I've been having some stomach problems for a while, and while I have seen a doctor about it, the blood test reported nothing unusual, so I thought I might ask the forum members here while I'm awaiting further medical investigation.
I've had it since October - I got it after a cold. Symptoms are mainly: bowel gas, and frequent bowel movements (like 2-3/day). No pain or diarrhea, though.
No change in intensity of symptoms (or any other unusual reaction) to any particular kind of food.
Stool consistency is normal, but occasionally it contains small white clumps (pea-sized or smaller). I'm not sure what they are. I've mentioned this to my doctor.
Other symptoms, possibly related: Dry hands and face (nutrient deficiency?), occasional bad breath and throat burn. Dry skin might be because of winter and coldness, but this is the first winter I've had this problem, so I'm not sure.
The symptoms were mild in the beginning, but gradually increased to current levels over the course of about a month.
The blood test results reported "nothing unusual" (that's what they said on the phone) - neither coeliac disease nor lactose intolerance. I'm awaiting exact results so I can see for myself, though.
I have tried excluding lactose from my diet for about two months (since November), but with little or no improvement.
I have checked my nutritional balance. I eat a fairly healthy CR diet, and supplement with a multivitamin and 1,000 mg of Vitamin C daily, as well as 1,000 mg of fish oil, and 350 mg of rhodiola rosea.
This is my nutrient intake for a typical day:
Calories: about 1,700
Protein: 25%
Carbs: 50% (lots of whole grains)
Fat: 25%
Vitamins:
* Vitamin A: 5400 IU (185% of RDA)
* Folate: 419,9 µg (105% of RDA)
* B1 (Thiamine): 1,3 mg (108% of RDA)
* B2 (Riboflavin): 2,1 mg (159% of RDA)
* B3 (Niacin): 27,7 mg (173% of RDA)
* B5 (Pantothenic Acid): 6,0 mg (121% of RDA)
* B6 (Pyridoxine): 1,8 mg (140% of RDA)
* B12 (Cyanocobalamin): 3,5 µg (145% of RDA)
* Vitamin C: 1254,3 mg (1394% of RDA)
* Vitamin D: 688,8 IU (344% of RDA)
* Vitamin E: 13,3 mg (89% of RDA)
* Vitamin K: 186,3 µg (155% of RDA)
Minerals:
* Calcium: 1085,4 mg (109% of RDA)
* Copper: 1,3 mg (141% of RDA)
* Iron: 7,2 mg (90% of RDA)
* Magnesium: 298,1 mg (75% of RDA)
* Manganese: 2,7 mg (116% of RDA)
* Phosphorus: 709,0 mg (101% of RDA)
* Potassium: 1451,7 mg (31% of RDA)
* Selenium: 79,7 µg (145% of RDA)
* Sodium: 750,1 mg (50% of RDA)
* Zinc: 8,7 mg (79% of RDA)
I'm a little concerned about my potassium intake, but I don't know the exact nutritional data of all the foods I eat (Swedish food brands aren't in the USDA database), so I might be eating more potassium than this. For example, the bread I'm eating probably contains a decent amount of potassium. I've asked the bread company about it and they don't have any data on it.
Any idea what might cause my stomach to do this? I'm not an expert on nutrition, so I'm hoping someone with a little more expertise than me will be able to see something. As I said, I'm awaiting further medical investigation, but in the meantime, I might as well ask around.
Edited by namingway, 01 February 2008 - 11:13 AM.