Monday, October 1, 2012

Update, Immune Modulators & IBS, or Possibly Fructose Malabsorption?

Well, needless to say, it's been a heck of a summer! Have spent it trying to steel myself for a move and subsequent travel, trying to stay cool, and of course, juggling symptoms, and that nasty enteroviral flare-up w/the rash. In August, seeing my supplement budget fall even further, I decided to trade in the Samento (PCA-Free Cat's Claw) and Inosine for Equilibrant and Inosine. I'd been wanting to try Equilibrant with the Inosine for awhile, but hadn't had the cash and had been afraid to give up the Samento (I ran out of Samento right before I get that viral flare, so was afraid to quit it again). However, I just couldn't afford two bottles a month of the Samento anymore, so I figured I'd take the plunge. Things seemed to go okay, virus-wise.

The other change I made, was that I was trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, so I got my hands on a trial of the Nutri-Bullet Blender, kind of like the Magic Bullet, but specifically for "pulverizing" fruits & veggies, and endorsed by David Wolfe, a Raw Foodist whose books I read when I tried going that route several years back. Suprisingly, it worked pretty much as promised, not only that, but it was ridiculously easy to clean (since I have trouble keeping up w/those dishes, fabulous, you can even drink in the blender cups, so no other dirty dishes). So off I went on my fruit & veggie smoothie oddysey, at LEAST one a day for most of 2-3 weeks. It seemed to be going great for a second there, but about two weeks in, I realized, not so much. I started having excruciating stomach pain, the likes of which I had never known! (I actually had to take painkillers for it, which was a new one!) And it wasn't gas, my poor stomach actually felt like a muscle in spasm, a sensation like it was all tensed up and I couldn't relax it. The lining of my stomach felt inflamed and irritated, raw, in a way I'd never experienced before. I tried getting back on my Ranitidine, nothing, Mylanta, nothing. I started getting desperate. I went out and spent part of my moving money on Enzymes &; Probiotics, which usually helped, nothing. So I started doing some research, and discovered a condition called Fructose Malabsorption, which fit to a T. (I'd also mysteriously started experiencing plunges into sudden deep depression, which I had had earlier in the summer, but had recovered from.) I stopped the smoothies, and the pain let up quite a bit, but my stomach still got irritated most times when I ate, and I discovered that fructose malabsorption isn't just about all fruits & veggies, so I decided to try a diet for Fructose Malabsorption called the FODMAP Diet. Finally, relief! Almost right away the pain stopped. The rest of the symptoms took a little time to retreat, and some were still acting up when I ate, but I could live with that much more easily and it kept getting better.

So things got steadily better for about a week, until I decided it was time to try a regular meal again. BAD idea. I ended up worse off than ever, now couldn't even eat the stuff from the FODMAP diet, just crackers, quinoa, and baby food! I went to the gastroenterologist, with whom I'd already rescheduled the Endoscopy I'd missed when I didn't have anyone to take me in May, but I was hoping he could do something, but nope. Just what I was doing already & pain meds for pain. (Weird, before this episode had never thought of taking pain meds for stomach pain, but I guess, pain is pain.) Well, another week later and I'm doing better...easing back into the FODMAP diet...Not depressed, but terribly unmotivated. Maybe my subconscious is just trying to save my willpower up for the move? The place was officially foreclosed about 10 days ago, so waiting to see how the new owner handles that. Hoping for Cash for Keys...then maybe I can have a chance to rest at relatives & make sure I can at least eat before I travel...

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