something hi-glycemic like banana. Especially if I haven't been getting enough protein + fat. Adding almond butter may not help much if the nuts are an irritant.

Do you have GERD (heart burn)?

The gallbladder function can be tested with a HIDA scan. It sounds barbaric to me though. I'd try some other things first.

Foods that help me feel better:

Bone broth
Beef
Cooked greens
Eggs
Yam/Sweet Potato (sometimes)


How is your health otherwise?

[noodletoy]

are you tracking what you eat to know if these attacks are truly random? or more about a food sensitivity?

is it possible you have a parasite or low-lying virus/infection from dirty water?

and yeah, nuts can be very hard to digest.

+1 on the bone broth and probiotics.

[Siren]

For all the blood work you've had, do you know your B-12 status?

My doc said I have "beautiful" blood, but I don't think we checked for vitamin/ mineral deficiencies.

If that's low, and short of this being a more serious problem, you could have low stomach acid. I would probably try increasing stomach acid as a starting point. Supplementing betaine HCl with meals seems to help people a lot, and vinegar and citrus fruits increase stomach acid from what I've read.

That's another suspicion: my stomach seems to have stopped "gurgling" at all... ever. Like there's just nothing happening in there. I've tried taking digestive enzymes, but even though they help a little, it still doesn't keep me out of the "hurt locker." And I do take probiotics; I also (used to) eat sauerkraut, pickles, and kombucha. Doesn't really change anything. =/

[Siren]

Almond butter might be a problem - some people have issues with nuts - I know I can overdo nuts and be in pain.

I can feel like total crap if I only have something hi-glycemic like banana. Especially if I haven't been getting enough protein + fat. Adding almond butter may not help much if the nuts are an irritant.

Do you have GERD (heart burn)?

The gallbladder function can be tested with a HIDA scan. It sounds barbaric to me though. I'd try some other things first.

Foods that help me feel better:

Bone broth
Beef
Cooked greens
Eggs
Yam/Sweet Potato (sometimes)


How is your health otherwise?

I do get mild heartburn after eating certain things, and my throat gets really tight if i go more than a couple hours without eating... weird, I know. I've never had problems with nuts before now; maybe i've got gallbladder problems and the nuts are aggravating it, and it's not actually an allergy? Hard to say... I'm otherwise pretty healthy. I sleep decently when my stomach pain isn't keeping me up all night, and my night sweats aren't too bad (forgot to mention those), I get sun, take supplements, and have a fairly low stress level- except when this crap flares up, of course =|

[Siren]

are you tracking what you eat to know if these attacks are truly random? or more about a food sensitivity?

is it possible you have a parasite or low-lying virus/infection from dirty water?

and yeah, nuts can be very hard to digest.

+1 on the bone broth and probiotics.

I keep a meticulous food journal, with macro/ micronutrient breakdowns and everything. I'm getting a better feel for what MIGHT be causing the flares, but being on a liquid diet it's hard to tell what would happen if I started eating solids again. I'm working my way back to "normal" Primal eating, but truth be told, I'm scared. I've been in pain for the better part of 5 months, and I want to avoid it as much as possible. I know that nuts are tough on the stomach, but if I don't get enough fat I feel lethargic and shaky, and my body wants me to put more and more sugar in it. I'm already up at nearly 200g of carbs a day, just because i'm not eating meat or fats... it sucks. =(