For the last couple of weeks, I have had severe abdominal pain in a weird spot on my right side. It can't be appendicitis due to that being gone for eleven years now, and my gallbladder tests all came back normal. It's got my doctor and me stymied since test after test comes back normal.
The only thing my MRI shows that might be the problem is a lipomatous ileocecal valve. I had no idea what that was, so I did some research and found that it's somewhat common and that a massage often helps with ileocecal valve issues.
The ileocecal valve is the muscle controlling flow between the small intestine and the large intestine. If it gets stuck open for whatever reason (like fatty tissue infiltrating it), that can cause diarrhea, pain, and all sorts of problems. If it gets stuck closed for whatever reason, that can cause constipation, pain, and all sorts of problems. It's a rather important part of the GI tract, so I wish I had known about it earlier.
There are a few different ways to palpate and massage the valve closed (or open, whichever you need), and I have found a couple of them to be rather effective. First of all, the pain has moved from that spot on my side more to where the valve is, which is odd. The pain must have been referral pain or something. Secondly, some of my other symptoms have slowed down and seem to be doing better. Yesterday, as a quick test, I didn't do any massage after 1pm, and my symptoms went right back to where they had been. So, massage several times a day it is!
I found this site to be beneficial.
I like this massage a bit better.
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Monday, August 14, 2017
Not Enough Calories on GAPS Diet
While I like the idea of the GAPS diet, I was seriously under in my calories and then started having trouble with even wanting to eat (that much soup takes away my appetite, apparently). While I need to lose weight, I can't do it that way, so I have real reservations about that diet if you follow it exactly as written.
My husband is finally getting to a point in which he is ready for a massive change, so I have been slowly getting us ready for the GBR Phase 1 diet. I can't do the higher protein part of that, but I can do it with more carbs. He and my stepson can do the higher protein part, so that's the goal. The Heal Your Gut cookbook has some good recipes that are GBR Phase 1 compliant, so that will be a real help this time around, having more options.
In other news, I'm baking bread today, getting some pickles started, and starting the tomato sauce for canning. The whole wheat sourdough is fun to bake, but the canning is a bit much today.
My husband is finally getting to a point in which he is ready for a massive change, so I have been slowly getting us ready for the GBR Phase 1 diet. I can't do the higher protein part of that, but I can do it with more carbs. He and my stepson can do the higher protein part, so that's the goal. The Heal Your Gut cookbook has some good recipes that are GBR Phase 1 compliant, so that will be a real help this time around, having more options.
In other news, I'm baking bread today, getting some pickles started, and starting the tomato sauce for canning. The whole wheat sourdough is fun to bake, but the canning is a bit much today.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Well, that didn't work.
Diet plan update:
I've almost entirely given up pop (Pepsi, oh, how I miss you!), cut down on the acid most of the time only to find I still have bad heartburn, and have struggled to get the family to follow the diet plan. It's a good one, but they are stubborn. We still eat too much cheese and not enough veggies. I've started baking my own whole wheat bread from sourdough starter, and everyone seems to like that. I never fully implemented the Acid Watcher (AW) diet or the Gut Balance Revolution (GBR) diet, hoping the plan I came up with instead would help, but I've found that breaking bad dietary habits is a lot harder than I'd realized.
Some of my GI symptoms have gotten worse, though I'm closer to figuring out the worst triggers. So, I've researched and found the GAPS diet. It's a decent elimination diet, and I think it will help with getting this GI stuff under control. I do not in any way endorse this diet as a cure for anything other than GI issues, and even then, you will have to tweak it to make it best for you. It's a lot of work, not very fun, but I'm hopeful it will give my GI system a bit of a break, get things to calm down, and maybe even help with other issues.
Mini rant: The GAPS diet does not cure autism, and frankly, it offends me massively that anyone would think so. Autism is a state of being, a natural way brains sometimes work, and there is no reason (or way) to "fix" or "cure" anyone who has it. Our society is better off for having autistics in our lives, and anyone who tortures their child in order to "fix" or "cure" him or her is a disgusting abuser. Yes, sometimes diet changes help with the sensitivity issues, and if that works for you or your loved one, that's great, but don't think it's any kind of cure. Autistics don't need to be cured. They are awesome the way they are. This rant also applies to the many other mental health issues the diet proclaims to cure. That's a bunch of bunk.
Considering this has been a rough summer for me health-wise and considering my stepson returns for the school year in three weeks, I've decided to go on the GAPS introduction diet for three weeks, and then we will all go on the Phase 1 of the Gut Balance Revolution diet right before school starts. We still stay on that for the full first month, and then we will move to Phase 2. It isn't optimal, but it's what we're going to have to do. My stepson has come around to going back on the GBR diet, finally admitting that he felt better on it, and my son and daughter will have to go along, though I'm allowing them to cheat a bit, as their metabolisms are much higher, and they don't have any weight to lose.
This morning, I started with some packaged bone broth (Pacific makes a tasty one), but I cheated with 4 Ritz crackers. That made me realize that I needed to get a pot of soup going on the stove, so I went to the garden, picked what I needed, and I have a veggie chicken soup going in the cast iron pot now. That will be for lunch and probably dinner, too. I also have chicken to get in the pressure cooker, but that will be in a bit. I have to plan out the rest of the week, as I'm taking at least five days per phase in the GAPS diet to give my system the break it needs. The kids are at their other parents' houses this week, so my husband and I are doing this hardest part this week. He'll be eating more normally the rest of the day, just going along with the soups for dinner.
We will see how this goes, but honestly, I'm desperate to get my GI system evened out. I'm using the Heal Your Gut Cookbook for ideas and recipes, and I'm hopeful it can help for these three weeks, and that should make the transition to the GBR Phase 1 diet much easier.
I've almost entirely given up pop (Pepsi, oh, how I miss you!), cut down on the acid most of the time only to find I still have bad heartburn, and have struggled to get the family to follow the diet plan. It's a good one, but they are stubborn. We still eat too much cheese and not enough veggies. I've started baking my own whole wheat bread from sourdough starter, and everyone seems to like that. I never fully implemented the Acid Watcher (AW) diet or the Gut Balance Revolution (GBR) diet, hoping the plan I came up with instead would help, but I've found that breaking bad dietary habits is a lot harder than I'd realized.
Some of my GI symptoms have gotten worse, though I'm closer to figuring out the worst triggers. So, I've researched and found the GAPS diet. It's a decent elimination diet, and I think it will help with getting this GI stuff under control. I do not in any way endorse this diet as a cure for anything other than GI issues, and even then, you will have to tweak it to make it best for you. It's a lot of work, not very fun, but I'm hopeful it will give my GI system a bit of a break, get things to calm down, and maybe even help with other issues.
Mini rant: The GAPS diet does not cure autism, and frankly, it offends me massively that anyone would think so. Autism is a state of being, a natural way brains sometimes work, and there is no reason (or way) to "fix" or "cure" anyone who has it. Our society is better off for having autistics in our lives, and anyone who tortures their child in order to "fix" or "cure" him or her is a disgusting abuser. Yes, sometimes diet changes help with the sensitivity issues, and if that works for you or your loved one, that's great, but don't think it's any kind of cure. Autistics don't need to be cured. They are awesome the way they are. This rant also applies to the many other mental health issues the diet proclaims to cure. That's a bunch of bunk.
Considering this has been a rough summer for me health-wise and considering my stepson returns for the school year in three weeks, I've decided to go on the GAPS introduction diet for three weeks, and then we will all go on the Phase 1 of the Gut Balance Revolution diet right before school starts. We still stay on that for the full first month, and then we will move to Phase 2. It isn't optimal, but it's what we're going to have to do. My stepson has come around to going back on the GBR diet, finally admitting that he felt better on it, and my son and daughter will have to go along, though I'm allowing them to cheat a bit, as their metabolisms are much higher, and they don't have any weight to lose.
This morning, I started with some packaged bone broth (Pacific makes a tasty one), but I cheated with 4 Ritz crackers. That made me realize that I needed to get a pot of soup going on the stove, so I went to the garden, picked what I needed, and I have a veggie chicken soup going in the cast iron pot now. That will be for lunch and probably dinner, too. I also have chicken to get in the pressure cooker, but that will be in a bit. I have to plan out the rest of the week, as I'm taking at least five days per phase in the GAPS diet to give my system the break it needs. The kids are at their other parents' houses this week, so my husband and I are doing this hardest part this week. He'll be eating more normally the rest of the day, just going along with the soups for dinner.
We will see how this goes, but honestly, I'm desperate to get my GI system evened out. I'm using the Heal Your Gut Cookbook for ideas and recipes, and I'm hopeful it can help for these three weeks, and that should make the transition to the GBR Phase 1 diet much easier.
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