• Log in with Facebook Log in with Twitter Log In with Google      Sign In    
  • Create Account
  LongeCity
              Advocacy & Research for Unlimited Lifespans

Photo
- - - - -

Stomach problems


  • Please log in to reply
27 replies to this topic

#1 Johan

  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 01 February 2008 - 09:01 AM


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.


#2 mudderrunner

  • Guest
  • 5 posts
  • 0

Posted 01 February 2008 - 04:46 PM

any change in diet during the period that it started?

sponsored ad

  • Advert
Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for NUTRITION to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

#3 health_nutty

  • Guest
  • 2,410 posts
  • 93
  • Location:California

Posted 01 February 2008 - 05:24 PM

I don't have a clue to the root cause of your problem. It's good that you are going to a doctor. Try a different doctor if this one isn't taking your seriously. The white clumps are odd.

To treat the symptoms I've found that ginger and turmeric are amazing for gas and stomach upset. Eating yogurt consistently has helped as well.

#4 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 01 February 2008 - 06:04 PM

any change in diet during the period that it started?


No, my diet has basically stayed the same for the past year and a half, except that I excluded lactose from my diet - but that was more than a month after the problems started. I have recently included some lactose-containing foods (soured milk) in my diet again, and I haven't noticed my stomach getting any worse.

The white clumps are odd.

To treat the symptoms I've found that ginger and turmeric are amazing for gas and stomach upset. Eating yogurt consistently has helped as well.


I've read about similar things, and in some of the cases I've read about, the "white balls" have been remains of medications. But seeing as I don't take any medications (only supplements - multivitamin, vitamin C, and fish oil tablets)...
I wonder if it could be some kind of bacterial/parasitic infection?
I'll talk to my doctor about that next time I see her.

Also, thank you for the tip. Do you mean ginger and turmeric in natural/whole form, or as extracts/supplements?
I assume yogurt helps because of its probiotic nature. I do eat soured milk ("filmjölk"), which contains bifidobacterium lactis, but there's a yogurt that also contains lactobacillus acidophilus and lactobacillus casei. I might try that.

#5 Matt

  • Guest
  • 2,862 posts
  • 149
  • Location:United Kingdom
  • NO

Posted 01 February 2008 - 06:56 PM

At one point I was sure I was seeing corn and carrots in my poop lol. The white clumps as we'll call them is something I've also had before, it lated a little while. The only thing that really made them appear much less frequently was stop eating the whole grain bread. Otherwise they seem rather benign. Stool tests came back normal. I used to have something called IBS prior to going on calorie restriction... that cleared after a little while but symptoms lasted for about one year into CR diet then it got a lot better. Either way it didn't kill me, wasn't parasites or bacterial infection...

I have a little GERD every now and then which I control extremely well with 'manuka honey'. Just 3 tea spoons a day each between meals and just before bed. This coats the throat and help heal I think. Very good for sore throat. The GERD was caused by an antibiotic that I took in October (cipro) and a very minor stomach infection that I must have picked up, or was it GERD? I don't know ;)

But Manuka honey is very useful, try this. I would give it a try

Don't worry too much over those white things.

Btw, I would bet a lot of people have stranger things going on that they let out of their body. People are just too embarrassed to openly talk about it.

Edited by Matt, 01 February 2008 - 06:58 PM.


#6 niner

  • Guest
  • 16,276 posts
  • 2,000
  • Location:Philadelphia

Posted 01 February 2008 - 07:10 PM

The fact that it showed up after a cold makes me suspicious of an infectious agent. The coincident GERD symptoms and bad breath make me tilt in a bacterial direction. I'd be tempted to try a broad spectrum antibiotic at some point; something like Clarithromycin. Of course this has to be balanced against the hazards of such things. Probiotics are usually a good thing to try. I kind of doubt that potassium has anything to do with, but you could always have a banana.

#7 ajnast4r

  • Guest, F@H
  • 3,925 posts
  • 147
  • Location:USA
  • NO

Posted 02 February 2008 - 02:32 AM

The fact that it showed up after a cold makes me suspicious of an infectious agent. The coincident GERD symptoms and bad breath make me tilt in a bacterial direction. I'd be tempted to try a broad spectrum antibiotic at some point; something like Clarithromycin. Of course this has to be balanced against the hazards of such things. Probiotics are usually a good thing to try. I kind of doubt that potassium has anything to do with, but you could always have a banana.


i agree

i would talk to your doc about a course of antibiotics, which must be accompanied and followed by a quality probiotic

#8 health_nutty

  • Guest
  • 2,410 posts
  • 93
  • Location:California

Posted 02 February 2008 - 03:45 AM

Also, thank you for the tip. Do you mean ginger and turmeric in natural/whole form, or as extracts/supplements?
I assume yogurt helps because of its probiotic nature. I do eat soured milk ("filmjölk"), which contains bifidobacterium lactis, but there's a yogurt that also contains lactobacillus acidophilus and lactobacillus casei. I might try that.


For ginger, the either form works. Ginger seems to work better than turmeric, so I would try that first if you are going to just do one of the two. For turmeric I've had better results with the whole root powder (you can mix it with lots of cinnamon in some soy milk, trust me add the cinnamon if you want it to taste acceptable!)

#9 Matt

  • Guest
  • 2,862 posts
  • 149
  • Location:United Kingdom
  • NO

Posted 02 February 2008 - 01:28 PM

The idea to chuck antibiotics at the problem is certainly not the solution yet. First of all, many young people can fight off infections, especially related to the bowel without a course of antibiotics. Also we don't even know if it is an infection, I would be surprised if it was. Get a stool test done for sure.

Eliminating grains eliminated the white things though. This is a consistent effect for me.

Edited by Matt, 02 February 2008 - 01:35 PM.


#10 Matt

  • Guest
  • 2,862 posts
  • 149
  • Location:United Kingdom
  • NO

Posted 02 February 2008 - 01:32 PM

About the dry hands, have you been taking in enough Zinc? There are quite a few people in the CRS that reported Zinc deficiency symptoms and one symptom that kept popping up was dry hands. What is your copper; zinc ratio after you include the supplements?

Edited by Matt, 02 February 2008 - 01:33 PM.


#11 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 02 February 2008 - 02:19 PM

My supplements are included in the statistics in my first post, so my zinc : copper ratio is about 13:2. (8.7 mg zinc : 1.3 mg copper). What ratio should I aim for?

I might try eliminating grains for a while and see if it helps.

Edited by namingway, 03 February 2008 - 06:10 PM.


#12 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 06 February 2008 - 04:26 PM

My blood analysis results arrived today. Here they are:

Posted Image

As my doctor said - no sign of coeliac disease or lactose intolerance, and no other unusual results either.

Edit: Oops - the unit of MCH should be pg, not Pg. I don't have a petagram of hemoglobin! :)
Oh well, you probably know what I mean anyway.

Edited by Johan, 06 February 2008 - 04:43 PM.


#13 Mixter

  • Guest
  • 788 posts
  • 98
  • Location:Europe

Posted 06 February 2008 - 06:59 PM

In case GERD (esophageal reflux) is diagnosed, try
taking Limomene before using a proton pump inhibitor...

Could still be irritable bowel syndrome. IIRC, it has a ton of
possible symptoms. Try to reduce stress etc. and increase
exercise, sleep and so on. A dumbed down description of this
issue is irritation or disbalance of the nervous system in the
area of stomach/intestine. Strange that you didn't get this diagnosis...
If nothing else is found, don't overanalyze things for now, and definitely
try timed-release or enteric coated peppermint caps, like Regimint, for
example, should help with most such stomach problems.

But if it doesn't go away/get worse, screening for Helicobacter pylori
and other "little friends" with a nice stomach tube sample would be
useful. And this is IMO a good prevention at some point in life,
since H.pylori ulcers and other resident germs are not uncommon.

Edited by mixter, 06 February 2008 - 07:03 PM.


#14 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 06 February 2008 - 07:31 PM

I don't feel stressed at all, really - studies are easy, and I don't have anything in particular to worry about (except this stomach thing). Sleeping habits are good as well - I sleep 7-9 hours/night on average, and I rarely feel tired, if ever. I don't exercise that much during the winter, though - just light exercise, like strenuous walking. Otherwise, I usually bike wherever I go (and my town is located on a hillside, so I get a decent amount of training), but now it's a bit too snowy and icy for that.

My doctor said that it could be IBS, but I want to confirm that it's not a bacterial infection or anything else first. I have a phone meeting with her on Friday, so I'll propose that I do a stool test to check for unwelcome bacteria. I suspect some kind of bacterial (or possibly parasitic) infection, since I got it after a cold about three months ago, and I haven't experienced any of these symptoms at all at any earlier point of my life.

Or can IBS just appear suddenly like that, with no prior warning signs?

Edited by Johan, 06 February 2008 - 08:18 PM.


#15 niner

  • Guest
  • 16,276 posts
  • 2,000
  • Location:Philadelphia

Posted 07 February 2008 - 03:12 AM

I don't feel stressed at all, really - studies are easy, and I don't have anything in particular to worry about (except this stomach thing). Sleeping habits are good as well - I sleep 7-9 hours/night on average, and I rarely feel tired, if ever. I don't exercise that much during the winter, though - just light exercise, like strenuous walking. Otherwise, I usually bike wherever I go (and my town is located on a hillside, so I get a decent amount of training), but now it's a bit too snowy and icy for that.

My doctor said that it could be IBS, but I want to confirm that it's not a bacterial infection or anything else first. I have a phone meeting with her on Friday, so I'll propose that I do a stool test to check for unwelcome bacteria. I suspect some kind of bacterial (or possibly parasitic) infection, since I got it after a cold about three months ago, and I haven't experienced any of these symptoms at all at any earlier point of my life.

Or can IBS just appear suddenly like that, with no prior warning signs?

Yeah, it can. I had IBS pop up out of nowhere. At least I don't remember connecting it to anything. I took a low dose of dicyclomine (bentyl), I think 10mg once a day for a while. I also increased fiber. That seems to be a key to keeping it at bay. I stopped the bentyl and everything was fine for a long time. It came back, and this time I traced it to a new 7 grain breakfast cereal that was supposed to be healthy... oops. I must have been having some sort of reaction to it that triggered the IBS symptoms. I changed cereals and am feeling a lot better. I think IBS is fairly common.

#16 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 08 February 2008 - 06:07 PM

My doctor called me today, and she said that it probably is IBS, since signs of a bacterial infection would have shown in the blood test results.

Oh well, at least it's not anything worse. IBS isn't associated with increased risks of colon cancer or anything like that, so at least I won't have to worry about that.

I've been reading up on possible treatments, and I found this study showing that Rifaximin, an oral antibiotic, seems to improve symptoms in IBS patients, with positive effects lasting after discontinuation.

I've also found a couple of articles suggesting the use of probiotics containing lactobacilli, especially L. plantarum.
Jarrow Formulas have one available.

Edited by Johan, 08 February 2008 - 06:17 PM.


#17 krillin

  • Guest
  • 1,516 posts
  • 60
  • Location:USA

Posted 08 February 2008 - 09:29 PM

Maxwatt has been using angelica to treat resveratrol-induced IBS.

#18 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 08 February 2008 - 10:00 PM

Maxwatt has been using angelica to treat resveratrol-induced IBS.


What's angelica?

#19 edward

  • Guest
  • 1,404 posts
  • 23
  • Location:Southeast USA

Posted 09 February 2008 - 12:37 AM

Just a quick note. This may not be related to your GI issues but if I were you I would look at your low levels of: potassium, sodium, magnesium and zinc and consider supplementation especially if you do any sort of exercise (which will increase your requirements for these as would GI issues). Electrolytes and other minerals are very important and low electrolytes plus GI issues which further deplete electrolytes and minerals can cause problems.

Edited by edward, 09 February 2008 - 12:37 AM.


#20 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 09 February 2008 - 12:48 AM

I am already looking at that, and it turns out I didn't have (and still don't have) extensive nutritional data on all the foods I eat (as stated previously, Swedish foods are not in the USDA database). But from what I have been able to find, this is what it looks like now:
Posted Image

Edited by Johan, 09 February 2008 - 12:50 AM.


#21 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 09 February 2008 - 10:28 PM

I started thinking about when I started eating the foods I currently eat, as to see if I started eating any of them around the time when my stomach problems appeared. And it turns out that I began eating a certain type of bread shortly before my stomach started to trouble me.

So I replaced that bread starting yesterday, and since then, I have been feeling much better. So I guess I must have had a reaction to some ingredient in that bread.

#22 Matt

  • Guest
  • 2,862 posts
  • 149
  • Location:United Kingdom
  • NO

Posted 09 February 2008 - 10:53 PM

Johan, hope that is resolved then. I had the same problems with the bread too/

#23 niner

  • Guest
  • 16,276 posts
  • 2,000
  • Location:Philadelphia

Posted 10 February 2008 - 06:56 AM

I started thinking about when I started eating the foods I currently eat, as to see if I started eating any of them around the time when my stomach problems appeared. And it turns out that I began eating a certain type of bread shortly before my stomach started to trouble me.

So I replaced that bread starting yesterday, and since then, I have been feeling much better. So I guess I must have had a reaction to some ingredient in that bread.

Hmm. Just like me and the cereal. What was in that bread, Johan?

#24 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 10 February 2008 - 11:47 AM

These are the ingredients of the bread that was causing my stomach to react:
(Note: Translated from Swedish, so it may not be 100% correct)

Water, whole wheat grain (28%), whole rye grain (27%), wheat flour, wheat gluten, wheat starch, wheat germ, oat fiber, fructose, sourdough powder (rye), rapeseed oil, hardened rapeseed oil, salt, baker’s yeast, emulsifier (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids), ascorbic acid.

And that bread was supposed to be healthy!
niner, does it have some ingredients in common with your cereal? Maybe we reacted to the same thing?

Compare that with the bread I now eat instead (crisp bread), which has four ingredients: Water, whole rye grain (100%), baker’s yeast, salt.

#25 niner

  • Guest
  • 16,276 posts
  • 2,000
  • Location:Philadelphia

Posted 11 February 2008 - 06:34 AM

These are the ingredients of the bread that was causing my stomach to react:
(Note: Translated from Swedish, so it may not be 100% correct)

Water, whole wheat grain (28%), whole rye grain (27%), wheat flour, wheat gluten, wheat starch, wheat germ, oat fiber, fructose, sourdough powder (rye), rapeseed oil, hardened rapeseed oil, salt, baker’s yeast, emulsifier (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids), ascorbic acid.

And that bread was supposed to be healthy!
niner, does it have some ingredients in common with your cereal? Maybe we reacted to the same thing?

Compare that with the bread I now eat instead (crisp bread), which has four ingredients: Water, whole rye grain (100%), baker’s yeast, salt.

The cereal I had a problem with was Kashi 7 Whole Grain Flakes. Ingredients are:
hard red winter wheat, long grain brown rice, oats, barley, triticale, rye, buckwheat, sesame seeds, long grain white rice, evaporated cane juice, barley malt syrup, wheat bran, oat fiber, brown rice syrup, salt.

So yeah, there are several things in common, although I suppose there's no telling which component is really the problem for either of us. It might be the same or different. The commonalities are whole wheat, whole rye, and oat fiber, whatever that means.

#26 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 14 February 2008 - 11:40 AM

An update - symptoms have improved, but not disappeared entirely. I now have less frequent bowel movements (usually 1/day now, as opposed to 2-3/day previously), but there are still some problems with bowel gas. Also, dry hands and face have gotten a little worse.

I am considering buying an acidophilus probiotic supplement, as well as melatonin (for GI issues as well as other benefits). Can you recommend any other supplements?

Edited by Johan, 14 February 2008 - 01:56 PM.


#27 Johan

  • Topic Starter
  • Guest, F@H
  • 472 posts
  • 9
  • Location:Sweden

Posted 14 February 2008 - 07:09 PM

Maybe I've got an intestinal Candida infection? I hear that it's hard to discover (the intestine isn't easily accessible), and routine blood tests normally don't provide any indication of it.
And I've got many of the symptoms - dry mouth/throat, sore throat, bad breath, nasal congestion, cold hands/feet (although I have a somewhat low body temperature normally, due to CR), bloating, constipation, intestinal gas, dry skin/rashes... and also feeling of fluid in the ears, which I have had for about as long as my stomach problems (and I've contacted my doctor separately about my ears a while ago - she told me it would go away eventually, but so far, it hasn't), but I've never (until now) heard that it could be associated with GI issues such as intestinal candidiasis.

Of course, those symptoms can be associated with other things as well, and I could just be imagining things, but I think it's worth investigating, at least.

#28 Matt

  • Guest
  • 2,862 posts
  • 149
  • Location:United Kingdom
  • NO

Posted 15 February 2008 - 12:37 AM

The fluid in your ears can be related to the cold you had, and yes this does take quite a long time to drain for some people.

The sore throat and bad breath, nasal congestion can be related to GERD.

For the nasal congestion try this, boil some water and put in a bowl and breath in the steam with towel over your head. This should help. Be careful though (burns).

As for the dry skin, try a short term Zinc supplement (15mg) per day and see if this helps. A few CRers had problems with Zinc and dry skin. Might be worth trying a Magnesium supplement too. Are you taking fish oil or flax oil?

Edited by Matt, 15 February 2008 - 12:38 AM.





2 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 2 guests, 0 anonymous users