So Much Gas

My two biggest issues since developing crohns has been

1. A few periods of time when I was getting intense cramps 15+ times per day. These were pretty bad but luckily rowasa enema's have seemed to stop them

2. Constant guess/stomach gurgling/etc

The latter is happening constantly and it's getting to the point that I can barely work a 2-3 hour shift without getting up several times, excusing myself, etc....I have even avoided hanging out with people at night lately because holding the gas in gets really uncomfortable. If I am alone at my house I can relieve myself in which case it's not as terrible, but still irritating to constantly have the stomach gurgling, feeling bloated, and passing gas.

I am into bodybuilding, so my diet is very healthy, but I feel like a lot of the healthier foods cause me the most issues. For instance right now I am only eating 2400 calories per day (maintenance for my size is ~3000 calories). If I have a 5-6000 calorie "cheat day" of junk food I honestly feel better than a 3500 calorie "carb up" of healthier alternatives like oatmeal, pasta, potatoes, etc.....and it's not just the fiber (although I'm sure this is a contributing factor) as even on my cheat days my fiber isn't low.

I'm currently dieting and hungry very often so I don't want to cut down volume of food much because I like it to fill me up, but at the same time the gas is getting unbearable.

Any thoughts? A typical day right now for me would be
Meal 1: Protein shake + piece of fruit + 1tbsp peanut butter
Meal 2: 6oz squash + 12oz sweet potato + 5oz chicken + 1/2 cup salsa + cheese + 1/2 cup oatmeal
Meal 3: 12oz spinach, 1/2 cup salsa, 5oz chicken, Decaf coffee + almond milk.
Meal 4: Fat Free popcorn, 1 cup oatmeal, 2 cups cottage cheese

Which for me is not much but maybe for some people that sounds like a lot.

In the past I have tried 2 weeks with no dairy, and another 2 weeks with no gluten. Neither made a noticeable difference.

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'd rather not go to the next level of medication if it's just for gas discomfort and I can change it through diet but like I said I can't stand being hungry 24/7 so just eating super low volume high calorie dense food would be rough as well.

Thanks

big betty said...
Have you heard of the FODMAP diet? Having lots of gas is very uncomfortable and this diet really helped me out, I would even say it was life changing. I do miss apples, though.

I had not heard of it previously. I just looked it up....it unfortunately would take away a large portion (the majority really) of food I currently eat. Sticking to a bodybuilding diet I am already somewhat limited and this would really cut out a lot of my current foods.

If it's the only way I could try it. But as mentioned in the past taking out dairy and taking out gluten didn't seem to benefit me.

How long did it take for the FODMAP diet to make a difference? And did you eventually reintroduce some of the foods you took out?

I too am big into weight lifting, try to follow a similar diet, and also have similar symptoms. A typical diet for me per day is 6 egg whites, pre-workout shakes, protein shakes, pound of chicken, white rice, and whatever else. Generally whenever I eat I have constant growling in my intestines and when I flare I have terrible bloating/gas. Prior to my last flare (which I am currently in) I had great luck supplementing with a quality probiotic (garden of life probiotics). These probiotics cut down on the stomach noises by about 80%, which made life much easier. I am currently in a flare so it seems everything causes bloating and gas. Like you I have found that eliminating gluten, dairy, or introducing a FODMAP diet had no improvement in my symptoms. For me the only thing that helps me in a bad flare is Prednisone and hopefully Remicade which I just restarted.

David,

My hubby was dx with Crohn's 38 years ago so dealing with gas problems has been a major problem as well as maintaining his weight ( 4 surgeries = short bowel syndrome).

The following foods may be beneficial for Crohn’s patients to avoid:

• Fried foods: Overall, these foods may not be good for your health, and they also can cause diarrhea and gas.
• Butter, margarine, and oils: These foods may cause diarrhea and gas, especially in patients who have had bowel removal surgery.
• Dairy products: Especially in patients with lactose intolerance.
• Raw fruits and vegetables: While fruits and vegetables are essential to a nutritious diet, in raw form these foods can cause gas.
• High fiber foods: Also a gas producer, Crohn’s patients should avoid these foods as much as possible to maintain ease on the digestive tract.
• Alcohol: Not only will alcohol potentially have a negative interaction with any Crohn’s medications you’re currently taking, it may dehydrate you, making it difficult for you to drink enough water to maintain a balance. It’s wise for Crohn’s patients to refrain from drinking alcohol as much as they can.
• Caffeine: Caffeine stimulates the small intestines, which makes diarrhea worse. Stay away from coffee, but also avoid sodas, which contain both caffeine and carbonation—which may cause bloating.

Glancing through your current dietary intake I see squash,  sweet potato +   oatmeal as high fiber foods you seem to eat daily.

If you’re working with your doctor to find a nutritional balance that works for you, try keeping a food diary. Track the foods you eat, noting your corresponding symptoms. This will help you and your physician determine if certain foods are exacerbating your symptoms, helping you avoid them in the future.

For Crohn’s patients interested in keeping symptoms at bay without increasing medications, gaining control over your nutritional intake may be the key to finding a way to manage Crohn’s symptoms while being as healthy as possible.

I admire you for looking for ways to manage your nutritional status as well as the sx certain foods may cause you.

Simethicone ( GasX ) is used to relieve painful pressure caused by excess gas in the stomach and intestines.

Never use more than the recommended dose of simethicone.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take this medicine if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have any type of serious illness (especially one that affects your stomach or intestines).

This helps my hubby when he knows his problem is related to his diet.

Kindly,

Kitt

 

 

So basically it looks like, again, the recommendation is to remove a large portion of the foods I currently eat :(

What do you think of GasX + beano? I have never tried either. It seems like both have studies supporting their use, but on the forums it looks like those with Crohn's haven't responded too well to them, I wonder why that would be?

I could try the FODMAP diet with probiotics for a month as mentioned, but if the GasX and Beano would do the trick that would be nice too.

It's weird, it seems to always be later in the day too. It's ~5pm now and I've barely passed much gas all day. A little bit but very normal. usually later at night is when it starts getting ridiculous. I thought it might have been related to the spinach I usually eat at dinner (12oz frozen) but apparently that's on the acceptable foods list for FODMAP diet.

big betty said...
David--you're correct in saying that the FODMAP diet and the IGG allergy issue are two different things. Sorry if my last post was confusing.
The way that food intolerances were explained to me is that some people with leaky gut, or a compromised gut barrier, (as in ulcers from crohns), can sometimes develop reactions to proteins that leak through the barrier. The immune system is exposed to things that should not be leaking through, and that's where the IGG antibodies come from. I'm sure many people with crohns don't have this problem, but I felt much better when I stopped consuming foods that I was reacting to. I've read that some of the most likely problem foods are eggs, yeast, milk protein, etc, but everyone is different. I am thankful that I can still eat dark chocolate : )

Honestly I'm sure there are foods I'm eating that I shouldn't be because they cause me too much discomfort, I guess I just haven't wanted to take things out since my diet is already pretty restrictive.

So how would I go about getting this allergy test done for specific foods?

Also, if there is a reaction to these foods do you know if that means they are actually causing a health issue (i.e. I am causing actual damage to my GI tract or shortening my life) or is it just causing temporary discomfort that will go away when the food is not being eaten?

Emergency Services said...
When I was having problems with gas and bloating it would happen later in the day as well. I work night shifts, waking up at 1000-1100 hours and the bloating would start around 1800-1900 hours, regardless of what I ate. I thought it could be lactose or gluten intolerance and had the tests done but that wasn't the case. I was fine drinking pre-workout and post workout shakes but whenever I tried eating anything I would have issues. I have never had any luck with gas-x or similar products. I am currently taking 40mg prednisone to get over the bloating and stomach issues, which that coupled with probiotics and "pearls - intestinal gas" has helped eliminate, but who knows after the prednisone is gone.

Well that's good the prednisone is working for you. It's something I really don't want to take though and personally I'd choose gas over prednisone.

I will look into pearls - intestinal gas" and and getting back on the probiotics.

Thanks for the input.

scum1 said...
Maybe just try removing 1 food at a time and see if you notice a difference. Like skip the popcorn for a week. If nothing changes add it back and remove something else for a week. And so on. Maybe then you can find the culprit. I mean you are fairly regimented in your eating already so it should be easy for you. What kind of protein shake do you use? That could make a difference I think also.

I considered that but the inherent flaw in that method is that multiple foods could be causing an issue. So let's say 5 foods are causing me problems and I take 1 out, well then I'm still going to have problems. Then I'll add that 1 food back in thinking it wasn't a problem when in reality it was a problem but with 4 other problem foods being consumed I likely wouldn't notice a significant difference from just removing 1.

The shake is just a standard whey concentrate protein shake.

True but it's worth a shot. If it does not work then you can try something more extreme like foodmap

David1991 said...

scum1 said...
Maybe just try removing 1 food at a time and see if you notice a difference. Like skip the popcorn for a week. If nothing changes add it back and remove something else for a week. And so on. Maybe then you can find the culprit. I mean you are fairly regimented in your eating already so it should be easy for you. What kind of protein shake do you use? That could make a difference I think also.

I considered that but the inherent flaw in that method is that multiple foods could be causing an issue. So let's say 5 foods are causing me problems and I take 1 out, well then I'm still going to have problems. Then I'll add that 1 food back in thinking it wasn't a problem when in reality it was a problem but with 4 other problem foods being consumed I likely wouldn't notice a significant difference from just removing 1.

The shake is just a standard whey concentrate protein shake.

They collect a few drops of blood in the naturopath's office and send it off to a lab to do the testing. The lab sends back a report that tells you what foods you had a reaction to, if any, and how severe the reaction was. US BioTek was the name of the lab that did mine. Not sure how they do it with only a few drops of blood, I guess it only takes a little.