Tomatoes are fine. I have them often. Onion and garlic are still in my diet. I question garlic, though. I kind of refuse to give it up, anyway. I need some flavor, dammit. Fry sauce equals no way and ouch. (Blame the mayo and buttermilk.)
I also balance my fiber regularly. I make sure to get a small amount of insoluble (even I need at least some), and I make sure I get plenty of soluble fiber (add fiber to water and food). Soluble fiber used in the right amount helps tremendously. It sort of acts like a barrier of... um... mush... around all of my food. Helps it pass without causing so much inflammation. Plus, anything that helps me not feel the food the entire way down my tract is a huge bonus. (I hate feeling everything.)
I had been on medicine that was supposed to help this. I've been labeled with the blanket term "Irritable Bowel Syndrome" and have been given medicine accordingly in the past. However, the prescription made no sense. I was prescribed amitriptyline, a tricyclic anti-depressant that did more damage than help. I ended up stuck in bed, with severe fatigue, all while having the worst kind of messed up dreams I've ever had. Oh, and my abdomen ballooned out to the point where I couldn't wear pants when I was on it. Enteric nervous system theories fail to come up with successful treatments.
I think my diagnosis is wrong. Everyone I have ever talked to that has "IBS" has very different symptoms than I do. In fact, they all have different symptoms from each other. I see IBS to be doctor terminology for, "I don't know why, but you have digestive issues. Here's a diagnosis to make you go away. Oh yeah, and just deal with it. No one is going to help you." It's how many people are treated. US doctors simply suck when it comes to treating most digestive issues unless it is among the few buzz diseases like celiac's, crohn's, ulcerative colitis. or cancer- then they're somewhat mediocre.
I've been asking around and looking for a good doctor for a while now. I want to have the whole slew of tests done again. This time without fasting for most, if possible. The one time I didn't fast, they actually saw inflammation. Wow, a physically observable reason for my symptoms! I'll keep trying until I can find someone that is at least willing to help and can come up with some form of definitive answer. (IBS is not a definitive answer, dammit.) A doctor who stops trying and says "Deal with it," is no doctor at all. Hippocratic oath, my ass.
I did find one doctor that may have been able to help, but, alas, my ****ing health insurance was not accepted. ****ing **** pickles. I'll have to wait a few years until I have some money and better insurance. The tests are very expensive. $250 copays, minimum for major ones plus time lost as a result. (Colonoscopy prep makes me sick, sick sick for days.) Also, paying for the medicines, doctor visits, and everything has left me broke and will be even more costly in the future.
I don't know where I was going with this now. I guess my point is I don't fully know what's going on. I do know that several signs point to food allergies. I just have internal reactions rather than external. I feel like it's similar to a "dermatitis of the intestines", for lack of good analogy for descripton. (Except the problems start in my stomach. Immediate nausea and stabbing pain being the reason I think so.)
To quote Death to Smoochy, "I'm ****ed up in general, so it's kind of hard to gauge."
To help treat myself, I have used a few things. Fennel, ginger, and peppermint seem to alleviate some of my symptoms, even if only slightly. Mostly just helps with bloating and pain. Doesn't always work, though. Vitamins helps when I manage some form of absorption, usually when I stuff myself with bread to slow down passage. Probiotics help sometimes, but like everything it doesn't always work. Exercise helps some, by kicking my immune system into action, but this only works when I'm not weak as hell.
So with this overload of information that's probably made you all very uncomfortable and develop some kind of creepy love for you food.... What did I eat in the last 24 hours?
*1 Peppermint/fennel/ginger pill
*A medium serving of pasta with tomato sauce
*A few dairy free, egg free cookies
*1 Thai Kitchen Spring Onion Soup Bowl (Somehow, these seem to be safe for me.)
*2 servings of soy milk
*Half of a tea
Thats it. I feel okay today, although somewhat hungry. I seem to feel best in the semi-starved state.
EDIT: Any antibiotics I've been on have made it worse. Usually takes a while to recover from the aftermath, too. I thought I would add that, in case someone thought of suggesting it.
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