How to stop a flare?

Beth · Post by **Beth** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:04 am

Hi, all! I was doing wonderfully for several months because of some herbs I was taking, and then I added in mushrooms to my diet, and within a couple of weeks I was back in a major flare after 4 months of Norman. I also ate a little bit of sausage from a local farmer that said "barley finished" on the package. I assumed, probably incorrectly, that the gluten the pigs were consuming couldn't get into the animal's muscle. But the day after, I suddenly roared into a massive flare.

So, what do you do when you go into a flare? I stopped eating vegetables because all fiber was making me incredibly nauseous and making my stomach roil. Usually just eating meat will stop all of that gastric distress in its tracks, even though the diarrhea can continue for months. Not so this time. The bloating and cramping and roiling continues, as well as off and on nausea. I started taking an Allegra in the morning and 300 mg of ranitidine at night, am continuing with 20,000 iu of Vitamin D (this is a perfectly safe level) and am continuing with the herbal tea of calendula, self-heal, goldenrod and marshmallow leaf. But this is not working the way it usually does!

If I weren't breastfeeding, I would just fast for a few days to give my poor digestive tract a break. But my daughter still really needs me for nutrition, so I can't go that route unless it gets to emergency levels. Anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks!

CathyMe. · Post by **CathyMe.** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:03 am

Hi Beth,
Sorry to hear you've had a relapse. Mushrooms seem to be a theme lately as Jean also had a reaction to them. Have you tried immodium or Pepto? Although they never worked for me, I know several others on the board use either one or the other with success. Good luck and I hope your belly settles down!

Beth · Post by **Beth** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:47 am

Thanks, Cathy. Must be the high salicylates in mushrooms that are so problematic. I've never had any success with pepto, so I don't bother, and even when I take 4 imodium pills at a time they generally do nothing to help. Since I'm breastfeeding I'm not willing to try it again when I don't feel very confident it will work. It's definitely more complicated to be a nursing mama with MC!

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:12 am

Beth,

As a fellow mushroom sufferer I feel for you. When I was at my worst I used to take 6 Immodium at a time. Any less didn't work. Now 2 will do the trick. I understand that breast feeding complicates things but I just wanted to pass on my experience.

Jean

Beth · Post by **Beth** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:14 pm

Thanks, Jean. I'm tucking that little bit of info away for future use. It's useful to know!

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:47 pm

So sorry to hear that Beth. I know that the most important thing for breast feeding is hydration, so maybe if you just drink tons of water and eat as little of your super safe foods as possible, you will slowly get back to feeling better.

Good luck
leah

ozgal · Post by **ozgal** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 1:31 am

Sorry to read about your relapse Beth :(

Have you heard about the FODMAPs diet? I've found I'm sensitive to a lot of foods on the high FODMAPs list (including mushrooms). I'm better in general when avoiding anything marked high on the list. Check out these links for more info:

http://www.eat-real-food-paleodietitian ... odmap.html

http://blog.katescarlata.com/fodmaps-basics/

Best
Helen

coryhub · Post by **coryhub** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 1:57 pm

Hi Beth,

Sorry to hear of your flare up. Mushrooms are a big no no for me. When I get in a state like you, wherein I'm afraid to even look at food let alone try and digest some, I fall back on homemade basic chicken soup. The only thing in the soup besides chicken is carrots. After a few days I can usually add white rice or mashed potatoes but everyone is different. As Leah said, keep hydrated and let us know how you and the baby are doing.

Best,
Cory

brookevale · Post by **brookevale** » Tue Apr 01, 2014 11:40 am

Beth,

Please check your messages inbox. I sent you a message as I need help with something. Hope your flare is getting better. I can't do anything with mold like mushrooms due to major yeast issues. Also, I noticed when I took ranitidine it made my MC symptoms worse. I think I read somewhere low stomach acid isn't good for MC? Or maybe it was something about it worsening candida.

Thanks,
Brooke