Anyone else with op trying to manage their IBS\food intolerances when trying to eat more calcium rich foods

[karmel]

I don't know whether it is my having IBS, op, Risedronate that is making me have more IBS flare-ups worse. I want to stop taking Risedronate and have tried to ieat more calcium\boron rich foods but my gut can only tolerate or cannot tolerte very small amounts of dairy, Kefir, certain vegetables, fruits seeds and nuts before another IBS flare-up. I can only marvel at people who keeps saying that they eat loads of kale, veggies, kefir, milk, cheese, chia seeds and feel great. Now I hear that many with op are saying that their cholesterol is high because they have upped their dairy intake. When a doctor referred to a dietitian years ago to advise me on the low fodmap diet to help me cope with my IBS, he said that I should have a calcium supplement, as I wouldn't be having any dairy. He didn't say that calcium citrate was easier absorbed than calcium carbonate or that I shouldn't take the supplement with an oxalate foods. Sorry about the rant but if even an NHS registered dietitian cannot advise you fully on a diet and supplements how do you manage?

[Nanaedake]

If you are taking calcium supplements then you shouldn't need lots of dairy if it doesn't suit you. More importantly is your vitamin D level sufficient and do you take K2-MK7 or foods rich in K2? You may find a little fermented food with each meal helps but as you have IBS it might be a case of trial and error. Risedronate gave me bowel/stomach irritation. After I stopped taking it, I had to eat some fermented foods with meals to sort my gut out and have been fine since.

[karmel in reply to Nanaedake]

Hi Nanaedake,

Thanks for your reply. I am going to stop trying to up my calcium and boron levels through my diet and stick to supplements. I take Barefoot Nutrition Vit D3 complete and Vitamin K2 MK-7 Natto. If my gut doesn't sort itself out after I go back to eating food that doesn't aggravate it I shall go back on a course of Symprove, which is a probiotic suited to IBS sufferers.

Did you see a rheumy that you mentioned in another thread - did you find it nelfpul?

[Nanaedake in reply to karmel]

Yes, saw rheumy but now awaiting a new DEXA. Think the apt will get lost in the ether. Not at all confident in the hospital admin.

[Met00]

I have IBS and taking risedronate made it much worse! If you want/need to take meds, you could ask to have bisphosphonate injections or infusions instead of tablets, as they bypass the digestive system. All sorts of things upset my stomach, but I think I'm OK with cheese and kefir (fermented foods are more easily digested), and I put oat milk (fortified with calcium) on my breakfast cereal. I've cut right down on sugar too (for bone health) and think that has improved my digestive issues a little. The other thing I started started a couple of months ago was psyllium husks and that has made a HUGE difference to my digestion, which has been almost normal since then, for the first time in many years! I still have to be careful what I eat and drink, but the effects of eating the wrong things definitely are significantly reduced. If you haven't tried psyllium husks, I'd definitely recommend them (although of course there's no guarantee they'd work for you). As far as calcium supplements are concerned, I've read that, although oxalate foods will reduce how much calcium you absorb, the effect is relatively small so you should still benefit from the calcium. Also, calcium citrate doesn't need to be taken with food (though calcium carbonate does).

[karmel in reply to Met00]

Hi Met00,

I don't want to have the bisphosphonate injections or infusions, at least taking Risedronate I can stop taking it whereas with the injections or infusions you can't stop if you have very bad side effects.

I have tried psyllium husks, linseed, flaxseed and unfortunately I found that they passed through my system too fast for me to get any benefit. I use almond milk instead of water, maple syrup instead of sugar when I make my own bread machine spelt bread and organic soya milk on porridge (just seen the headline that eating oatmeal every morning can b e harmful) and sometimes I buy sour dough bread. That is very interesting and helpful about taking a calcium supplement with any oxalate foods. Didn't I read on another thread you mentioning you took, is it, strontium citrate? rather than calcium?

[Met00 in reply to karmel]

Hello Karmel. What a shame nothing has worked to help with your IBS. I have to say I'm surprised that psyllium husks work so well for me, as the only thing I've been able to take previously was imodium, which always results in a yo-yo effect with my digestion, sometimes for 2-3 weeks or more! I haven't seen anything about oatmeal being a problem - do you have a link for that please?

Yes, I've recently started taking a lowish dose of strontium citrate, but that isn't instead of calcium, in fact I think I read that it's really important to have a good calcium intake while you're taking it, otherwise you can end up with the strontium replacing the calcium in your bones. It does replace a little of the calcium anyway, although apparently it also attracts more calcium, so presumably the increased density that results is part strontium, mostly calcium. You have to take strontium several hours away from calcium, so I take mine when I get up in the night.

If you're in the UK, you could also ask about being prescribed strontium ranelate. You take that daily too. Bear in mind though that strontium ranelate (and possibly also citrate) isn't suitable for anyone with existing heart or kidney problems, and can raise blood pressure.

[karmel in reply to Met00]

Hi Met00, thank you very much for your very helpful reply re. calcium and strontium. I knew when I saw the headlines about oatmeal I should have copied it and I can't find it now, so maybe it was fake news. I think as I have got older my IBS has just got worse and I am worried that it will progress to Crohn's Disease. I wanted to know how others with IBS/food intolerances manage the condition when they have op and try introducing foodstuffs for their "bones".

[Met00 in reply to karmel]

My IBS has got worse year on year, so it's been such a relief to finally get it more or less under control. I fully understand the difficulties of eating healthily for osteoporosis and feel for you that there is so much you can't tolerate. I dont think IBS is fully understood by the medical profession, who in my experience still seem to blame stress, whereas food intolerance seems to play a major part in it. I've never heard of IBS progressing to Crohn's, and have just done a quick Google and found the following, which I hope you find reassuring: netdoctor.co.uk/ask-the-exp...

[karmel in reply to Met00]

Thanks very much for your reply Met00. I agree with you that doctors don't understand it. The doctor I asked for a referral to a registered dietitian had never heard of the low fodmap diet, which can improve IBS symptoms. I did the diet 8 years ago and still have to refer to my booklets to find out if I can or can't eat something (usually after I've eaten something and had a flare-up).

Do you know what caused your IBS to worsen? I can imagine what a relief it was for you to get it under control - well done as I know how difficult it is.

[Met00 in reply to karmel]

As I've got older, it seems I've become sensitive to more and more foods, so it's been a gradual process, and has been very difficult to work out what I don't tolerate. In many cases, a small amount of something is OK, but eat more of the same thing and it upsets my stomach. For example, salads, onion, alcohol, chocolate, sugar. I didn't realise what impact risedronate was having, as my IBS gradually got worse during the year I was taking it, so I thought it was just "normal" progress of the IBS. I stopped risedronate due to other side-effects and was shocked, but delighted, that my IBS suddenly settled down to the best it had been in a long time (that's relative)!

[karmel in reply to Met00]

Hi Met00, I think that it probably is the Risedronate -digestion problems are one of the most common side effects. I have Sjogren's Syndrome (dry eyes and dry mouth) and go to SS group meetings and many women with op there have bad digestion side effects from taking bisphosphonates. I wanted to stop taking Risedronate and have kept trying to eat more calcium/boron rich foods but seems to be a catch22 situation. You mentioned in one of your other very informative threads that you had had another type of bone scan and I have looked where I can have it done and will look at it again.

I think you are right that there is a border to how much you can eat of anything without triggering an IBS flare-up. Thank you for your very helpful replies.

[HeronNS]

Dairy is not necesarily the best source of calcium anyway. Certainly not plain liquid milk although the fermented forms like kefir, yoghurt, some cheeses, are helpful to many though not all people. If you google non-dairy sources of calcium you will find quite a lot of common foods many of which may be tolerated by the most sensitive, so I hope you do find something. Tasty food is a lot more interesting than pills, even though I think we all take the pills anyway.

[karmel]

Hi Heron, the dietitian I was referred to could only advise me to take a calcium supplement because I wouldn't be having any dairy and couldn't even give me any alternatives to dairy. There seems to be very little info on alternatives and with there being so many people nowadays who have food intolerances, vegans and also women with op who have upped their dairy intake and found their cholesterol level is higher. It is a juggle to getting the right balance.

[Nanaedake in reply to karmel]

I have hugely upped dairy and my cholesterol is better than ever. So I don't believe that organic full fat, grass fed cattle dairy products are the main cause of high cholesterol in women. It could be other factors. But I'm not a dietitian. I have increased exercise and limit simple carbs. Also only use good fats like organic grass fed cattle butters and milk, yoghurt, avocado oil, olive oils.

[Jennymary]

Yes I am, I've lived with CFS for 25 yrs, one of the biggest changes its given me is with food. I've always been a fussy eater but now I'm intolerant to chocolate and cows milk and associated products, cheese etc. I've used goats milk and cream over the years with no problems but even goats cheese gives me a migraine (I've missed cheese more than chocolate over the years) I'm not taking the calcium supplements I was prescribed by GP I don't like vegetables so I'm just making small changes and as of yesterday I'm starting to cut down on the amount of caffeine I have each day

[karmel in reply to Jennymary]

I was a very fussy eater when I was a child, there wasn't much choice then what you could eat, that is why I am probably of very small build. Hey ho reached old age and I am a fussy eater again.