Vacation was hard on me, back to square one

wonderwoman · Post by **wonderwoman** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 8:20 pm

I haven’t written in over three weeks as we were traveling and a lot has happened in about the past 6 weeks. If you remember I was doing so well. I was having one BM a day about 1/2 hour after getting up in the morning. I had gradually reduced my Balsaliside RX from the original amount of 9 a day in February to 6 a day beginning April 11 and on May 18 I went to 5 a day. Because I was doing so well, I really felt I could go off of them completely but wanted to wait until we returned from our travels in the NW United States and the cruise to Alaska.

During the month of May Sprouts Market had all their GF items on sale for 25% off. I tried the Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty GF Hot Cereal (whole grain brown rice, corn, sweet white sorghum, & buckwheat) I loved it and was eating it almost every morning. I noted my BM’s were becoming more frequent and more loose. At the time I didn’t attribute it to the cereal. We left for our trip May 28 and the week before I was having terrible D. I had 3 or 4 small containers of the cooked cereal in the car cooler which I heated for breakfast the first days. I was taking 8 Pepto Bismal a day and couldn’t control the D. Eventually I thought it had to be the cereal that was causing it because the D started up after I purchased the cereal. So I didn’t cook up any more. However the D didn’t stop.

While traveling by car, we were eating out for lunch and dinner and thought I was making wise choices. I finally had to stop at a grocery store and I bought more Pepto Bismal, GM Rice Chex cereal, rice milk, bananas, applesauce, and minute rice which I cooked up in the hotel microwaves and ate throughout the day. When we stopped for lunch I would order a grilled chicken breast. Several times we ate at Thai restaurants for dinner and I had Pad Thai made with their rice noodles. After the third time I told my husband I couldn’t eat Thai food any more as it went right through me. Ten days later we got on the cruise ship and I ate from the buffet for breakfast and lunch, and in a dining room for dinner where I had to place my GF food order the prior day. I really was careful to eat only plain foods, nothing new or all mixed together, no deserts or fruit, except bananas. Most of the time I had chicken breast or salmon. We left the ship Sunday June 13 and drove directly home. At the end of the cruise I was getting light headed and thought I would faint. Thought I might be dehydrated so I tried to drink more water. That feeling left me once I got home but I’m still feeling very tired.

All this time I never had a stomach ache or gas, only very foul smelling D. And I was extremely tired. And towards the end I kept dosing off during the day which I never do. The two days we were driving home I dozed on and off in the car.

The day before we left for vacation I bought a high potency multiple B vitamin at the health food store because I just had no energy and this is not like me. I checked those ingredients and don’t think it’s the vitamins because this change started before I began taking them.

When we got home Tuesday the refrigerator was completely empty. I shopped yesterday morning and cooked up a lot of vegetables, rice, quinoa, applesauce, chicken, and deviled eggs using my home made mayo.

I’m also thinking I may have consumed a lot of MSG during our travels. Also, before we left on our trip I was under a lot of stress. I blamed it on that at first but as we traveled I was relaxed.

Yesterday I called the pharmacy today to have my Rx filled and will go back to taking 9 a day for a while to see if I can get this upset under control again. Fortunately I did not have any “accidents” but I had a lot of close calls. I knew where every restroom was on the ship.

I didn’t take any Pepto Bismol yesterday or today. I wanted to see how I do without. I had two BM’s yesterday with the second one being liquid. This morning I had one BM and it was not liquid but not formed either and another tonight after eating dinner. That one was mush. I am going back to keeping a food diary along with a record of my BM’s. Hopefully I will improve now that I am home and can cook and eat safely.

Post by **tex** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:16 pm

Charlotte,

That was quite an adventure. It's certainly possible that the cereal might have started things going downhill, though. Once that happens, and you set out on a trip already in trouble, there are so many opportunities for things to go wrong on a trip, that it's pretty well impossible to get things back under control, until you can get back home, and into a routine that you know is safe in every detail.

I have a hunch that you will see rapid improvement, now that you're back home - I sure hope so, anyway.

Tex

kimtg68 · Post by **kimtg68** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:53 pm

I'm so sorry your vacation was so trying. I do hope that now that you are back home and able to get back to a regular consistant diet that in time you will feel relief! Again.....SOOOO sorry. What a bummer.

Linda in BC · Post by **Linda in BC** » Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:56 pm

Oh, Charlotte, I am sorry to hear about your experiences. It's hard not to think you have this licked when you are doing well...I find that.. and then when symptoms return it can be disheartening. But you have had success before, and you know what you did to get that, so you can do it again. It sounds like you are on your way already as there seems to have been significant improvement since you got home. It is hard, though, that we can't just enjoy our holidays because so often we get sick on them.

Linda

ant · Post by **ant** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:16 am

Dear Charlotte

Sorry you have taken a step back. I agree the cereal could be the culprit (Corn??). Also, I love Pad Thai, but have learned to be very careful. They may have used MSG. Also the oil was probably not olive oil (Thai tends to use palm or corn oil). The vinegar sauce may have been malt vinegar (rather than safer wine vinegar). Also sugar and peanuts are often part of Pad Thai - danger!!. Having said this, Pad Thai made to careful specifications is, I think, still an option......but probably best created "at home"

Hope you get back to remission soon, Best Ant

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 6:18 am

Charlotte
sorry to hear your holiday was marred by these events. i agree with Ant, there is the chance for lots of contaminents in things like pad thai, as the restaurants use bulk catering sauces, that would have MSG, yeast, etc and caramel colourings that contain wheat.

hopefully overcoming the current symptoms and getting back to how you were before the holiday shouldnt take long.

how chefs and cooks percieve 'bland food' is very different to how we need it to be. I am struggling in france to stop them using butter to cook the meat and vegetables.

rest up and hope you feel better soon
where was your cruise to?

harma · Post by **harma** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 8:11 am

Sorry to hear Charlotte, you came home so sick after your holiday, even though you were so careful with your meals and food. I hope you will recover soon and feel you old normal self again.

Harma

wonderwoman · Post by **wonderwoman** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 9:21 am

Thanks everyone for your concern.

Ant, I agree with your comments. The Thai places sounded good, Gluten Free on the sign outside, rice noodles in their dishes, however there are many other things we cannot tolerate. Your comment about prepared sauces was interesting. I will remember that and also to request no MSG.

How it happened that we stopped at several Thai restaurants is because the second night on our trip we had dinner with friends that moved back to Eugene, Oregon. When she found out I was GF she suggested the Thai restaurant. She takes her granddaughter there who is also gluten intolerant. Husband and I had never had Thai food before and my husband and I loved it. Later that evening and next morning I had terrible D. Two days later we ate Thai again and the third time I told my husband no my Thai food. By that time I knew one of the things causing the D. However, it still continued throughout the trip. Some days better and some worse even with 8 Pepto Bismol.

I'm so glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed and cooking my own food again.

Immediately after we left Victoria, BC I discovered that is where Peggy lives. Also, as we sailed past the Charlotte Islands I thought to myself that is were someone else from this site lives because she wrote that she was flying I think to Victoria for medical care. It's a small world after all.

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 8:06 pm

Charlotte I am sorry that your vacation was affected by MC in this way. I am just in the process of learning how may other things can affect MC. As was stated to me once eating GF is easy its all the other ingredients that make eating out hard. Overall you really have to embrace the changes that this disease demands.

Ant, Pad Thai is a great meal, I hope to learn how to cook it one day with tolerated ingredients

As an example of this issue, this evening my neighbor decided to surprise me with a home cooked dinner that she and her husband proudly declared gluten free. I accepted their offer and enjoyed a nice chicken dinner. By the end of the evening I was really not feeling well. As not to disappoint them, I commented on how nice it was and asked how she made it. When going over the ingredients, I noticed soy sauce on the list. Not GF/SF friendly. At a later date I will carefully bring up the issue. Due to the dinner dietary issue I am delaying starting my vacation by a day.

Charlotte I hope you are feeling better soon and am sorry that it affected your vacation, thanks for sharing your experiences.

Best wishes

--Joe

_________________
A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships. --Helen Keller

wonderwoman · Post by **wonderwoman** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 7:04 am

Joe, how true.

As was stated to me once, eating GF is easy, it's all the other ingredients that make eating out hard.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Jun 19, 2010 10:21 am

it is like the airline situation, the external world struggle with multiple intolerences

Que sera sera

wonderwoman · Post by **wonderwoman** » Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:40 pm

I was finally getting back to having firmer BM's. Last week I wanted to write and say I had "Normans" all week. Then late on Friday I had some raw brocoli salad. What ever possessed me to eat it is beyond me. Then Saturday afternoon my DH said he wanted to order a pizza for his dinner. Because I was doing so well, I suggested we go to a GF restaurant that has GF pizzas there. It is Picazzo's. I had two pieces and brought the rest home. It was delicious but I paid dearly for something I ate this weekend. Later Saturday evening the D started. Had 4 D on Sunday and 9 D on Monday. About 4:00 Monday I started taking Pepto Bismol. This was the first time I've taken it since returning from our trip on June 15th.

My question is this, is it better to take something like Pepto Bismol to stop the diarrhea if you are just staying home and are close to the bathroom, or is it better to NOT try to stop the D with PB and just let it pass to get it out of you? Sunday night I thought, it will improve tomorrow. Well it didn't. I will be back on rice and bananas for a few days. I was out of bananas for two days but got more tonight.

PS. It could have been the cheese on the pizza too. Even though I did not test possative for Dairy, I have not had any dairy in months.

Bifcus16 · Post by **Bifcus16** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:26 am

Hi Charlotte.

Sorry you had a bad patch. Sometimes you just have to try new things - and sometimes you get away with it and sometimes not.

Personally, I go for the Immodium Advanced if it looks like it is settling in for more than a day. It will get me over any one-off problem, and I can spend as little time as possible being crook.*

I also get a bit cautious for a while afterwards.

Lyn

Crook = Ill or unwell - another Aussie term.

ant · Post by **ant** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 5:28 am

Hi Charlotte

My thinking is to try a stamp on a possible flare as fast as possible either with Imodium or Pepto Bismol or both + a return to basic foods. I imagine that a flare sets the gut healing process back a few days so best to try and stop it.

I am suspicious of most "GF" foods that simulate "normal" pizza, pasta or bread unless I know for sure there is no corn, tapioca or egg in them.

Hope you get back to "norman" soon, best ant

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Tue Jul 20, 2010 6:01 am

Charlotte,

Since the flare started with the cereal and it has corn in it, maybe you should try to go corn free and see what happens. There could be corn in your vitamins BTW. Corn is actually everywhere these days, and harder to manage than gluten IMHO. My son is corn intolerant so we work hard to keep it out of the house, but it's nearly impossible for a kid to avoid corn because it's in most candy and snack foods in one form or another.

Hope things get under control soon.

Mary Beth