Foods Can Hurt You
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Jan 14 2008, 01:13 PM
I've been thinking about writing this blog for a while, but was afraid of sounding too preachy. But a headline on Yahoo! today made me think I'll go ahead and write it anyway and risk the wrath. The healine and article I saw are below:
Too much sugar-free gum linked to bowel problems
Friday, Jan. 11, 2008; 9:26 AM
LONDON (Reuters) - Consuming too much sorbitol, a sweetener widely used in "sugar-free" chewing gum and sweets, can cause serious bowel problems, German doctors said on Friday.
The warning follows the cases of two patients who suffered chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain and severe weight loss after ingesting large amounts of sorbitol.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, the doctors from Berlin said the patients -- a man and a woman -- had consumed some 15 to 20 sticks of chewing gum a day. When they kicked the habit, both regained normal bowel function.
Sorbitol, also known as E420, is poorly absorbed by the small intestine and is known to have laxative properties. But Dr Juergen Bauditz and colleagues of the University of Berlin said many consumers might fail to link it with their gastrointestinal problems.
"Our cases demonstrate that sorbitol consumption can cause not only chronic diarrhea and functional bowel complaints but also considerable unintended weight loss -- about 20 percent of usual body weight," they wrote.
As I've said before, I receive lots of emails from people who've read my book or my blogs and ask me to tell them "how to get rid of this." My answers have always been the same: for most of us you won't ever fully get rid of your IBD or IBS. But, you CAN help to control some of the symptoms by controlling what you eat, how you live, and working with your doctor.
In this blog we need to talk about what you eat, again. Become aware of foods, meds., vitamins, etc. that could hurt you because you have IBS or IBD.
Eating foods or gum or candy with artificial sweeteners - sorbitol, splenda, nutra sweet, etc. can be bad for guts in general, but especially for people with IBD or IBS. If it says, "Sugar Free" or "Fat Free" don't eat it - these are all buzz words/phrases for products that contain artificial sweeteners.
Re: OTC Medications - be careful of taking NSAIDS ( Advil, Motrin, Aleve, etc.) as these are seriously being looked at as possible causes or aggravants of IBD and IBS. If I need a pain reliever I take Tylenol/Acetaminophen.
AND, you may just have to come to the conclusion that you CAN'T eat what you want - that is if you don't want to pay the consequences. I've had people write to me for weeks or months on end complaining about how sick they are, how much they hate their life with IBS, how they would do anything to make it better. Then I'll find out they're eating things like McDonald's, lobster, steak, etc. You cannot do this, people, or at least a majority of us who are now living well despite our IBS or IBD can't.
Acknowledging that you are going to have to change how you used to eat and live is not easy. I KNOW, I'VE GONE THRUOGH IT, I'VE DONE THIS! And even harder is actually making the changes and sticking with them, realizing that this is most likely how you will live the rest of your life. Read the intro. in my book and you'll see just when I had this revelation. BUT, when you are sick enough you will make the changes in your life that you need to make to feel better and to be able to live. I've not had a piece of fast food in nearly 12 years, no Coca-Cola, no alcohol, very little caffeine, no pizza, very few fruits, no lobster, crab, sauces, etc. for just as long. Do I miss these things? Sometimes? Have I gone off the wagon and tried to eat foods that I know could make me sick? Yes, and I've paid the price and realized that I have some control over my IBD and IBS through what I eat and what kind of mental outlook I have on my illness. I cook for myself every day and it really doesn't take much more time than it would to stop and pick-up take-out laden with preservatives, MSG, salt, etc. I can make a very good, quality, tasty meal in 30-40 minutes.
Seriously, if you're going to eat processed, pre-packaged, preservative-laden foods full of fat and grease do you really think you're going to be able to prevail over your IBS. This is your life, your health, work for it, learn how to make yourself better. I can't do it for you and neither can anybody else. There is no magic pill, no magical cure, you need to take control of your well-being - why not start with what you're eating and drinking?
Start a food diary today and keep it going for at least 2 months. Then see what foods make you feel how, and eliminate those foods that seem to cause problems. It took me about three years to really figure out what I could and couldn't eat, how to prepare foods that wouldn't make me sick, and to see a marked improvement to my health and life style.
Good luck, you can do it if you put in the time and effort.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
Author, Living with IBD & IBS
www.ibdandibs.com
What to Eat. . . How to Figure it Out
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Jan 9 2008, 05:01 PM
So many people write and ask me what to eat that will make their IBD and IBS symptoms go away that I decided to give a little run-down of what would calm my gut when in a flare, and what I eat even when I'm not having problems.
Now, remember, I have both IBS and IBD (Colitis) and my symptoms were very bad back when I figured out what I could and couldn't eat - I was losing weight like crazy, pooing 20-30 times a day with D, had little to no energy, blah, blah, blah. Basically, I was desperate and willing to try anything to get my gut to calm down. I started by keeping a food diary, then I did an elimination diet (see Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall for guidelines or search the internet for Elimination diet, or read my book, Living with IBD & IBS: A Personal Journey of Success), then I came to the hard understanding that I would most likely never eat like other "normal" people ever again.
Sometimes it's tough to swallow, folks, but living with either of these diseases means you're going to have to make some changes in your life and some of them might be pretty significant. Among other things I had to give up alcohol and caffeine - not easy at first, in fact, really pretty hard both from a social stand-point (it's no fun to go to a bar and have a Sprite!) and just from a habit stand-point (my whole family is addicted to Coca-Cola!).
But, like I said, I was sick enough that I was willing to do anything to be able to get out of the bathroom and start living again. Things I found to be killers on my gut included preservatives, prepared foods, fast food, food coloring (especially red) red meat, cow's milk (but, I am not lactose intolerant), citrus fruit, lettuce, raw veggies, chocolate, sauces, hot/spicy foods, yellow corn (white is ok) and more.
On "Bad Days" - days when I was flaring and having multiple D bm's I stuck to the B.R.A.T. diet - bananas, rice (white), applesauce, toast
Other easy on the gut items I found included:
Yogurt
cheddar cheese
eggs (scrambled or poached)
baked chicken breast
baked white fish
potatoes
water crackers
Even now, when I'm not having active issues with my gut I stay on my "diet" and even though there are the occassions when I'd love a chocolate donut or a cup of coffee, etc. I just don't do it unless I am really willing to potentially pay the consequences with a bad stomach day, week, or month.
I've had my symptoms well under control now for years and a typical days meals looks something like this:
Breakfast: poached egg over white rice drizzled with a touch of olive oil and salt. Banana. White toast with grape jelly.
Lunch: Plain or Vanilla Yogurt with raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries (fresh or frozen), homemade soup if available or a sandwich of turkey breast and cheddar cheese. Tortilla chips on the side (I can eat white corn but not yellow corn)
Dinner: Pork, Lamb, Chicken, or Fish with steamed asparagus, brocolli, or zucchini, and pasta with olive oil or couscous, or rice.
What I've most helpful is that I like to cook and I make time to cook for myself. Buying prepared or packaged foods is mostly out for me so I buy whole foods and prepare them myself using a small amount of fat or oil to cook them. Some people find this boring or tedious but considering I've been living a good quality of life for many years now and only have a few problems here and there I find my efforts well worth it.
Also remember that nearly every person with IBD or IBS reacts to different foods differently. My dad has IBD and has hardly had to vary his diet at all over the last 30 years while I've had to make drastic changes. You just have to learn what's right for you and your body and stick with it.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
www.ibdandibs.com
Author, Living with IBD & IBS
It's been a while Claustrophia? Panic AttacK?
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Jan 1 2008, 04:00 PM
Nine years ago I had my first claustrophic panic attack, as I called it. I'd been dx'd with colitis and IBS a year before and this was my first airplane trip living with unpredictable D. I was stuck in a middle seat with a large man sitting next to me in the aisle seat. The flight attendant had just closed the doors, we were seatbelted in, and taxiing down the runway when I suddenly felt like I was going to freak out! I hyperventilated, started looking for an "out" and a bathroom, and felt like leaping out of my seat and running screaming down the aisle. Thankfully, I didn't - my husband asked what was wrong and I quietly explained that I was feeling claustrophic and had to get out of that plane. He helped calm me down with some rhythmic breathing, he tuned me into his Walkman (no iPods back then), and slowly I calmed down - I'd actually had my first panic attack.
After that trip I realized that the panic attack had come on because in the back of my mind I realized I was not in control - at least for the time it took us to taxi, take off, and reach altitude - and I feared I would have an IBD attack and need to use the bathroom and wouldn't be able to.
I do a lot of traveling and after that first attack I learned a lot of different ways to calm my mind and my fears. Everything from sitting only in aisle seats on planes, trains, buses, etc. to learning meditation, Reiki, and other stress reducing techniques. And for the past nine years I've had only the rare panic attack - stuck in a large crowd, sitting in an airplane on an active runway for two hours and not being able to leave my seat, friends insisting on driving 90 miles to an art museum (them actually driving, not me) - until last night.
Last night we spent New Year's Eve with some good friends. We had dinner out - no problemo, 'cause I've figured out how to eat out without any problems, but then we went to the symphony. Our friends bought the tickets and I'd not thought to ask where we were seated until we got to the hall. We were seated about 10 rows from the stage - fine - but smack in the middle of a row of seats that had about 25 people seated on either side of us. Now, I've had my IBD & IBS mostly under control for years now. An occassional attack of D here and there, but no problems for me in quite a while, so there really was no reason for this to concern me. But it did! We all settled down, more people filled the seats on either side of us, in front of us, and in back of us, and as the first notes were played by the violins I could feel my hands getting sweaty, my breathing speed up, and my head whirl. I was having a panic attack, the first one in about seven years. My husband knew immediatly what was going on and he held my hand as I closed my eyes and slowly got a hold of myself. My friends were none the wiser, thank goodness, 'cause I hate trying to explain things like this. And while I really did enjoy the whole 2-hour performance I have to say I was glad to leave.
Lesson learned - even though I no longer live with the symptoms of my IBD or IBS on a daily basis I can't let go of the control that is so important to me being and staying healthy.
Happy New Year, All!
Elizabeth
Author, Living with IBD & IBS: A Personal Journey of Success
www.ibdandibs.com
Happy Holidays All!
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Dec 21 2007, 05:45 PM
I know this can be a hard time of the year for many people for lots of different reasons. But my hope and wish is for all of you to find joy, happiness, and good cheer this holiday.
Listen to your body, honor what it needs, and find a little bit of joy in every day.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
www.ibdandibs.com
My Turn to Give Back a Little
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Dec 15 2007, 07:03 PM
Over the past eleven years of marriage I have been admitted to the hospital three times, and gone to the ER at least seven times - none of these instances were IBD or IBS symptom related. I just seem to get everything as well as odd things - viral meningitis 3x, pneumonia 1x, severe strep infection 1x - and ALWAYS my husband has been there for me with his strength and love and excellent care.
Well, yesterday was my turn to give the love, care, and concern back to him. He had to have surgery yesterday and while he's doing pretty well he is going to be out of commission for at least a week, maybe two. He always thinks of me as being the fragile one and I think even he has been surprised to see how good my gut was yesterday and how strong and helpful I've been able to be for him. I tell you, when I have someone else, whom I love, to focus my attention and care on it just makes my own worries melt away.
It's nice to finally be able to do something for him. But it was weird to see him on a hospital gurney hooked up to an IV. All I could think was, "That's my job. I know what to expect." I've not been fortunate enough to have my own children, but my step-son, whom I've known since he was 7 (he's now 24) has taught me that, if possible, you would always like to be able to take away your loved ones pain or problems.
So, anyway, today I'm thankful for my husband, and my ability to care for him.
Happy Weekend!
Elizabeth
www.ibdandibs.com
Living with IBD & IBS Stinks Sometimes, BUT. . .
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Dec 11 2007, 03:31 PM
My husband and I have just had one piece of bad news after another since last Friday. First we found out that our dear friend lost her two year battle with breast cancer and died last Friday (she was merely in her 50s). On Saturday my husband's step-brother died suddenly ( age: 56), and today my step-sons grandfather died suddenly (70-something).
So, my advice to all is this - even though having and living with IBS or IBD can really stink at times (and I know that it does - all this stress has set my gut right on edge!) appreciate every good moment, tell the one's you love that you love them, live as fully and as well as you can muster every day, and don't live in the thought, "well, there's always tomorrow." Live for today!
Happy, happy,
Elizabeth
author, Living with IBD & IBS
Hard Decisions Part of IBS & IBD
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Dec 5 2007, 06:12 PM
Living with IBS & IBD have caused me to make some hard decisions over the years but the one I made this week had to be the hardest.
My husband and I had planned a research trip to India for a project we're working on. From the start (about two months ago) I knew that traveling to India is risky for anybody but especially someone with IBD (& IBS). I talked to my doctors about it - one was for it, the other against but gave me some suggestions on how I might be able to go successfully. And so I lived with the idea in the back of my mind that I would make the trip. This is the week we have to buy our tickets and finalize our in-country plans so I had to make a decision. I've talked to a number of people who have either traveled to India, know someone who has traveled to India, or lives in India and all of them told me stories that I had suspected but wanted to ignore - healthy Westerners who got sick, really sick while there or once they came back and it took months to recover. My heart had been saying, "Go, it's the chance of a lifetime and maybe you'll be the IBDer who prevails and is alright." My head, though, had been telling me from the start that the idea was insane. Having IBD, my immune system isn't as strong as the average bear, travel in-and-of-itself puts stress on me (although I successfully travel often and internationally quite a bit), and I've never really traveled to place like Mexico or India where the water and food are such a huge issue.
Anyway, I had to make the decision and the decision I made for my well-being is not to go. My husband will have to travel there alone - which he is perfectly capable of doing quite nicely (he's even more of a world traveler than me). But, even though I feel I've made the right decision it was a hard decision to make and I feel disappointed that I can't just pick up and do whatever I want whenever I want. But even so I accept that which I can do (which is so much more than I was able to do 10, 9, or even 8 years ago) and am thankful for my ability to see reason and to make a good decision for me.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
Author, Living with IBD & IBS
www.ibdandibs.com
Support comes when you need it most
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Dec 1 2007, 06:52 PM
Today is a better day- I talked to my Dr. yesterday and we decided to increase my Asacol for the first time in years. I was bummed at first, it seemed like a set-back, like I'd failed, but I soon realized this - It is what it is - making changes to regain my healthy self again is okay, its needed, it's not a failure on my part. So, that was the first positive piece of support I got yesterday. Then I started receiving wonderful messages from you all which means the world to me, then a gentleman from India who has IBD and has been writing me for a few months now wrote to say he received my book (Living with IBD & IBS) in the mail and it was the best lifeline he'd been given yet - just reading this warmed my heart. THEN, and who would have thought it could get any better, I received today an email from Dr. Steve Gurgevich - he works with Dr. Andrew Weil with healing with hypnosis. Dr. G, as he calls himself, found and read my book and sent an email to tell me thank you and that he believes it is a Godsend to the IBS community, and that he's recommending it to his patients. He's also sending me a copy of his IBS Healing with Hypnosis CD - I'm going to try it out before going to India and I'll let you all know if it is helpful.
All this positive support just came at the right time and I'm so grateful for the IBD & IBS communities that I am a part of.
Oh, and I got back on track yesterday with my yoga and my Reiki. I had forgotten how much energy a flare-up can sap from you but I used what energy I had yesterday and put it towards these two activities, and a little work I had to get done.
We are a strong community made up of strong people. We can all do it with our own support and the support of all of our fellow IBD & IBS friends.
Stay healthy, all and be strong.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
www.ibdandibs.com
Trying to Stay Upbeat
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Nov 30 2007, 02:30 PM
I always try to keep my blog posts upbeat, or to at least provide some helpful information for my readers. Well, today I just can't do it. My little IBD flare-up from lst Friday has just gotten worse - I'm pooing blood which I've NOT done in nearly eight years! It's hard to stay upbeat and not panic when I feel like I've let stress set me back to where I was nearly a decade ago. I know it's partly my fault. I can really let other people get under my skin, and I feel the need to take on everybody else's problems at the peril of my own health - I know better, I really do, and it's why I'm ticked off at myself today. I've worked far too hard and for too long to get settled back into an IBD flare because I'm letting other people stress me out. some of it I can definitely control, but some of it I simply cannot - it is what it is. I've let work and stress take over and I've stopped doing what I know keeps me healthy. I've not done any yoga or Reiki in more than a month - I have to get back to that. The one thing I am doing and always do is to keep to my diet - I just don't mess with this as it just makes life worse. But, I have to work out this stress and fear that is washing over me. I'm not good at talking about things with other people 'cause I hate burdening them (I really hate writing this blog, but I figure it shows that I'm human and not super-human) and figure I'll work it out on my own.
Bigger issue is that my hsuband and I are to make a trip to India in January for some research we are doing for a book we are writing. I've been hesitant to travel to India from the get-go, even when my gut was a-okay. But I talked to my doctors and set out a game plan and had been planning to go - until last week that is. I'm letting fear take over me. I'm fearful that my gut will retaliate and let loose and I'll end up sick in India. I've been sick in foreign countries before, I don't love it but I've done it, but I've never gotten so sick as to have to be hospitalized in a foreign country and I don't want this to be the first time. I know not to go near the water - we plan to take a water purifier with us and to drink only bottled mineral water. But the food scares me - I cannot tolerate any hotness from spices in my food. It just doesn't sit well. My doctor said that if worse came to worse I could survive nicely eating only rice and yogurt. I have to make the final, ultimate decision whether to go or not in the next week or two. We have to buy our plane tickets. My head says, "Are you nuts?" But my heart and my adventurous side says, "This is a chance of a lifetime. And what if nothing bad happened? Go!"
What to do, what to do.
I'll just have to meditate on it, I guess.
So, You Think Stress isn't Related?
Posted by IBD/IBS Author, Nov 28 2007, 02:08 PM
As we all know stress isn't the cause of either IBD or IBS, but if you've ever questioned whether stress can trigger symptoms I'm here to tell you, "Yes!"
Take the stress of the holiday out of last week, throw in three major family-related issues, shake it all together and what do you get? Me, pooping every 20 - 30 mins. all last Friday night into Saturday morning. I gave up on going to and from bed and finally settled onto the bathroom floor resting in-between bouts.
I know stress makes my symptoms flare up, I've known this for nearly ten years. But, even though my husband and I were dealing with three separate stressful situations (all serious in their own way) I didn't feel that I was overly stressed. Sometimes I don't realize just how much stress affects me until my gut pops up and says, "Hello! We can't take any more down here, we're just going to have to explode." And then I realize and have to go into preservation mode. I can get dehydrated very easily when back-to-back-to-back bouts of D hit. So, even though nausea is usually part of a flare-up for me I make sure to drink water or Recharge or eat popsicles between potty calls. I hate hospitals and ERs and will do anything to stay away from them, so I just don't let myself get dehydrated if at all possible.
Why these flare-ups usually hit in the night (usually around 1:00 a.m.) I will never understand. But I've come to the understanding that they do and I just have to deal with it. This usually means the next day for me is a goner - I'm too spent and tired to participate in life and simply focus on keeping my gut calm. I eat small amounts of bland food throughout the day and usually within one to two days things are fine and back on track. My energy takes a hit with a flare-up too. So, even though today is Wednesday and its been four days since the flare-up I'm still feel tired and worn out. I just have to work with it and through it being patient with myself and my body.
So, for anyone out there who questions whether stress can trigger symptoms (even for those of us who have our symptoms under control pretty much of the time) the answer is, Yes.
Elizabeth
www.ibdandibs.com
on I got a little cocky!