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Digestive Troubles

2K views 21 replies 11 participants last post by  Kari 
#1 ·
Forgive me if there has already been a post about this but I was hoping for a more specified answer. It'll also be a pretty long post but I'd really appreciate it because my quality of life has gone down considerably.

Anyways, I've been a vegetarian for 4 or 5 years now. I'm a 17 year old male. Throughout the years I have never lost weight despite excercising several times a week. This isn't really the main problem but it might be a factor. Anyways, my main problem is recently in the past couple of months my digestive system has pretty much self destructed. I find myself having to go to the bathroom every hour despite eating not too much, as well as eating mostly unprocessed and unpreservative food items. It had never been a problem but for some reason lately I can't control it. In school it has become so bad that I can't focus. Additionally, I've had gas and bloating and in this past week, whenever I eat it hurts my stomach. I've tried some probiotics but it seemed that made it worse. Nothing has changed in my diet drastically, I've been getting 6 to 7 hours of sleep a night.

Here's for the most part, my basic diet.

Breakfast: nothing (I fear having to go to the bathroom more in school, nor have I ever usually ate anything)
Lunch: usually a whole wheat wrap with lettuce, cheese, tomatos, and onions
Dinner: usually something pasta based but can change depending on the night
Snacking: don't usually snack but i'll ocasionally have some chips or something of that nature
Drinks: organic lemoande and water

For the past 5 years, I've basically had the same diet and it's never been a huge problem. I'm just confused as to what that could cause this. Any advice would greatly be appreciated!

Thanks,
JAB
 
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#3 ·
Yeah I've been considering that tbh or maybe a lactose intolerance. I'm not really familiar with gluten issues but can it just develop? I think I'm going to schedule a doctors appointment soon but I'd definitely still appreciate some personal expereince.
 
#4 ·
I would speak to your family doctor right away. Not to alarm you or anything, but it could be something that you will need some tests for. I hope that it is something easily treatable like lactose intolerance. Have you noticed it happens more often when you eat certain foods?

Right now I'm having the same sorts of issues as you and I'm being tested for ibs, crohns and all that other fun stuff. But hopefully for you that won't be the case.

I hope you feel better soon.
 
#5 ·
Yeah I'd rather go through tests than what I've been dealing with lately. As sad and extreme as it sounds, my quality of life has gone done so much. Just as an example, during tests I can't finish them and just randomly select answer in order to go the bathroom. I also spend all of class not paying attention to the lesson but rahter having to go to the bathroom. I'm sure some of it might factor in paranoia I guess but usually I can somewhat control it. Most days, I go to the bathroom each period, it's embarrassing as hell but I deal with it. It's just recently it's causing me physical pain to eat food.

And I'm not even sure if it is certain foods, I haven't really taken the time to isolate anything. It's all the time I eat but then again most of the time I'm eating something with lactose in it and wheat so I'm not sure.

And thanks! I hope all goes better with you as well!
 
#10 ·
I agree that it may be dairy, i became lactose intolerant when i was around 18, its really common and once you stop eating dairy the problems may go right away (read labels bc dairy is in a lot of foods you wouldn't expect to have it).

Questions for you: what's the consistency of your bowel movements? shape? color? does your gas smell really bad? how long did you take the probiotics for?
 
#11 ·
Yeah I'll be the first to admit I have a really abnormal diet. My meals are usually fairly big, I'm certainly by no means malnourished but I may be missing some important nutrients that may attribute to the problem.

One of the main reasons I think it might not be a gluten problem is that I actually have an abnormally high amount of energy for the amount I eat and sleep I get. I don't usually ever suffer from fatigue, but then again idk if all of the gluten issues would result in fatigue.

And I'll definetly try abstaining from dairy for a few days but other than cheese I don't eat that much dairy and I feel like I have irregular bowel movements despite what I eat. Something else I forgot to mention is that some days even when I haven't eaten anything, I still feel like I have to go. Idk how else to describe it really.

As gross as this is going to sound, I'll try describing my bowel movements... Never solid, similar to diarrhea, yellow in color, every time I go I just get a feeling that my food hadn't been digested. Gas imo, isn't that bad; I don't notice it but then again I don't have that good of a sense of smell. And I took probiotics for the recommended time on the packaging (I think 14 days) and I didn't see any improvement.
 
#12 ·
well, you are for sure missing out on getting enough vegetables and fruits form the foods you listed in the first post so that's something to consider.

your bm's are pretty much consistent with lactose intolerance.

drink a lot of water.

did the probiotics have lactose in them?
 
#15 ·
Just came back from the doctors, didn't learn too much more than I already knew. It's not looking hopeful for a solution to the problem, she thinks it's probably just IBS which there isn't really much I can take to prevent it.

Doc recommended me abstaining from eating Dairy for a couple of days to try to isolate the problem

If that doesn't work, she recommended taking probiotic supplements or incorporating activia into my diet

They took blood work but I haven't gotten those results back.
 
#16 ·
you may need to give the dairy break more than a couple of days...more like a full one to two weeks! Dairy is also inflammatory, so it may take a while to get the symptoms out of your system....in the mean time, what is your fiber intake like too?

My first thought was also a gluten sensitivity. It could be full blown celiac disease, but may not be. try the dairy first, then eventually reduce the wheat products and see if you get any relief from either....you want to do them seperately, so you know which one may be causing the symptoms.

a good quality probiotic is probably a good idea. Have you taken any antibiotics lately or harsh medications which could have disrupted the GI flora?
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by JAB View Post

Just came back from the doctors, didn't learn too much more than I already knew. It's not looking hopeful for a solution to the problem, she thinks it's probably just IBS which there isn't really much I can take to prevent it.

Doc recommended me abstaining from eating Dairy for a couple of days to try to isolate the problem

If that doesn't work, she recommended taking probiotic supplements or incorporating activia into my diet

They took blood work but I haven't gotten those results back.
I agree with photojess. You will need to eliminate dairy for at least a week or two to see if it is dairy. If you are still having issues after that, I would bug your doctor to make a refferal to a gastrointestinologist because they will be able to figure out the problem.
 
#18 ·
Thanks for the recommendation, it's been hard abstaining from dairy for these past couple of days. Since I'm not a vegan, I have always tried to incorporate some sort of dairy into every meal as a source of calcium and protein. I've cheated a few times which I think probably just resets my attempt but it's hard to avoid it. I have noticed some relief on the days where i manage to completely avoid dairy but I'm not sure if that's just because I'm eating less or simply I'm eating "light" food. I'm just worried because apparently my dad has a similar problem that developed during his adolescent and currently he goes about 10 times a day.

I'm not sure about my fiber, I eat a lot of whole grains and vegetables so i'd assume it's at a normal level.

Luckily, the tests came back negative to celiacs so that makes me very relieved.

And when I took the probiotic, I wasn't taking anything or hadn't taken anything in a while.
 
#19 ·
It's just a fallacy that your body is using the calcium in the milk.....think of it as liquid poison....frankly it is......any milk that has rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) is setting your body up for cancer due to extremely high levels of IGF-1 being present in it....do some research on youtube lectures about milk and cancer! You can get plenty of protein from other sources.....NO ONE NEEDS MILK!....esp if you have asthma, or any inflammation in your body, as it exacerbates both problems, not to mention intollerability. Give it a serious try and eliminate it fully...every time you cheat, you do have to bascially start over again.

also, one negative celiac test is not definative, the most reliable testing is by doing a scope of your intestine and looking at the intestinal cilia

Here's Dr McDougall's lecture on IGF-1 and cancer re milk I need to mention too, that isolated soy protein causes huge jumps in IGF too....and that is found in processed foods like mock meats and most everything else prepackaged.
 
#20 ·
Hey Friend, gastric problem is often associated with wrong dietary habits and water intake.
Water therapy is nothing more than correcting these habits.here are some tips:
-Firstly never drink water just after meals.
-increase your daily water intake
-try to avoid taking too cold water, it hampers the digestion process
-early morning consume water as much you can with empty stomach

apart from this taking lot of roughage means dietary fiber is recommended.Try to consume fresh food.Avoid Pasta,noodles etc

Have a happy health!!
 
#21 ·
Hey, JAB -- something very similar happened to me a few years ago. After the docs ran a bunch of tests, they diagnosed me with IBS and lactose intolerance, and fortunately I was negative for the more serious problems. But here's how it all started -- I was trying to eat an overly healthy diet. Lots of whole grains, lots of raw fruits and vegetables, etc. For most people, this works out just fine and they feel healthier than ever when they eat this way. But for people with IBS, it can be a huge problem.

Based on what I read in your earlier posts, it looks like these are the kinds of foods that make up the majority of your diet. If you do have IBS, cushioning your digestive tract with foods rich in soluble fiber -- notably refined grains like white rice and white bread -- might really help. For me, it made a WORLD of difference. Also a good idea to lightly cook your vegetables because this improves digestibility. Oats seem to be really gentle on the GI tract, as well. Breakfast is SO important, and I've found that I have little discomfort when I begin my day with an oat-based breakfast -- oatmeal, granola, etc. I do find that I need to eat breakfast first thing in the morning before I start getting ready for work or class, so as to ensure that a bathroom visit will take place before I leave my house, rather than after I get to my destination. Kinda one of those things where you have to figure out your body's internal schedule in order to minimize inconveniences.

Also, make sure you're getting enough calories. Your sample meal plan that you provided early in the thread suggests that you're running a calorie deficiency.

Good luck! Hope you find the solutions you're looking for
 
#22 ·
Is your pain centered under the right side of your ribs? if so, it could be your gallbladder. Do your BMs float? That, along with what you have mentioned, can be a symptom. I started eating veg*n in an effort to keep my gb and so far it's working. I eat vegan dishes much of the time. I am a yogurt addict and I love the Whole Soy yogurt and TJs soy yogurt. That and yummy soy milk have helped me almost eliminate dairy. I don't particularly miss it. Find soy alternatives to your favorite dairy products.
 
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