[faznine15]

Returned from SE Asia about two weeks ago and seem to have come down with something similar to what Roosh had stomach wise-- bloating, cramping, diarehea et all.

Dr. perscribed tindamax for potential girradia but did not fix the issue. All tests have come back negative regarding girridaisis and parasites. Even tried the probiotics that were linked in previous blog posts. Nothing worked. Dr. is now claiming everything normal when clearly it isn't.

Any suggestions? ( looking towards Roosh who had experience with this sort of thing)

[Roosh]

It sounds like post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. It usually strikes those who have IBS in the family (my mom has it). Before my first trip to South America, my stomach was mostly agreeable with only minor issues when I'd drink coffee or eat tomato sauce, but after it has been extremely sensitive to a whole lot of foods. I have to seek lodgings with a kitchen because eating out will usually end up with serious problems. The symptoms will fade with time but in my case it has not disappeared.

If I were you I'd first try probiotics. The nuclear bomb of probiotics is VSL 3. Another good choice is Kirkman Pro Bio Defense. Stay on those for at least a couple months and fade them out if they're working. You should definitely see at least some improvement.

If that doesn't work, you have to change your diet by identifying trigger foods. This means you will be able to eat less selection than before, but the benefit is your symptoms can be managed. These are my trigger foods that I should avoid:

-Coffee
-High fat ground beef
-Dairy
-Garlic, onions, broccoli
-Green or red peppers
-Pizza
-Tomato sauce (but ketchup is okay)
-Alcohol (especially on an empty stomach and especially beer)
-Butter
-Avocados

It has taken me a couple years to figure this list out because symptoms from a food don't come immediately after eating it. Depending on the portion size and what else was in the meal, isolating is tough (google elimination diet).

The best resource is http://www.helpforibs.com/. She understands the problem better than doctors. Sign up for her newsletter and find her trigger food PDF. From her I learned:

-Pop a peppermint or fiber pill before eating if your stomach is unhappy or before a dangerous meal. Peppermint is very soothing.
-Eat the safe items first before the bad. So in a meal I'd eat the rice before the red meat, for example. Or the banana before peanut butter. Rice is my safe food, and a big chunk of my diet.

As a result of this, I almost never eat out. If I were to take a girl out to dinner (at a place with buttery dishes) and then go drinking afterwards, my stomach will in bad shape by the end of the night when it's time for . It's a shame but that's life. On the plus side, all of my meals are cooked and I eat healthier than before.

[faznine15]

Thanks for the info man. Now I'm hoping I've actually have something. I love dairy and spicy foods way to much Tomato sauce used to mess me up pre-travel as well. Never had an issue with coffee.

Did you ever get tested for Clostridium difficile? Apparently it's not a common test but can cause these symptoms long term as well.

[Roosh]

Yeah I got tested for C. difficile.

Spicy foods aren't bad, but they usually are with dishes that are heavy in butter and cream (like in Indian dishes).

[speakeasy]

I've always suffered with life-long stomach ailments that are hard to trace back to anything and doctor's tests don't show any problems.

What I found that has helped me is ginger. I don't even bother with pepto bismol if I have an upset stomach. I have some ginger pills in capsule form and I also keep fresh ginger in the fridge. I can steep it in hot water and make a ginger tea. Very soothing if I'm feeling nauseated. That's the one natural remedy that has brought me the best results. Taking a tablet before a meal is also a good idea. You know it's working when you feel a warming sensation in your belly from the spice. It's also been shown to be as effective against motion sickness as Dramamine.

Give it a try.

Edit -- Here is a brand of ginger tea that has worked miracles for my stomach. I highly recommend it:

http://www.shoptheeast.com/buy-tea/2199-...15005.html

Whatever you get, just make sure it's 100% full-strength ginger, and not just something ginger flavored.

[Tail Gunner]

(01-23-2012 05:05 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

I've always suffered with life-long stomach ailments that are hard to trace back to anything and doctor's tests don't show any problems.

What I found that has helped me is ginger. I don't even bother with pepto bismol if I have an upset stomach. I have some ginger pills in capsule form and I also keep fresh ginger in the fridge. I can steep it in hot water and make a ginger tea. Very soothing if I'm feeling nauseated. That's the one natural remedy that has brought me the best results. Taking a tablet before a meal is also a good idea. You know it's working when you feel a warming sensation in your belly from the spice. It's also been shown to be as effective against motion sickness as Dramamine.

Give it a try.

Edit -- Here is a brand of ginger tea that has worked miracles for my stomach. I highly recommend it:

http://www.shoptheeast.com/buy-tea/2199-...15005.html

Whatever you get, just make sure it's 100% full-strength ginger, and not just something ginger flavored.

Absolutely. I seldom have stomach issues, but I keep a bottle of liquid ginger for when I do. I take a tea spoon. I also have ginger tea on hand. Peppermint pills also work, but I think ginger is best. If you buy ginger ale, make sure it has real ginger as an ingredient. Ginger beer (non-alcoholic) has a much higher quantity of ginger than does ginger ale.

[Neo]

I have had a mild form of IBS, for my entire life.

[faznine15]

(01-23-2012 03:29 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

Yeah I got tested for C. difficile.

Spicy foods aren't bad, but they usually are with dishes that are heavy in butter and cream (like in Indian dishes).

Do a google search on blastocystis hominis . There is a site called badbugs.org that has tons of info and literally hundreds of similar stories with exactly the same "IBS like" symptoms. Its a parasite that was traditionally regarded as harmless and is now getting lots of traction in medial studies around the world. However, the notion that it is harmless is still pervasive and finding a Dr. willing to treat this is hard to damn near impossible.

Dr. Thomas Borody aka the guy who won the nobel prize for convincing the medical community that Helicobacter pylori bacteria and not "life style choices" cause peptic ulcers is behind a successful treatment and journal articles suggesting its pathogenic.

After specifically convincing my Dr. to ask the lab to report Blasto if found guess who tested positive for the parasite.

Might be worth it to see if you have it as since IBS has no specific treatment.