Leaky gut?? (allergy, pains, pregnant, blood)

[looking4answers12]

I won't go as far as saying chiropractors are quacks. They can be helpful in some situations. BUT I agree that you should see an MD for your particular troubles.

At least call a GI and an internist and see if your problems are something that they treat. Unless you are going bald or your finger nails are falling off, I'd stop taking the pill for that. Focus on getting your body what it really needs first.

From what I've heard about enzymes (which isn't alot) that might be a good idea. But do your research!

Maybe you can also do some research on which foods have which vitamis and which foods are most easily digested and absored. I believe there are also certain food/vitamin combinations that increase absorption. It's worth lookign into until you can get that doctors appointment.

Good luck, I hope you feel better soon!

[vkhmini]

Originally Posted by stepka

I've heard that L-glutamine and slippery elm are wonderful repair substances for the intestines and it sounds like eating gluten free will be a great step for you but I've heard that it can take months to repair after you stop the gluten so be patient.

I've been taking about a half-cup of aloe gel and a supplement called GI-Encap, for the same purpose, same diagnosis, to soothe the gut lining and encourage healing. Also taking nutritionally based anti-inflammatories. Been gluten free for eight months and finally starting to feel healing.

[Mikala43]

I'm wondering why your GI said you have indications of Celiac, but no confirmation? It's kinda a big deal.

Just something to consider.... I have RA and fibromyalgia, when I do high protein, they get worse, and I do better with lots of veggies, fruit etc. A more anti-inflammatory diet.

Good luck!

[kansas sky]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I should clarify. Manufacturers can't sell a lot of supplements without the backing for their claims...

Oh yes they can. Supplements are not regulated. They have to have the little "these claims may or may not be true" warning in tiny print but they can claim pretty much whatever they want.

For the OP, I wonder if an internal med doctor might have better luck getting a good diagnosis for you. Did your GI tell you about these proteins floating around your system causing infammation? I'm no doctor but I would think undigested anything would just be flushed out of your system altogether.

[Razz2525]

After the GI did a biopsy during the endoscopy/colonoscopy, he said he found markers of Celiac's, but after a very expensive bloodtest, it came up negative. He still advised me to stay away from gluten and wheat if I found myself bloating. I really want to see an internist so that I can understand what exactly is going on in my body because I really seem to absorb very little and multivitamin capsules make me feel worse, sluggish and give me digestive trouble. Liquid multivitamins give me bad diarrhea (sorry) so that's out. I'm taking 7500 mcg of biotin now and after 2 weeks, my hair looks thicker and shinier, but my nails are still super thin and bendable. Filing them even makes them split even more. I can't even peel any fruit because my nails start to tear. I feel best when I just take vitamin C, iron and fish oil. Plus I've started getting "heat" hives in the morning. I'm extremely itchy and have these huge welts on my stomach and hips that are present when I wake up, but go away soon after I shower. There doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason to it in terms of diet. A trip to the allergist yielded that I'm allergic to everything: thanks for that as the welts from the allergy test stayed on my back for 2 weeks!!!

At least my back has been feeling better due to the chiropractor and he's no longer pushing his supplements on me.

[Briolat21]

Hair and nails are generally indicative of nutrition. So, while its nice that you're taking a supplement specifically to support hair and nails, it would be better overall if you were to get balanced and sufficient nutrition from you diet.

Have you been checked for Chron's, or UC??

You talk alot about not absorbing nutrients - while your hair and nails indicate some sort of malnutrition - you need to find out what is actually going on with your intestines.

(That usually means scoping. FYI).

good luck - hope you are able to get some reputable assistance.

[Razz2525]

Briolat, thanks for your post - I am concerned about UC - I had scattered diverticulitis and inflammatory bowel when I had that endoscopy/colonscopy... Oddly enough, I started taking papaya enzymes two days ago with almost every meal, especially meals where I know my system is going to revolt, and I feel so much better. No bloating in the stomach, less overall fatigue, less unpredictability (some days I'm going #2 5 times and other days nothing!)... I tried probiotics and they just caused bad cramping, but the enzymes seem to be working. My nails even seem slightly stronger, even though they're still thin. DH told me I could just have thin nails, it may not necessarily be anything systemic. I think I may pay another visit to my primary physician or GI though because I get these odd rashes/large hives on my abdomen during the night/morning, and I've heard skin irritations, especially on the belly, could be related to intestinal issues...

[Townandcountrygal]

Having had intestional problems off and on myself, I would suggest you not only get thoroughly checked out by a gastrointerologist (both ends--you know--the endo and colonoscopies) and also find a *good* naturopathic physician. The right diet and treatments treatments may likely need to be tried by trial and error. Good luck to you--I hope you get relief.

[in_newengland]

I was going to sugget an allergist but I see you've already been to one. They say you're allergic to everything?

So was I. My allergist was more to the alternative side though and she helped me a lot. Based upon what I have learned along the way:

Allergies can do almost anything and can behave in many different ways. All these different symptoms tend to mask what is really an allergy. One main symtom of allergy is fatigue--your body is exhausted from fighting. Another is aching all over or in joints--inflammation. With food allergies at least, your gut becomes inflammed and your digestion just isn't right and you do not absorb foods very well. I'm not a doctor and am not familiar with the medical terms but in general, I know what to do.

If your doctor didn't test you for individual food allergies (and a lot of allergist don't because they think adults don't have food allergies--ha!) then it's up to you to test yourself by using an elimination diet in which you stay 100% away from one food at a time for two weeks. I'd start with wheat because that's such a common allergy and you do mention it as a problem. Use wheat free everything. Usually it means cooking from scratch although it's getting easier to find wheat free products in the grocery store and it's easy in a natural foods store. No cheating at all though because this is an important test.

After the two weeks, eat something made with wheat. Bread, donut, something simple and watch carefully for any reaction. A reaction can be instant or delayed though so that can be hard. Give it a few days and look for any symptoms because if it's been out of your diet for the two weeks and then it suddenly comes back in your body should go NUTS if you're allergic to it. Rash, aching, fatique, stomach trouble, etc. Write everything down.

If you get a reaction, take wheat completely out of your diet. Depending upon the severity of the food allergy, you might be able to re-introduce wheat by having it evey 3 days only. Day 4=eat wheat. Then three days without it so it completely clears out of your system.

This is called the rotary or rotation diet and it's for food allergies.

You might then want to try the same test for something like dairy, which is one of the other top allergens.

Keep a food diary so you can look back and know what you ate a few days ago--this is very important because of the delated reactions. for me, I had NO idea I was totally allergic to dairy! Three days later I might have bloating or the next day I'd have a massive headache but it wasn't until allergy testing that I even had a clue. Now it's predictable that if I have dairy, I'll get the symptoms later on.

[in_newengland]

Me again-LOL.

I just wanted to post that food allergy information because I think it's really important and I didn't want to lose it due to a computer malfunction!

I would like to add that food allergies are one of the thing to look for when you have vague, hard to diagnose symptoms and the doctors can't quite figure it out. I went through absolutel H*** for many years, going from doctor to doctor trying to find out what was wrong with me. I was told more than once that it was all in my mind.

If you let it go, it just gets worse as your body becomes more worn down from fighting off the allergies. (I didn't want to let it go, I just couldn't get a diagnosis.) As I look back, I can see a few mistakes I made, such as ignoring a really kind nurse who suggested I might be allergic to dairy! But that was in a doctor's office where I had just been told by the doctor that there was nothing wrong with me and I believed him over the nurse.

By the time I finally found a doctor -- about 400 miles away--I was sick in bed and unable to work. I had become allergic to everything but I was totally clueless. Someone from work suggested I might have food allergies -- so in stupid defiance, I went out and bought everything they said to NOT eat. Next day I thought I would die. Also, I became sensitive to chemicals and that is a nightmare. Don't let that happen. Don't let it go that far.

It's hard to give up a common food but if you are allergic to it, you are much better getting it out of your life than being sick and getting sicker all the time. You learn to cope by substituting different foods--it can be done. It's a whole lot better than getting even sicker and developing celiac disease or something else. As the doctor who helped me used to say, "The sick get sicker." ----meaning by not getting diagnosed and continuing to eat or be exposed to whatever is causing this in the first place. You have to get down to the basic cause, the root of the problem. Good luck!