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Hellos everyone! I am coming off a huge bought of a GI bug and having a hard time getting the nausea, reflux and gurgly painful bowels to settle down. I assume these symptoms have lingered a bit longer because of my damaged gut. I am having a hard time incorporating food again because everything seems to irritate my bowels. For those of you who have IBS, have your symptoms improved? Just feeling like my gut is resistant to let go of the inflammation and always going to have to restrict my diet to the same foods for the rest of my life, because after 3 years of treatment if I veer off the path of these few safe foods I know I will be suffering the painful consequences. Do others have a reaction initially with new foods they add and after a few trials seem to tolerate these foods? Looking for hope that one day I will not fear food and have at least less painful eating. Thanks!
Hi you - other than currently
Hi you - other than currently recuping from what I think has been the flu - do we ever know? I can't relate to one thing you write about food. For the most part - I can eat everything - even jalapenos. Before all of you think of me as a gloating B - atch - there is a reason to my insensitive madness. This recent blog of Matias has opened up a flood gate of many people, myself included, who have felt like they don't belong because we have symptoms that are so different than others, that we have't been the quick fix, that we're scared of scaring someone else, that this is just one more flipping place that we don't belong. So, while I can now eat most food like a trucker, now have a bladder that raley bothers me, after coping with life threatening illnesses for 18 years I once again struggle with a return of OCD that haunted my childhood for nine years. There are many days that the only place that I feel like I belong is at the funny farm.
What I'm trying to say in my long winded way, is that while I don't share in your current symptoms, I share in your human struggle. I am sorry that you're having such a struggle with food. In truth, it would be a hard choice - no OCD or no good food? It kind of reminds me of this sick survey that floated around when I was a kid. Which do you prefer, the sight of blood or of puss?
Hi Christina! Hi Denise!
Hi Christina! Hi Denise! (Side moment here, Denise, thanks again for all of your recent posts. They have moved me greatly, so thank you for that!!) DEnise I am hoping since the gut healing will reveal illness in the reverse order of when it appeared that means you will be moving over the OCD phase here. Are you staying safely on list 5 with no sugar and other ickys?
CP, you must know by now that Dr.s M and B Brizman don't even really like the term IBS. In fact, even holistic doctors don't much care for it. The fact is, all of us have broken guts to one extent or another. We are all on a spectrum of broken gut, hopefully all heading towards radiant health AND peace of mind that goes with a healthy gut.
After my daughter's stomach bug (she was not yet in treatment with Boaz Brizman) she had symptoms for months. Now she is much better. Hopefully things will settle here soon for you. It has not been that long since you had the virus or whatever it was. Do hang in there!! xo
If we don't excel at health, the only other option is disease.
Hi Mimi,
Hi Mimi,
Thanks for your kind words - yes I avoid the awful foods. HOWEVER, I need to make more effort to eat more vegies - I often fail at that and always notice the difference - thanks for reminding me.
Take Care
Mimi, what I mean by IBS is
Mimi, what I mean by IBS is that it is a just a generic diagnosis, something that people can wrap their heads around when trying to describe my unhappy bowels! Yes, you are right it hasn't been long as far as acute stomach bug, but to not be able to tolerate new foods throughout treatment actually cutting more then adding over the last 3 years is scary and then all of a sudden you can't even eat the semi safe foods is a real slap in the face. But thank for the encouragement. Glad to know your daughter is seeing improvements! Hanging in there as always!
haha Denise your "survey"
haha Denise your "survey" reminds me of the thinking I do sometimes "Would I rather have her alcoholic husband or IC?" Or "Do I want to be really fat or have IC" or some other random variant. The problem is nobody's asking me to trade anyway- so I guess I have to stick with the IC anyway! Therefore it helps when I stick to my side of the street and at least be grateful for whatever it is I do have- which is still an awful lot.
Hi Deir,
Hi Deir,
You're "sounding" so much better. I've always enjoyed your kindness and strength that has shown through your words. I think maybe we share the same sense of somewhat twisted humor?
Take Care - good to hear from you
Oh, and surprise surprise, all this warm contact has made me into a far less unbalanced, isolated nut job.
Thanks ladies
Isolation =trouble for sure!
Isolation =trouble for sure!!!
Thanks-I have been doing better the past few weeks. I pretty much had an emotinal breakdown one night in January and then went through a couple weeks of extreme indecison about whether I should stick with this treatment. As for today, I seem to have emerged from that. Taking it one day at a time.
Denise, you are so right we
Denise, you are so right we all have our own struggles and scary things that make us feel so alone. Your posts are always so heartfelt and inspiring. Gosh, you have been through so much but yet you keep that fighting spirit. Thanks for your humor on the subject helped me smile! Thank you! :)
Christina-
Christina-
don't have experience with the IBS side of this and I am so sorry that you do!!!! Although I am certainly sure I have a compromised gut, it doesn't manifest in bowel symptoms so for sure we are all not on the same level with this.
I do think it makes sense that it would take a while for your body to bounce back from the virus though and I hope it does soon. (((((HUG)))))
I hope you get some responses from people who the IBS symptoms
Hi Lovely Ladies,
Hi Lovely Ladies,
Over the years I have found that it is difficult for me to tell between a period of die off, flu bug or an IBS symptom. Although I assume if I have a fever it is an illness....the rest of the digestive symptoms fall into the cloudy umbrella of die off/ symptoms. With the onset of the muslce burning I have begun experiencing, I am also getting bouts of nausea, which comes in the waves similar to first trimester nausea.....the rolling hills as I referred to them;)
I suppose what I am saying is that I wholeheartedly agree with Denise and Deir- although I do not believe I have IBS, I understand the human struggle you are going through. I have certainly presented with some unusual symptoms and yet I feel connected to what you are going through because we have collectively found a supportive "home" for all of our absurd abnormalities.
Please keep updating us! Katie
Hi Katie! I know it is hard
Hi Katie! I know it is hard at times to know if die off or stomach bug. This was definitely the norovirus I gave it to my family that happened to be in town visiting. What a present to give my poor little niece and nephew! :( You are so right, we all have had our fair share of struggles and fun symptoms along the way! So glad we have a place to vent and have the support from others who can at least sympathize with all the craziness!
Thanks Deir! Bowel issues are
Thanks Deir! Bowel issues are definitely not fun, but oh well such is life! You are right we all have damaged guts to some extent. Thanks for the encouragement, much appreciated! :)
Thinking of you my dear. The
Thinking of you my dear. The food thing for you is absolutely ridiculous. it goes so far beyond what so many of us deal with which is limiting enough. You are a truly strong and valiant person. really. and I admire you. Speaking of stomach bugs- i have 2 kids home sick with it. Well- one is sick and the other is faking as far as I can tell! LOL I hope I don't get it.
Hi Cprince and all you sweet
Hi Cprince and all you sweet ladies!
I have exactly the same problem you have. I have been in treatment 27 months. I am very limited on my food as well if I want to keep things calm in my bowels. I cannot have any dairy, any gluten, or any nightshade without stirring up inflammation. I can only eat 2 T of either brown rice or 2 T of navy beans at my morning or midday meal. No starch at all at dinner or the inflammation will kick up. I guess you could say I am kind of on list three. Even carrots or spaghetti squash will turn to a negativity for me, so I really have to stick to my same foods too, even though I try once in awhile! I also have to have all my veggies cooked. I can have a little green apple, but it's better if it's cooked too. I have a problem with internal hemorrhoids too, so when my intestines are inflamed I am really in pain. But Dr. B has helped me beyond measure. I am just so thankful to her as I was so incapacitated by this condition. I felt like I had a two headed monster coupled with IC.
What has helped me was to write down my good days. Then I put those notes side by side and figure out little details to help me keep the inflammation down in my gut. So many things I learn as I pray and pray for wisdom. That is how I figured out I do better without a starch at night. I do better with a T of olive oil in my almond milk 3x a day. I do better with my nuts roasted or baked. Likewise my veggies and green apple. I really eat so good. I make lots of zucchini noodles, or cauliflower rice, or cauliflower tortillas in place of my starches at night. Then I feel like I am eating a starch. I have tea time every day with my tea treats.
Sometimes I feel like I am walking on a very narrow balance beam. Just two days ago I tried 2 T of starch at night to see if I had improved, and then I was inflamed and bleeding the next day. It will take me 3 days to get the inflammation down if I eat lots of cabbage and fish with lots of really cooked veggies, which I am still doing today. :)
I hope this awfully long post helped some! I haven't posted in quite awhile but I pray for you all. Much love and healing hugs sent to everyone!
Mrs A, thank you for taking
Mrs A, thank you for taking the time to post your experiences. We unfortunately do have a lot of similarities as far as inflammed bowels. Grains are very hard on my bowels and nightshades well they are an utter nightmare as well as eggs. Beans are ok in small quantities so live on meat, very steamed list 1 veggies, avocado, and almond butter. It's like eating a very restricted paleo diet. I decided to have a stool test done and my inflammation is off the charts, but know in time this has to finally let go. It would have been interesting to know what the levels were before starting treatment. I would love your cauliflower tortilla recipe! I have made a cauliflower pizza crust, but didn't quite come out the way I expected. Thanks again for sharing so very helpful!
Thanks Deir! Oh no, the
Thanks Deir! Oh no, the stomach bug is no good! I hope they are both feeling better! I sure hope you don't get it! Fluids my friend, keep hydrated!
Cprince,
Cprince,
The inflammation will get better. I know it is so difficult, but it will get better. I remember when just vacuuming the house would stir it up. I would have to rest in between chores to get
it to calm down. I don't have to do that anymore. Also sitting
too long or standing too long would both be bad, so I had to be
careful not to do either. I can't still hold my four year old
daughter or my grandbabies while standing or it aggravates
the inflammation. I remember asking Dr.B why that was and it
was something to do with the lymph which in turn aggravates
the inflammation. I am so much better than I was from my
note taking as I mentioned before. I might only have 1 good
day in a month, but I wrote down everything I ate for that day.
It took awhile but I finally had four days to compare side by side to figure out why my inflammation was down. I remember eating exactly the same thing two days from my good day notes and sure enough I stayed good. Starches don't
work very well for me, even starchy vegetables. But
interestingly we both tolerate almond butter. I can also have
almond milk. My cauliflower tortillas do have an egg in them.
I take 2 c of rice cauliflower and add 2 eggs with a little salt.
Then you make 6 circles with your mixture on a greased
parchment lined pan. Bake 375 for 10 min and flip 5-7 min
more. You can make pizzas out of these too
I find that Dr.B's soup really keeps the inflammation at bay, or if you are already in inflammation it will calm it down for me. Especially with cooked fish in it. I just leave out the potato.
Basically it is 1 head of broccoli, 1/2 of a cabbage, 2 celery
stalks, 1/2 onion. You saute this all up in a soup pot til limp,
then add water to cover with any seasonings you tolerate and
salt. I put 2 T of olive oil in too. Cook about 20 min. Then I take
a stick blender and blend it up a bit. I then add some cooked
flaked fish to each bowl. My body loves this soup!
Also what really helps me in keeping the inflammation
down is to snack on cooked veggies all day. I am constantly snacking on them. I can eat a whole batch of zucchini chips. I sluces very thinly a zucchini. Toss it with 1T of olive oil and a
little salt. Bake at 450 for 17 min. So good!
I have found as treatment progressed and my protocol changed, I had to adjust my diet. I know that is not true for
everyone, but when Dr. B put me on rhodiola, I could tell my
body needed it, yet I had to help it continue to work in my
body by cutting out spelt and gluten first, and then dairy.
Finally, as Dr. B put it, it had done its work. I hope some day to add both back in, but I think in my case it might be slow going.
Another long post, but I hope it is if help to you! Lots of love sent to you. :)
mrs A- You shoudl write a
mrs A- You shoudl write a book. Wow- I am amazed that you were able to keep such good observations (esp the part about the rhodiola etc) What a positive way to approach this rather than feeling discouraged.
Hi dear Deir!
Hi dear Deir!
If I find myself getting discouraged I read my old questions from months and months ago to Dr. B. I always realize anew how far I have come from the horrible burning, not even able to drive in the car for very long, the left arm dull ache, the constant sicknesses with sore throat pain, the daily and nightly hot flashes, the aggravating head sores, the dread of night time because I couldn't fall asleep nor stay asleep averaging 4 hrs a night, the horrible painful gut pain that reared its ugly head weekly for awhile there which I referred to as twisted gut, the burning in the bowels -how awful that
was, red puffy eyes, bruising so easily, so much phlegm, gassiness, and the worse: rectal prolapse. I read all that in my past questions to Dr. B and realize anew that I am getting better. We all are! Love to you Deir!
Mrs A, thank you again for
Mrs A, thank you again for your post very helpful. I to did a lot food journaling and could never quite figure it out. I finally decided to doña food sensitivity test, not suggested by Dr. M, but I was feeling so desperate I needed to do it for me. It was pretty shocking actually most foods I had figured out on my own, but others I was surprised by like a squash, eggs, and all grains. It is fascinating all the words we come up with to describe our sensations I usually describe and gripping, crampy burning intestines. Or just plain feeling inflamed and tender.
I am going to have to try the cauliflower tortillas at some point, but will have to wait a while. I have a lot of burning and shearing pains with eating eggs. I like to tuck all these recipes away for later. All your recipes sound so good. The poop soup does help me as well, but have to be careful with the veggies I use because anything with fructose causes more pain and cauliflower/broccoli causes more gas pains. Such a fine line. The zucchini sounds yummy! A must try!
I had a bad day with working with a patient today with explosive diarrhea. Let's just say it ended in a change of clothes for me. Hoping I don't end up with another bout of the stomach stuff!:( I get so paranoid at times when it comes to this stuff. It's a wonder how I got into healthcare with how worried I get with some of this stuff!
Oh Cprince I do hope your don
Oh Cprince I do hope your don't get sick! I am helping my poor sick daughter-in-law with a sick baby and praying not to get sick, too. I cannot tolerate any squash either! Well, except zucchini. And I read in another post by you about feeling ancient in the shoulders...that is me as well. Only at night
mostly for me though. We sure do have a lot of similarities. Since you can have almond butter, have you tried almond milk? It is very easy to make. I make my own almond butter if you buy it and would like to try making it.
Lots of love to you Cprince!
Mrs. A, you are correct there
Mrs. A, you are correct there are so many similarities it seems. Do make my own almond butter, but have read a lot about making almond milk but have never tried. Do you have any tips?
I hope we both stay well through all this. Hope your family starts to feel better soon! Lots of love!
I feel for you and any with
I feel for you and any with the gut symptoms you suffer. When I began treatment with Dr M, I was down 45 lbs and could eat nothing without some sort of reaction. I wonder now, as I wolf down cabbage (!!!couldn't even consider that one), broccoli, cashew butter, coffee and more. I remember vividly the pain and worry. I'm just coming out of a rough time in treatment...another level of die-off and the symptoms that come with that (this time returning IBS symptoms) and found myself turning to things that soothed before. Seeing your post made me think I should share a tool that helps me in this and then, I realized it is helping me also with the IC hurdles...ie at night, going to sleep, interrupted sleep , pain anytime and also just relieving the anxieties. it is a set of CDs by Michael Mahoney, developed for IBS sufferers..I see it is on Amazon now. It's pricey, but,for me, I realize 8 years later, it was a valuable investment!..Of course t might not be for you, but had to share!!! maybe worth a look? Be Well
Hi lolo! Thank you for taking
Hi lolo! Thank you for taking the time to post! How long have you been in treatment? It is just frustrating to feel like I am not making progress, but I know it is a very slow process to bring inflammation down. I have not tried these CDs before I will have to look into them. Thank you!
Thank you Lolo! And Cprince
Thank you so much, Lolo!
And Cprince this is my recipe for almond milk:
1 c raw almonds covered with water overnight. Drain in the morning and add the almonds and 3 c water to a blender. Blend on high for quite a few minutes. Squeeze through a nut bag into a pitcher. That's it! If I forget to soak the almonds overnight I pour boiling water over the almonds for 30 min to an hour before blending.
Oh, and it's worth the investment to buy a nut milk bag. I got mine at our health food store. So easier than cheese cloth!
We are in this slow progress together!
Thank you Mrs. A! That sounds
Thank you Mrs. A! That sounds easy enough will be looking for a nut milk bag next time I get out!
Yes, slow and steady (although feeling very unsteady at the moment) progress! I have had an awful painful weekend unfortunately but hanging on by my finger nails trying not to lose my grip. Getting hit with a cold/sinus infection and seems to be reeking havoc on my gut!
Oh Cprince I am so sorry.
Oh Cprince I am so sorry. This rough patch will soon pass. I hope you are feeling better. Love to you!
To answer your question, I've
To answer your question, I've been in treatment since 2008..had, through ups and downs and many of the feelings you describe and then realized I had no symptoms and celebrated. Then, a new condition (not related) caused setbacks with surgery and necessary medication. I am now working with Dr M on that, realizing I am still far removed from the con dition I was in when I found her. I cannot imagine what things would have been like without her. This journey is not linear and is not the same in time and experience and symptoms for any one of us. I have reached the stage where I let go, do my very best to follow Dr M's advice and detach from comparing. I also realize I have not caught the flu, many old problems have disappeared and had steady improvement in the whole body and I have learned much about myself and life while in this treatment. We are so fortunate! I don't think I'd be alive without it. Keep the faith, cprince...sending warm wishes...
Thank you for sharing this
Thank you for sharing this with me Lolo! So glad to hear eventually all the symptoms had resolved and hopefully this new setback will clear quickly. It is so hard not compare at times, as it is human nature to always comparing ourselves to others, but in the end I do understand we are all very unique with how our imbalances came to be. I totally agree, we are so fortunate to have Dr. M and this treatment. I was headed to an early death if I hadn't found Dr. M, yeast was clearly taking over my body, it took a serious hold on me and is resistant to give up it's fight! One day at a time! Many blessings to you!