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Diet post-fundo - acid forming vs. gas producing

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Posted 6/26/2010 7:26 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I decided to post this separately as it may affect some others.

I'm now 6 weeks post fundo and saw my consultant yesterday.  My gas bloat has pretty much passed now, for which I'm thankful, but I still have a burning stomach a lot of the time.  I did/do have some stomach damage from prior to the surgery so I'm going back on the PPIs for a trial period.

One of the problems is that by eating a non-gas producing diet, I am now mostly eating a protein-based one which is very acid forming and causing my stomach to be too acidic and possibly more damage.

It may just settle down once I can eat more carbs and veg again (more alkaline foods) or I may need further treatment in case there is a small ulcer, etc.

I just thought it worth mentioning in case anybody else is having these dietary problems.

x

Posted 6/26/2010 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
There are non-gas foods besides protein. I get along well with all the leafy greens, but spinach causes gas for some. White rice is good, but anything with bran, including brown rice, is gassy.
Fruits cause gas, although citrus doesn't. I have good luck with beets. Yogurt with live culture is good, but most other milk products are not. I do OK with lactose-free milk because it's the milk sugar that's the problem.

I don't mind leaving out the starches because I can still afford to lose a few pounds, and that's what the liver makes cholesterol from too.

I hope we'll hear suggestions from others because I still bloat badly when I cheat on the diet 8 months out.
Posted 6/26/2010 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Alcie,

I did okay on spinach actually, and I noticed you mentioned kale in another post. I eat a lot of rice as my husband is Thai and it is our main starch. I really don't mind missing out on bread as it never makes you feel great at the best of times and I'm also happy with the weight loss since surgery. I eat potatoes about once a week. I used to eat porridge every day for breakfast and haven't tried that yet, though I may try a small bowl next week.

I did a bit more research this morning and bought peppers, celery, avocados and tomatoes, plus cottage cheese and natural yogurt (which I made dip out of for a picnic). Fruit-wise I've had nectarines and grapes. Because of my acidity, the thought of even eating an orange scares the life out of me!

Unfortunately the general rule of thumb is vegetables and starches/carbs = alkaline, and proteins (meat, fish, dairy) = acid.
I know there are foods which will fall between both but it's pretty tricking picking them out.

Thanks for all your help. The internet certainly is a wonderful thing, isn't it??

x
Posted 6/26/2010 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
I don't worry about acitidy at all. It's never been a cause of any problem for me. After all the stomach is supposed to be acid. But if it bothers you you can opt for oj with calcium, which is very low acid.

I stick to the veggies that are low carb/starch because generally these don't get digested by the gut bacteria into gas. Things I would think would be good torn out to be bad for gas: whole wheat, brown rice ... Soluble fiber can also produce gas. I get a little with oatmeal, but not enough to stop me eating it. I do have a problem with eggs, and I'm sure you know that the sulfur in the egg gets turned into stinky gas. Asparagus is in the sulfur group also.

I have to stay away from grapes because they naturally contain sulfite, but blueberries and strawberries, nectarines, peaches, melons are ok - in not huge quantities.
Posted 6/27/2010 8:37 AM (GMT 0)
Okay thanks. I thought grapes were in the good group!

If the acid balance in the stomach gets out of whack, that's when problems occur so I guess that has happened to me. When I had my endoscopy, there were areas of damage in my stomach.

Eggs have been fine for me but asparagus in the early days was terrible! Not tried it lately.

I had a bean (butter bean, kidney bean, chick peas, etc) salad last week and it was okay which was a great surprise! I will maybe start to try more vegetables next week and see if I can tolerate them.

x
Posted 6/27/2010 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
Grapes are fine for some, although they have a lot of sugar, which contributes to gas. My problem is a sulfite allergy/sensitivity/intolerance.

Are you on anything for the stomach? PPIs, other acid reducers? There shouldn't be any problem with acid in the stomach unless you have ulcers - wich I assume is your "stomach damage." How you take your meds makes a huge difference in how they work. When I was on PPIs I had to make sure to take them 45 min before eating in the AM.
Posted 6/27/2010 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
Yes the consultant put me back on the PPIs for a trial period. If they help (meaning there is a problem), then he will provide further treatment. The improvement is immediate unfortunately - I feel absolutely fine after taking them for 2 days. Looks like there is still some work to be done!

This link is quite useful to explain how acid can damage the stomach.
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Stomach-(Gastric)-Ulcer.htm
Posted 6/27/2010 9:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all-
I am now just over 13 months out from Nissen redo and I really don't get much bloating anymore unless I drink something carbonated.

Take care,
Bill
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