To Eat Or Not To Eat
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| Wed, 04-06-2005 - 6:18pm |
I used to try eating bland foods no fiber (veggies and fruit and the like made me cramp worse) because I thought this would help with the diarrhea attacks. Well, needless to say it did not work. Mostly going without eating anything when I had to work or go some place I could not get out of. Then I had to know about it a day or two before so I would plan not to eat.
I started the calcium and for 3 months I told no one because I did not think this could help. But it did from the very first day. Over the past 7 years I have fined tuned the info from my own experience and the emails and posting of others to get it down to a very good program to try if you are suffering from diarrhea.
For 23 years doctors never help putting you through testing to try to find the problem and never finding anything and making you feel like you are crazy and telling you to just live with it and this is no way to live. The meds I took were fiber, lomotil, bentyl, levsin, sulfa drugs, vocodin for pain mylanta for gas and indigestion and others I can not recall I am sure, and I used imodium liquid and tabs like I owned stock in the company. I took vitamins thinking I was not eating right and not getting the proper nourishment and this for sure made things worse. I found out that Vitamin A, C and E and magnesium contained in multi vitamins will only add to the stomach upset and diarrhea.
You need to make sure you have no other serious problems first. Then stop all over the counter meds you can because everything has some sort of side effects just as the calcium carbonate has a side effect of constipation but if you does it right and time it right it can not cure but control the diarrhea. We are all different and I can say it will not work for every one but it has helped a great number of people.
You must start with 1/2 pill at your 3 meals a day for the first 3 days. If you do not you will have gas and indigestion and most likely will give up to soon and think it will not work for you. You can use simethicone if you get gas and this seems to work pretty well for the first adjustment period. You can also use imodium if you are having diarrhea and need to take it. After the first 3 days of that you adjust the dose or the timing as to what is going on with you. If you are still having attacks the increase the amount. If your attacks are at a certain time of day the I can offer help as to how to change your timing of the dose. You can then add back slowly foods you thought you could not eat and see what happens. In most cases you are able to eat normally. The only thing I have found to bother most is iceberg lettuces and a large amount of tomato sauce because of the acid. If you eat the tomato sauce and I do just do it in small amounts. Everything else if fair game for me.
If you should have a diarrhea problem while you are on the calcium it is usually short lived one episode and over and no pain like before.. But this can be from food not prepared properly or stored properly and this will effect even normal people from time to time.
It is not a cure just a control and you must take it at regular intervals every day with your food to keep it working. Calcium is something we most likely do not get enough of and it also helps the bones and teeth even if you are a man or a woman.
I am always glad to help when I can I am no doctor but I know what has helped me and many others and anyone who needs some encouragement or help in sorting out how to get the calcium to work for you I am here.
Linda
