New Member Needs Advice

[heatheravise]

I was diagnosed with MC a month ago after battling digestive health issues for the past five years. Each year I eliminated more foods from my diet yet my problem only got worse (diarrhea). I figured out five years ago gluten was a problem and have followed a very strict gf diet. I had a colonoscopy after being unsuccessful to control my diarrhea on my own even thought I don't like my GI doctor and hoped to control my issues through research on gut healing and avoiding gluten and inflammatory foods. I did the Entero Lab testing also in the past month.
Since late November (about the same time the doctor diagnosed the MC) my weight has gone done and I have not been able to digest any solid foods. I eliminated more and more foods and started reading this forum, which has been very helpful since my GI doctor in not. He actually told me to eat wheat but I've read on here that is common in the medical community.
After only eating bone broth containing tiny bits of chicken, well cooked bits of carrots and rice, smoothies with almond milk, plain collagen, 1/4 a banana, and unsweet applesauce for 3 weeks my weight decrease and diarrhea continued and anal fissures developed which were the most painful part (and still are). This is where I was at my first appointment with the GI doctor after the colonoscopy. They had called and said take the 8 pepto a day for two weeks before my appointment which did not help at all. At my appointment he said I need to take budesonide and asked why I didn't call immediately when the pepto didn't help. I told him I wanted to try a more restrictive diet first and wait to meet with him in person to discuss it. I am a teacher and did not want to be on it if there was any alternative. His reply was, "How's that working for you." I started the budesonide on Dec. 15th and have had no relief yet. I eliminated all rice from my diet last week and am down to only broth which I simmer with organic chicken and squash but I do not eat anything other than the broth. Any bits of food that I swallow makes me nauseous and gives me a slight headache. Yesterday I tried some mashed avocado with olive oil and salt but I had diarrhea this morning so I think I will stick with only broth and smoothies and applesauce. I drink organic herbal tea, water and sparkling mineral water. I worry about my weight loss but my doctor wasn't concerned at all. He said the pills would have me eating again within a week or two. I was 124 and I am down to 114 in three weeks, still losing weight. I am 5'3 and 48 years old and 124 was a healthy average weight for me. Should I be able to eat the mashed up avocado and soft carrots, sweet potato, squash or should I be safe sticking with the broth and smoothies for a longer period of time? My Enterolab was reactive to everything with the top things being beef, oats, and walnuts. Also gluten and dairy which I already knew. Thanks for your help.

[heatheravise]

I meant to also mention after reading this forum I am using magnesium spray and vit d with an omega 3X daily.

[tex]

Hi Heather,

Welcome to the group. You've been restricting your diet for a long tome without any apparent progress. So I'm wondering about the diet/broth. Why not switch to foods that are not inflammatory. Chicken causes some of us to react, and it's often a high-histamine food. Switching to turkey (and turkey bones for the broth) or lamb, might be beneficial. When we don't show any progress for months or more, it's time to try something else.

Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

[Rosie]

Heather, in looking at your food items, I was wondering about your almond milk, as it appears that you use it every day. If you are using commercial almond milk virtually all brands contain ingredients such as legume-based thickeners like guar gum that can cause those of us with soy sensitivities to react. Also, the thickener carrageenan can cause a reaction. And my personal peeve is that the so-called commercial almond milk contains very few actual almonds. It's mostly water, sweeteners, and thickeners.

I make my own almond milk, which is tasty and much more nutritious. It's a bit of work, as the extra step of blanching the almonds and removing the skins should be done because the skins are tough to digest when we are reacting. Also, I like to strain the milk to remove more of the fiber.

Rosie

[heatheravise]

Thanks for the advice. I have switched to turkey bone broth and ground turkey. I am going to make my own when I can get my hands on a turkey that is not injected with broth and flavoring. I live a rural area with one health food store that only carries turkey at Thanksgiving. Luckily I have fresh venison but unfortunately we didn't save the bones. Next year we will. I will be going to a city in the next couple of weeks to stock up on healthy lamb and turkey. I have a soy milker (I quit doing all soy after reading this forum) which I will definitely start making my own almond milk in starting today.
My weight has dropped to 107 in the past week. I know from reading this forum I see that weight is not a concern but I wonder when to worry about weight loss. I am 5'3, 47 years old and my average weight has always been 123 until the past six weeks it started dropping and continues to drop. I am on day 18 of Budesonide with no results yet. How long should I take it before I determine whether or not it is working? My GI was very vague (it's not a miracle drug-it takes some people one week, some people two or more). I am actually looking into a new GI doctor in the city even if I drive 2 1/2 hours each way. My GI would not discuss anything with me and was very rude. He even told me to eat wheat, even though it has been my number one trigger for five years. He said only avoid raw veggies, dairy and caffeine. I told him I haven't touched any of those things in over a year and he looked at me like I was nuts. This seems to be a similar experience after reading these forums. Thanks for the help!

[heatheravise]

I also have a Vitamix (which appears to be a better alternative than my soy milker) and I am finding the process on Youtube of how to make almond milk. I will start that right away.

[tex]

Hi Heather,

As long as your MC is active, the inflammation is going to make it virtually impossible to gain any weight. But you might be able to at least slow down the weight loss if you take in enough calories. Calculate your daily calorie intake. I'll bet it's at a starvation level when you include the nutrition loss caused by MC.

Can you tolerate coconut milk in your smoothies? If you use the canned, undiluted coconut milk available at oriental sections in grocery stores, it's a very rich, high-calorie item.If you can't find it locally, you may have to order it online. I used it in smoothies when I was recovering. Here's what I'm referring to:

https://www.google.com/search?q=canmned ... conut+milk

It sort of sounds as though your GI doc might have the bedside manner and compassion of a rattlesnake trying to impersonate Don Rickles. I agree with you that he would probably look much better in your rear-view mirror.

Tex

[Rosie]

I have been making my own almond milk for at least 8 years(using a Vitamix) and have fine-tuned it. You can see if there are any useful ideas to add to what you have already learned.

1. Soak almonds overnight.

2. Rinse almonds, then cover with fresh water and boil for 1 minute to blanch them. Not only does this make the skins easy to remove, but the milk lasts a lot longer before spoiling. Also, I find that the skins add a bitter tang to the milk if not removed.

3. Pop off the skins by squeezing the almond. I put the amount of water I need into the Vitamix and then drop the skinless almonds into water.

4. Blend. I find that about 30 sec at the highest speed works well.

5. If you want to strain the milk, this is what works for me, after a lot of experimenting. First of all, don't use the nut bags that are often recommended. They are very thick and hard to squeeze. Also, they are tough to clean up after using. I buy the disposable paint strainer bags from Sherwin Williams paint store (or on line). They can be reused quite a few times. I cut it open and lay it onto the strainer I use to support it. The bag plus strainer is set on top of a suitable container. I pour in the milk and stir it around to get rid of some of the liquid. Then I fold up the corners and twist to squeeze out the milk. This gets rid of the bulk of the fiber. Afterwards, the bags can be easily rinsed off, briefly soaked in soapy water, rinsed and let dry. I find that quart canning jars are good for storing the finished product.

Also, be careful of the coconut milk you buy. Most contain thickeners like guar or locust bean gum. I order Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk Simple at Amazon. It only contains coconut milk and water.

[heatheravise]

Thanks! I can tolerate coconut milk so I will used the canned coconut milk in my smoothies for a higher calorie option. I will make the almond milk using the posted recipe and do half almond and half coconut milk for the next week or two for starters. I appreciate the advice. I am very thankful this forum and the information I am getting from searching past posts.