Pain/discomfort after eating

[Lvb85]

Hi,

I have not had it diagnosed as to where endo is but I have a ton of bowel symptoms. I have pain often/discomfort after eating. Does anyone else have this or know why it may be the case?

[Impatient]

Yes - that is IBS - irritable bowel syndrome. not a disease or condition in itself, but endo and other immune conditions can cause the lining of the digestive pipes to be very sensitive to certain foods AND drinks and get inflamed quickly after eating a trigger item.

This infamation makes the pipes a lot narrower inside trapping gas from the drinks and also the foods that are being broken down in the gut producing gasses. This gas puts a lot more pressure on the pipes and hurts until you can manage to shift it by farting or burping the gas out.

Keeping a careful watch on what you eat and how your body reacts to it, will allow you to identify which items in the diet are your own triggers and you can avoid them in the future.

I no longer have caffeine, alcohol,and fizzy drinks - all are banned. Also I avoid green leafy vegetables and baked beans etc that create extra gas inside. I don't tolerate red meats well so avoid those.

Dairy ice cream and milk tend to have a laxative effect in my gut which can be handy for loosening the bowels if i feel like i am heading for constipation - a bowl of ice cream usually gets me moving again.

I do seem to tolerate gluten reasonably well - but I know there are other endo ladies that find cutting out gluten helps them more. There is no definitive list as we are all unique individuals so it is a life long change of how you deal with foods and drinks.

Firstly identify the main culprits by keeping a food/pain diary - cut them out from what you consume.

Then as you come across new foods and drinks you haven't tried before - go carefully. Eat them with the safe foods and see how you get on - if you develop pains then recover and try again a few weeks later and if the same things happens then that item needs to go on your own banned list.

There isn't a quick fix - nor is this something the medical world can solve for you, though there are food tollerance tests that can point you in the right direction and you can get tested for coeliac disease through your GP (this is a gluten intolerance) .

It really is down to you to find the trigger foods and drinks and steer clear of them.

I only drink water or water based soups. No tea, coffee, colas or anything else that contains the additives of sweeteners or colourings. That one step alone made a huge difference to me.

I do occasionally fall off the wagon but always regret it about 10-20 mintues later and for the rest of the evening. e.g. a sipof champagne at a wedding reception (don't need the whole glass just a sip) and I'm going to be buckled over in a short time afterwards.

It's boring to just be on a water diet all the time -but it is a necessity because i hate being inpain and when you do find your trigger foods and stay away from them- anytime you think aha I've got this under control and treat yourself to something you know you shouldn't have - the pain is back in no time just as a harsh reminder to not be so complacent next time.

The daily mail did a very thorough article on this very topic a few weeks back and it is well worth reading

dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

I discovered many of my food and drink issues many years before I was diagnosed with endo.

I used to be a diet coke fiend at work. started with 1 can a day - then 2 then 3, then a small bottle, then two .

I worked in a call centre, lots of talking and dry air and needing to drink a lot.

My blood pressure soared through the roof to the point I was getting panic attacks. My GP advised me to quit the caffeine completely and switch to water. It did the trick. no meds required just a change in what i was putting in my body.

From there I started experimenting with foods that I ate as I was still triggering pains.

This is not about being on health foods - crumbs I eat so much rubbish food (crisps - pringles and savoury snacks are my daily treat) I never had a sweet tooth so i don't feel the need to hit the chocs or sweets or cakes. Much rather have a bag of crisps instead. But my body tolerates potatoes and they do not cause me pain so I carry on with that.

Rather than find the foods that are safe which will be most of them - stick to identifying the ones which are not and avoid those whenever possible to keep the tummy calm as much as you can.

It never stops being a problem - nor does the hunt for trigger foods ever stop if you enjoy trying out new foods and recipes. I am a foodie - I love to eat and love flavours and chinese food especially. But i do sit there and remove the bits that I know I can't tolerate if we have a takeaway or are in a restaurant. cabbage gets picked out and left at the side of the plate for example. most mushrooms too are not good for me.

It's something you can start doing right away without any medical intervention or extra cost.

Rice and pasta and potatoes are fine for me, so too are carrots peas etc. It's perfectly possible to cobble together a range of meal options from the safer foods.

The difficulty arises when you are catering for other people in the house who have different food problems to you. That can create extra work and washing up.

Very best of luck on your safe foods journey.

[Petunias]

The safest advice would be to discuss your symptoms with your GP as there are many GI reasons why you could be experiencing the discomfort. It could also be endo involving the intestines. I don't think its appropriate advice to be told that it is IBS straight away. IBS is a functional disorder term diagnosed usually when investigations have ruled out any mechanical explanations for the symptoms so basically unless you approach your GP you may be overlooking a different reason for your pain. If it is IBS then you may find the FODMAP diet useful from tje Monash University in Australia. X

[DSan]

Hi there, I also have had a ton of bowel symptoms even before I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis, initially IBS.

I've been on a wheat free diet for years, but recently cut out dairy, sugar and caffeine which all cause inflammation. I stick to organic decaffeinated tea n coffee (with just a drop of milk in tea), and no fizzy drinks, lots of green tea (again organically decaffeinated). To sweeten my coffee I take Truvia. But what has really helped is taking 2 psyllium husk capsules half an hour before each meal with plenty of water ( which prevents trapped wind which causes the pain) and digestive enzymes which also do the same thing by helping to break down the food in your gut. Taking flaxseed in your food and cutting out red meat will also help too.

It is a game of try it and see and I remember being in a huge amount of pain a few months ago and constantly aware of gas issues, it was awful. Hope things improve for you soon. Xx

[simm]

endometriosis...... can effect bowels its worth getting that checked out.....mine was out of control & no one picked it up....this is way i have a stent its still painful & bleed still when weeing......second opions are good but i needed a third.....xo