Is this a reaction to Silk Almond unsweetened milk?

[MomLady]

I am suddenly in a very bad way, with excruciating gas pain that is finally abating a bit, after about 8 hours. It was intense, stabbing pain as the gas seemed trapped (I'd already had the usual D earlier, so there was very little of that left to excrete). With a great deal of burping, it has eased up a bit - would not pass out rectally. I spent most of the afternoon on the floor of the bathroom or lying down in bed, wondering if this was "just" gas or some horrible weird severe problem.

Here is the set up: For the past 4 (maybe 5) days I was not drinking the usual cup (or a bit more ) of unsweetened Silk almond milk that I had done earlier since I began this MC diet journey in early July. The past few days were instead using coconut milk (So Delicious brand, unsweet). Felt reasonably good. Today I returned to the almond milk and I started having gas pains probably within the hour, didn't even finish my coffee. It just got worse from there. I haven't had this kind of pain since my early 20's when I was suspected of getting giardia as a camp counselor, and apparently that can mess up your ability to digest dairy (a year on Lactaid and then my gas was gone). I had the exact same breakfast as I'd had for the past few days, so I doubt that was it.

I know we are all different, but I am pretty shocked at what seems to be a big reaction to what is usually a safe food for many. I'd drunk it many times before, and yes, I was having D and such, but not this horrible gas pain.

I have stayed on the cholestyramine starter dose of Sandoz - 1 packet AM, 1 pm. My Enterolab test had almond as a +1.

Is this likely an almond reaction???

[tex]

I know the feeling. I had many similar episodes back when I was reacting. I developed gas from anything and everything. Regardless of what caused it, once gas started to build up in my gut, it just got worse and worse, and I couldn't get rid of it.

I suppose it might be possible that the almond milk caused that problem, but I really doubt it — especially an unsweetened version.

I'm suspecting that something (possibly the almond milk) provoked a reaction from, or with, the cholestyramine. It may have just been a random incident. Gas and bloating are listed as possible side effects for cholestyramine.

It will be interesting to see if anyone else has had similar issues with either almond milk or cholestyramine.

Tex

[HockeyMom]

I will admit to some bloats feeling at times that I blame on cholestyramine ......NEVER GAS. I avoided almond milk for years. Since I supposedly reacted to everything at a 2 or 3 per Enterolab....

[MomLady]

Thanks Tex and Laine. It has been really intense. It helps to know you've been there, done that. I woke up every hour last night when I turned over in bed, because of the resulting gas shifting in my gut.

The worst has gone but I still have pain when I press my lower left abdomen. Maybe something got stretched out by the gas and is sore? An attempt to look up such stuff on google suggested diverticulitis for that area of pain, but I really don't want to think I have some new problem. This gas pain thing is mighty mysterious. I am pretty sure I was on almond milk when I started the cholestyramine 2 weeks ago. Sigh.

[tex]

FWIW, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis, but the lower right quadrant is where my pain was almost always centered. Maybe that's because my pain was usually from trapped gas, and not diverticulitis. The lower left quadrant (in the Sigmoid section of the colon) is indeed where the diverticuli (or "tics", as gastroenterologists refer to them) are almost always located. Interestingly, the pattern of inflammation for diverticulitis is the same as for MC (lymphocytic infiltration into the epithelium of the colon). I never found it necessary to treat diverticulitis, in my case.

Normally, the inflammation associated with MC is more widespread in the right-side colon and the terminal ileum, than in the left-side colon or transverse colon. This may be irrelevant to your issues, but when the inflammation associated with MC is more widespread in the left-side colon than it is in the right-side colon, the inflammation is often due to drug-induced MC. Are you taking any prescription medications that might have NSAID-based ingredients?

Tex

[MomLady]

Thanks Tex - I feel like I have a karmic debt to you and this group for all the timely and helpful advice. You are a beacon in the darkness for sure. I hope someday I will be a recovered person who can in turn share what I've learned.

I'm not on any NSAIDs. I quit taking the occasional Advil for menstrual pain or headache as soon as I found out that was a no-no for MC. I have Flonase and now the cholestyrine, that's it.

Hopefully this left-side pain will go away soon. I was worried that gas had distended the colon and made some kind of blowout, or at least a really sore spot. It's only sore if I press on it. I can't recall ever having something like this. Yesterday when the gas was really bad, it felt like whatever was inside could not easily get past that spot. Who knows.

[HockeyMom]

Ovarian cyst? Just throwing that out there...not that it explains gas. I have a friend that deals with them, I was diagnosed with them YEARS ago with not a lot of trouble...but I swear to you I had what I thought was an issue like 6 months ago....

[MomLady]

That's a good thought, so thanks for that. It seems a little higher up than where I have experienced ovulation pain in the past. I just saw a simple diagram of abdominal pain online and maybe pancreatitis would be possible. Ugh. I prefer the idea of gas, though it is weird that it would last 2 days.

[tex]

Many of us have an inflamed pancreas (and reduced pancreatic digestive enzymes) while our MC is active, but that resolves as our MC inlamation resolves, fortunately. Any organ in the digestive system can be inflamed while MC is active.

Tex

[Grahm]

FWIW,

I just finished going through a flare with diverticulitis, it sounds much like what you’re describing. I actually posted on here about it. I had to go on two antibiotics that my gastro Dr prescribed and it took a good week for me to feel like myself again.
You might want to check in to that.

Prayers for a speedy recovery
Connie

[MomLady]

Thanks Connie. I will try to find your original posts. I don't even know how they dx diverticulitis! I really hope that's not it, as abx sometimes result in yeast infections for me.

[Grahm]

They diagnosed me in 2014 when they told me I had MC. My gastro Dr and I’ve discussed it when I’ve been uncomfortable and he said after the colonoscopy in 2019 that it was the diverticulosis. But this was my first at feeling really bad!!! He likes for me to use Konsyl and I did and it did make my stool more solid and helped me to empty. I hate the taste of it, like wet cardboard, but it did help. Anyhoo, I learned my lesson, I’m going back on it on Monday.

I’d made 3 batches of gazpacho and had eaten it everyday for a wk. It has tomatoes, cukes, peppers and tomato juice and all kinds of veggies in it. I put it in my food processor but there were still bits and pcs in it. I feel sure that’s what caused my flare. Good luck to you and I hope this helps. If you can find my post, very recent, it says what the meds he gave me were Incase you want to tell you doctor. If not I’ll be glad to post again for you.

Hope you feel better soon,
Connie

[MomLady]

thanks, I found your original posts. Talked with my mom today and she said her CC sometimes caused lower left abdominal pain. I've just never had that before and when it came on in the wake of this terrible mysterious gas attack, I really wondered. So could be CC, diverticulitis, pancreatitis, or ovarian cysts, who knows. I don't have a GI doc right now but have a general physical in a little more than a week. Oy!