I have had a really bad flare up of UC for over a year now with no formed stools and bleedinig most of the time. I tried the IBD Remission diet for about 3 weeks but had to start reintroducing solid food again because I was only able to get down about 3 shakes a day. For some reason, the shakes made me extremely nauseas and I would throw up if I had more than 3 per day. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Anyway, I already weigh 95 lbs (I'm 5'5'' and used to weigh 135lbs) and 3 shakes per day was not helping me keep the weight on, so I began probiotics and reintroducing food. My bleeding improved within the 3 weeks I was on the IBD diet but I still have some every now and then.
The problem is that I have been on all solid food for about 2 months now and still have completely watery stools every time. How do I get them to start forming and solidifying? I have had severe diarrhea for over a year now and my body is really taking a hit from it. I am very easily dehydrated, weak (i stay in bed most of the time because my resting heart rate is over 100), and i think i am most likely malnourished. I feel like if I can get my diarrhea under control I could really have a chance to get out of this horrible flare up. I am only almost 20 years old and my life is really on hold right now until I get into remission. Please help with any advice. thank you!

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear that you've been having such a hard time finding relief. I have a few questions for you:

1. Regarding the nausea, were you using the AbsorbPlus product? What kind of oil/fat were you adding to the shakes, and how much? How much water were you adding to each shake? How long did you take to drink them (2 min., 5 min., 15 min?)

2. Do you have a sensitivity to dairy products and/or whey protein? If so you may need to consider mixing your own shakes with a different protein source.

3. What's going on in your life emotionally and psychologically? Are you addressing these aspects of your illness? Do you use any techniques to help you to get in touch with your body's wisdom? Do you have emotional support from friends, family, a therapist or other professional?

4. Were you and are you now taking Natren probiotics?

Hang in there...

Chris

To answer your questions....

1. I was using flax seed oil (1 Tablespoon/shake) in my Absorb Plus shakes. And I was adding 1 Cup of water. It took me 20 mins to 30 mins to drink the whole shake.

2. I don't really have a strong sensitivity to dairy products. Sometimes if I drink more than 1 cup of milk I will feel a little bloated but I can eat any other dairy with no significant changes in my digestion.

3. Emotionally and psychologically I am completely healthy besides the occassional feeling of frustration or sadness around the length of time this process has been going on for me. But, I have a great group of supporting and loving people surrounding me and lots of help from everyone!

4. I was not taking the Natren probiotics while on the AbsorbPlus only but as soon as I started reintroducing food I began the probiotics and am still on them now.

Thank you for your help.

Addie[/list]

Hi, Addie.

This is just a thought.

I noticed that the consistency of my stools began to improve when I became very careful about eating starchy carbs. From what I've read, proteins act as gels (think Jello) while starchy carbs act somewhat as sols (more soft and liquid-y) in the gut.

Has eliminating or drastically reducing complex carbs been something you've already experimented with, just to see how it affects you?

We're all different this way, so what I found safe might differ from you. With that caveat, the vegetable carbs I've found tolerable in any condition, from my gut being really aggravated to it being in good shape are any of the squashes, carrots, asparagus and green beans, cooked till they're soft. Fish and poached chicken were the two protein sources that I also found safe under any circumstances.

Also, have you already tried or considered trying Jini's Wild Oregano Protocol?

This next question is rhetorical, but I hope you will think about it and not answer "None!" without any thought at all. Of course you want to get better or you wouldn't be pursuing healing, that's a given, but if there were a down side to getting better, what would it be? If any thoughts at all come up in answer to this, they can give you clues about other things you can address on your healing journey.

Nicole

Hi Addie,

Nicole has offered some great suggestions that I hope will be helpful to you.

Regarding the elemental diet, some people have to build up slowly to the recommended dosage of fat/oil. Nausea is a common symptom of fat intolerance. As an experiment, try mixing a shake without any fat at all and see how you tolerate it. Or even do a day's worth of shakes with no fat, or a half day's worth. Also, try mixing the shakes with 1.5 or 2x the amount of water. Maltodextrin, the main carbohydrate in AbsorbPlus, can be very dehydrating.

If this works, and you're able to tolerate the shakes, the fat is the likely culprit. All that means is that you'll have to start out with a smaller amount of fat and then build up slowly over time. If you can find a way to make it work for you, the elemental diet along with the wild oregano oil protocol and the natren probiotics would be a good strategy for rebalancing your flora and regulating your bowels.

Best,
Chris

Addie,

I forgot to add that you may want to try virgin coconut oil instead of flax oil. Coconut oil is made up of mostly medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are much easier to digest and absorb. MCTs are broken down almost immediately by enzymes in the saliva, so they do not require lipase (fat digesting enzyme) or bile salts to be digested and are thus an ideal choice for people with IBD. MCTs also help with absorption of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients.

Coconut oil is comprised of 50% lauric acid, which is a primary protective ingredient in mother's milk. Lauric acid breaks down into the monoglyceride monolaurin, which has been clinically shown in numerous studies to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects. Capric acid and capryllic acid, two other fatty acids present in coconut oil, have been shown in a study at the University of Iceland to significantly inhibit the growth of Candida Albicans.

In my mind it's aperfect lipid source for an elemental diet and those of us with IBD. In fact, MCTs are often used as the fat component in commercial elemental formulas (not that we want to be emulating these formulas, but they do get SOME things right

Make sure you choose a brand that doesn't use chemicals in their extraction process and processes the oil soon after harvesting. Extra virgin is also important. I like the Nutiva brand myself.

Best,
Chris