What was left

The future didn't look too good, I finally I reached rock bottom.

Several months ago I started down the Gastrology track and with a Dietitian. I had to promise not to suicide out to the gastrologist and give him the opportunity to help. With that in mind I undertook a journey with the dietitian of trying everything she could think of and some I devised myself. Gluten free, lactose free and back on fodmap diet and a bowel health plus probiotic supplement, made from Kiwi fruit. Tasted nasty but I persevered. Nothing has worked and I have had numerous tests, probes and samples taken with gastrology. During this time I suffered 15 mini strokes over 3 days and was immediately started on blood thinners. I was getting worse since restarting my BP, T2 and thinners. Eighteen days ago I stopped eating and lived on cups of tea and canned the meds but remained on Aspirin low dose. Usually when I stop eating the gut settles and I can restart food slowly. Not this time, I couldn't understand why I was still having problems. The simple act of a mouthful of water set the stomach off.

Finally the gasto results from my PH tests, I'm hypersensitive to stomach acid and reflux and I have an enlarged heart, heart disease. As yet the follow up is still pending. Mean time I discovered that the aspirin could be the culprit, so 2 weeks ago I stopped taking it and run the risk of more strokes. I continued with the probiotic and laxatives along with omeprazole taken the correct way. Sadly never had instruction to take it at least 30 minutes before a meal, it truly makes a difference.

I had started eating again 1 week ago with very small amounts of food mainly chicken and wholemeal bread. I have not touched red meat in this time but started to have cabbage, carrot and sweet potato, all in very small amounts. I tended to have limited bloating and a symphony of gut music with it. The severe constipation continue through out.

Being off my meds has restored the brain function, given me the will to get off my rear end and do something. I regained full control of my legs and have been able to hang up my walking sticks.

Yesterday I had the task of moving 6 cubic meters of firewood uphill and stack it to dry. I decided to risk my health knowing I typically raise the BP to even higher level and run the real risk of a stroke.

Took me 5 hours to get it all done, a surprise as I didn't expect I would get it finished in quick order being 71. Managed to use every bit of energy and just managed the last barrows full. struggled to stand or walk in the end. Time to get some protein in me. Had my omeprazole and set about making sardines on toast with tomato sauce. A sure trigger for my IBS followed by the usual cup of tea. Meantime thought I should check the BP and glucose levels. BP surprised me it had dropped drastically, not usual for this task, formerly. More normal to skyrocket to the 200/120 range. Naturally the glucose dropped to just below the max fasting levels, 7. Find it hard to believe 24 hours on. Anyway had my sardines and cuppa, no IBS kick back, strange. Thought better of it for evening meal and had 300 grams of spaghetti on wholemeal toast. Had a hot lemon and honey drink to sooth the stomach just in case, still expecting kick back. Threw caution to the wind and had a cuppa with gingernut biscuit before retiring for the night. Still no kick back. Up in the morning waiting for severe constipation, nothing doing BM as normal.

It is all very difficult to believe as this is not normal for me. The assumption is the IBS is on the mends, taken with a grain of salt and waiting to be proven wrong, yet again.

Well 24 hour out and although the joints and muscles are sharing their feeling I'm managing to get about with my trusty walking sticks. No stroke yet despite a heart rate of 116 which has dropped over night.

Previously to yesterday I always reacted to everything I ingested even water, not all severe but still a reaction. Now I'm back to water and no kick back.

I'm struggling to believe it because as most of you will know, there are flare ups.

Conclusion: IBS combined with meds have destroyed the gut, stopping me eating as an end result.

My remedy, and I warn it is not easy to do unless you are really desperate.

Starvation has weakened the yeast based enzymes giving the probiotics time to balance the gut flora before the yeast feasts on it. Reintroduce bland foods slowly and in small amounts while continuing with the omeprazole and laxatives. I'm surprised there has been no kick back from the IBS so far and am constantly waiting for the kick back.

What is ahead. Continue the same and slowly rebuild the variation of foods I know don't cause me too much trouble. Looking forward to pickled beetroot, lashings of tomato sauce, pickle and my favourite mint sauce. Haven't had potatoes and probably won't but will fondly miss having them on my butter! May even eat a little red meat sometime.

Nothing outstanding for the "cure", simply weakening the yeast giving the probiotics time to populate the gut before the yeast can feast on it. If you don't weaken the yeast it gets stronger from the probiotics and is even more difficult to overcome.

So what is left, in a word, life. Ever mindful that a relapse is just a trigger away.

Fingers crossed.

Cheers

[Maureen1958]

🤞 Rooting for you.

[Hidden in reply to Maureen1958]

Thank you,

After all the years putting up with IBS, instinctively I'm looking for the kick back. I'm trying one mild trigger per day with my fingers crossed and a smile on the dial. Still hard to believe this could be happening to me.

Cheers

[Luisa22]

I am sorry you have been through so much but it's great that you have found some way to keep eating what sounds like a fairly healthy range of foods (sardines are so rich in vitamin D and other goodies) The fasting is interesting. Yes, that must have starved the bad boys. I hope things hold on fairly steady for you.

I feel for you indeed, having to move (a trailerload?) of logs when you have felt so dodgy. I had that task to do more than once when in a flare up, and because IBS is so unpredictable, doing it helped me to feel a bit better...(go figure! as our American friends say)

I do wish you all the very best and hope things carry on fairly steady for you with no more mini strokes. You must have felt a bit scared with that happening?

I don't know if you can get, or tolerate "Allicin", but that is the main medicinal ingredient in raw garlic. It is as good as aspirin for the same purpose. I have heard it also is helpful in cases of SIBO. It might be available in capsule form. Any gentle regular exercise might also help.

Take care and well-wishes from me.

[Hidden]

Little bit of stomach acid today but really minor, got a little stressed so into the rescue remedy, sorted. Still no kick back after a ham sandwich and you guessed it, a cup of tea. I haven't pushed it today as I'm still wary of undoing what seems to have been accomplished.

A truck load of wood. My wife didn't want me to do it but she didn't want to take time off and help. She does keep up my life insurance though! I have the attitude that nothing is going to stop me doing what I want to do. Doesn't really help my health but I like to get things done.

I have heard of allicin before but still can not find any scientific evidence to back it up, just anecdotal. One test relied on patients feed back, still not scientific, yet again anecdotal. I have the same problem with hemp oil and my kidneys. I eat garlic regularly as I like it.

The reason I believe I have been successful starving this time is I couldn't eat without kick back from the IBS. Made it a lot easier to accomplish. If I have succeeded at taming the IBS this is not the first time I have beaten it with starvation to start and probiotics. It is my belief rightly or wrongly that the over active yeast based enzymes are to blame for a lot of IBS. The flora in the stomach needs to be in balance. When it is not it is usually over active yeast enzymes, don't get me wrong they are not bad, they have their place. The problem some people have caused is not weakening the yeast first. In this case the yeast feasts on the probiotics and or food getting far stronger and more difficult to tame. I mean starving for 17 days not the occasional meal, 6 cups of tea a day and nothing else. Tea with trim milk, coffee coloured and enough sugar to cover my small finger nail. I don't have large hands!

What I do find is that when you starve for so long it becomes a struggle to eat again and it has to be forced. By drinking tea it has alleviated that problem. Plainly it is not easy to starve, the thought of what food does to my IBS kept me on track. Boy was I tempted. I'm still limiting the amount of food I eat because I have found that is a trigger for my IBS and acidic stomach plus reflux. Possible due to a shrunken stomach from such small amounts of food for so long.

I know I bang on about the starvation component, but it is critical when your IBS is severe. It isn't a cure all and may not work for everyone. It is surely a desperation measure.

Cheers.