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Fast Track Diet/ Digestive Health Institute part 2

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Posted 12/18/2014 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
Here is part 2 of this thread as the original is getting pretty long.

Link to part 1

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2594335&p=7

Take care,
Bill
Posted 12/18/2014 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
Posted by Vicky888

hi all,
just wondering for those wo have been successful keeping gerd/lpr at bay with fast tract diet. does it means that you have sibo?

my main symptom is bloating/belching. i have asked my doc whether i have sibo, but he dismissed it and said the bloating is because of my esophagus is too sensitive. i havent done any hydrogen breath test yet.
at the moment my diet is based on kaufman diet which is approved by my doc. and the fast tract diet seems to be against it. if i combine them both, it'll be too hard as i'm afraid i'll loose more weight.

my doc prescribed me amitriptyline, and at 30mg i still experience bloating, so he told me to keep upping the dosage to 50mg but before i do that i wonder whether you guys have done any test /breath test to confirm carbo malabsoption so the fast tract diet is the way to go...

thank you
Posted 12/18/2014 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
Posted by Electracat

Hi Vicky,

This is a really quick reply (and I need to reply to some others, individually, big apologies!!!), but--how could your esophagus affect your stomach? I believe it's the other way around. I also personally feel that Fast Tract addresses the gut issues (and SIBO seems very possible, given your symptoms), whereas Koufman's seems to address the effect of pepsin/acid on the upper-airway tissues.

I would definitely give Fast Tract a go. It's helped me (and I have similar symptoms), and it's not calorie-restrictive. I don't think you'll lose weight on it (I'm maintaining mine, now, on it).

Baffles me why a doctor would not consider gut problems before he prescribes a med for 'sensitivity'. That med can help certain things, but if bloating and belching are big symptoms, that's a big clue that the gut is the cause of things! Good luck!
Posted 12/18/2014 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
Posted by Vicky888

thanks for replying electra!
have you been tested positive for sibo?
i am actually wondering whether fast tract diet works only for those who has gerd from sibo.

i'm thinking to get sibo test and if it's positive i'll switch to fast tract diet 100% but before that, i'm scared of making drastic changes especially when at the moment i'm trying to wean off nexium.
unfortunately i was told that i have to stop nexium for a week at least before i can go for sibo test, and next week is already xmas holiday!

the prob with fast tract diet is, it seems to replace the carbo with fat and protein. with fat, is actually against the kaufman diet of low fat-low acid that i'm currently in.
would you mind to share what you have for your meals?
breakfast: i have 1/2cup oatmeal (just with water) + egg + 1/2 cup papaya + 2 slices avocado
lunch: white rice (1bowl) + chicken + carrot + mushroom + pumpkin + tofu + bokchoi
dinner the same as lunch
i have avoided diary and any other fruits, and eat exactly the same everyday. and with this i still havr symptoms that are all over the place (sometimes less bloating sometimes more bloating)
Posted 12/18/2014 2:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Vicky.

My symptoms are improving, and I'm pretty sure I know why. I'm eating more food. Lots of it. There is a well known link between gastroparesis (slow stomach emptying) and eating disorders (or caloric restriction). Slow stomach emptying can lead to reflux. The same link is found between constipation and eating disorders.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2982.2010.01621.x/pdf

An excerpt: "Abnormalities in lower GI tract function are also associated with EDs (eating disorders). In anorexia nervosa, for example, the prevalence of constipation is very high, up to 100%, and delayed colonic transit time is probably due to restrictive eating behavior. Interestingly, colonic transit is normal or returns to normal in the majority of patients once they are consuming a balanced weight gain or weight maintenance diet for at least 3 weeks. Furthermore, dysfunction of the propagating migrating motor complexes and altered intestinal motility has been described in anorexia nervosa and resolved completely upon renutrition. These findings indicate that EDs can induce altered GE (gastric emptying), GI motility and sensation. These impairments resolve in most patients upon refeeding, which indicates that they are a consequence of malnutrition."

I'm still doing low-FODMAP, which is very similar to Fast Tract (with lots and lots of Jasmine rice). But now my number one priority is ensuring that I eat until I'm completely satisfied -- I never let myself feel hungry. I've been doing this for the past 5 or 6 days. My symptoms have dramatically improved. Very little bloating, and the bloating doesn't feel painful or uncomfortable, as it did before. Almost no reflux. No stomach burning. And I'm regular -- every morning, no straining. And I also feel much calmer; almost no anxiety.

Best wishes.

Scott
Posted 12/19/2014 10:46 AM (GMT 0)
hi scott,
thank u for replying!
i actually confused with this whole bloating thing.

the reflux started 6 weeks after i had my appendectomy which during that time i was given heavy antibiotics. i might have bit of gas in my stomach but not so bad, after i experienced severe heartburn which was triggered by eating a pear, i suddenly started having major bloating from the very next day.
i read some articles saying reflux can cause bloating because people with esophagitis tend to swallow air more than healthy people.
when i went to see my doc, he put me to gastroparesis test, the result was negative, and my doc then prescribed me with nexium 40mg.

4 months with nexium, the bloating persists but endoscopy showed that my esoohagus and throat were clear. my doc dismissed the bloating as my stomach being sensitive. he then prescribed me with nerve drug amitriptyline aside from nexium
at the moment i am at 30mg amitriptyline but still bloating, and my doc said i might need to up my dosage to 50mg and stay with nexium.

now, since i know my esophagitis has healed, i'm actually suspecting that nexium has actually contributing to my bloating symptom. i have read some articles saying side effect of ppi is bloating. some article even say that ppi can cause gastroparesis and the main symptom of gastroparesis is bloating!
some articles also say ppi cause sibo, candida and with sibo or candida the symptoms are also bloating & reflux.
i mentioned all these to my doc but he dismissed them and insisted that it's just my aniexty has caused my stomach being sensitive :(

i am confused which diet i should go especially now i'm tapering down nexium.
diet for gastroparesis is low fat low fibre
diet for reflux from koufman is low fat low acid
diet for sibo from fast tract/fodmap is low carb but high fat & protein
i can't possibly go for all :(

have you got any advice which step i should go now?
i'm thinking to take hydrogen breath test for sibo...
i cant go for gastroparesis test again without any doc referral...

thanks again scott for commenting!
Posted 12/19/2014 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
vicky,

you clearly have a gut issue. so u need to heal it with FODMAP/Fast track diet or SCD diet. all u need from the koufman diet is stay away from low PH acidic foods or additives.

a good probiotic is GI Prohealth SCD 10+ i take one daily... sometimes 2.. this will populate your gut with good bacteria.

a shortcut with SIBO, is getting a doc to prescribe you XIFAXAN, this basically kills all the bacteria in the gut and gives you a clean start. i had basically no gas at all when i took it. XIFAXAN is basically a last ditch effort. cause you can't just keeping taking, the bacteria eventually get immune. but if you do it right you reset your gut and populate it with good bacteria. no more gas issues.

but you can't go eating sugars and carbs right after it defeats the whole purpose of it. you gotta start taking good probiotics... and eating a more protein and fat based diet.

for example i make almond flour bread... and eat grass fed steak and fish. i also eat sushi rice cause its easy to digest.

Dr. Pimental is foremost authority on sibo his book is pretty good.
http://anewibssolution.com/


if you have anxiety you should get meds to treat that as well.


hope that helps you people with SIBO.
Posted 12/19/2014 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
Vicki, I was on the Kauffman diet for over a year, but Fact Tract has helped me more. I also have had a lot of belching, but it is far less than before I Found Fast Tract. I don't follow it strictly, but focusing on the foods he recommends with lower fermentation potential has been very helpful. The SIBO information didn't ring true for me, though. He said my belching is from poorly digested food, pushing gas up my esophagus and causing heartburn. I also occasionally take Bean o, a digestive aid, and Gas ex to help with the gas, and mabe 1or2 TUMS per day. You have to get off acid reducing meds for this diet to be helpful.

Post Edited (sunbeam48) : 12/19/2014 4:42:32 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/20/2014 3:26 AM (GMT 0)
thanks sunbeam, sk55!
is it possible to have sibo without constipation and/or diarrhea?
i don't have any issue with constipation or diarrhea, my doc also didnt say anything about sibo after my endoscopy & biopsies. but i understand the gold standart for sibo is from hydrogen breath test (lavtulose + glucose) not endoscopy.

sunbeam, sk55 have you guys been diagnosed with sibo based on any test?
i have to wait until xmas/new year holiday finish to get a breath test :(

i have been reducing nexium since 1st oct going from 40mg to 10mg every 3rd day which was 2days ago. i'm thinking to stop completely now - praying hard that it's gonna be ok! 🙏

i noticed that low fodmap diet is different from fast tract. eg. mushrooms, avocados, onions are in the no-no list for fodmap but they are considered ok in fast tract.
do you think fast tract is more suitable diet for sibo?

thanks guys!
Posted 12/20/2014 3:47 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Vicky.

I know what you're going through, believe me. There's so much confusion about which diet is best. I don't know what will help you, but I'll tell you what helps me. I hope it can help you, too.

I'm eating a low-FODMAP diet that's also low acid. And it's similar to what Robillard recommends in his Fast Tract diet. For fruits, I eat honey dew, cantaloupe and papaya. I try to ensure they're ripe.

I eat 5 meals a day, spaced about 3 hours apart. Each meal looks like this:

100g fruit (usually honey dew or cantaloupe; I only eat papaya once a day)
120g Jasmine white rice
100g skinless chicken thigh (or 100g salmon, once a day)
60g steamed carrots
25g steamed kale
1 egg yolk, or 1 oz cheddar cheese
sea salt

I drink about a liter of water a day, sometimes less. I try not to drink with meals. I usually wait about 1.5 hours before drinking water. No alcohol, chocolate, spices, tobacco, mint, coffee/tea. And I eat my last meal 3 hours before bed. I'm making sure I get plenty of calories.

One more thing. I was eating Jasmine rice from Lundgren Farms. But I've noticed that after it's refrigerated it becomes very hard and clumpy (Robillard says this means it's high in resistant starch). I've since tried two other types of Jasmine white rice, and they both remain mostly "sticky" even after refrigeration. So I stopped eating the Jasmine rice from Lundgren.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm not cured. I doubt that I'll ever be cured. But I'm feeling much better. I hope you will feel better, too, and soon.

Also, are you taking any NSAID medications? These are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin, ibuprofen and Aleve (naproxen?). They are linked to an increased risk of these symptoms -- functional dyspepsia (indigestion).

Scott
Posted 12/21/2014 12:13 AM (GMT 0)
Vicki, I wasn't tested for SIBO, nor did I have those symptoms. But getting off the Kaufmann diet and eating more of the foods recommended in Fast Tract did help over time. I don't know the answers to your questions about SIBO. I consulted with Norm Robillard through the Digestive Health Institute, that was helpful. I eat yogurt every morning, along with an egg, toast and fruit. Lunch is often homemade vegetable soup of some kind. Afternoon snack of milk and pretzels, mozzarella cheese sticks often. Dinner of meat and vegetables, potatoes or rice more often than pasta. I make my Jasmine rice with extra liquid so it doesn't clump up. Eating small meals is important, and I try not to eat after 6:00 pm.

Post Edited (sunbeam48) : 12/20/2014 5:24:18 PM (GMT-7)

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