I have been a bit absent lately due to life with 3 young children on school/daycare holidays, but now I have a couple of days a week with no kids around for part of the day, so I can finally catch up on things.
I just wanted to update here on how I'm going, as it has been just over three months since I started the strict elimination diet (5.5 mths since symptoms started). Well, basically I am doing so so so much better than I was at the beginning and even better than I could've imagined back then too. I responded extremely well and quickly to the elimination diet and all D stopped within days, though I kept thinking that meant I was better and then I'd relax on what I ate and things would go loose again (never watery). It took a couple of goes of this happening for me to decide to just stick to it, strictly. After the BMs went back to basically normal, I still had a lot of abdominal pain, but that slowly went too. Just prior to Xmas I was feeling quite down about food at Christmas time etc, but I got through that and I enjoyed myself and thank goodness that traditional Christmas food was pretty much what I was eating anyway (roast Turkey and roast vegetables!). I was even able to enjoy a glass of Prosecco with no issues.
At this time I'd started introducing some new foods and most things were ok, but then I'd get something that loosened things up again and sparked lots of fear. Then I had a good few weeks with no issues whatsoever, followed by one episode of explosive D triggered by some leftover grilled zucchini, which still had the skin on (a huge NO for me) and which also tasted quite bitter (a sign it was old and apparently could even have a toxic substance in it - my husband told me this, as did Google). I haven't touched zucchini since, even peeled. Luckily it was only the one off and I went straight back to my safe foods and was fine the next day and normal within a couple of days. I LOVE this. That I have a foolproof way to quickly get my gut back on track should anything upset it.
I've taken to introducing foods very very slowly, perhaps once a week, or when I feel like it and to trying to go with the flow when my guts gets a little upset. A big thing for me now is changing my mindset around what is considered "healthy", as fibre is something that is stated as being a "must" for a healthy diet, but for me, now, it is not my friend. I honestly think that the one thing now (aside from the obvious gluten and perhaps dairy) that will be a trigger for me is insoluble fibre and I tell you, I miss nuts and being able to have beans and lentils etc. BUT....I keep thinking...I will get there, I am sure I will, just give it time. I would like to introduce a bit more variety into my vegetables, particularly more non-starchy ones, as I eat mainly starchy ones, but again...it will happen. I also think that I have to change my mindset around variety as being a sign of a healthy diet, as I do honestly believe that in many parts of the world, the every-day diet (a healthy one, not the junk ones of the Western world) is probably not that varied. I'm also aware that for many, many people in my country and other Western ones, that their diet isn't varied at all, as they mainly eat highly processed, pre-packaged and pre-cooked food, plus a lot of junk food and take away and that my "limited" diet is probably miles healthier than theirs anyway.
Anyway....basically, I am doing pretty well. Normans pretty much every day, though the occasional semi-formed/softer one once a week perhaps due to something I've eaten, or hormones. No abominal pain, pretty good energy levels (I'm currently not needing to nap every day). And I'm currently able to eat:
white rice
white rice flour (I make pikelets, tortillas, baked things)
red and purple potatoes
sweet potatoes
carrots
pumpkin
asparagus (the tips only)
broccoli
broccolini
Chinese Broccoli (as of last week - yay for more greens!)
Cauliflower
(I all usually roast my veggies, or steam them until soft, or use them in stews)
Avocado (just about a quarter at a time and only a couple of times a week, as it feels too rich for more)
Peeled, cooked apple with cinnamon
Just ripe bananas (I've also had rip bananas in banana bread with rice flour and been ok)
Pineapple (which I was surprised about, as it is quite fibrous, but I tried it early on, was fine and love it - I've even had it blended with some white rum and been fine!
)Cherries (in small quantities over xmas etc when they were in season)
Mango (just recently tried and so far, so good in small quantities and fine in a smoothie)
Chicken eggs (I feel like I can only have them cooked once or twice a week, but I am fine with them in pikelets, or banana bread)
Almond milk (one particular brand with only four ingredients)
Recently I tried Soy milk when out (a brand with very few ingredients and no oils etc) and I was fine, so I got some for home, but I think this is just a sometimes food, as I feel like it may have been bothering me when I had it in one coffee three days consecutively)
Decaf coffee (which makes me SOOO happy. I love coffee [my husband was a coffee farmer until we moved to Australia and his dad is and his uncles, etc etc) and was very sad to not be able to have it. I couldn't even have decaf at the beginning and I tried a few times, but after just a sip, my tummy would say no. One day I finally felt like I was ready to try it again and I was fine. We have a friend who roasts coffee and we buy our beans from him very fresh. His decaf beans are water filtered, organic and they taste like normal coffee, so I am happy!! I can even have two a day and I am fine.)
A night tea blend (with Fennel, Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Chammomile, Lindenflowers and Lavendar - I've been having this since Day 1, as I never stopped it and have been fine)
Rooibos Tea
Water Kefir (one particular brand and flavour seems to be fine, but I did experience some softer BMs last week after having a glass of one bottle that was extremely fizzy and likely over-femented. I think that was probably a histamine reaction. I've stayed off it since, but should be fine again with a fresh bottle.)
Dark chocolate (there is one brand I can have - it is vegan and has very few ingredients. I get the peppermint one and have one piece a night, sometimes two - it is my treat)
Cacao powder in baked goods, or even a hot chocolate
Beef
Pork
Chicken
White fish
Lamb (though not often, as it is quite fatty)
Bacon (one that doesn't have any nitrates in it and only occasionally)
Ham (again, nitrate free and only occasionally)
Bone Broth (homemade and a store bought powder, which I add water to and use to flavour my rice dishes)
Yeast Flakes
Green Banana Flour (in baked things)
Potato Flour
Tapioca Starch
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Goat's feta (occasionally)
I recently tried some toast - a GF wholemeal bread that I have eaten for years, but had stopped. I've had it twice and been fine, but I'm wary of it, because it has quite a lot of ingredients and also my tastes have changed and I'm not that interested in bread anymore. I am still keen to make my own. I have a recipe for a mashed potato bread, which I have been meaning to try. Now that I know I'm fine with the yeast, I should make it.
I have the occasional drink (prosecco or recently white rum, which I've never really drunk before, but my husband had bought it for xmas to make some Egg Nog and I thought I'd try it with pineapple and it was GOOD). I have to be careful to make sure it is only occasional and never more than two drinks, as I can easily slip into a glass of wine a night and I KNOW that this will lead me back down the road to a massive flare, I just feel it. I really do think that alcohol contributed to the symptoms starting last year. I don't think alcohol itself triggers me, but I feel like it primes my gut (with inflammation) to be easily triggered by the next irritating thing (like the zucchini a month ago - it was two days after NYE when I had three Proseccos!).
I have also had gelato out (gluten and dairy free) and have been fine, despite the high sugar content. I would not make a habit of this though.
I have a dairy free frozen dessert (made by the same company that make chocolate I eat [Pana for anyone in OZ]) and I again get the choc peppermint one and am fine with that. It is made with coconut. Though again, I only have it occasionally, say a couple of times a week. Prior to all this I was eating ice-cream every night, so the habit is there and I am aware, like with the alcohol, that a habit of something very sugary like that will likely push me back to a flare.
I have eaten out quite a bit and been fine every time. Mostly it has been fish and chips at the beach with my family. I always make sure the place serves gluten free chips, but I'm not worried about the oil being used for non-gluten items. Sometimes they have a dedicated fryer, but if not, I have been ok. We only ever get grilled fish and always say gluten free for that too, so I guess the places we have been to must have a GF-only grill to use. I've also had steak and vegetables out twice and unfortunately both times the veggies were crunchy, even though one time I specifically requested that they be cooked till soft (the chefs obviously refused to do that), so I just had to eat the chips and meat. Not very healthy. I do love hot chips though.
I've also been eating potato crisps (the Tyrell's plain salt ones for anyone in OZ) - they are a weakness of mine, but again, I am aware that I need to be careful with them, as they are highly processed and the oil is inflammatory.
Anyway....I still would like to introduce my high nutrient, non-starchy vegetables, more fruit, as well as black beans (my family eat them several times a week and I miss them) and lentils (at least tinned - I can live with not being able to have them from dry), but I think I will get there eventually (I have a list of the ones I'd like to add on my kitchen wall, but many have a lot of fibre, so they will have to wait). I have days where I feel a bit frustrated at having a "limited" diet, but then again, if I had read a list like this four months ago (assuming it was written by someone else), I'd have thought....OMG, you are SO lucky to be able to eat ALL that!! So I have to remember that.
My taste buds have changed. I eat rice and leftover veggies and meat, mixed up in a frying pan like a sort of fried rice, then mixed with the bone broth powder, so that it is all a bit "saucy" for breakfast most days and I love this. I often have the same for lunch and even sometimes the same for dinner. I mainly make roast potato, sweet potato and carrot, but am aware that sometimes I add too much olive oil and I'm basically eat "hot chips" every night, which isn't great. I also add pumpkin at times and try and make a stew at least once a week, so I'm having something more "nuturing". If I start feeling a little icky, I go back to the original safe foods and some more soups etc and I usually feel better within a day. I surprisingly don't miss dairy - I thought I would miss cheese, that was hard at first, but again, my taste has changed and I no longer crave it. I do occasionally have some goat's feta and am fine. I haven't tried any canned fruit, as I tend to think they are unhealthy and full of sugar, but I might actually cook some nectarines and see how I go with them, as they are in season and cheap and my kids eat heaps of them, so we always have them.
I honestly feel that for me now that fibre will be my main trigger and I've realised that it has actually been quite triggering for me for years and years. I've had episodes in the past where a very fibrous meal triggered explosive D for one toilet trip. I went on a yoga retreat about 7yrs ago for three days and they only served raw food. On the last day, just before leaving, I had to go to the look about four times!! In Costa Rica there is a traditional soup made from whole corn kernels (not the sweet corn variety, a more fibrous one) and every time I ate it, it gave me D. So, perhaps I have had this for a lot longer than I could have imagined. I'm also trying to accept that that is ok. Fibre is healthy, yes, but it is not healthy for me, right now at least. I've also learnt that my body really knows if something is going to trigger me. Usually I just know, but sometimes I decide to try something anyway (despite my mind saying....yeah, no, I don't think that will go down well) and my tummy usually tells me straight away. Nothing major, just a little "ickiness" felt in my belly. I've learnt to listen to that and stop after that one bite.
I was losing weight and worried about it at the beginning (I haven't weighed what I weigh now since I was a young teenager), but it stabilised once I was able to start introducing more foods. I was taking one Immodium a day at the beginning, then I cut that to half, then a quarter and now I still take one eighth, purely as a mental band-aid. I don't think it even does anything, but I still don't feel ready to completely stop it. I have tried a couple of times, but it has always corresponded with trying something that has disagreed with my slightly, which has left me freaking out and not stopping. I've also been taking one antihistamine at night for about a month now. I remember reading that someone did that after having an alcoholic drink and I tried it and didn't react at all to the alcohol and now I've just been doing it as an insurance policy. I will probably stop soon and just use it for the occasional drink.
I keep walking away from this and then remembering something else and coming back to edit it, so...I think that is all for now. This has taken me ages to write and I have to go and cook dinner. Pasta for the kids, some chicken drumsticks I roasted at lunch for me and I'm going to cook up some broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and pumpkin in a sort of "curry without curry" type way...just an experiment to have something aside from roast veggies for once.
