Healing the Gut - New Years 2008! - Page 2

[cahwilson]

Where'e everyone at??

I wanted to introduce myslef and share my story/plan and see if anyone could offer any advice. I have an 18 mo old girl, who has been having digestive problems since she was able to move. We are currently off gluten and dairy which showed remarkable prgress at first (especially with behavoir), but recently I am finding us back to where we started.

Her main "symptom" is pushing on her lower abdomen very hard. She lays down and crosses her legs and pushes her hands, my hands, or whatevr object she can get into her stomach. She will leaves marks, bruises, and scratches on her stomach (I have seen her jam a screwdriver into her stomach. It gets to a point where she cannot play or do anything she just has to have her stomach tense and legs crossed. Also the more she is pushing on her stomach the worse her behavior is. We have spent weeks at a time with her constantly tantruming and pushing on her stomach, with only one or 2 "good" days in between. We are both miserable and on the verge of me having a mental breakdown, so I started researching what could be going on.

I feel like it has to be leaky gut. I was on antibiotics while pregnant and she was vax'd up until 6 months and on antibiotics 3 times before she was 10 mo old. We are eating mostly traditional foods now and I am trying to ferment more things. Also we are taking CLO, a probiotic, and I am planning on starting enzymes (enzymedica- lacto, then adding a protease, then upping the lacto to digest gold, then something for yeast). I think I should take the enzymes too since I am nursing her but I am not sure. For those still with me, any thoughts???

[harmonymama]

cawhilson! That sounds really hard! If my darling children experienced the pain I do sometimes, I don't know what I would do. It sounds like everything you are doing is good, but if I were in your shoes, and DC was in that much pain, I would find a way to see some kind of doc I trusted- naturopath, homeopath, holistic doc who could do stool testing, food allergy testing, etc. Has your child seen a doc?

On another note, my first attempt at coconut yogurt turned out OK, but I don't like how the pectin in it worked out. I think I put too much in. It didn't thicken it at all, and it got way too sweet, plus I don't like the idea of the dextrose in it. DS is allergic to gelatin, so I can't use that. Can anyone help me with how to use pectin? On another thickener? I was thinking of arrowroot. My DS really wants a thick yogurt like he remembers.

[cahwilson]

Thanks for the hugs! Dd has seen a naturopath, chiropractor, and is currently seeing an ND. The ND suggested holding off on allergy testing since it is traumatic for her at that age and can be inconclusive. It is not so much that she is in pain, though she is miserable a lot of the time. She knows how to say hurt and will tell me if something hurts, but she has never given any indication of pain when she is doing her stomach thing. Its like she doesn't want to do her stomach thing, and tries to play, but she just has to do it. I will look into stool testing though. She has suffered sever constipation but (knock on wood) the magnesium seems to be helping....she has actually pooped twice in four days!

[2rubies]

Hi-
I am subbing. I've been dealing with UC for 20 (!) years now, but lately I'm thinking maybe it's been celiac all along. I remember asking my Gastro to test me several times, and he just about laughed he was so sure of himself. I sent a sample to www.enterolab.com and it came back showing gluten intolerance. I'm now in the process of testing my 7 yr old. He has never really had formed stools, and has lots of vague "stomach hurts" type of complaints. I just wanted to post the link if you are looking for a very non-invasive way to test.

My older two were Csections, too, and the oldest does have a dx of egg allergy. I guess I've always thought we should cut gluten as a family, but it just seemed so hard!! We're definately headed that way, though.

Kristin

[mama24-7]

I 2nd the nod for enterolab tests. They are $$$ (we figured it into our flexible spending so it wouldn't cost as much) but for us, it was worth it.

We just got the results back for my dd & ds last Monday & I was shocked to see that dd has the celiac gene as well as a gluten intolerance gene. I knew she was allergic/sensitive to dairy, but was shocked to see the gluten show up. We also had ds tested for soy & egg & he came back allergic to them. So in addition to being off dairy & gluten, we've added egg & soy to the list.
There's also something about a yeast that there's an allergy too, but I haven't gotten to research that whole thing yet.

I have a probiotic for both of them (iFlora) but it's hard to get it into them b/c the only two things I've been able to mix it into w/ success is applesauce & hummus. I've been taking capsules for forever. I'm thinking of moving to VSL3, depending on what the doc we're seeing on Friday says. I also read a bit about Culturelle, which as a specific strain that is good for food allergies, IIRC, from the book Bacteria for Breakfast. I highly recommend this book.

Once we move, I plan to work on fermented foods, making yogurt, etc. We're moving in 4.5 weeks though so no time for that now.

Well, that's us for now.

cahwilson, you & your dd may need to be on a really strong probiotic. Most probiotics only seem to have a few to 6 or so billion cultures, at the time of manufacture. They need to have that much or much more to have any sort of impact. We have trillions of bacteria in us; for some people, a few billion may not do the trick. And, depending on the strains & how you are taking them (w/ food or w/o), that could impact the potency. I highly recommend Bacteria for Breakfast. It taught me a ton.

Good luck!
Sus

[mtn.mama]

Ashley, my heart hurts thinking about your little girl. Are you sure you've eliminated all trace dairy and gluten? Oats too? Digestive enzymes are a good idea, but my advice is to start with something gentle and wide spectrum, like Rainbow Light Advanced Enzyme System. You should both be using the enzymes (and CLO, probiotics, etc.) Some L-glutamine or bone broths could certainly help too. Do you think she's pushing on her tummy like she needs counter pressure? Is she gassy? I hope you find some answers.

Things are going well here. We're really liking the chlorella algae, I just ordered a kilo of it. Taslyn is taking CLO and probiotics twice a day, and I think I'll start her on chlorella directly too. We're trialing eggs! Its great to have my energy back, and T is a healthy ball of fire- so I need it just to keep up with her!

Lisa

[cahwilson]

Originally Posted by mtn.mama

Ashley, my heart hurts thinking about your little girl. Are you sure you've eliminated all trace dairy and gluten? Oats too? Digestive enzymes are a good idea, but my advice is to start with something gentle and wide spectrum, like Rainbow Light Advanced Enzyme System. You should both be using the enzymes (and CLO, probiotics, etc.) Some L-glutamine or bone broths could certainly help too. Do you think she's pushing on her tummy like she needs counter pressure? Is she gassy? I hope you find some answers.

Things are going well here. We're really liking the chlorella algae, I just ordered a kilo of it. Taslyn is taking CLO and probiotics twice a day, and I think I'll start her on chlorella directly too. We're trialing eggs! Its great to have my energy back, and T is a healthy ball of fire- so I need it just to keep up with her!

Lisa

She is pushing like she needs counter pressure. She is so tense when she does it that it is impossible to get her legs uncrossed. You can rock her around, pick her up, doesn't matter she will not relax. At this point it is hard for me to watch her do it. It just breaks my heart. We have cleaned the house of all gluten (oats included). Originally when she started getting worse we thought she must be coming into contact with gluten again and so we were very careful. I literally kept her home for weeks. She has been a bit gassy recently which is unusual for her. I wondered if it could be due to the magnesium.

I am thinking of going with a different probiotic. That iflora for kids looks good. We have been using dr. ron's, which has been great for me but it is pricey. Oh and I mix it with applesauce too. Is that bad? I will have to get that book. Enterolab is out of the question for right now. There is no way we could afford it, but I am keeping it in mind for the future.

[lastrid]

Originally Posted by mtn.mama

Things are going well here. We're really liking the chlorella algae, I just ordered a kilo of it. Taslyn is taking CLO and probiotics twice a day, and I think I'll start her on chlorella directly too. We're trialing eggs! Its great to have my energy back, and T is a healthy ball of fire- so I need it just to keep up with her!

What are you using the chlorella for?

[harmonymama]

cawhilson-
When you mentioned switching probiotic, it just made me think of how when I tried Natren probiotics, I was in such pain after one dose that I ended up in the ER 24 hours later. I know of at least one other person who cannot tolerate probiotics. My son also seems to get diarrhea when I put him on probiotics. We are trying to slowly work up to being able to tolerate them. So just be aware that some people have strong reactions. You might try a few days without.

Also, are you off the other big allergens: dairy, corn, soy, eggs, canola? Perhaps she is having a strong reaction to something else. What cooking oil do you use? I am finding that I can't tolerate any oils except olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil. When I eat very simple, healthy restaurant food, I am in pain. I think it is because I react to the cheap, rancid oils.

[cahwilson]

I didn't know that about the probiotics. I want to try her on iflora...it looks like good stuff and it is about half the price of the dr. ron's. I am also curious what the chlorella is for. Dd just started reacting to soy so that is gone as well as dairy (she has reacted to dairy since she was about 3 months old). I am cooking traditional foods now (fermenting veggies, soaking grains, etc.) and we eat minimal sugar (maple syrup/honey). The only oils I use are coconut and palm. It seems like as time goes on she reacts to more things. I'm so hopeful the enzymes will help that.

On another note what is everyone mixing supplements with for their little ones? I hate to mix it with sugary stuff but I don't know how else to get her to take them. Orange juice and applesauce are what I have been using.

[mtn.mama]

I started the chlorella because I had lost so many high sulfur foods, and I read that it could improve my sulfur metabolism. And sure enough, I got most of my sulfur foods back at about 2 grams per day. Then I did more reading and it sounds like a super food that detoxifies the digestive tract, and increases beneficial bacteria by 400%. It also pulls heavy metals from your body for excretion. Its 60% protein and high in many many trace minerals. It has really boosted my energy levels. Can you tell I'm sold?

[lastrid]

Originally Posted by mtn.mama

Then I did more reading and it sounds like a super food that detoxifies the digestive tract, and increases beneficial bacteria by 400%. It also pulls heavy metals from your body for excretion. Its 60% protein and high in many many trace minerals. It has really boosted my energy levels. Can you tell I'm sold?

You're doing this while breastfeeding? I need something like that, but my DS always reacts whenever I take something that even mildly detoxifies me. The only thing that I can take is bentonite clay. I'd like to have something that works a bit harder than just that.

[chlobo]

Lisa,

What brand of Chlorella Algae do you use? I'd like to look into it as well. And maybe the benonite clay as well.

[Chinese Pistache]

I need to get back into this thread. We've been following our regimen for a while now. Dd's skin and digestion are great, but of course, we're avoiding her allergens, too. I'm also pregnant again and doing everything I can to have a healthy gut for this new babe.

I wish I could find an enzyme that dd would take easily. It's so hard to find things to mix her enzymes with. I haven't been good about giving them. Almost all the chewable kinds contain some corn-derivative, which she's allergic to.

The other thing. . . I've read before and the article at the beginning of the thread (awesome read, btw!) mentioned again the study of giving Lactobacillus GG to infants to guard against atopy. I never gave it to my dd because we discovered she was allergic when she was a toddler and one of her allergies was dairy. Culturelle has trace amounts of dairy and I haven't found another source of Lactobacillus GG that doesn't. Since she's been dairy-free for 15 mths, I wonder if it would be worth it to give her Culturelle now. If she started reacting to the dairy, I'd have stop. But I wonder if it will even benefit her now since she's older than 6 mths (the time frame of that study). Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by mtn.mama

I started the chlorella because I had lost so many high sulfur foods, and I read that it could improve my sulfur metabolism. And sure enough, I got most of my sulfur foods back at about 2 grams per day. Then I did more reading and it sounds like a super food that detoxifies the digestive tract, and increases beneficial bacteria by 400%. It also pulls heavy metals from your body for excretion. Its 60% protein and high in many many trace minerals. It has really boosted my energy levels. Can you tell I'm sold?

Did you mention what brand you use? I'd love to get some of this.

[mtn.mama]

I started out using Source Naturals tablets- expensive, but all I could get locally. Now I'm using Whole Organics capsules- cheaper, from Azure Standard. I just ordered a kilo of powder off eBay... the brand is Jarrow. Taslyn started taking hers this morning. To give her supplements, so far I just mix the probiotic powder with a little lemon-flavored CLO and now chlorella too, and use my finger to wipe it off in her mouth.

[harmonymama]

I've finally read Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions-- very interesting!! Its kind of blowing my mind actually because I was vegetarian since my teen years, and then raw foods, and more recently have eaten very limited animal products. My children have been born with tooth enamel problems, and now my very bright son appears to have a learning disability and concentration issues. He had much more soy and other toxins than the younger one. I feel so cheated, because I always tried to have a very healthy, natural diet for myself and our family since before my first pregnancy and look where we've ended up. Even when i was pregnant with my first, I took Bradley classes, and so loaded on protein, eggs, yogurt, etc., but I also ate a ton of soy trying to get all that protein I needed... Well just getting this off my chest. I'm not even sure I'm totally on board yet, as my son seems to have some trouble tolerating animal protein (both observationally and he tested low in a number of essential amino acids), and he tested allergic to beef, duck, eggs, casein, gluten, corn, soy, and gelatin (among many others), so I'm not really sure where to begin...

I heard someone talking about hydrochloric acid to help with protein digestion. How does this work out? Do you all think this might help us?

we've been on an elimination/rotation diet now for about 6 weeks. I'm thinking bone broths might really help us (because of the very available amino acids), but I am afraid to try it, because that is basically gelatin, which he is supposedly allergic too, but maybe if I just stay away from beef gelatin?? I'm thinking chicken, and lamb...

I'd also like to start reintroducing dairy with raw, cultured dairy, but I'm looking for a source currently...

I'm also planning to do young coconut keffir, but I need to order keffir grains...

My son is craving eggs, and bread... Can anyone suggest gluten-free sprouted/soaked bread recipe? I really want to get away from the rice cakes he is currently subsisting on.

And what to do about eggs. They are such a healthy food, but my doc says that is an allergy that is often lifelong...

Sorry for the random post.. Any suggestions, any BTDT, would be helpful.

[MoonWillow]

I'm bumping this because I have been meaning to read it and join in and because another Mama was asking about it....

[crunchyconmomma]

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[NatrlCatholicMama]

subbing! I've been hoping this thread would revive & the experts would come back to it to help us newbies!

[Theloose]

Hi!

I've been around, I've done a ton of research, I know the lingo. I'm at the point where I thought I knew what I was talking about, but now I feel like I don't know anything at all anymore. Sigh. I'll answer as many questions as I can!

Our update: we're on a massive elimination diet (we eat oatmeal, white rice, lots of meat/seafood, veggies, a tiny bit of fruit, honey, and maple syrup). I'm trialing ghee and egg yolks, then thinking about either GAPS/SCD (though I really want to keep my oatmeal and rice), Failsafe (but the thought of amine-free meat is overwhelming), and making up my own diet. Leaning towards my own.

I'm thinking candida might be a bigger problem than I originally thought. What are all the candida diets you know of?

Enterolab results (for me) say gluten sensitivity, 1 celiac gene, 1 gluten-sensitivity gene, borderline not-sensitive to casein (yay!) and *NO* fat malabsorption. The fat malabsorption thing totally blew me because just before getting the results, I'd linked high fat snacks with my own digestive problems, then started taking a high-lipase enzyme, and all the issues disappeared!

Speaking of enzymes, I just looked back at our food journal, and the start of enzymes marked the start of MUCH better digestion for myself, AND the start of impossible bedtimes for dd.