How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

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cydeways
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How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby cydeways » Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:14 pm

I realize everyone is different but I believe it would be helpful.
For example I have seen some people say they could not tolerate certain things at three months but introduced them at five months.
I want to know your personal experiences and how long until YOU felt normal (eating vegetables and dairy, etc).

georgina
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby georgina » Sun Dec 10, 2017 1:01 pm

Diet is individual , what works for one might not work for the other. For example i have eaten cheese and butter with no issues but if try kefir or yogurt or raw milk i get very bloated and gassy. Some tolerate the fermented foods very well and begin eating those from the first weeks after D stopped but for me those fermented foods are a problem even after two years. Reintroducing the food must be done slow , one new food at the time , to see how your gut reacts to that food. If you want vegetables you can have them but don't eat them raw , cook them well , and avoid the ones with high fiber like peas , cabbage , beans and also leafy greens ( for some reason we all have issues from leafy greens) etc , try at first the ones that are more easily digested like carrots , peppers , green beans , potatoes , celery ,zucchini, start from there and if you are ok with those you can slowly add more.

NanciT
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby NanciT » Sun Dec 10, 2017 1:03 pm

It has taken me a long time. I have tried having a glass of wine 3-4 times, still makes me sick. I also no longer eat beef. GI said I need to go slow with that.
Everyone is very different, I feel my Post IBS has been worse due to the 5 relapses

I was on medication nearly a year( Dificid for 3 months) and it has been 2 years for me. I can eat most things now. Salads, fruits etc all the things I didn't tolerate for a log time due to Post IBS and also GERD.

NanciT

MKW
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby MKW » Sun Dec 10, 2017 9:18 pm

Hi, it seems like everyone is totally different. I am nine months post FMT. I have no trouble with dairy, and the one thing that bothers me the least is red meat. Doesn’t make any sense! My problems are with excessive sugar, and varying fruits and vegetables. But yet some high FODMAP foods I do great with. Your best bet is to keep a food diary. It can be quite frustrating. Some people go back to normal within months, and others of us have IBS with food intolerances for years. I have found it’s not an all or nothing thing either. Like I can eat a small serving of broccoli once and be ok. But, I had one time I ate for dinner, lunch then dinner again, and ended up in rough shape. So, make sure to introduce new foods as moderate servings.

Lisa33
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby Lisa33 » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:32 am

Everybody is definitely different. I had post infectious IBS after c-diff, but it was not food related. I could never pinpoint any food triggers. Stress and nerves would bring on bouts of IBS for me though. I was fortunate enough that once I got my appetite back, I was able to eat most foods. I stayed bland for quite some time though. I also went gluten free for over a year. The only thing that I was not able to tolerate was any leafy greens. However, it took about 8 months to have only 1-2 BMs a day.

-Lisa

Benh
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby Benh » Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:56 pm

As others have said I think the key is to reintroduce items one at a time and take your time doing so. I rushed and still do sometimes in terms of volume eating and it will set me back if I push too hard. I have always had a bland diet so it wasn't too hard for me but I do like sweets and that hasn't been working well. I have yet to try fairly after 10 months but plan to do so soon with skim milk to start.

ATobin
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby ATobin » Sun Jan 14, 2018 3:57 am

I have been off Vanco for almost a month. I have done some experimentation - I think I had some troubles with raw veggies so I will stay away from that. One day I got some fast food (Chicago style Hot Dog - my weakness LOL) and it was way too soon. I have no problems on Dairy but don't consume a whole lot of it. I think I am just going to be on the safe side and stick with fairly mild - somewhat bland foods.
Some weird symptom I did develop was overly sensitive teeth (don't know if it was a coincident because it started on day 2 of me being ill). So that really has decreased my sugar intake cause it's too painful to chew.

Percival
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby Percival » Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:08 am

Have 2 1/2 days remaining of first treatment of Vanco. As far as eating habits/diet, nothing has changed.
Four days ago I sautéed jalapeño peppers, onions, and minced garlic, then added diced chorizo to the pan. Then fried chicken thighs with adobo powder. Threw it all together in a pot with chicken broth with frozen corn and frozen petite peas to meld the flavors. Served it over rice and all was well with the world.
While on oral Vanco at home I’ve eaten lettuce salads, sautéed kale, Frank’s hot sauce, grated cheese on pasta with artichoke sauce, apples, mandarin oranges, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, bread, cereals, 1/2 and 1/2 in my daily 5 cups of coffee, anchovies, etc.
While in hospital had wife bring me a sandwich from favorite deli: prosciutto, mozzarella, hot cappicola, sopressata, onion, lettuce, oil and vinegar. Could only eat half though as I wasn’t that hungry.
Different strokes for different folks.
I count myself very lucky.

roy
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby roy » Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:29 am

Welcome Percival.
Food choices do not cause a relapse but it's a good idea to eat bland during recovery.
You will not be able to tell if your damaged gut is reacting to bad irritating food choices (spice, garlic, peppers, hot sauce.) or if your relapsing with c.diff.

Bobbie
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby Bobbie » Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:13 pm

You received good advice. Everyone is different. I would stay away from dairy products and excess sugar until you are healed. Lettuce is another food that takes most to tolerate.

Best of luck.

shooten
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby shooten » Fri Feb 09, 2018 1:59 pm

I am three months off vancomycin and I am finding I still have to be careful with food. While on vanco I could eat whatever I wanted with no issues. Now I have to keep to a bland diet. I have had a couple of bouts with IBS (I am guessing it is IBS) since coming off the vanco. My GI is currently doing testing to make sure it is just IBS. Had a CT scan that was normal, now waiting to get the colonoscopy and endoscopy done. Lately when I eat something that doesn't agree with me I get gas like pains in the area of the ascending colon.

MKW
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby MKW » Fri Feb 09, 2018 3:01 pm

Hey shooten, I saw your post and wanted to comment that I have suffered with PI-IBS since my FMT in March of 2017. I never had any food tolerances prior to that procedure. Twice I went a month off meds between recurrences, and NO food intolerances or ibs symptoms. After many months I got worse after thanksgiving and was having extreme food intolerances and weight loss but couldn’t quite figure it out. Finally my GI doc ran a bunch of tests on me - all negative. So, I then requested a SIBO breath test (my idea). It came back positive for hydrogen dominant SIBO. I can tell you I have a lot of episodes of gas and benching, sometimes with D. You may want to inquire about SIBO with your doctor. I did the breath test kit at home, so wasn’t a big deal to do.

shooten
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby shooten » Fri Feb 09, 2018 3:39 pm

Thanks for the info MKW, I will definitely look into SIBO and ask my GI about it at my next appointment. Does SIBO cause similar symptoms to IBS? I mainly have abdominal pain but no real change in BM. I had C diff for about 6 months, two rounds of flagyl and two rounds of vancomycin seemed to have finally got rid of it and left me with these new issues.

MKW
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby MKW » Fri Feb 09, 2018 4:32 pm

Yes, the deal is SIBO is the root cause of IBS symptoms for many people. I have seen articles that state this is the case in anywhere from 50 to even 80% of people with IBS. But of course post C Diff we all just experience a wide variety of GI problems. I can tell you my dominant symptom prior to late November was just painful cramping. I would have cramping regularly with no change in GI function which was weird, but supposedly this is very characteristic of IBS. Levsin and bentyl are drugs that help with a lot with the cramping.

shooten
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Re: How long did it take you to introduce certain foods and get back to your old self?

Postby shooten » Tue Feb 20, 2018 12:12 pm

MKW, what did you do to treat the SIBO? Did you take Rifaximin? I started taking some oil of oregano and started a sort of low FODMAPs diet and it seems to be helping. The pain in my lower right abdomen has gone away and my appetite has started to return. Planning on talking to my doctor about the SIBO test especially since my CT scan was normal. Would much rather do the SIBO breath test before having the colonoscopy and endoscopy so hopefully I won't have to get scoped.


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