My gut health has taken a turn for the worse.

[advancebooking]

I had a colonoscopy and the camera down the throat 3 to 4 weeks ago. It was my 4th colonoscopy and this time no polyps. Down the throat they found several polyps but lab revealed nothing serious. 

 

So I thought I should try and improve my gut bacteria after the 2 procedures (2 weeks after). Purchased sachets of powder and added to water. More or less after doing this for a few days I started having chronic nausea. No vomiting or Diahorrea.  Went back to the dr to get the results and told him. He said take Motrlium twice a day. It did help. 

 

Now my gut is still a bit sensitve. But bloated and doesnt feel normal. After eating normal dinners with fruit I have big gut and not feeling tip top. 

 

Im just riding this out for the moment. Wanted to ask if anyone else has any ideas. Will not try to artificially improve my gut microbes again.....

[novacova]

Just a few things that come to mind. Apples, unsweetened yogurt, and more apples/fresh apple juice, no food laced with sugar, minimal carbs. Fast for 36 hours. Be sure the water intake is clean and of good quality, a lot of the bottled water here is substandard.

[Ben Zioner]

Unlikely to be caused by the Gastro/Colonoscopy, two weeks after the procedure. I had it many times and the first thing I do after paying my bill is to get a big lunch. Don't like fasting 18 hours.

 

Probably you took to "improve your gut bacteria". Nothing beats a healthy steak with a good red wine.

[save the frogs]

sauerkraut and yogurt/kefir are supposed to be good for gut microbiome

[Celsius]

Stop eating thai food

[rattlesnake]

34 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

sauerkraut and yogurt/kefir are supposed to be good for gut microbiome

Second that. Try kefir (start with small quantities), it's very beneficial for the gut, microbiome and immune system.

[mstevens]

Gut health is incredibly important but sadly, it's an area where conventional medicine is weak, to include gastroenterologists. If you have a serious gut issue like IBD, docs can diagnose it. But if you have one of the incredibly common conditions like SIBO, SIFO, dysbiosis, leaky gut, Candida overgrowth etc then conventional medical doctors simply aren't trained in these conditions.

 

There are a few things you can do to improve your gut health like eliminate ultra processed foods and also consider stopping all gluten and dairy for a while. Fermented foods are good, but they can be problematic for some gut conditions. Quality probiotics can help.

 

My advice would be to improve your diet and try some probiotics as a starting point. If you don't have any luck, consider trying to find a functional medicine practitioner. They're the experts on gut health and testing for and resolving the conditions mentioned above.

[scubascuba3]

Motilium is good for nausea, i use it occasionally, won't fix the problem though.

 

Sounds like a temporary reaction to the powder so i agree ride it out for a while. They reckon prebiotics are best for gut bacteria

[Robert Paulson]

Good for you. Yes… you don’t take a bunch of chemicals made by pharma designed for profit, prescribed by an pharma rep (ie a doctor) and magically all your problems go away. 
 

Diet, activity. That’s really it. Eat things you can picture a caveman eating, and avoid things the caveman could not eat. It sounds silly but it helps people. Eggs, potatoes, water, meats veggies fruits all ok… a caveman would not exit his cave in the morning with a cup of coffee with sugar and cream in it now would he. Or with a block of cheese. Be active everyday. It’s very simple actually. 

[scubascuba3]

7 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

a caveman would not exit his cave in the morning with a cup of coffee with sugar and cream in it now would he

He would of done if he had an espresso machine in the cave

[KhunLA]

6 hours ago, save the frogs said:

sauerkraut and yogurt/kefir are supposed to be good for gut microbiome

Good advice.  More fermented foods for good gut bacteria. 

 

Make our own kefir, and surprisingly easy.   Buy grains online, 10 or 20 grams, and you'll have more kefir every 24 hours than you can drink or eat/yogurt.   

[Robert Paulson]

43 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

He would of done if he had an espresso machine in the cave

If he had an espresso machine our digestive systems would have evolved to efficiently digest the espresso. As it stands were all sool on the espressos however 

[Mike Lister]

Tear up your existing diet and start over with a new one that's healthier and get some exercise because that's a large part of what helps the digestive system.

 

For me:

 

Fruit for breakfast and maybe cocoa

 

lunch is whatever I want but is usually healthier than not

 

Dinner is nearly always a mixed/complex salad....no food after 6pm

 

No alcohol, run three miles a day.

 

Colonoscopies,, gut issues, overweight, gas/bloating, constipation, GERD/reflux are all things of the past.

 

[brianthainess]

I swell up also after eating anything, bread now I always toast, I find  a sip of ant-acid stuff works to get rid of gas, just the cheap one works fine. And strangely the brown cough mixture with the opium tincture (small bottle)

Edited July 14 by brianthainess

[gargamon]

17 hours ago, advancebooking said:

Purchased sachets of powder and added to water. More or less after doing this for a few days I started having chronic nausea.

Purchased sachets of what powder exactly? 

[scubascuba3]

36 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

I swell up also after eating anything, bread now I always toast, I find  a sip of ant-acid stuff works to get rid of gas, just the cheap one works fine. And strangely the brown cough mixture with the opium tincture (small bottle)

There's a lot of anti gas meds in 7 Eleven so probably thai food is a major cause

[bkk6060]

Have you been checked for an inguinal hernia?  

[Roo Island]

Have you ever gotten covid? Seems to be a long term effect.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/05/well/covid-symptoms-stomach-pain-diarrhea.html

[RichardColeman]

My wife gives me powdered drink called NUUI Fiberry Prune dietary supplement product that she gets from 711 every other day, Take it before bed and my old stomach is mumbling like a monk stubbing his toe in the morning and I get a good cleaning out to the max. Feel so much better now, and slimmer. 

[Lacessit]

A camera down the throat is an endoscopy. A camera up the rear end is a colonoscopy.

 

Foods high in fibre such as Kelloggs' All - Bran, bamboo etc. may help in restoring a healthy gut, as does kimchi or sauerkraut.

 

Alternatively, a good cleanout can be achieved with PEG 3350, known under various names such as Macrogol, Moviprep, Glycoprep etc.

 

When doing a colonoscopy, the surgeon pumps up the colon with air, like a football. In rare cases, called barotrauma. too much pressure can cause injury.

[sungod]

You could try by looking at a low FODMAP diet.

[Tropicalevo]

Many years ago, before my first trip to Africa, I was at the doc's for the malaria stuff and I asked about gut health.

He said to eat active yoghurt every morning for a month before you go.

I did, and every day afterwards. Never had a problem with my gut since (except a couple of times after very heavy nights boozing when I was in my 20's).

Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa no stomach problems.

Worked in Sri Lanka and I would get a light bout if diarrhoea after my visits, and the same when working out in the boon-docks in Cambodia.

In Cambodia, it was the ice. No fridges in the villages back then so ice in beer. One big block on the ground with lumps chipped off. When the drink was finished, dirt and grass in the bottom of the glass.

 

But the gut was fine.

 

Also some beers are good for the gut according to an article in the Daily Telegraph (UK) a month or so back. (Sorry, lost the link)

Gut-friendly beers

1. Guinness

2. Newcastle Brown Ale

3. Hoegaarden

4. London Porter Dark Ale

5. Stella Artois Unfiltered

6. Doom Bar Zero Alcohol Free Amber Ale

[brianthainess]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

There's a lot of anti gas meds in 7 Eleven so probably thai food is a major cause

Yes that's where I buy it, but I very rarely eat Thai food. 

[Gecko123]

First things first:

 

How much does the OP drink and smoke? If answer to either or both questions is "heavily",  dietary changes will probably have only limited benefit. 

 

Other remedial recommendation: chew your food thoroughly.

 

Edited July 14 by Gecko123

[Sheryl]

18 hours ago, Lacessit said:

A camera down the throat is an endoscopy. A camera up the rear end is a colonoscopy

 

An endoscopy is any procedure using an endoscope (long tube with camera at the end).

 

A colonoscopy is one type of endoscopy. A gastroscopy (tube paased down throat to stomach) is another.  

 

Sounds like OP has had both gastroscopy and colonoscopy.

[Lacessit]

47 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

An endoscopy is any procedure using an endoscope (long tube with camera at the end).

 

A colonoscopy is one type of endoscopy. A gastroscopy (tube paased down throat to stomach) is another.  

 

Sounds like OP has had both gastroscopy and colonoscopy.

Agree.

[Robert Paulson]

If a caveman could eat it, it’s ok.

if not, forget it. 
Easiest way to explain. So eggs, meat, fruit, water, veggies all ok.

not ok,list is huge, cheese, milk, coffee, burgers, pizza, yogurt, granola etc etc etc, you know, the stuff all you huge bellied people are eating! 
 

do that for a month with exercise everyday and I literally guruntee you’re better. Yet nobody listens. They want pills. 

[advancebooking]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

An endoscopy is any procedure using an endoscope (long tube with camera at the end).

 

A colonoscopy is one type of endoscopy. A gastroscopy (tube paased down throat to stomach) is another.  

 

Sounds like OP has had both gastroscopy and colonoscopy.

The mild sickness in the stomach has been going on for more than 2 weeks now. Again last night so I took another Motrlium. Woke up this morning and feel good no issues. If it comes back do you think I should go to dr and ask for antibiotics? I havent taken AB for 1.5 yrs. Not a big fan but wondering if I should resort to it. Or just keep taking the Motrlium? 

[jas007]

Supposedly, antibiotics can damage your gut microbiome.  You might kill off some of the good bugs along with the bad ones. 
 

Have you tried a three day water fast?  And after that, eat no sugars, no fructose, no carbs.  Just high protein foods and some green leafy vegetables. See what happens.

[FritsSikkink]

35 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

If a caveman could eat it, it’s ok.

if not, forget it. 

Sure, as they got very old.