Bad digestive system, need tips

[Frankiefocus]

Hi everyone, hope you are keeping well in this mad world. I have a hiatus hernia plus rheumatiod arthritis. I have been on acid reflux / Omeprazole tabs for years and now I am having trouble digesting food. It takes a day or two or three for any meal to pass. I decided to go on salads like I do every summer but its worse now and very bloated. I do not eat gluten, bread or red meat but I do like fish. Is there a diet I should try or if you have any good tips I would love to learn more, thank you.

[Kalimers65]

I’m in the Rheumatoid Arthritis category like you. I try to keep my fluids up a lot with water and green juices and 5 breakfasts a week are super healthy usually with gluten free porridge, brown flax seeds , chopped almonds and blueberries ( on Saturday and Sunday I treat myself to a lovely unhealthy breakfast of Tesco’s almond croissant!) I have fruit with each meal and eat lots of green veg raw ( kale, spinach and brocolli ). I think all of this keeps me regular in spite of not being as active as I’d like. I also eat lentils quite a lot.

I follow you on the NRAS as I think you mentioned the Paddison programme. I haven’t done it but I try to use a lot of his advice and initially I thought I was going into remission ( I had 3 painfree months and a CRP of 7 when a few months previously it had been over 90). Now my knees are awful but I’m trying to keep going with an 80% plant based diet but I need naproxen as well as Sulphasalazine in order to get a decent night’s sleep so I too am taking Omeprazole again.

I hope my first paragraph is a bit of help.

[FRreedman]

It would appear that you have the symptoms of a slow transit bowel, in addition to anything else and I think it may be easier to treat your symptoms as follows:-

Ask your GP to refer you to a dietician, in order to decide whether or not a low Fodmap diet would be of use, also stop drinking all fizzy drinks as well as alcohol. You should not eat peanuts, sweetcorn, Brussel sprouts or baked beans, but should try to drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day and walk briskly for 1 mile a day. Good luck and keep safe.

[Frankiefocus in reply to FRreedman]

Great advice thank you.

[MariaSt]

Also change omeprazole to any other prazole, because omeprazole has the most side effects.

[Stuart24]

You can get additional digestive enzymes as tablets. I use Lifeplan ones which I have found to be very effective, but there are others available. Avoid all vinegar as this triggers additional gastric acid secretion.

[Frankiefocus in reply to Stuart24]

I was thinking that apple cider vinegar in a glass of water would be good for my digestion, maybe a bad idea.

[ZeeCM]

Metamucil. Also order some intestine/tripe supplement from ancestral supplements.com they are good for helping the digestive system