Help severe leaky gut...reacting to all foods

[xchocoholic]

Are you taking digestive enzymes ? I can't digest food anymore without these. I'm using enzymedica brand. I typically take 3 basic + 1 spectrum at each meal. Non of the others work for me.

Papaya, pineapple and mango may help too. I need 1/2 -1 cup to make a difference. These aren't a substitute for enzymes tho.

Can you id what's causing your diarrhea ? That's a very common reaction to gluten.

S boulardii may stop the "d". It's commonly used for this. It works on me after taking 1 but I continue to take about 5 over a 2 day period. Jarrow is a good brand.

I also have to rotate foods I'm not intolerant of to avoid digestive symptoms from these. Cooking veggies and fruits make them easier to digest.

Gi testing for pathogens may help too.

Hope you feel better soon. X

 

[Hip]

Hi I don't know if anyone can help, am in UK and have had leaky gut for nearly three years, becoming more and more intolerant to foods. The doctors here are useless, just saying I have ibs.

A few questions for you:

When you say you have leaky gut, were you tested for this, using the lactulose-mannitol test for intestinal permeability?

When you say you are intolerant to foods, what do you mean by this in terms of the symptoms the foods give you? You mention diarrhea and mouth ulcers. Are these the sum total symptoms you get?

When you say doctors are useless, diagnosing you with IBS, are you implying that you think this IBS diagnosis is wrong? If so, why do think this? What is it that you believe makes your symptoms different to those of IBS?

Food intolerance and IBS produce very similar symptoms, and can be difficult to distinguish. What more, they may both exist together, so you may have IBS, and in addition, you may also have specific food intolerances.

Generally with food intolerances, you will get the same ill effects from a whole food group. For example, if you intolerant to gluten or lactose, then all the foods containing these will cause the same symptoms.

Did you try medications that treat IBS, such as imodium? If so, did these medications make any improvements to your symptoms? If they did, then it would suggest that the diagnosis of IBS may be right. If they did not, then perhaps you problems are more food intolerance-based.

I certainly would not discount the IBS diagnosis without first exploring IBS treatments, and seeing if they work.

I severe IBS-D (diarrhea-predominant IBS) myself, I have a good list of supplements that help a lot in eliminating the symptoms. The Ayurvedic herbal formula triphala works well, for example.

 

[simlaw2]

Have you tried Tasectan? I am interested to see if it will help IBS without diarrhoea especially if taken with probiotics.

 

[Valentijn]

@Scoobieworld - Have you tried digestive enzymes? They help me quite a bit with gluten, dairy, and egg yolk, though egg whites still trigger the full-body swelling for me. I take Creon, prescribed by Belgian doctor but fully covered by my Dutch insurance.

 

[kangaSue]

Hi I don't know if anyone can help, am in UK and have had leaky gut for nearly three years, becoming more and more intolerant to foods. The doctors here are useless, just saying I have ibs.

The last straw has been an intolerance to glutamines, so cannot tolerate be the few safe foods I could eat, salmon, brocolli and cauliflower...can anyone help??? Feel so exhausted....life seems pointless am just getting worse and worse. I have stopped all supplements.

The only thing I have left to try is fasting.

Any help and advice would be much appreciated

Not sure if this will help but I've recently noticed both glutamine and citric acid sensitivities. Poor manufacturing process of citric acid increases the glutamate and removing all foods that contain citric acid from my diet has settled my stomach enormously. That said, other glutamate sources are still a problem. Perhaps you are producing too much free glutamate from the conversion process, in some circumstances it can be an excitotoxin.
http://www.stemcelltherapies.org/ALS/glutamine-glutamate-glutathione.html

 

[MeSci]

rice and boiled chicken is what they make you eat before the SIBO breath tests...i guess those foods are the easiest to digest of all

And have you been tested for SIBO? Diagnostic tests can be invasive, so you may not want to go for these. There is a paper about it here.

One thing I have found that improves my gut function quite dramatically is grapefruit seed extract (not to be confused with grapeseed extract). I am on a course at the moment, as my bowel movements had become loose again and I was suffering a worsening of ME symptoms. The gut has improved enormously, and the ME symptoms have too, as has happened before.

 

[Daffodil]

hi MeSci wow that's great. i am not sure a supplement has ever helped me like that.

i have been tested for SIBO but it was just a breath test. i have never heard of an invasive SIBO test.

xox

 

[MeSci]

hi MeSci wow that's great. i am not sure a supplement has ever helped me like that.

i have been tested for SIBO but it was just a breath test. i have never heard of an invasive SIBO test.

xox

I don't think grapefruit seed extract suits everyone, so maybe best to be careful.

Endoscopy is sometimes used to diagnose SIBO, but yes - the breath test is another way. If @Scoobieworld hasn't yet had the lactulose-mannitol test and the hydrogen breath test I think they would be a good idea.

I'm not only on the grapefruit seed extract; I'm also on a long-term/permanent diet and supplement regime as described in my profile. I just need short courses of grapefruit seed extract every so often. I've suspected SIBO for myself too, especially this time, as I have had quite a lot of mild upper-abdominal pain, so the GSE seems to make sense - I don't want to take pharmaceutical antibiotics.

Not sure if prebiotics have been suggested. Some consider them better/better tolerated than probiotics. You have to be cautious with probiotics as the wrong ones can make things worse.

 

[Daffodil]

I don't think grapefruit seed extract suits everyone, so maybe best to be careful.

Endoscopy is sometimes used to diagnose SIBO, but yes - the breath test is another way. If @Scoobieworld hasn't yet had the lactulose-mannitol test and the hydrogen breath test I think they would be a good idea.

I'm not only on the grapefruit seed extract; I'm also on a long-term/permanent diet and supplement regime as described in my profile. I just need short courses of grapefruit seed extract every so often. I've suspected SIBO for myself too, especially this time, as I have had quite a lot of mild upper-abdominal pain, so the GSE seems to make sense - I don't want to take pharmaceutical antibiotics.

Not sure if prebiotics have been suggested. Some consider them better/better tolerated than probiotics. You have to be cautious with probiotics as the wrong ones can make things worse.

hi MeSci. what exactly are prebiotics? like fermented things?

I cannot tolerate probiotics because I get diarrhea with the powerful ones and have been told the weaker ones are useless.

they say almost all of us have SIBO I think

 

[MeSci]

hi MeSci. what exactly are prebiotics? like fermented things?

I cannot tolerate probiotics because I get diarrhea with the powerful ones and have been told the weaker ones are useless.

they say almost all of us have SIBO I think

Here is a thread on prebiotics.

 

[SDSue]

I'm following this thread. I've recently begun often having horrific pain after eating. The first time it happened, it lasted nearly all night and I really thought I was going to end up in the ER. This is a sharp, take your breath away, crampy pain.

Is this IBS? I can no longer tolerate even decaf with coconut milk (my comfort beverage) or salmon. What on earth is going on???

@Daffodil I think I'll make a pot of rice today.

 

[MeSci]

I'm following this thread. I've recently begun often having horrific pain after eating. The first time it happened, it lasted nearly all night and I really thought I was going to end up in the ER. This is a sharp, take your breath away, crampy pain.

Is this IBS? I can no longer tolerate even decaf with coconut milk (my comfort beverage) or salmon. What on earth is going on???

@Daffodil I think I'll make a pot of rice today.

I think that IBS symptoms vary a lot, but mine have never been like that. Whereabouts is the pain?

 

[Daffodil]

SDSue sorry, that sounds awful!

I stopped the decaf with coconut milk/honey concoction..i found it too rich and it sometimes made me a little queasy. also, so many things are labor intensive I just get too tired to make it all....

how was your day today?

 

[SDSue]

Thanks, @Daffodil. It's been a rough month as I had to go off antivirals until my liver settled back down. Finally got some water and rice in me today - so far so good. I'm hoping this is all just viral reactivation and will calm down soon as I resume Famvir.

I think the reason I drink so much decaf with coconut milk is for the easy rich calories. That seems to be backfiring now. What do you now drink for comfort?

 

[Daffodil]

hi Sue. well, funny you should ask. Food testing showed I should not be drinking cow's milk because of the whey protein.

i had no trouble giving up milk in general, but could not give up tea. and I always take milk in tea. so i tried goats milk, which i hated. coconut milk doesn't work in tea. i tried to substitute herbal teas and still have several packages unused....but they are just not satisfying.

even when i managed to give up tea for a few days, as soon as i got sicker or depressed, i found myself craving it again..i just really need it lol and since i live with my mom and she makes it a lot, that makes it even harder.

so after 2 yrs of trying and failing, i just gave up. i drink it 2 - 3 times a day. i make sure the milk is lactose-free, so at least i won't have the lactose to worry about.

on my recent trip, i asked my doc if it really matters that i cannot give it up, and he said as long as my general diet is healthy, its OK.

still, caffeine does sometimes make the IBS worse and then i regret drinking it and beat myself up again LOL its a cycle.

but honestly, my life is so hard, i look forward to the cup of tea and a sweet date, all day. its a small slice of heaven for me.

i sound like a drug addict when i talk about tea hahah

 

[SDSue]

i sound like a drug addict when i talk about tea hahah

I completely understand! I grew up on hot tea with milk - now I live in the South where everyone drinks iced tea (ick). So I switched to coffee years ago, and I sound like a druggie too. I''ve given up so much in my diet (gluten, dairy, sugar, etc) but keep running back to my master after a few days of trying to quit lol!

 

[Daffodil]

your dark master haha

 

[MeSci]

i had no trouble giving up milk in general, but could not give up tea. and I always take milk in tea. so i tried goats milk, which i hated. coconut milk doesn't work in tea. i tried to substitute herbal teas and still have several packages unused....but they are just not satisfying.

Have you tried plant milks? As well as soya, which I know some people can't tolerate, there is rice milk, almond milk, etc. Some are listed on this page.

 

[Daffodil]

Have you tried plant milks? As well as soya, which I know some people can't tolerate, there is rice milk, almond milk, etc. Some are listed on this page.

Hi Me Sci! yes, I totally forgot to mention....I have tried all those milks and do not like them at all. I might like almond milk but the tests show I should not eat almonds...

I think Nigerian dwarf goat's milk is supposed to be non-goaty but that might be a little hard to find lol

there is also sheep's milk. I did see a small bottle once but it was ridiculously expensive.
oxox

 

[SDSue]

I think Nigerian dwarf goat's milk is supposed to be non-goaty but that might be a little hard to find lol