THE BEST Of TIMES, THE WORST Of TIMES

[Blossom]

I'm glad to hear you are figuring things out with the intestinal issues! Do you use anything for calcium currently?

Yes, I put calcium powder in my fruit smoothies or OJ every day and track everything on Cron-O-meter to make sure I get all my nutrients covered. I have been able to really cut waaay back on tryptophan to help control serotonin as well as the calcium to phosphorous ratio. I actually have NO idea why the calcium/phosphorous ratio is important, I read that it is important somewhere and promptly forgot WHY. At any rate, I struggled with that ratio before and now it is much easier to control.
THANKS GIRLIES!!!

You're welcome! You sound like me.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Looking back: I discovered RP in mid-October of last year. I decided to make some HUGE changes in my life, I closed my business and moved to the country in November. By December I was seriously studying RP, applying all that I could learn and solely focusing on my health. I saw some improvements in many areas of my life(sleep, stress, PMS, hormones, etc.) and so I kept at it. However, some aspects of my health did not improve, and in fact declined RAPIDLY. These were my digestion, weight and skin. Everyone around me was like "what the hell?". By March I was a complete wreck on the inside (emotionally and intestinally) and on the outside (MAJOR ACNE and body fat). I took pictures of myself in December and March, the difference is absolutely striking....harsh winter indeed!!! My poor digestion became quite noticeable right around JAN/FEB... I remember worrying that I would have diarrhea at a Super Bowl party I was attending, so I just didn't eat.

My firm belief is that you're health is only as strong as what you digest and absorb. I can put boatloads of densely nutritious food down my throat, but if I cannot digest and absorb those nutrients it does me NO good. I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out WHY my digestion suddenly tanked on me. Was it food allergies? Histamine intolerance? Cancer?

While I did have adult hormonal acne prior to Peating, I did not have the atrocious acne that ensued after adding more carbs and dairy into my diet. I think the Progest-E and extra vitamin A have been responsible for a lot of my skin clearing. But removing dairy seems to be adding even more benefit. I am very much saddened by this and I hope that when my digestion gets better I will be able to add dairy back into my diet. For now, I am thoroughly enjoying my clear skin DESPITE STILL HAVING POOR DIGESTION.

I did not have this much excess body fat prior to Peating (gained 25 pounds Peating). The only things I changed from my previous diet were: severely restricting PUFA, swapping fruit for vegetables, adding much more dairy and swapping sugar for stevia in my coffee. Since June 1st I have had NO dairy and have lost a good bunch of weight in addition to my lovely clear skin.

I did not have chronic diarrhea prior to Peating. While I did have bowel issues, they leaned more towards constipation with only occasional diarrhea (once every couple months, never lasted for more than a few hours). On June 1st I started a very intense effort an trying to figure out which foods were causing me problems. I still have diarrhea, so it isn't the dairy because I have not had any. In fact I still can't seem to pinpoint it to any particular food as I have stated so many times before. Massive food elimination is not helping my chronic diarrhea. Histamine avoidance was also a dead end, made no difference at all. I have only tried the DAO enzymes once and so I can't really give any feedback on those.The carrot salad has helped with estrogen, but does not help with chronic diarrhea.

My doctor diagnosed me with IBS and wants me to go to Seattle and get tested for SIBO at Children's hospital. it takes several weeks to get an appointment and I am not entirely sure what that diagnosis will tell me that I don't already know. I firmly believe that my long and excessive history of antibiotic use is responsible for the gut dysbiosis that I am experiencing, so I will not take more antibiotics to merely put off the inevitable.

So now I am trying massive doses of raw garlic instead of antibiotics. I am hoping to eradicate what ever microbe is causing me duress. I also wonder if adding carbs caused this gut imbalance or perhaps I have had it all along, but kept it at bay with various supplements and starvation while low-carbing??? Maybe I picked up an infection? I just don't know... the garlic is BRUTALLY VILE, I don't recommend it to anybody unless you are desperate like me.

One other option is some sort of pancreatic insufficiency...I have not looked into this one much. If the garlic does not bring some sort of balance then I will explore this avenue further.

 

[kiran]

Have you considered H Pylori?
Do you get heartburn or ulcers or red blood in the stool?

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I have no heartburn and no ulcers that I know of....those would be painful right? I have NO pain and no blood...just diarrhea nearly every day.

Thanks for reading my long rant.

 

[Peata]

I just wanted to offer my support. I can relate to a lot of things. Don't feel bad for posting a long update - I do it a lot. I figure there's stuff one needs to get down - it helps you have a record to look back on and track progress, helps other people, and it makes me feel better to get things off my chest.

I too have gained 25 pounds.

I feel better and more reasonable now that I am trusting my own "intuition" and common sense more.

It sounds like dairy was a big culprit for you. A good place to start anyway. I cut back on dairy quite a bit with no result. But some things have been falling into place in my mind the last couple days that it's the sugar for me.

Keep us updated. I appreciate your posts on my thread too.

 

[kiran]

Also the carrot salad soaks up bile, so if you're deficient in taurine (or cholestasis?) it might not help as much as it should. A light colored stool can be indicative of inadequate bile.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Thanks so much for your kind words Peata, I totally appreciate the support.

I am seriously grieving the loss of dairy...coffee is so much better with milk or cream....hell, I even like it with grass-fed butter!

Cheese is my favorite food on the whole planet...grieve grieve.

Ice cream is the only junk food even worth eating....

Maybe someday I can add dairy back, but I don't want to make my skin break out again or gain a bunch of weight so we shall see...

@kiran, Thank you...I have read that light colored stool can be caused by several things: just like you said, low bile output, but also by a lack of gut microbes. I have been having diarrhea for so many months now, I can't imagine that I have an excess of microbes. My appendix ruptured nearly four years ago so I have no back up supply for replenishing.

I don't have fatty stools either, which I thought was a sign of inadequate bile. Also, I have no itching, dark urine or jaundice etc. I had a friend years ago and she had liver problems accompanied by terrible itching.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I have some taurine that I could try....

I should mention here that my diarrhea is predominately yellow with all fruits and veg appearing totally undigested. Red bell peppers, tomatoes, berries, pineapple all come though quite identifiable....which makes me think this is inadequate enzymes too.

Adding one more thing...my liver enzymes are totally normal if that matters at all. I am so uneducated that I really have no idea if those tests are even relevant.

 

[Lin]

Have you been tested for c. diff? Yellow diarrhea is a sign... http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorder ... le-colitis

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I have not been tested for c.diff, but have often thought I should. I keep thinking it is getting better, but then after several days it comes back again. I have another doctor appointment next week.

 

[HDD]

Hi bp,
So sorry you are still dealing with stomach issues. I was researching old posts and found the following by Peatarian.

"As I know now, you usually don't have any trouble with bowel movement when there are 'enough' endotoxins in your intestines. In fact everything blocking or lowering serotonin (which is mostly promoted by endotoxins as is estrogen and as are the other stress hormones) will start a shift toward constipation. Using too much ondansetron will cause constipation. Using just enough will normalize soft stool or stop diarrhea (there is a new off label use in gastritis and other stomach diseases). Most bacteria - even the so called 'good bacteria' produce toxic waste."
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=266&p=5096&hilit=Diarrhea#p5096

Odansetron (Zofran) is effective for stopping diarrhea.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Hi HDD!

Thanks for the link, I have read that thread several times over the last few months. The Cyproheptadine does seem to help, but I never take it for very long because I get bad side effects: my nose gets so dry it bleeds, I wake up in the morning with my eyelids stuck to my eyeballs (quite painful) and also I can't pee properly...it's like it drys me out waaay too much. I will look into Odansetron if my latest garlic experiment does not work. I think that I must have a seriously leaky gut, how can it not be when it's so inflamed? If I kill the beasts with massive amounts of garlic and then find something to lower serotonin that does not cause me to shrivel up and dry out, I might just find a cure.

On another note, SOME GOOD PROBLEMS TO HAVE....

I keep gouging myself with my very own fingernails because I am not used to having strong/long fingernails. Seriously, my nails were so thin and weak they would simply bend and peel....still getting used to having rock hard nails. It's an adjustment.

I weighed in at 170 lbs. at my fattest, four months into Peating. Incredible. I have never in my life gained so much weight so quickly...quite a phenomenon. The last time that I had weighed myself in March I was 168 lbs.... I am pretty sure I hit 170 tho, but I stopped getting on the scale as I could NOT bear to face it. Morbidly obese in the blink of an eye.

I have since lost 22.2 (yes, I'm counting those tenths) pounds. Not all of my excess weight was gained while Peat eating. I had started gaining slowly in October/November despite basically starving myself through low-carbing and intermittent fasting. It took me a while to figure out that my thyroid was crashing, apparently my brain was already hibernating.

Now that I can actually reach my toes and give myself a pedicure, I guess I can see a bright (sunny yellow) side to having chronic diarrhea. Although yesterday it was greenish brown and less watery, more gravy-like...and today's BM was solid, greenish brown and well formed...PRACTICALLY POOPHORIA!!! Perhaps my Garlic Annihilation is working? I stink to high heaven, that's for sure, but it's a good kind of stink.

I can almost fit into the one pair of Fat Pants that I own...gee that sounds strange....that I'm utterly thrilled to be nearly wearing my fattest pants ever.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

QUICK UPDATE: My Garlic Shock & Awe treatment worked like a charm. Total MAGIC!!! Absolutely NO diarrhea, perfectly normal brown BMs and transit time.

This leads me to believe that I had some sort of serious gut flora imbalance, not sure how I acquired it, but raw garlic being a broad spectrum antibiotic has worked miracles. I am thinking that the Cyproheptadine did not work because it never addressed the underlying dysbiosis, which in my case was EXTREME. Perhaps because I struggle with hypothyroidism my immune system was not able to eradicate it on it's own.

All of my crazy food elimination schemes led absolutely no where. I kept coming to the same conclusion over and over: that it did not matter what I ate, it ALWAYS ended in yellow diarrhea. I knew the problem was ME and it got progressively worse with each passing week. However taking plenty of thyroid meds and carrot salad WAS NOT fixing the problem, I needed something MUCH stronger.

It got a bit scary as I entered a tail-spin of sorts: I became afraid to eat because every time I put something in my mouth it triggered diarrhea. Yet the less I ate the more my temps dropped, metabolism was sh*it and severe depression set in.

Since the chronic diarrhea has stopped I have had an ENORMOUS surge in energy and mood/happiness. Really unbelievable actually. I feel like I have my life back and can make plans and actually get stuff done....like I am not being poisoned anymore. Amazing.

My personal conclusion is that we all have gut flora, no matter what we try to do to eradicate it we can't, it's here to stay. In my experience, not all intestinal bacteria are friendly, some species seem to be much nicer than others. When the balance gets out of whack and severe dysbiosis sets in, it can cause inflammation which causes all kinds of food sensitivities and an increase in the release of serotonin. This mimics many different illnesses and can become very difficult to pinpoint.

For me, specific foods were not the trigger, although I still don't eat starches. Lowering serotonin with Cypro did not fix the CAUSE of my gut inflammation. Stopping the inflammation by kicking the hell-raising microbes OUT has resulted in lowered serotonin, I can tell by the way I feel. Happy/peaceful/positive/calm/fearless/love for everyone...etc. etc. etc.

AND I am THRILLED that I can eat again!!! I love to eat....At first it felt quite strange to actually use my colon again, after months of pure liquid the sensations of bulk were sorta strange....Really truly, you have NO idea how happy I am...

Also, my skin is flawless...FLAWLESS! As in I went through this last cycle with not one zit!!! NO huge painful cysts, I can't remember how long it's been since that has happened, since I was on Accutane in college maybe? Thinking hell-raising gut flora might contribute to acne as well...

*blowing kisses to everyone who might read this and find help*

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Oh, I wanted to add one more thought: I think my former (pre-Peat) High Fat/Low Carb diet DEFINITELY set me up for dysbiosis. I'm pretty sure that our intestinal lining needs sugar to be healthy/resistant to pathogenic bacteria. I also think that having inflamed guts in the presence of a higher fat diet (even healthy saturated fat) can contribute to endotoxin poisoning. For me, lowering my fat intake until my guts healed I think has helped with acne. I had loads of butter on my lobster last night and seem to be fine today.....mmmmm butter, Oh how I missed thee!!!

 

[Lin]

Wow, so happy for you BP!

 

[Blossom]

Great update! I'm glad you're feeling better.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Thanks Lin and Blossom...

Other random good news to report: I am officially back to my pre-Peat weight. I can no longer blame this way of eating for making me fat. While I don't look as healthy as I did last October (less muscle plus more flab due to chronic diarrhea induced sedentarianism, is that a word? It is now.) The lightning-fast weight gain and equally rapid weight loss irony is not lost on me...what a TRIP!

The most outstanding part of all of my intestinal mayhem is that while I gave up nearly every other food, I never gave up carbs in the form of lots of fruit and OJ and I seem to be tolerating sugar waaaay better than I have in years, this in and of itself is some kinda freaky deaky miracle.


Yes indeedy, I'm ridin' that Peat Pony all the way to Hotsville.

 

[SQu]

Never giving up fruit; tolerating sugar far better; rapid loss of rapid weight gain; for those of us trying to yet to the bottom of the weight/belly fat issue this might be a valuable clue. Sadly I did give up my much-loved fruit. For years. Thanks for the update - is it too soon to call it a success story? Or a partial success story or something?!

 

[tara]

QUICK UPDATE: My Garlic Shock & Awe treatment worked like a charm. Total MAGIC!!! Absolutely NO diarrhea, perfectly normal brown BMs and transit time.

This leads me to believe that I had some sort of serious gut flora imbalance, not sure how I acquired it, but raw garlic being a broad spectrum antibiotic has worked miracles.
...

AND I am THRILLED that I can eat again!!! I love to eat....At first it felt quite strange to actually use my colon again, after months of pure liquid the sensations of bulk were sorta strange....Really truly, you have NO idea how happy I am...

Congratulations :)

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Thanks tara!

Never giving up fruit; tolerating sugar far better; rapid loss of rapid weight gain; for those of us trying to yet to the bottom of the weight/belly fat issue this might be a valuable clue. Sadly I did give up my much-loved fruit. For years. Thanks for the update - is it too soon to call it a success story? Or a partial success story or something?!

Hi sueq...I guess it is a partial success story. I have seen many many benefits so far: better sleep, NO PMS at all, improved hair, skin and nails, far better moods and energy, the ability to eat fruit/juice and NOT fall asleep or gain weight INSTANTLY...this last item is very recent, so that's why I'm calling it a partial success story as only time will tell. The rapid weight loss was due to having chronic diarrhea for months, so that doesn't really count.

I'm not sure how having disordered gut flora contributes to glucose metabolism, or if it even does at all? I just don't know. I lived on fruit smoothies, seafood, a lot of gelatin and OJ as those were the only things I could digest.

I was forced to cut out coffee due to the caffeine increasing my already lightning fast bowel transit time. I have since added my beloved coffee back in with NO issues whatsoever. Life in the Pacific Northwest without coffee is bleak, I never want to go there again....ever.

I ate an entire 8 oz. organic grass-fed steak Friday night with NO digestive issues at all. The last time I ate beef prior to that was June 1st and it wasn't pretty...did I mention how pleased I am that I can eat again?

The only food I have not added back in yet is full-on dairy (of course it's my favorite food group) other than butter, I have had butter once with no issues....so far, so good. FINGERS CROSSED!

Next on the list try (after spending some quality time with butter) are milk, cheese and homemade Greek yogurt. To be perfectly clear, I am hoping and praying for a digestive miracle...truly prostrate before the Dairy Gods to smile upon me and enable my humble intestines to flawlessly assimilate my beloved bovine aphrodisiac.

I live in a cow town ferchristsakes!

Pray for me won't you? Pray hard.