replys

[Carole]

Thanks for all your advice. I've decided to not eat anything new for a while (btw, eggs don't seem to like me much right now, whites seem okay but if leave in the yolk i get lots of gas), so today I've eaten something every 2 hours - i'm definitely not feeling hungry and no upsets or increase in gas yet. as suggested, i think i'm just not eating enough or often enough - i think it's kind of a learned response after so many weeks of D everytime you eat. I'm going to really concentrate on eating and drinking every time i think about it all day and see if i can make some headway now that food is sticking around a little longer.
As to added fiber, i've been doing Acacia powder for about a year now ("Heather's Tummy Fiber™ Supplement Organic Acacia Senegal is a natural, pure, certified organic, soluble dietary fiber produced from the gum of the Acacia tree" see http://www.helpforibs.com/shop/suplmts/acacia.asp). I used to use Metamucil but that caused too much gas, then changed to Citrucel. Changed to Acacia last summer when i had C and Citrucel wasn't helping. I really like the way it works - it helps more reliably and is a much kinder, gentler fiber than others i've tried. One nice thing is that you can just add the powder directly to things you bake with the other dry ingredients, or just take it with water.
Thanks again, i'll keep you posted - all suggestions are so greatly appreciated!
Carole

[RUBYREDDOG]

Carole, I was first diagnosed with IBS and found Heathers web site. It is excellent, and her products are also excellent. The tummy powder and mint tea and were some of the products I tried. The powder is soluble fiber, which is recommended for IBS. (as opposed to insoluble fiber) As it turned out, 4 months later I received my MC diagnosis and stopped using her products, which were not helping with my symptoms anyway.

It has been noted that for most of us who have MC, fiber irritates our gut and therefore is to be avoided as much as possible. In my case, avoidance seems to have helped with my symptoms. I still eat a banana each day however, which is loaded with fiber.

If you have been diagnosed with MC, then it might benefit you to avoid fiber for a few months to see if your symptoms improve. (If you are still having D) Also, are you gluten intolerant? Most of us are. We are all different so it is pretty much a trial and error journey to remission for each of us. Good luck and ask a lot of questions and be patient. I have been trying to figure this out for 18 months. I still have a long way to go.

Hotrod

[Gas Bag]

White rice and grilled or baked chicken breasts might be a good thing to try eating. And I second bananas as an excellent choice.

I agree with Rubyreddog, fiber is something you probably don't want right now. But bananas seem to work both ways, fight D or constipation when needed.

[Carole]

Okay this is very confusing. When we talk fiber i thought we were talking about everything except the things like Acacia and Citrucel. i didn't realize that it could be an irritant for MC - i could see where something like psyllium would be, but Acacia doesn't even get thick - you can put it in a glass and let it sit all day and it is just slightly thicker than water. When i had C last year it seemed to help - i don't notice it helping or not helping right now, i've just kept taking it since i've been taking it everyday for nearly a year. My D has stopped, and i feel pretty good as long as i don't stray from my current bland diet. I wonder if the fiber affects people differently - i have had people with MC recommend it (but maybe they didn't mean when you're in a flare)...
Carole

[Gayle]

Hi again Carole,

Interesting, I too am a reader on Heather’s IBS board and have considered trying her Acacia Tummy Fiber. However, as the Citrucel works for me, and I’ve never known of anyone who actually tried Heather's Fiber product, just haven’t been able to convince myself to get and try. Plus, I am not big on long distance ordering on the Internet when I'm not sure of something. I see there is now an outlet in Scottsdale, AZ so may drop in there sometime next winter for some “browse and chat”.

Also, I was not aware that it could be used in recipes as you have related here. Now I see - in today’s Newsletter - an interesting recipe for a summer salad in which the Fiber product is used as an emulsifier in the dressing. So -- imaginative folks probably can find ways this product can be used in many other kinds of cooking if they sometimes need the kind of encouragement that the soluble fibers provide. (Of course that pasta recipe wouldn’t be good for most of the folks on this MC chat.)

I do try to keep an eye on the Research Library on Heather’s site, but there really is very little there for IBD affected persons, and even less for MC. I do often wonder if some of the people that post there aren’t really afflicted with as yet undiagnosed MC. Maybe those who are diagnosed with MC eventually migrate to this board, as you and I have? Much more specific food for thought and learning here.

There are many different fiber products available. That's another thing found listed on Heathers's site -- a neat compact summary on what must be every fiber product on the market. It does seem that some (NOT ALL) do need to consider adding some fiber back into their diets after their MC has settled down (WAY DOWN!)



Cheers

Gayle

[Gas Bag]

Okay this is very confusing. When we talk fiber i thought we were talking about everything except the things like Acacia and Citrucel. i didn't realize that it could be an irritant for MC - i could see where something like psyllium would be, but Acacia doesn't even get thick - you can put it in a glass and let it sit all day and it is just slightly thicker than water. When i had C last year it seemed to help - i don't notice it helping or not helping right now, i've just kept taking it since i've been taking it everyday for nearly a year. My D has stopped, and i feel pretty good as long as i don't stray from my current bland diet. I wonder if the fiber affects people differently - i have had people with MC recommend it (but maybe they didn't mean when you're in a flare)...
Carole

The first time I was flared up, for 4 months straight, I used psyllium husk and it helped alot, it really firmed things up for me. Tex mentioned that perhaps I had leaky gut syndrome at the time too. Using psyllium to curb D was something I heard about on a Celiac message board.

Now with this second flare up, I tried it last week and I thought I was going to blow up like a ballon. I only used it for a couple days because of the explosive gassy consequences. Mercy one of the few times I almost did not make it to the bathroom in time.

All I know for me, when I am in remission I do not need any fiber at all. But I can also eat anything I want.