I have been posting my before and after pictures trying to remind myself that I'm doing well in at least one area right now. My weight loss is so exciting now that I can see it. I'm so glad I dug out a before picture!

I have a bowel disorder that the doctors have been unable to diagnose. It started with what seemed to be diverticulitis but it turns out that it's not. I have had two major bowel resections this year and am still having the same issue as before the first one. I do not have crohn's or colitis.

I really wish I had not had the surgeries since they were pointless and now I have more scar tissue and surgical scars. I have to have one more surgery due to a surgical injury but am putting it off as long as I can so that I can regain some strength.

Anyone dealing with chronic, undiagnosed illness that affects your food choices?

I did, for many years. I had undiagnosed Hashimotos thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that attacks they thyroid gland and was the primary cause for why I was gaining 10 lbs a year after formerly being very healthy and athletic. I also had an undiagnosed dairy allergy that caused me to have acid reflux symtoms and I took Prevacid for 9 years and had an upper endoscopy for that...and all I needed to do was quit eating and drinking dairy products.

My mom also had an undiagnosed bowel disorder- have you been tested for C-Diff and other types of bacterial imbalance? My mom had C-Diff.

Hi,

Sorry you are having medical issues. Did your doc check for celiac disease?

Good luck
Sheridan

Hi! I'm having my thyroid checked on Monday, but it's been very low 'normal.' Despite my symptoms, they won't treat it since it's technically 'normal.' I have hair loss, edges of my eyebrows are gone, freeze all the time (live in tropical area), constipation etc...

I don't think they tested for celiac but I don't do gluten just in case. Hasn't helped.

I don't have diarrhea, so they said it's not crohn's or uc. I've seen 5 doctors and 3 interns and no one has a clue. It's really bad right now but I'm trying to encourage myself.

Thanks for the help!

The main problem is that many doctors don't even understand how to determine if someone has a thyroid problem or not. The old lab standards are still being used by MANY doctors and that says that you must have a TSH over 5.0 (5.5 for some docs) to be considered hypo, as an example. However, the new lab standards are that anyone with TSH over 2.5 is hypo. I'm a perfect example of this. I suffered with hypo symptoms for 9 years as my TSH crept up from 2.5 to 6.5. My doctor wanted to treat my TESTS, not my symptoms. Additionally, many doctors ONLY test TSH when in reality they should be doing a battery of tests including TSH, Free T3, Free T4, thyroid antibody tests (to test for an autoimmune component) and also typically people with thyroid disease have a Vitamin D deficiency and sometimes ferretin as well and those need to be tested too.

One thing you might consider is posting your lab results at healthboards.com on their thyroid section. There are some very experienced people there that can help you better understand what is really going on. It may well be that you are hypo and your doctor is using outdated lab standards. You certainly have the symptoms.

Sam I'm so sorry you are having such a hard year.
I hope the doctors can find a cause and cure soon for you.
I have Crohns disease and also have had a resection- that was rough...I can't imagine having 2 in one year.
I also have hypothyroidism but the meds have really helped with that problem. I wish I could say the Crohns was that easy to handle. There are a lot of foods I just can't eat. I get really sick if I eat or drink certain things.
Right now I'm trying to find a good coffee that has low acid. I love coffee so much- but it is just murder on my stomach.
Please keep us posted on how you are doing. I hope you get to feeling better soon

Gonna step out on a limb here, but have you been allergy tested?

I have some digestive issues, that are allergies. As long as I'm careful with the foods I'm allergic to I'm fine.

On my list are chocolate, coffee, or any derivitives, anything ending in berry and tomatoes. I was diagnosed with these as a teen. They gave me terrible tummy aches and other issues. I out grew most of them, but still have to be careful with chocolate and coffee. I can have some, it has to be high quality, and even then, I have to be careful.

Chocolate is the worst, just he smell of cheap chocolate gives me a raging belly ache, that will last 2-4 hours. Never mind eating it.

Take it for what it's worth, just a thought, from what I've been through.

I have IBS, probably as a result of having ME/CFIDS (and now seemingly fibro as well). It mostly manifests whenever I'm on medication: if there are gastro-intestinal side effects available, I'll get them, and sometimes even if they aren't expected. So I have to be on the watch out and sometimes adjust my diet accordingly.

I also have gallstones, so I am on a low-fat diet and have to be careful about how much fat I eat at one sitting. It required some thought, but I'm used to it by now and it's not really troublesome unless I need to eat out. I went to an Italian restaurant recently and even though I asked them to make my pasta dish low fat, it arrived with a lot of oil in there. Thankfully it didn't trigger biliary colic that time.

You mentioned certain foods that you can't eat with crohn's. Would you mind sharing? I have so many restrictions that it's easier to say what I can eat. I can blend veggies in my Ninja if they are cooked to mush. I can have potatoes and rice and fish. No raw anything and very little fiber. Some days I have to do liquids.

Janelle,
I do have allergies. I am allergic to pepper especially. I tested negative for lactose intolerance, but I can not have even a tsp of any dairy at all. It produces violent consequences. I am avoiding wheat right now as well until I can be tested. I don't know of anything else right now. I am allergic to mold and grass also. Weird, huh?

Sam here are some of the foods that really mess me up:
dark chocolate (even a small amount), broccoli, popcorn, nuts (all kinds), barbeque sauce, pork, fried foods, if foods are really rich like some casseroles, cakes, pies, etc. (I think it is the oils??, orange juice, tomatoes, ham, oatmeal. To name a few.
Even though these foods trigger pain and discomfort I still have them in moderation. I avoid all pork though it just kills my stomach! When I am in the middle of a Crohns flare I could eat a tiny bowl of rice and I would be sick after- it's just part of living with Crohns.
The best diet for when you are having digestion problems is a "low residue diet". You can google a list of these. The only problem is some of that kind of food can have lots of calories. So you really have to watch your portions if you are watching your weight. Here is a link good info- check it out:
http://bit.ly/qY13SS
I hope you feel better soon

I am very familiar with a low residual diet. :-( I have been on a low residual diet for 2 years.

By the way, if you're struggling to find a diet that fits your GI issues, I'd suggest calorie counting. That way you can work out what you can and can't eat without the weight loss getting in the way.

Samantha thank you for starting this thread, when I read chronic bowel issues, I got alittle excited(wrong word). For years I have had problems with constipation. Had tests for everything, and yet they can't tell me what to do. I try everything to help me, but yet no answers.

Although mine is not the same type of problems you and some of the others are posting, it is right in the mix. I research all the time, what to do to get my regularity back.

The bad thing is that since I have started a lifestyle change to lose weight, which I am doing good at. It has caused my problem to worsen, I think it is becasue I cut out fried foods, junk foods, etc and they were helping me. So, now I am back to square one. Even though I eat alot of veggies, no help. My latest is to try flax seed oil. I need something to go through my system that can be digested.

I will keep an eye on this thread, just to keep looking for ideas that others have tried. My best to all of you.

Chickadeee55, have you tried whole flaxseeds, also sold as linseeds? You need to take at least 2 tablespoons a day, swallowed whole with 2 glasses of water drunk immediately afterwards. In addition to that, how many grams of fibre do you get a day, and how much are you eating in the way of wholegrains?

Esofia, thank you for your reply, I have always been told that flaxseed should be ground or taken in oil form, to get the best benefit.

I am on South Beach, Phase 2, so I have added some grains back slowly. Even steel cut oatmeal, grain breads and wheat bran and those types don't have effect on me, they bulk me up, but things just don't get moving on their own (sorry for that) plus I eat lots of raw veggies every day and yogurt.