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GI Weirdness (a nice way to put it)

Michele CellaiMichele Cellai
in General Training Discussions

Backstory:

Never had GI problems really other than lactose intolerance. 2010 when training for IMWI, had bad abdominal bloating, gas, daily diarrhea. Was already off red meat for years, cut out chicken, became a pescatarian. Ultimately elimination diet revealed gluten intolerance. So I went essentially gluten free.GI issues resolved/ returned to regular/ normal. Around that time I started eating Greek yogurt several times per week, still do. No evidence of lactose intolerance (weird, but not why we are here). Gluten sensitivity has improved. I can not eat a sandwich or bread roll. But when we go to the Italian restaurant, I can eat a few bread sticks without return of symptoms. So- very stable for 2 years.

The Problem: About 4-5 months ago I started with the usual signs of constipation. And nothing seems to help. My diet has not changed.

In the past, a few prunes cleared me out by mid day. Now they just give me gas. I eat a large salad EVERY day, fruit with breakfast and lunch, veggies with dinner. I get my fiber fill. A favorite salad is made with black beans, no improvement. Even applesauce makes no difference.

I will not resort to drugs. I honestly do not believe I can eat more fiber and do not wish to start drinking it.

Anything? Anything?

Comments

  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    Hi Michele,

    Are you gluten intolerant or do you have celiac?

    It isn't uncommon to develop in tolerances to different foods over time. It sounds like you have got something else your body doesn't like. Based on what you said about the prunes, I'm wondering if it could be fructose. It could be hidden gluten. Could be the Greek yogurt.

    Three suggestions:
    1) Go through an elimination diet. Find a handful of things that you *know* work for your body. Eat only them for a 2 - 4 weeks then slowly add one food back in at a time over the course of a few days until you figure out what is causing it.
    2) Do food intolerance testing. I prefer LEAP (www.nowleap.com). I can recommend some Certified Leap Therapists for you to work with if you want. They test for 250 foods/additives then go through an elimination diet (but you have a better idea about what foods you'll react to).
    3) Keep a very detailed log of what you eat and when you experience symptoms. Sometimes symptoms can take 3 days to appear from something you ate.
  • Jess WithrowJess Withrow
    Oh Michele - I can totally relate!

    Our youngest has had constipation issues since he was 7 months old. Attempting to figure out what could be causing his (and MY!) issues, several years ago I decided to get tested for Celiac Disease knowing that it can cause constipation in some... well, tests came back negative. My doctor is very holistic, and rather than putting me on Miralax or another medication, he recommended I increase my intake of vitamin C to 2000mg/day (this was in addition to my multivitamin - he also recommended a few other supplements, including Align Probiotics and Peppermint Oil, but ultimately, the Vit C was the key). It worked like a CHARM for me (and suddenly my grandma's advice to, "eat a grapefruit!" made sense, too!). To this day I revert back to my "issues" if I don't take my vitamin C. I gave up gluten this past August and have found out - when my headaches disappeared for good! - that I'm sensitive to it after all (I had a nice relapse when I fell off the wagon after Hurricane Sandy - that was all the proof I needed!). As for my son, his pediatrician had put him on Miralax, and I hated that he was "medicated" every day of his life at less than two years old.... so I did what every doctor hates and began giving him extra juice to increase his vitamin C intake. Sure enough, his issues disappeared and he's totally regular now.

    I take Solgar brand Vitamin C with Rosehips, 1000mg tablets 2x/day and I'm good to go... uh... no pun intended! ;-)

    HOPEFULLY this helps! Like I said, I know how you're feeling! Good luck!!!

  • Michele CellaiMichele Cellai

    Jess- Thank you. I actually just read a research article about Vit. C and was already planning to take it. So that makes it easier.

    Penny- Really? 3 days?! Not fair! I do not believe I am celiac. I was never tested because I had already stopped gluten. I do not wish to resume regular gluten intake so unless I fail at this, I am not planning to be tested. But I am interested in your ideas about selective elimination. And fructose avoidance- interesting. I guess it really had not occurred to me that it could be another food intolerance. So I will make some adjustments. And do some research about fructose. Thank you very much.

  • coop6coop6
    Michele, along the lines of what Penny said, I would keep a detailed log of food for at least a month. I am glutent intolerant, with a sister who has severe celiac disease. When I dropped gluten from my diet, I had significant improvement in my problems but not complete resolution. It wasn't until over a year later that I finally kept a food log and realized that I was eating peanut butter on a daily basis. I quit eating peanut butter, and finally felt better. I can eat things made with peanut butter now, on rare occaisions, and get away with it but I'll never go back to making it a staple in my diet.
    Good luck, I know this can be frustrating to figure out.
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