IBS despite primal, and I'm about to lose my mind! page 2

[Blackcatbone]

Do you use any lip balms or lotions that might have something in it? The waves of cramps sound a lot like what I get when I'm glutened. I wasn't as sensitive until I went GF and my guts started healing. The other thing you might want to look into is corn. I developed an intolerance when I went back on gluten for celiac testing. It tends to be even more prevalent than gluten in the production of a million things. I don't have a gut reaction to it, but an overall inflammatory one. You could be different. If you eat meat from the supermarket it could have corn in it if they inject it with liquids. It may also be specific proteins, such as beef or pork. You might try eliminating specific meats to see if you improve.

[MamaGrok]

Great guess, but I don't use any personal care or cleaning products except coconut oil, baking soda, & apple cider vinegar. It's certainly interesting and informative to hear it being similar to how you react when glutened, though. I'm going to ponder what that could mean for me.

No corn or corn by-products at all, either, because I eat only whole meat & veggies from farmers I know. (but again, once in a rare while, eat in a restaurant, where, despite my best efforts, may get something with a by-product)

Once in a while (like 2-3x/year) I get fed up and just eat reasonable choices from what everyone else is eating, thinking maybe I'm just being too strict and need a more varied diet. I'm not talking wheat, milk, or sugar here, just the full spectrum of meat, fat, fruits, veggies, & eggs. But it all gets far, far worse instead.

I pray about three times a day that I don't have a beef or pork sensitivity, lol. I eat pastured/wild goat, lamb, rabbit, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, fish, shellfish, etc., but those two are my great loves!!!

[meeme]

Have you looked into histamine and mast cell involvement? I hate sounding like a broken record but this is what I found helpful along with eliminating grains, dairy etc.

Some of us have a hitamine-associated or mast cell activation disorder..eating foods that have a high histamine content can also cause an increase in symptoms. Lists of such foods can be easily found on the internet, along with lists of foods that tend to trigger the degranulation of mast cells. *Microscopic Colitis by Wayne Persky....

I had very real problems very much like yours and was on a strong steriod that made my life livable but it wasn't until I discovered the mast cell involvement in my illness that I was able to make progress. I've found this website to be extremely helpful as not very much is known about this disease which is often diagnosed as IBS...check it out the people are very knowledgeable and friendly.

MICROSCOPIC COLITIS SUPPORT :: View Forum - Main Message Board

The list of high histamine foods is a tough one to take...just a warning...but if you wanted to test it would be where I'd start.

I hope you feel better soon, good luck.

[ciavyn]

A dumb suggestion, as it appears you are on top of the testing. I'm so sorry that you haven't found the cause yet...but don't give up.

But I found gluten traces in my body lotion. Same brand I always use, but slightly different formulation as they were out of my usual. Sure enough, it had oat and wheat in it. So maybe? Just a thought, and I'm not sure it would play in.

[Enilegna/hearts]

Something similar has been happening to me. I can eat meats and fat just fine but ironically vegetables, starchy and non starch, along with rice, and grains give me discomfort/pain on the left side of my stomach. Sometimes up and other times very low.

Have you gotten an MRI?. I first got a CT Scan and found nothing, but then I got an MRI and they found a polyp on my gallbladder. I have to conclude that's what's giving me the pain, although it could be different on your case. Oddly enough when it hurts the most is when i eat "clean" vegetables, like plain salad of lettuce and tomatoes (that one was one of the worst times) or boiled tubers, but when i eat tubers "non-primally" like that commercial bought fried cassava I don't feel that much and can eat more of them.

[namelesswonder]

I wonder if the reactions may be much more delayed than I realize. Like, eating obviously triggers it within an hour, but is the fact that I'm reacting to that meal because of something my body couldn't tolerate a few days ago, rather than what is actually in that meal? Could be. And that confounds things so much.

But again, I went six months with not a speck of gluten, dairy, sugar, starch, or even so much as a berry, and still, the debilitating cramps & runs starting happening more and more as time went on.

Just to chime in on this, it's true that your body can have a delayed response. When I was doing an elimination diet at the start of the year, the nutritionist told me to add the potentially offending food back into my diet for a few days, then stop again, and wait to see if it responds. But, as you said, that doesn't really make sense in your case.

I wish you the best in figuring this out!

[ashley.thepie.rat]

i feel like this post is about me..even the part about not liking chocolate that much..i never really had a problem with bloating & "bathroom issues" till i was about 6 months into going low carb..but once i try to eat any kind of wheat or sugar again, like you mentioned,the problems just get worse.. so i stick to primal/clean eating.
i've has screenings,tests & blood work, all came back fine..the last thing my dr mentioned that might be causing my bloating is stress...ha..thanks doc..

i've been low carb/primal for about 3 years & have lost & for the most part kept off 40 pounds. i keep losing & gaining the last 5 pounds & am close to my goal of 125 (i'm anywhere from 127-133..arrggg) i'm 23 & only 5'4. i dont eat any fruit & am pretty religious about avoiding soy/gluten/sugars..the one bad thing i do is drink diet cokes daily & have some wine or rum maybe once a month(i know i know..the chemicals & fake surgars are eating my brain & of course thats what is causing all my problems..but i've cut them out before for months at a time & the only difference was i was a lot more pissy without them than with them..so for my husbands sake i'll keep them)

i'll be very interested to see if anyone else posts on this. hope we figure out what is going on soon..it makes me so sick when i wake up "thin" but look prego once i eat something.

i have been trying the whole IF thing lately..its kinda helped..but somedays i feel like by me not eating all day at work, i'm almost asking for a binge when i get home..especially when i'm tired & in a lazy "lets just watch a movie" kinda mood..which def doesnt help the bloat/negative self image issues i have.

[solstice]

have you had your hormone levels checked...maybe something to do with premenopause? is it worse during different times in your cycle?

[Paysan]

MamaG, are you still nursing the last Grokette? I've thought for a while now that you're exhibiting some deficiency symptom - it's not what you eat, but what you digest. After just coming off a bowel infection that may have been triggered by unsafe town water, I find my transit time either slowed or accelerated, and bloating comes and goes. I'm celiac or gluten sensitive, and have had digestive troubles for years. A course of antibiotics actually helped rid me of H.pylori and settled me down for a decade, but needed repeating last year. Have you been tested for the little bug? It's sneaky and spreads to other family members as well. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Oceana]

You said you were diagnosed with "severe fat malabsorption", then said "FCLO, high fat...have been my way of life for 5 years now." Isn't your diet contraindicated given your problem absorbing fats?

Are you under a doctor's care? I would rule out any liver issues. Does your blood work come back normal for your liver? If they can't find anything, then maybe work with a naturopathic doctor. You could also consult with Chris Kresser.

Do you have any other symptoms besides digestive issues? Are you tired, run down etc?
Have you tried digestive enzymes?