Healing the Gut Tribe ~ February - Page 9

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by momofcutie
BTW, I was just diagnosed with GERD too! (Great, like I need another medical problem...)

DD2 has GERD which is what led me here!

[Bestbirths]

sara's diet is a diet low or free in luteins. I am looking into diets for my son. He self eliminates a lot of luteins anyway. I was told to look at what he self eliminated for clues, so that is what lead me to think luteins. The oxylate diet is because of his fibromyalgia, migraines, and pain....maybe that diet would reduce his severe pain. So his diet may end up being low lutein, low oxylate, on top of GFSFCF...and considering trials of eliminating potato and rice....and corn eventually when we find replacement foods all while using enzymes as much as we can.

BTW, Adults can have GERD???? I thought GERD was something only babies got?

I wonder if we should have our son checked out for GERD!?!
My son vomits a lot and is nauseous a lot. He might have acid reflux too, which he calls "throwing up in his mouth"...sorry if that is an overshare
Are those symptoms of GERD????

Is the awesome book on migraines Enzymes and Autism by Karen DeFelice? Would I want to buy this or would checking it out at the library and reading it once give me all the information I would need?

[Bestbirths]

I just read back a few pages and missed one of your posts Jane

Yes, our son does eat potato, rice and corn....with enzymes...but I would imagine these are causing him problems since he tested allergic to them.

I would have been using the pecanbread nut yogurt reciepe, except of course, nuts are high in oxalates...along with chocolate, ginger, baked beans, tofu, potatoes, and tomato sause...I don't think he can do the low oxalate diet because everything he eats is high in oxalates, but then again, maybe that is his problem, maybe that is contributing to his pain. I am not sure how these diet trials are going to work. The Cottage Cheese replacement is for lasagna...and cassaroles.

Wow...this diet thing is compicated.

[Bestbirths]

On the D-lactate free probiotic. I fed my son Klaire labs probiotic and the whites of his already chronically irritated eyes turned yellow and his poop turned green!!!!! The autism merc list folks are so smart because they pinpointed this right away to be a reaction to D-lactate which is found in l. acidophilous and certain strains of probiotic....

So...for ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY BUCKS...with shipping we purchased a d-lactate free probiotic, and ds is handling it just fine...

but like GULP! on the cost of it...maybe the bottle will last a long long time!

Ds friend wrecked his car and fixed it for the cost of this little bottle of probiotic. We were joking about that the other day.....

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by Bestbirths
I wonder if we should have our son checked out for GERD!?!My son vomits a lot and is nauseous a lot. He might have acid reflux too, which he calls "throwing up in his mouth"...sorry if that is an overshare
Are those symptoms of GERD????

How old is your ds? That sounds like GERD to me. Pediatricians usually can diagnose by what you tell them about the symptoms. (Of course there is silent reflux too . . . )
DD has had it since birth AND her sleeping is well . . . what sleeping? Both of these things contributed to what led me here. Plus her VERY allergy-looking eyes. She looks pitiful again today. It's starting to freak me out but I'm trying to remain patient and steadfast.

Wow...this diet thing is compicated.

And yeah, I know! I'm having a tough time trying to figure out what's going on w/dd. It's bad enough that she's intolerant to what *I'm* eating, but now I'm also introducing solids too which makes it even more ! I can't delay them either because SHE'S HUNGRY and makes it well known.

Would you guys who know more about this advise me on what to feed her?
So far on the SCD it's been:
bananas
peaches
pears
applesauce

Are peaches a no no to begin with? I'm wondering if that's contributing to her pitiful allergy look????? PLUS, she's been constipated.
Thanks!

[Pattyla]

Ok several people have suggested I post here and I finally got up the guts to do it.

I haven't read much here, been too busy reading books trying to figure out what it going on with my dd (and myself) since the Dr's I've been to so far can't help much.

I'm going to try to be brief as possible.

I have endometriosis. It hasn't been bad since before I conceived dd but lately it has gotten bad again. Naturopath thinks it is my bowels and not endo causing the pain but it feels just like the old endo pain so I'm not sure.

My mother has dx'ed herself with possible celiacs disease (huge problem with gluten, having trouble getting tested properly). CD can be hereditary.

My dd was on antibiotics for the first 2-3 days of her life. We had a couple of mild brushes with thrush but nothing bad except that her diaper rashes are always yeast rashes and she has had one continuously for about a year. Allergic reaction to nystantin so we treat it with oral acidopholis, 2 homeopathics for yeast perscribed by np, and vinegar in her nightly bath. This keeps it in check but doesn't get rid of it completely.

When dd was tiny dr thought she had a dairy allergy so I quit all dairy for 7 months or so. Then we offered her some at some point and she seemed fine but I had major gi issues with it so I quit it again (I can have goat, sheep, waterbuffalo and raw cow dairy w/o gi issues). DD broke out in a rash from tomatoes and from citrus when we first started solids so we avoided those for a while but then one day she got into the clemantines and ate two and was fine. Then last week she had two again and broke out in her diaper area with a terrible looking rash so we are back off citrus again.

3 weeks ago I decided to try gluten free for both of us. After about a week w/o gluten we got some w/o realizing it in a marinade. We both got congested sinuses and I felt like I had the flu (don't know about dd). 2 weeks after quitting gluten I felt terrific, better than in a very long time. That only lasted a few days though.

DD is 2. She nurses every 1-2 hours round the clock. I am becoming more and more convinced that this is because she doesn't feel right and nursing makes her feel better. (don't offer don't refuse, becoming a moving target etc do nothing to slow down her nursing). I am happy to keep nursing her since this is what she needs but I also want to figure out how to help her feel right again. Plus we are ttc #2 and I'm nervous that if I do get pg and it is painful to bf I won't be able to meet her need while keeping my sanity (it is already difficult in the 2ww every month). That and I wouldn't mind getting my sleep in longer than 1-2 hour chunks once again.

We currently both take a multivitamin, fish oil, acidopholis, I'm taking milk thistle to cleanse my liver. In an attempt to kill off the yeast we have both quit dried fruit, sugar, foods made w/yeast, fruit juice,fermented foods, I'm trying to quit my caffinated tea, and have cut way back on dairy, fruit, I'm drawing a blank right now on the rest.

I'm considering doing an elimination diet to see if it is an allergy problem or a yeast problem except that I don't eat red meat so 2 weeks on turkey 3 meals a day sounds like torture.

Help! My np has helped me so much in the past and I am very frustrated that he doesn't seem to be able to help this time. I wonder if we just need some new eyes on the problem...

Oh the books I have read recently
Wheat free Worry free
Endometriosis a guide to healing through nutrition
Nourishing Traditions
Anther Native nutritions book I forget the name of
Feast without Yeast

I know this was a ton. If you can wade through it all and just give ideas about even one point I would be very grateful.

[Annikate]

Question from a frustrated yogurt maker

Ignore this. I think I figured out what happened.

[Annikate]

Patty,
That is great that you already know so much about what you and dd can and can't tolerate! I am still learning about dd (who's nursing mostly and just starting solids) and it is very difficult.

Re: the elimination diet - - yes, it IS torture. At least I found it to be so. I began with turkey, rice and broccoli. AFter no change we realized dd couldn't tolerate rice OR broccoli and we suspect that after so much time of my eating turkey, that began to bother her too. So . . . here we are.

I know that you will find a TON of information through these ladies! I'm finding this process to be a relief but also difficult. I'm trying to be patient and hopefully I will be able to post some success stories in the future.

[momofcutie]

Originally Posted by Bestbirths

BTW, Adults can have GERD???? I thought GERD was something only babies got?

I wonder if we should have our son checked out for GERD!?!
My son vomits a lot and is nauseous a lot. He might have acid reflux too, which he calls "throwing up in his mouth"...sorry if that is an overshare
Are those symptoms of GERD????

Well, I was just diagnosed with it, so I don't know much about it. (I don't even know the difference between acid reflux and GERD.) But this seems to be a good link with general information.

http://www.gerd.com/faq/gerd-faq.htm

My symptoms were mainly having problems with food and pills getting stuck in my throat at night and feeling nauseated until I ate something in the morning.
I was given Prevacid a couple weeks ago and I haven't had a pill get stuck since I started it.

But I've also just been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and reactive airway disease (all of this within the past month), so I'm worried I might actually have some narrowing or something going on up there related to Crohn's Disease. (It can affect any part of the digestive system, but mostly affects the small and large intestines.) I wonder if all these diagnoses are related and my regular doctor is missing something. Unfortunately, I think I need to have an endoscopy.

[Pattyla]

Ok I have read this whole thread. I'm very confused about a few things.

Is scd good for yeast? If so what about all the fruit on it?
It seems like the begining diets listed on those two sites are primarilly protein foods. What veggies/fruits are allowed at first?
What kind of enzymes can I give to dd who is 2?
I have her taking gummy bear vitamins, are these bad? (some natural free of everything bad for you brand that I can't currently remember)

Right now eating from a short list sounds easier than what we are doing currently but I'm sure I won't feel that way a week into it.

Do any of you ever eat out? We eat out at least once a week with friends. Is that going to be an option any more?

Is cod liver oil better than fish oils? Should we be getting both? One or the other? What about epo? I tried that for a while because it is supposed to help with endo pain but it didn't help (although cod liver oil did) so I quit taking it.

I think that is enough for now...

[Pookietooth]

Patty, I think some may eat out on SCD, but we do not, since you don't know what's in stuff and since you basically have to order off the menu, make up your own combos (like steamed broccoli with plain chicken breast, no bread or pasta or rice or potatoes ugh!). Oh, and as far as an elimination diet, I tried it for a few days, and couldn't stand it. I don't know how anyone does, really. There are some oddball diets out there, like the paleo diet, that supposedly help to deal with intolerances easier, but they take planning and cost big bucks because you really have to hunt to find the foods they allow (like lamb and other unusual foods).

I am still worried about all kinds of issues, like ds's and my tooth decay, migraines (mine -- the yogurt seems to do it, unfortunately), dark circles under our eyes, and my ongoing mental fog and fatigue. But I really haven't found another diet that I want to try at this point. I think I need to find a better homeopath, the one I've been using is 2000 miles away and is kind of not really helping that much.

When I was having my teeth cleaned today (root planing, for my peridontal disease), the hygienist said it seemed like I was malnourished, since I have so many cavities (8 or something). She suggested a nutritionist. Argh! I still sometimes wonder whether I have mild celiac -- I've never had a test for it, but wheat definitely causes me asthma symptoms. Would a naturopath be able to order a test for it?

[RedAnt]

help?!

My exclusively BF 10 mo DD is having food allergy problems. I've been reading lots of posts and learning over the last couple of weeks. Maybe I'm getting too much information though, because I'm really getting overwhelmed! I'll try to be brief.

I've had dairy issues (lactose intolerance? milk protein allergy?) my entire life. I haven't completely avoided dairy until the last several months though. I was able to tolerate some cheeses okay. While pregnant I felt like I could tolerate other dairy better, so I was eating quite a bit of it. Now I'm learning that was probably bad for my DD.

DD was colicky for 4-5 hours in the middle of the night for the first few months. She had chiropractic adjustments, a couple of craniosacral therapy sessions, and I eliminated dairy. Perhaps those helped or maybe she just grew out of it. However, she almost always had green poop 10-12 times a day, bad cradle cap for a while, on and off eczema, and often anus ring rashes. I tried eliminating various things one or two at a time, but that wasn't helping.

After the holidays, I finally started an elimination diet. Now her poop is usually yellow. She is absolutely disinterested in solid food. Every time I re-introduce something into my diet, it seems to bother her and green poop returns. Eggs = rash over most of body and back-arching, painful gas. Corn = thick spit up (usually never spits up). Wheat = painful gas, scratching, very squirmy all night. Now she has a bad anus ring from I don't know what. I've noticed reactions myself as well, usually bloating cramps and gas. I'm losing too much weight and DD is getting dark circles under her eyes. I have a super fast metabolism and DD is HN, and I find it really difficult to prepare creative meals.

I'm tired, hungry, discouraged, and obsessed with trying to get this figured out (hence the 4:00 a.m. post!) Clearly we need some gut healing, but I don't know where to start. SCD and NT seem to use a lot of eggs and dairy. Please share your mama wisdom!

BTW, DD is happy 99% of the time and ~20 pounds, but I don't think she has gained any weight in the last month or so. No worries about her development. Homebirthed, no vax.

[Bestbirths]

Patty,

I know this doesn't begin to answer all your questions, on the gluten free, have you looked for hidden gluten in soap, shampoo, and other products?....sounds like you could be getting hidden gluten.

DID any of you hear the latest, that MCDonalds fries are NOT gluten free? Not that they were healthy anyhow. But it seems they lied the whole time and contain gluten!!!!!

It is kind of normal to go through a withdrawl and feel worse at first, and feel really crappy if you accidentally get gluten!! I recieved a lot of support from my local celiac sprue support group, even though we aren't celiac, they have all kinds of ideas for where hidden sources can be.

I would feed a 2 year old houston's chewable afp peptizyme, zyme prime, and I just heard they are coming out with a chewable no phenol. The afp is given with gluten, casien, and soy. The zyme prime is given with carbs and fats, the no phenol is given with every meal and juice drink.

[Panserbjorne]

Hey ladies! I have alot to say and will post more later. But I just started a thread in meal planning (under N&GE) for SCD meals. Hopefully we can all help each other out and keep menus exciting! I'll be back.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by Annikate

I will try the epsom salts. What do you mean they were too much for your ds? How could you tell?

Oh, and how did you know you were experiencing die off? I had an awful day today. Felt like most of the day. Upset tummy but hungry too at the same time.

They caused more loose stool in DS... when Mag. is not fully absorbed by body, the rest is dumped out through the stool.

Die off is hard to pinpoint sometimes, and many people do have individual reactions. But when these types of diets are started, it's almost a given that it will happen!

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by firefaery

Just wanted to say that most of my best info came form Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Conditions . I'm laughing about Jane's post about it because I just gave it to my SIL and came here to rave again about it. It's really great. Her website's good too, but the book is really fabulous. I found that reading it with BTVC really gave me a very clear picture.
Jane, can you recommend good books/sites to learn more about minerals, where they're found (dietarily) and what deficiencies look like/how they manifest? TIA.
I found pasta that I think is legal! I have to go back and check the book...I know lentils are okay, but preparation probably matters in which case it's out. The brand is Papadini, and it's just lentil flour, water and some salt. What do you think? If it's legal...man. That would open some doors.

well then maybe other people will read the book then! It really is very comprehensive.

No re: minerals, I'm currently researching myself... homework from MT. The Nutrition/Immunology 101 mammoth post in Vaccinations is a good place to start.

Re: lentil pasta
Lentils and beans need to be soaked first so probably not

Which can I rant for a minute here? Apparently official SCD position on nuts is NOT to soak them b/c it will increase mold. However, beans and lentils are soaked...

Makes no sense.

So speaking of minerals, I try to soak all our nuts to remove phytates.. which bind to minerals and prevent their absorption. And inhibit digestive enzymes too.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by AmyD

You mamas are so funny. And Jane, can you step away from the computer for a moment Everytime I refresh my e-mail, I have like 5 more e-mail announcements from this thread

Hee, hee... well get ready, it's another posting party tonight. Was away all night last night and all day today (friends house, then went into the aquarium). Gotta catch up!

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by mommy2cias

Finally read most of the book tonight and now I have some questions. bear w/me, it's almost midnight and I really should be in bed.

1. If there is no diarrhea at the begining, can we use fresh apple juice? We have a wonderful juicer, so would it be okay to throw some apples in it and give it to my son?

2. Does it matter if the kid won't eat soup? Really, he has never liked soup. What if the kid won't eat any of the stuff offered? I know there are a few things there my son will eat, but I'm not sure about all of it. I, for one, don't like cottage cheese, but I guess I'll force it down, b/c I'm going to do this diet too.

5. Should I wait until he is over his cold before I start the introduction diet? He's had a cold for a while and I'm hoping it will go away by itself w/out turning into bronchitis again. ugh.

6. What kind of yogurt maker do you use? Where would I find a good one?

7. Oh, and I really need an answer to this one.. What can I give him to replace the rice milk he currently drinks? He *has* to have a cup of rice milk(used to be cows milk, but we took him off that and other dairy products) every night before bed. He's been drinking the rice milk since April or May of '05.

ps. this was x-posted on the pecanbread.com yahoo board if anyone goes there.

Pecanbread is great, I do read it when I get a chance. I'll defer to them on the apple juice and other questions, but here's my 2 cents...

As far as soup goes... the bone broths are very healing. And contain a TON of minerals. It is very worth the time investment. I think I heard that one cup of properly made bone broth contains as much calcium as a quart of milk. All in easy to absorb electrolyte form.

I know how hard it is to get a kid to eat something... what used to work for us is reducing the broths down by boiling them into a sauce and serving them over the shredded meats. I make chicken, beef and lamb. The lamb is my favorite.

Nut milks are the first form of nuts you should try, and butters. Wait on the flours a bit. So perhaps homemade nut milk with honey will be acceptable to your DS. Then maybe you can try the goat yogurt. Yogurt as the last thing at night would be great for the good bacteria to set up shop.

You don't have to eat the farmer's cheese/yogurt combo on the Intro Diet, you can just omit. Or try a baked version that's in the book. And the cheesecake (run for a long long time in blender to make smooth, it tends to be grainy.)

[mom2zsel]

Where to start??

Ok-I am reading and reading, and wonder if any of you can tell me where to start. I know my family has yeast issues and maybe even food allergies. We eat "healthy" and "organic" mostly vegetarian, few to no processed food. But we rely on grains for most of our meals-rice/beans, pasta, breads. I don't know where to start-looking into NT and the SCD, reading about suppliments and enzymes-it's just overwhelming. I appreciate any ideas and attempts to point me in the right direction! Thank you!

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by momofcutie

Jane,

Thanks for all the links! It looks like I have a lot of reading to do...

It looks like the SCD is intended for those with the digestive problems I have, and for those with autism. What about allergies, asthma, and eczema? This is the first I've heard of the SCD. Usually I hear about GF/CF or the Feingold Diet. Would the SCD be more beneficial to me and my son than these other 2? I'd like to make similar changes for both of us, rather than trying two different (difficult) diets if I can. But to be honest, I'm kinda overwhelmed with it all right now!

BTW, I was just diagnosed with GERD too! (Great, like I need another medical problem...)

Again, THANKS!

Yes, I do think the SCD will be much more beneficial to changing the gut flora, and thus the immune system than just GF/CF or Feingold. I've cured myself of 3 autoimmune conditions: IBS, interstitial cystitis and acne by healing my gut. The gut is your immune system!

The SCD is hard, I totally understand. Remember I'm working on going on 2 years of this.. not the SCD but that's when I started our first Elmination Diet. It takes time to make changes and learn what is going on. Aren't you lucky I went there before you ... !?