Yet another question.

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:48 am

How long after you start an elimination diet should the mucousy stool stop? I have been on chicken soup and rice, one egg and a piece of gluten free toast, and a banana for 2 days. Oh, and chewing gum for the GERD. This is the third day, and I have the cramps, the pressure, my doc denies, and a diarrhea attack.

When should this stop? Should I drop something? Try something else? The egg?

I have cut out all dairy, and I have no other protein for breakfast. I can't eat chicken soup. The idea, right now, makes me feel nauseous.
This is after 2 days of nothing. No BM at all.

Should I cut out the rice? Try a potato?

Post by **tex** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:36 pm

Lesley,

Those are tough questions, since we are all different.

The mucus is a result of extreme inflammation. Hopefully it will end soon. Obviously, something is really irritating your intestines when a significant amount of mucus is present. It takes time for the diet to work. It might be beneficial to drop eggs - they're not part of a normal elimination diet. Rice and potatoes are usually safe for most of us. It's possible to be sensitive to them, but rare.

According to Jean:

The foods allowed at this stage have been picked because they very seldom cause food sensitivities. They are easy to digest, and therefore easy on the gut. Ideally, your diet will only consist of chicken, potatoes, bananas and tea. I have exchanged potatoes for rice, an earlier version, because some of us have discovered rice intolerances.

The chicken should be fresh or frozen and plain. Be sure that nothing is injected into the chicken (Miller is good, Tyson is injected). You can prepare it by grilling, baking, boiling in water, or frying in a little olive oil (see below). It can be seasoned with salt and pepper. Potatoes can be baked, broiled, grilled or microwaved, with only salt and pepper added. Frying potatoes in olive oil is also acceptable. Eat only fresh bananas or dried ones with no additives or preservatives. Tea should be fresh brewed and without added flavoring. Unsweetened, unflavored bottled teas should be OK. Be sure to check that there are no ingredients besides tea and water (at the present time Nestea is OK, Lipton has citric acid added which is often made from corn). Any type of tea is fine, but I'd pick one or two and stick with them.

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=732

Tex

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:57 pm

What does one eat for breakfast? I am physically unable to eat chicken and rice for breakfast. I will drop the egg. I just need to figure out what I CAN eat.
For the rest of it I am eating what Jean suggests. I've just been on a rampage to make SURE there is no gluten in my kitchen.
I am also not taking PPIs. I am following Gabes' instructions, and chewing gum to keep my salivary glands stimulated.

So I can't eat any of the overcooked veggies in the soup? OK, those are out as well. Can I eat purple potatoes? I am also fighting high BP.

I think I am going to try to get myself out of the house to Whole Foods to get some more chicken breasts, and some more tea. I have been grilling the chicken and putting it into the chicken soup, which is made from chicken feet, heads, backs and giblets. These make the best soup ever.

I do NOT feel well enough to swim today. I also don't trust myself in the pool. I don't think anyone will love me if I have an attack there, though I haven't had a BM for about 3 hours, since I took an a Norco, and had some imodium. But I have cramps, and feel horribly uncomfortable.
I hate not going to the pool. My back is so much worse if I don't )-; (smileys have disappeared again.)

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 4:20 pm

Tex, can I eat any color potatoes? Is a yam considered a potato?

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 4:54 pm

Lesley, I don't know where you live, but Foster Farms, which is a Northwest grower, is a good brand. They are nice to their chickens, saying "a happy chicken is a healthy chicken" and their products are all-natural and not nearly as expensive as Whole Foods.

Something I do for breakfast protein is make ground turkey into patties and fry them like sausage. I'm sure I could do the same with pork; I just haven't. Before my last flare that I am still recovering from, I would season them like sausage, too. There are several recipes that you can google on the internet when you can have spices again.

Since I can no longer do mustard (high-histamine) I have also been just frying a hamburger and putting salt on it for breakfast. I use Real Salt (available at Whole Foods just like Celtic salt), which to me is more flavorful than plain sea salt.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 6:11 pm

Lesley
given how long you have been having intense symptoms, and the amount of changes (foods and meds) you have made in the past month, it could take a few weeks for the low inflammation diet to work. (bit like a wound that gets bacteria infection, it takes time to elminate the trigger and for the cells to rebuild)

Stay with the basic ingredients eating plan for at least another couple of weeks, and give your digestion some time to heal.
drink lots of water, and lemon juice with some warm water is good for the GERD. and of course, try not to stress.
if you are making your own soup/stock, the natural gelatin is fantastic for reducing inflammmation and helping to heal the leaky gut.

I dont believe i suggested chewing gum, if anything i would avoid any gum type product, as the ingredients to make it chewy have a laxative effect (and will increase the inflammation of your digestion)

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 7:02 pm

Hang in there, Lesley - the mucus and the discomfort go together, for sure, but hopefully the diet changes and other efforts you're diligently pursuing will pay off, and the 'runaway train' aspect of MC will begin to hit the brakes.

I eat a variety of breakfast foods - I do have breakfast-burgers, and the kind of sausage/patties Marliss described. Smoothies are in our weekly rotation, but it is probably a little soon for the amount of raw fruits/veg involved. I do a sweet-potato hash with ground meat (or leftover meat cut fine, or turkey bacon...) - sometimes we substitute white potatoes.

Good luck with the kitchen/pantry rampage. (For months after I thought I was done, I kept finding crazy things in odd cupboards!)

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 7:39 pm

Lesley,

I'm with Gabes on the chewing gum. It was the first thing we eliminated from my son's diet when he had his bout of D several years ago. He can't handle any artificial sweeteners at all, and sorbitol (which is in all gum) is one of the worst. Artificial sweeteners are out for me, too. Could you maybe handle a hard candy of some sort?

I can understand the D not letting up yet, but it seems to me you should be feeling some better by now (I'll let others comment on that, though). Maybe taking out the egg would be a good idea.

So sorry, and hoping you have a better day tomorrow!

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 8:03 pm

Marliss - so my kitchen rampage has to include throwing out all my utensils? Do I have to change my pots and pans? I have the Costco set, which I have used for years. I will throw away the cutting boards, and go buy new ones at Ikea. The question is - do I buy new pots and pans? Dishes?

We do get foster farms chickens here, but after I saw food inc I cannot eat their chicken anymore. Literally made me sick.
When I bought them I spent so much time cleaning off the huge amount of fat on them, and marinading them for flavor, it was not worth it. The chickens I get in the farmer's market or at Whole Foods have almost NO fat. They are all meat, and the flavor is so different. They remind me of the chickens I had as I child, with real flavor. So I made up my mind to get the more expensive ones, and eat them less often. The thing is, there is so much meat on them that I find I am eating them at the same rate as the Foster Farms ones. They just stretch further.
Also, they have chicken breasts to buy in bulk that are almost the same price as at the supermarket, but so much better it's amazing.
Also, for soup I get feet, heads, backs and giblets. So I can make the richest, most gelatinous, most nourishing soup possible for the cheapest price. MUCH better than using the whole chicken. No fat to skim!!
Believe me, I don't have money to throw around, but this illness has completely thrown me for a loop and I am trying to get on top of it.

Sara - I will have to get used to meat for breakfast. Right now it makes me feel sick just to think of it. Somehow I will get into to it. So much not my "thing".
Can I eat all color potatoes? And are yams considered potatoes?

Gabes - thank you for that. Right now I have to keep lemon juice off the menu till I get things under control. Lemon juice burns so much as it goes down.
I never thought of the ingredients of gum as being laxative, but it makes sense - to a point. If I change the gum every 20 minutes or so, maybe. But I don't. I chew the same piece for a couple of hours at least.
Serves a double purpose - keeps my mouth moist, and saliva flowing so the acid is washed down.
I can't drink a lot of water because of electrolyte problems. I wish I could. I am always thirsty.

I have been doing the potassium and calcium powders and Vit D mix you suggested. It's working, though I still don't know how often I can do it. I noticed you said you got up 5 times a night to take potassium. Can you advise me as to how often to take it?

Oh, you asked me how long I have been in this acute phase? I think it's been for 6 months now. A bit more. Alternating between D&C.

Thanks guys.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 8:27 pm

Lesley
at its worst i was getting up 3 - 5 times a night due to the GERD
and was regurgitating acid any time i bent down

since my scope (2 months ago) I have been following the GERD mgt plan (that we talked about in the other post) now a days, majority of the time i only wake once a night for toilet stop and drink of water for the dry mouth

- 5000iu Vit D every day
- Calcium carbonate
- lots of small meals through the day
- having coffee away from food
- waiting 20 mins after eating to drink water (i drink at least 3 litres of water a day)
- the potassium power i only have to have it 2 - 4 times a day now
2 months ago i was having 8 - 10 times a day) NB, if i wasnt allergic to banana's then i would be having them in lieu of the potassium powder
- small daily dose of parafin

I only get GERD symptoms at work, when i eat too fast and dont let the snack settle, or if i am a bit stressed and sit at the desk for too long.

with the lemon juice, i find just 1 - 2 teaspooons of juice in a cup of water is all that is needed

The only way you will be able to confirm if foods or supplements are causing issues, is to get your digestion stabalised with minimal symptoms so you can assess if you are reacting or not, i am not sure what else i can suggest or offer, having intense symptoms like that is very draining.

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:57 pm

Thanks for the detailed answer, Gabes.

I can eat bananas, but sometimes they cause me heartburn.
I cannot bend over. The minute I do I regurgitate acid. I need the bathroom 3-4 times a night, and wake up with heartburn all the time. My sleep is very disturbed as you can see.

How much calcium carbonate do you take? Once a day?

The paraffin probably stops the C and keeps Norman around, right? My mother used to give it to us when we were kids. I grew up in a British protectorate and liquid paraffin was the laxative of choice. I have asked for it at the pharmacy here. They don't have it. I still have to find something to prevent C.

I could easily drink 3 liters of water a day, but if I do I have an electrolyte issue, so I have been told I can't drink much at all. I need to drink electrolyte raising liquids. I don't like he taste of the home made, so I get the water from Trader Joe's, a lovely grocery store here, which has no gluten free, so I can't buy from there anymore )-:.

Thanks for the help. It is helping. I just have to get through the next couple of weeks and hope that D will take a hike and allow Norman in

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:10 pm

Adélie - I was sucking on hard candy all day, but I am trying to get rid of sugar because of the fungus/candida problems. I have never had a problem with artificial sweeteners, but maybe I am having one now?

I will try and cut out the gum. I just don't know what else to do. I am now doing the elimination diet as seriously as I can. The only thing I am doing other than what was suggested is chewing gum for the previously stated reasons.
Hopefully the diet will take hold and I will start to improve. Then I can see what I can and can't eat.

Thanks so much for the help. This is truly miserable. I cannot imagine how kids deal with it.

Post by **tex** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:26 pm

Lesley,

Sorry for the late response, I had to work for a while.

Any color of potato should work fine. Yams are sweet potatoes. Most people can handle sweet potatoes just fine, but a very few seem to have problems with them. They would probably be OK for you.

Lesley wrote:I can't drink a lot of water because of electrolyte problems. I wish I could. I am always thirsty.

I don't understand your electrolyte issue, but if you are always thirsty, you are very likely dehydrated, and dehydration can definitely cause diarrhea, and other symptoms, (cramps, other digestive issues, headache, etc.).

Here are a few breakfast ideas:

When I was avoiding eggs, I often ate mostly meat for breakfast - usually leftovers from the day before, or previous meals. Porkchops, sausage, even fish, a time or two - whatever was available was fair game. If I was feeling rough, I ate chicken soup, or if I was feeling better, maybe stew. Turkey is safe for most of us, especially most people who can't tolerate chicken. Potatoes are an option, including baked, hash browns, or potato pancakes, for example. Some of us have eaten sweet potatoes for breakfast, (usually prepared the day before, so that they just had to be warmed again). Cream of rice is another option.

As Cynthia suggested, sucking on hard candy can have basically the same effect as chewing gum, with less risk, (provided the candy is safe), but don't use any mint-based candies, because as you know, mints can cause GERD. If the sugar is a problem, then that may not be an option, because artificial sweeteners cause D for most of us, (that seems to be one of the side effects of MC).

Tex

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:20 am

I know about dehydration, so I do take steps to avoid it, and know how to check for it. I am not dehydrated. I also have to bring my BP down, and I know lots of water helps, so I have been in a trap for a long time.

With my trusty little infrared convection oven I can make a baked sweet potato or sweet potato chips in no time!
The thought of meat for breakfast horrifies me, but I don't know why? I love bacon, though, come to think of it, not without eggs or toast, or tomatoes. Maybe white fish will sit better.

Sugar is a problem. I always helped the dry mouth problem with hard candy, but the only one I like, the one that doesn't CAUSE the heartburn (the sourer hard candies really make it worse) is Werthes, but they have cream in them.
Also, I have a sugar craving, which is not good for the constant candid and thrush, worse since this all started. If I start with them again I will not be able to stop.
I used to eat a lot of fresh fruit, which also helped to keep me hydrated, and, to an extent, satisfied the sweet craving

Chewing gum seemed to be a good compromise, until the sorbitol issue arose. However, I really try to chew one piece of gum for a VERY long time so I get the least possible exposure. Maybe I should get someone to chew the gum first and then hand it over? (Yuk) or maybe that is an idea for a business?
Is that the lesser of 2 evils? Will a couple of pieces of gum a day be as bad as eating a piece of bread?

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:09 am

Ugh. I can't speak to how sensitive you might be to sugar, but for some people, even a little sorbitol can be catastrophic. I know you are trying lots of different things all at once right now, so maybe not adding another potential culprit would be the best course!

So sorry you're feeling rotten--and I know, physical rotten-ness also leads to emotional rotten-ness! Praying for you today.