Need help with digestive problem....

[quiltys41]

I need some advice here about digestive problems. I have heard that mint is good for soothing an upset stomach, but does it make a difference what kind? I have peppermint and spearmint growing that I can use to make teas with, but not sure if one is better than the other?

 

Why I am asking is that I have been very sick the past five weeks and after tests and drugs that don't work, I'm tired of it. I have went from 213 pounds down to 180 in that time. I can not keep solid foods in from the diarrhea and nausea and pain. I would rather just not eat. I have to take Lortab 7.5 before eating soups even in order to slow down motility and lessen the pain. The doctors are at a loss as to what is wrong.

 

So the thought is from a friend...start back with liquids only for at least a week (for bowel rest mostly). Then progress up to soft foods. I thought some mint teas would be good to help with all this, unless yall have a better idea. At this point I'm willing to try just about anything. Any and all ideas/suggestions are welcome!

 

Q

[bluegrassmom]

I know that peppermint is good for settling a stomach. But don't use it if you have a problem with heartburn as peppermint will make that worse. Ginger tea is also good for stomach upset.

[Cat]

Not sure I can help, but I'm throwing my 2-cents' worth in anyway...

 

 

After the "rest", could you try baby cereal, like rice or wheat, mixed with broth or juice? Something VERY mild, but still with nutrition...

 

 

They make those drinks (Ensure, etc.), but even they might be a bit much.

 

 

(Prayin' for ya, Quilty...)

 

 

 

[westbrook]

I highly recommend ginger. I use candied ginger a lot, but in your case, get fresh ginger (break a small piece off and buy it just in case you don't like it).

 

Wash and slice the ginger fairly thin (you can leave skin on). Place in water and bring to a boil. You can add honey or sugar or splenda to sweeten.

 

Now remember that ginger is pungent like an onion. It may warm you from the inside. I use ginger tea when I don't feel well.

 

Ginger will stop the nausea.

 

Something else I recommend is Licorice. I don't mean the fake licorice you buy in the store either! that is made with anise! I mean the real stuff. Any health food store will carry it, ask the sales person... it is DLPA .. wait that is for pain... Oh it is DGL!!!

 

DGL!!!

 

They are tablets that you chew.

 

Or....I have licorice root, you take one and chew it, then spit it out. It is the actual root. PM me your addy and I will slip some in the mail.

 

 

Peppermint candies will help.

[Mother]

Quilty, I’m sorry you are having all this troubles. So many things can cause diarrhea. Allergies; gluten intolerance (celiac disease, Crohns disease, gluten allergy); lactose intolerance; medications; parasites; chemicals and toxins either air borne or water borne; bacteria; virus; skin and even hair care products, and the list could go on. That’s probably why the doctor doesn’t have a clue. If he hasn’t done testing to rule out some of these he should.

 

Mint, almost any kind, is soothing to the stomach but as has been mentioned not if you have acid reflux or heartburn. The mint relaxes the sphincter in the stomach and allows the acids to reverse. Licorice, as Westy said, has been used. Real licorice but if you have high blood pressure use the DGL (deglycrrhizinated, glycerol being the ingredient that can cause problems with blood pressure)

 

With serious diarrhea I prefer Slipper Elm Bark tea. It not only soothes and helps the diarrhea but it’s nutritious. I fact, if you have powdered Slippery Elm Bark you can make it into a gruel. It is very nutritious and healing. Blackberry leaf tea and blackberry juice or cordial is also very effective for diarrhea. Raspberry leaf will work also but not quite as effective in my opinion.

 

You might also check out some of the homeopathic meds for diarrhea. I use one from Boiron called Byronia Alba that really helps at least in the short term and is healing.

 

As for diet, resting your intestines for a short period is a good idea but be sure to drink plenty of liquids. That will help flush out the toxins that are undoubtedly there no matter what the cause. there are several you could try. First would be the mono diet where you use only one food for several days at a time. Apples are often suggested for this and you can eat them any way you like, sauce, baked, boiled, raw, etc. as long as it’s just apples. Raw apples should be ground or pureed to make them more digestible. You can also use rice as a mono diet. I would use brown rice but very well cooked as white rice is dusted with vitamins and often even supplements can cause diarrhea. I get it from magnesium in minute doses, even that which is used to bind other vitamins in tablets. Believe me it took a lot to figure that one out.

 

You could also try a modified macrobiotic diet with only a few foods. This is good if you aren’t sure if it’s foods that are causing the diarrhea. A good one is well cooked (with extra water added to help the grain swell more) brown rice, cooked carrots, turkey, and apples. You could do the BRAT diet but that’s bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. If you were gluten intolerant this would not help. Bananas are usually fairly well tolerated though and are used for curing diarrhea.

 

Baby foods might be beneficial if you know you are not allergic or intolerant to them. The problem with allergies is that they can manifest up to 72 hours or more after you have been exposed to them and it makes it hard to determine which item or food caused it. By the way, you can develop and allergy at any time in life, even when you’ve never been allergic to anything before. Or you can suddenly develop and inability to digest certain foods such as fat grains, and etc. Often an illness or a trauma will kick start the problem.

 

If by some chance you get worse when you adopt one of these diets or you have different symptoms such as pain and or headaches and etc. its probably a good indication that you are on the right track. Parasites often become very active when denied food, bacteria and yeast and fungus cause ‘die off’ symptoms that are really toxins that they are pouring into the system as they die.

 

I might suggest that if you do start to tackle this in one of the ways’s mentioned that you be kind to yourself. You will need more rest, more fluids, and more TLC. It takes a lot of energy for the body to heal.

 

Good luck and keep us informed how it’s going please. I personally feel for you as I’ve been through it.

(((( ))))

[westbrook]

where is Amish Homesteader? wasn't Micheal on a bland diet for a short time? what is that called?

 

MICHEAL!!! where are you?

[quiltys41]

Mother...funny you mention apples for the diet. I am craving them and I almost never eat them. Kind of like my body is trying to tell me what it needs? I have some whole and also some home made apple sauce that I will start on soon.

 

When you make a tea out of the blackberry leaves, how many does it usually take and do you just cook them in water? I have tons of blackberry bushes out back I can use.

 

Westie, you're a dear and you have a pm.

 

Cat, thank you for the prayers.

 

Thank you all for your advice and I will let you know how it is going. So far, I have figured out whole nuts are a no-no. I tried some salted peanuts (sodium/protien = good...nope) and got nothing but pain for hours from that little go round. So I'm still not sure what is going on. Back to the liquids I guess.

 

God bless yall!

 

Q

[Mother]

Q, You make an infusion (tea) of the blackberry leaves. You can use them fresh but don'tlet them wilt as they go through a toxic change during the process of drying. But you can also use them dried. Sp either pick them right before you use them or dry them completely until thoroughly dry. I dry huge bunches of them in the spring and use them for tea. I usually some in early fall also to have some for winter.

 

One or two large leaves will make a nice strong cup of tea. Make it like you would regular black tea. Just bring your water almost to a boil and pour it over the leaves in a cup or make a pot at a time with more leaves and have enough for several cups. I cover my cup or pot and steep the leaves about ten minutes for maximum effectiveness. Then drink about a half cup several times a day. Actually with blackberry you can pretty much drink it freely or until you notice it stopping the diarrhea. I like it both hot and cold.

 

Remember though that it will only help stop the symptoms. You still have to find the cause for a permanent cure. You can drink this with your mono diet.

 

If peanuts bother you then be cautious of peas also as they are in the same family and if it's an allergy both will probably cause problems. It's possible though that it was just the roughage in the peanuts that caused the problem. You probably have the intestinal tract inflamed and any protein might be hard to digest.

 

Start slowly on the apple and be sure to chew them well even the sauce as the saliva enzymes are a vital part of the digestive process.

 

By the way, Michael's diet was called the BRAT diet. Banana, rice, applesauce, and toast. Used to be the gold standard for diarrhea.

 

((( Q )))

[Snowmom]

 

I know they put me on a gluten free diet and it was the pill that she wanted me to go on that was giving me the problems. Not the bread or whatever else she thought I should eat different.

 

I keep Mylanta on hand all the time, in fact, I had to use some last night. We had pork chops and dressing, I guess the sage or onion was a bit much for me.

 

I take Previcid or Pepcid each day for my problems too. I take one or the other, not both, I take Previcid 3 times a week and Pepcid the other 4 days.

with whatever you try and hope it works for you. When you find something that works, let us know.

 

Have to run, need to eat breakfast and get busy doing something.

 

 

[cookiejar]

After my stomach surgery, I did gingerale that was allowed to go slightly flat. Try to avoid ICY cold drinks even icy water. I worked my way up to baby cereal (the rice kind). All bland foods slowly and in miniscule amounts.

 

I have to take an acid reducer forever (which means I'll be looking for an all natural one if the SHTF). Or I'll have to have the hernia in the opening of my stomach fixed. $$$

 

I know they put me on a drug to stop my stomach from spaziming (sp)and automatically tossing things up or dash to the john. It was called Dicyclomine. It helped give my digestive system a little time to relearn how to relax. If that makes sense?

 

Hope you feel better soon chica,

[nmchick]

Dear Q,

 

First, three big laundry baskets of sympathy for your problem.

 

Second, your symptoms made me think of diverticulitis. If this is what you have, apples are a good idea, but you probably want them cooked. No heavy fiber at all while while your intestine heals.

 

And try to rest!

 

Nmchick

[westbrook]

Q,,, package on its way.

[quiltys41]

Westie... You are a wonderful person. Thank you so much! Let you know when I get it...

 

Q

[Lilly]

I was going to suggest slippery elm as well. You can get it in pill form if you can't drink the tea. Also peppermint and probiotics. Have you seen a Dr. about this? Sudden weight loss and the symptoms your having could be serious. I know for children they reccomend the brat diet. Banannas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Make sure your getting enough liquids so you don't get dehydrated.

[John & Joan of Ark]

My friend at the pharmacy recommended pectin- that would also be in the apples you're craving but like above I'd use applesauce for a weak system. I ended up using Imodium Advanced to stop the diarrhea that raged through our family. New addition to the emergency medical kit that was well worth the $1 a pill. Got some left over for "next time". Wild sunflowers are supposed to stop it too but I don't know what part or proper way to administer.I definitely want something suitable for the babies to use. Do you have anyone local who can muscle test you? I am anti cola drinks but when I had my kidney stones, a coke would cut the nausea and take care of it before it progressed to the stage you got to. My mom bought us all coke syrup for our emergency kits. Take care and I'll keep pondering to see if I can think of anything else. Tired brain today.

[westbrook]

Q....

 

how are you doing?

[quiltys41]

I'm still here...weak, but with all the weight loss and illness, that's to be expected. The licorice root is helping greatly with the nausea! Just waiting for the appetite to pick back up again. Nothing looks good once I get it cooked. And nope, I'm not that bad of a cook either!

I think I'm on the road to mending here, it's just slow going. Thank you all for the suggestions, the help and prayers. And thank you for the licorice root westie...it sure did help.

 

Q

[westbrook]

keep us updated on your progress! and let us know what the problem was.