Okay, gut people... (TMI, sorry)

[Janie Grace]

You know who you are. I have gut issues and I do not want to go to my doctor and get prescribed medication to fix my symptoms. Something is "off" and I want to figure out how to fix the root problem. 

 

I'm not anti-doctor; I'll see the doctor if I need to. I'd just like to hear if this is something others have dealt with and if there's a simple way to fix it. 

 

For the past 6-8 months, I have been having diarrhea (sorry TMI) after eating salad. It's really weird because it's not every time, it's maybe two out of three salads. It doesn't matter if it's a prepared salad, a salad bar, or a salad I made myself from our organic CSA lettuce. It's just that I often get cramp-causing, violent diarrhea anywhere from 3-12 hours after eating lettuce. Sometimes it's just a bother and other times it's incapacitating. 

 

Today I was sick from a salad I ate last night. The cramps/runs subsided around noon but I have been bloated (think, "is she 5 months pregnant?") all day. Since about dinnertime, I've been able to burp out the extra air (wow, this is gross, I'm sorry) and am a lot less bloated, but it's still rumbling around in there and I'm not looking forward to lying down. I have a bit of reflux in the back of my throat too.

 

I have loose stools almost every day (not crazy, post-salad diarrhea, but still...). I go 3-4 times a day. This is way more than I used to. I have to sleep according to where I can feel the extra air in my stomach (I lie so the "bubble" is under me, or I'm uncomfortable). All of this seems weird to me. 

 

What I'm wondering is, could something be off with my gut? I had antibiotics about a month ago for a nasty cough that wouldn't go away, and the time before that was two summers ago for Lyme (a *long* stint of abx). I do eat some yogurt, but that's it (in terms of micro-biotic stuff) -- just haven't gone there with kombucha or other fermented stuff. And then someone told me that this kind of thing can be caused by a certain bacteria. I guess I'm confused about how to make sure you have enough of the right bacteria but not the wrong ones... and how you know if you need abx to kill the bad guys or probiotics to give you more good guys. 

 

Or maybe this doesn't have to do with bacteria at all and I'm just allergic to lettuce now? I mean, is anyone allergic to lettuce? That is so random. I keep eating salad because I refuse to live the rest of my life as a non-salad-eater, but it's getting kind of ridiculous. I'm so over my stomach being upset. I feel like I waste so much time during the day running to the bathroom.

 

So... what should I do?

[maize]

Not an expert, but I would definitely look into getting more probiotics either through food or a supplement. Its possible that the bacteria and other microbes (yeast) in your gut are out of balance since you were on antibiotics, and a not so friendly strain has taken over. If you get more of the good microorganisms in there they can compete with the problematic ones.

[Spryte]

Phone typing, so this will not be complete. I am a gut person. Lovely title. :)

 

Also had long stints of abx for Lyme (hence the y in Spryte). I could write a book on the gut issues. In fact, I'm on meds for a gut issue right now. I'm always on tons of supplements, but abx at the moment.

 

First, since you don't want to go to the doc unless you must... Are you taking a good quality probiotic? And a good quality S. Boulardii? The second is a beneficial yeast, also helpful in restoring gut balance. That is where I would start.

 

Do you have yeast issues? An anti yeast diet might help.

 

Intestinal Dysbiosis is an imbalance in the gut. There's a lot that you can do to fix it naturally, but you need to have a general idea of what's going on. An integrative meds doc helped me a lot. I took a ton of supplements, and still do. I can share the names with you, but they are tailored to me. Let me know, if that would help.

 

Are you sure you didn't contract the bacterial infection that was isolated to leafy greens this summer? Do you live near those recalls?

 

And... My mother is allergic to lettuce. Totally possible. :(

 

TBH, if this continues ... You might want to have things ruled out by a good doc.

 

Hope you feel better soon!

[klmama]

You probably do need a good probiotic, due to the antibiotics you took recently.  Also, you might have an enzyme deficiency.  If you don't produce the right enzymes, you won't be able to digest your food properly.  You should be able to find both good probiotics and broad-spectrum digestive enzymes at your local health food store. 

[nmoira]

Does the same thing happen after spinach salad?

[Tap]

You may want to look at sources of soluble vs insoluble fiber to see if the form of fiber you get in lettuce, also correlates to similar symptoms from eating similar fiber foods as well. 

 

If you eat salad dressing it could be the fat in the dressing, not the lettuce. 

 

Research IBS to see if you have any other symptoms that may correlate. 

[sbgrace]

What I would do (my son is, truly, a collector of way more gut bugs/problems that anyone I, or his doctors, know):

 

1. Cut the lettuce/salads/ingredients you eat on the salads for a few weeks. If the problems go away, you have most of your answer in my book. A person can be allergic/intolerant to anything. Lettuce included. Lettuce also, interestingly, can cause digestive issues in people without any apparent allergy connection. You could experiment with adding in x or y that you have on your salads individually (a week at a time), to confirm it's lettuce and not some other ingredient if you would want.

 

2. If you find that you still have the more frequent stools or periodic digestive issues, I'd get a Metametrix Comprehensive Stool test. The company may be able to find a doctor who can order it. The lab may be out of network, but our insurance does cover it. This test has found my son's issues every time..including times when other lab tests doctors ran couldn't find the cause. Our whole family ran the labs once because my son had such a nasty bug. None of the rest of us had anything. It's a really good test and they will also test for resistance to determine best treatment. I've known people who struggled for years with digestive problems and finally got answers when they ran this type of test.

 

3. Good probiotics, with a research basis to show they can help with even serious issues like c. diff, include Culturelle or Florastor. But I wouldn't expect any probiotic to irradicate and existing bacterial (likely given your history and symptoms) overgrowth or other overgrowth/infection.

[Wildcat]

I'm not a 'gut person', but my morbid curiosity got hold of me and I hovered over your title in case the thread was something I could learn about. The moment I saw it was about lettuce and bloating, I had to click to read more.

 

This past summer I went through the bloating (pregnant look!), burping, gassy, sleeping on my stomach thing. I did not have the deep intestinal upset that you had/have, but I normally seem to have steel intestines, so I would have a small 'issue' the next morning, then all would be well until the next salad.

 

We eat tons of salads. As in dinner itself is a huge salad with a bit of protein three times a week salads. It didn't matter if I made salads at home or ate them out, but I reacted nearly every time. I did notice that the salad from Costco didn't make me upset--- it's an organic butter lettuce (sold in a three pack of teeny heads--- light green, floppy, and they have a feel to them that reminds me of raw spinach)--- I wonder if it is lower in fiber?  Anyway, I thought it had something to do with the amount of fiber, but couldn't figure out why all of a sudden. I, too, thought I was going to have to stop eating salads, due to whatever was happening. I was miserable.

 

The 'issue' went on for several weeks and by the time I thought I was going to have to do an elimination diet to find the culprit, it stopped. Just like that. To this day, I have no idea what it was, but I wonder if there wasn't something (bacteria?) in the lettuce, tomatoes, whatever. The odd thing is none of them were bought at the same place all the time, so I just don't know. 

 

All of that to say... try the probiotics. I know we can develop allergies at any time, but from my own experience, it is just as likely that there is something wrong (bacteria), or WAS something wrong, and your body just hasn't recovered yet. It takes a long time for the gut to recover. It could be that your gut is out of whack and all the fiber is just causing too much stress.

 

Oh, I read about the bacteria in lettuce/recall, and we are no where near the recall and weren't affected by it. I still wonder, though, as I just can't think of anything else. I have been on no meds, haven't been sick, just nothing to point a finger at other than something being in the lettuce.

 

I hope you get it figured out and that you can still eat salads. Not eating salads for me would be terrible. :grouphug:

[mommymilkies]

I agree with cutting it all out for a couple of weeks.  Then one kind of lettuce at a time, introduce it *just by itself*.  Do not add in dressings, croutons, whatever.  Just shove some down (you can sneak it into a smoothie if you eat smoothies with no problem during your lettuce detox). Once a week, add in a new kind.  Make sure they are thoroughly and properly washed and dried. If one hurts your stomach, write down the kind and date.  Try kale, spinach, romaine, arugula, baby lettuces, butterleaf, and iceberg.  If you get a major reaction, wait another 2 weeks before introducing another type and STOP eating the offending kind.  Make sure you don't eat out and eat nothing "new" otherwise during about 24-48 hours around the trial time. 

 

I would also look into VSL 3 Probiotics.  Crazy expensive, but they're either the only or one of very few who actually were clinically tested and researched and proven to help with digestive issues.  Start with one packet a day.  If after a few weeks, the problem stays the same, do one packet in the a.m. and one in the p.m.. If after a month the issues remain without any lettuce specific reaction, call a Gastroenterologist.  I hear you about not wanting to go in for it, but it can be serious.  You really should see someone, even just an allergist. 

[scootiepie]

A low FODMAP diet is one thing some of the more cutting-edge practitioners will recommend for IBS like symptoms.   Here is a link or search low FODMAP diet.

I didn't see lettuce specifically but there are a lot of things on the list that would go into a salad.

http://www.cassandraforsythe.com/blog/Complete+FODMAP+List+For+a+Happy+Gut/

Good luck.

[kbutton]

C. diff is very real, and it's evil. You've had lots of good suggestions. I like Ultimate Flora probiotics. I thought I'd put that out there since there can be so many kinds if you have a health food store or very few kinds if you don't have one, and it might one of the few on a shelf near you. It's starting to become more widely available (like at Kroger).

[momacacia]

The GAPS diet. (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) But, don't let all the autism, psychology talk distract you. It's a gut healing diet.

[Mom in High Heels]

Urgh, me too!  I can't eat Iceberg lettuce AT ALL (though I wouldn't want to).  I usually eat only Romaine, but I've tried other lettuces to see if there's a difference, but there's not really.   I adore salad too.

 

I've recently started drinking Kefir, and it seems to be helping.

[JumpyTheFrog]

Look into:

 

Digestive Enzymes

Betaine Hcl (low stomach acid) - Now Super Ezymes includes this

FODMAP problem

 

I second the recommedation to eliminate salad and add back one ingredient at a time. Maybe it's a topping, dressing, or something else that you can't digest well, are intolerant of, or that has spoiled.

[elfgivas]

fwiw, i have ulcerative colitis, and there are days/months/years when i can't eat fresh lettuce.  then there are other days/months/years when i can.  even when i can, there are some (read most) salad dressings that do me in.  yoghurt based dressings rock!

 

VSL #3 is just about the best thing around, and totally worth the money, esp. if you only need one box of it.  i would argue its worth it anyway.... 

 

and sometimes i can get away with eating things that are problematic if i take a psyllium capsule and 8 ounces of water before.  its changes the texture....

 

however, its been going on long enough for you that it may just be time to at least have a few tests done to eliminate some of the nastier possibilities....

 

good luck!

ann