Full of sh!t

[Heavenly]

Okay, I'm sorry, but the thread title is just so appropriate! lol

I have had problems for years with my digestion.  I recently had an xray and ultrasound for an ovarian cyst and the tech told me that I am literally back up all the way through my digestive tract with....well, you guessed it.  I have tried eating high fiber foods, taking a senakote (herbal laxative), suppositories, drinking tons of water, limiting highly processed foods but I am still bloated and uncomfortable.

Some background info - I had my gallbladder out in October 2004.  After that I developed IBS.  My 3rd child was born by c-section in January 2006.  After she was born I got horribly ill and was hospitalized multiple times.  When she was 3.5 months old they finally found out that I was literally not digesting my food.  They did CT scan and MRI of my stomach after 24 and 48 hours with no solid food and my stomach was still full of food.  It took years to get to the point where I wasn't in constant pain in my stomach and now I am at the point where I can pretty much eat anything as long as I don't overdo it (before anything oily, fried, with dairy, and many other things would cause extreme agonizing pain.

But, back to the main issue, I am still obviously not digesting my food properly.  This is not the first time an ultrasound tech has told me this - I had someone said I was backed up with feces about 4 years ago as well.  I have recently lost 35 lbs (still need to lose 23 more) and I exercise 4-6 times a week.  Like I said I drink tons of water and I eat fairly healthy.  So what is going on with me?

Any input appreciated!

[Heavenly]

Forgot to add that I have also used digestive enzymes and probiotics, but not on a daily basis as I was worried it would cause problems.

[Calliope84]

I was never backed up like that but I was constipated my ENTIRE life. When DD was born I had to stop eating dairy and soy and for the first time in my life I go every single day... and.. TMI but it is soft and a lot! I am amazed! When I eat it again, I get really constipated again. Also, have you ever been tested for celiac disease?

[nettlesoup]

I have had problems with constipation for most of my life. Fibre and grains never healped at all. I changed my diet in January, and now I go regularly! It's still a bit of a novelty being able to go every day or two!

I cut out grains, and started eating more meat and fats and it's done me so much good! I hope you manage to find away to cure it :)

[JulianneW]

This may sound super weird to some but I would get a colonic.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/coloncleanse/a/colonic.htm

There are also cleanses you can do- http://www.colema.com/season.html

You can buy a board and do them in the privacy of your own home as needed.

[mbravebird]

Originally Posted by Heavenly 

Forgot to add that I have also used digestive enzymes and probiotics, but not on a daily basis as I was worried it would cause problems.

I think that probiotics and enzymes would help, not hurt. But you'd need to use them regularly, and get good quality ones. You can do some thread searches on here for discussions of good probiotics and enzyme brands. You can go to enzymestuff.com for a really good resource on enzymes. We (and many) have found Klaire probiotics to work really well for us, although you have to order them online.

Have you ever tried increasing your stomach acid? Perhaps that's the first issue, actually. Some people take HCl supplements and find them helpful, and others can just drink some sort of bitters with their meal -- raw apple cider vinegar in water, for example. Kombucha with meals would provide both the probiotics and the bitters effect -- you could certainly get a bottle from the store and give it a try, and if it helps you could start making it at home. Kombucha might be ideal for you.

Also, take a look at Dr. Miller's Holy Tea to help clean your digestive tract slowly, but really well. There are folks with similar issues to yours who have found it very helpful. Some folks who took it even got a colonoscopy some time after beginning to use it, and found their colon clean, when before it had been very clogged. I don't think colonics are weird at all, but in your case I'd opt for something more gentle, because of the amount of pressure you have built up in there. The tea is a more gentle, but just as effective, route.

Hope you find some improvement!

[BellinghamCrunchie]

I have had similar issues but not to the severity you have. I had my gallbladder out 8 months ago. But even before that, it would take food 5 to 9 days to go from top to bottom.

My food is not being digested properly in the small intestine. That is why, according to the ND, transit time has been so long.

I have a very strict diet now. Its hoped that eventually my intestines will heal and I'll be able to add foods back in. But for now, I am dairy-free, grain-free (including quinoa), fat-free (because its so hard to digest and its the main cause of delayed gastric emptying), and then there's some miscellaneous things I don't eat (soy, tomatoes, bananas,).

What I do eat is chicken breast, skinless, potatoes, peas, carrots, leafy greens, pineapple, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, lentils. No salad dressing or anything (the greens and fruit are made into smoothies). That's about it. I use mild curry for seasoning (doesn't seem to bother me). I take half a dose of FOS-free probiotic and Intestinal Repair Complex daily. Transit time has improved to about 3 days top to bottom over the few months. I hope to get it to 2 days eventually.

[BellinghamCrunchie]

I forgot to say I remember some posts you made about digestion and other things 2 years ago or so. I am so amazed at the progress you have made! Losing 35 pounds is hard work and I'll bet you feel wonderful. I also remember your incredible singing voice :).  You were having terrible pain daily back then. It sure sounds like you have turned things around and are doing so many wonderful things for your body. You are an inspiration to me.

[eireann]

Might be the best thread title ever....

I have nothing to add except maybe probiotics and a weekly dose of sodium ascorbate. Hot liquids are friends of mine, so to speak.

[sassyaztec]

I would highly recommend an allergy elimination diet.  We did one a few months ago to see if it would help my son, but did it as a family.  Turns out that BOTH of us are allergic to wheat and basically I can't handle any grains very well.  We also cut out most dairy.  It was crazy to me the difference I noticed the first week on the diet.  I was regular, didn't feel bloated or gassy EVER. It was really amazing.  We did Doris Rapp's allergy diet.  It's summarized here: http://www.endfatigue.com/health_articles_d-e/Diet-multiple_food_elimination_diet_rapp.html  Good luck!

[janinemh]

Are you taking bile salts?  Gallbladder function in really important for elimination.  I started pooping much more regularly when I began supporting my gallbaldder.  Since yours has been removed, you really need to take bile salts so that you can digest fat

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