Lack Of Intestinal Mobility

[acod]

Hey there

My son was diagnosed with celiac in November after an extreme stomach flu. He has been gluten free for 4 months, and continues to have symptoms, and does not really feel better on the gluten-free diet. His last blood test showed that his blood titers were down, but not normal. Upon his initial diagnosis, his intestine was completly atrophied. One of his major symptoms throughout the past 5 months is the lack of bowel movements. He has one to two a week, at the most.

We have tried many different treatments for this, but are wondering, if any of you wise, experienced folks can lend us some new ideas.

Treatments: acupunture and herbs

issues: He loves to eat, but, where does it go?

His abdomen and intestine are in constant pain. He was tested and treated for intestinal bacteria overgrowth, and after that treatment, there was no real change.

[JNBunnie1]

Treatments: acupunture and herbs

issues: He loves to eat, but, where does it go?

His abdomen and intestine are in constant pain. He was tested and treated for intestinal bacteria overgrowth, and after that treatment, there was no real change.

[acod]

Treatments: acupunture and herbs

issues: He loves to eat, but, where does it go?

His abdomen and intestine are in constant pain. He was tested and treated for intestinal bacteria overgrowth, and after that treatment, there was no real change.

HAve you tried any probiotics? My stomach did the same thing into my late teens, and even after I went gluten free, until I started eating whole yogurt and taking my probiotics religiously. Also cod liver oil made a big difference in the pain factor, I like Dr Ron's. It's only available through the website though, just Google dr Ron's cod liver oil.

Thanks for your reply Bunny. I forgot to mention that we did 2 weeks of probiotics early on, and he takes Fish Oil daily and has since October. But perhaps we should do them again. This is such a mystery. He can't tolerate lactose/casein yet, so we haven't done yogurt. I hope that his intestine heals in a way that allows him to have yogurt again.

take care

[acod]

[

[RiceGuy]

As was mentioned, probiotics seem like a good idea, or at least shouldn't hurt. Two other things which come to mind are a magnesium supplement, and foods containing resistant starches such as slightly green bananas. The magnesium assists in nutrient absorption, and the resistant starches have been found to aid in the repair of the intestinal wall.

[acod]

As was mentioned, probiotics seem like a good idea, or at least shouldn't hurt. Two other things which come to mind are a magnesium supplement, and foods containing resistant starches such as slightly green bananas. The magnesium assists in nutrient absorption, and the resistant starches have been found to aid in the repair of the intestinal wall.

Hi Rice Guy,

My original post got cut off, and in that, I had mentioned that we did use the magnesium Natural Calm (something I learned about from this forum). After 2 weeks on that, our son got really bad acid reflux and his GI thought that the magnesium was acting as a muscle relaxant, and had the sphincter to the esophagus, wasn't working properly. Ever heard of such a thing? While on that, we didn't see much change. Is it something you have had luck with over the long term? We did try probiotics early on as well, but again, after 1 month, no real change. I wonder if we need to give things a longer chance to work. Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Funny, I had always thought that bananas were good for diarrhea, not constipation. Do you know what it is about green bananas that helps with no movement or bowel action?

thanks

[Lisa]

acod:

I always have some brown rice or wild rice in the refer, that seems to work for me as natural fiber.

[JNBunnie1]

Acod, can you tell us what kind of probiotic? Was it a broader spectrum with a number of different organisms or was it just 2 or 3? And I know it may not sound like it, but if you can find any raw goat's milk and get a kefir starter, fermented raw goat's milk is quite frequently tolerable to people with casein/lactose problems. And it would be VERY nutritious for him. Try the Weston A price foundation website for a listing of places to get raw milk in your area. Beyond that, real fermented veggies may help him, lacto-fermented, not vinegar. I just realized that 'lacto-feremented' may mean dairy, but I've never researched it, I'll look into that. How old is your son, by the way?

[JNBunnie1]

Oh, and is it FISH oil or COD LIVER oil? Just plain fish oil won't do as much, stepping up the quality of it made a big difference for me. That and all the vitamins in cod liver oil will help repair his system. And keep in mind, it took me almost a year to get completely back to 'normal', which wound up being way better than before I got 'sick', it's a frustrating process but worth it.

[RiceGuy]

Hi Rice Guy,

My original post got cut off, and in that, I had mentioned that we did use the magnesium Natural Calm (something I learned about from this forum). After 2 weeks on that, our son got really bad acid reflux and his GI thought that the magnesium was acting as a muscle relaxant, and had the sphincter to the esophagus, wasn't working properly. Ever heard of such a thing? While on that, we didn't see much change. Is it something you have had luck with over the long term? We did try probiotics early on as well, but again, after 1 month, no real change. I wonder if we need to give things a longer chance to work. Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Funny, I had always thought that bananas were good for diarrhea, not constipation. Do you know what it is about green bananas that helps with no movement or bowel action?

thanks

Well, I had tried a product called Natural Calm, but found it wasn't so nice to my system. I was taking a double dose though, so it may be that I overdid it. Anyway, I didn't like the taste either, so I switched to a different product, and recently to yet another, just to see the difference. Thus far all seem to really work great. Especially if taken between meals rather than with one. I'm guessing the food gets in the way of it to some extent. I suppose in the case of your child I'd recommend one with calcium and vitamin D. If reflux becomes a problem, then try magnesium carbonate, and get the other nutrients in separate supplements.

Everyone is different, but to me it sounds like your child has sustained quite a bit of intestinal damage, so it may take awhile. Give it time. Just consider the amount of time in which damage was being done. It isn't going to get repaired over night. Plus, since the small intestine is where nutrients are absorbed, the damage interferes with recovery. So the body isn't so able to obtain the necessary nutrients to make the repairs. That's why the supplements are a good idea. It's not just about relieving constipation. To do that and not make repairs would be ignoring the real problem. Once the intestine is more capable of proper function, bowel movements will naturally be improved.

As for the bananas, I didn't suggest that they relieve constipation. What I said is that they contain resistant starch, which research suggests is beneficial to intestinal healing. Digestibility is something you'll have to gage for yourself. I might suggest blending the banana with some unsweetened applesauce. That should help ease the workload on the intestines. In fact, I'd recommend blending all foods into a somewhat liquid form (like baby food). That will help the digestive system in obtaining the nutrients as well as moving it along. This is also something to which I can personally attest is helpful, and in fact is what I currently do. The food may not always be so appetizing, but the digestive system benefits from it. That is after all what I need.

I don't know if coconut oil would be helpful for your child or not, but that might also be something to look into. I know it has many benefits, and I for one won't be without it. The truly good oil is pricey, but the cheapo stuff isn't so healthy, nor does it taste good. Coconut oil a solid like butter up to about room temperature. Above that it's a clear liquid. It can be used in place of butter/margarine, and for all cooking and baking. The main component is lauric acid, which can be absorbed without going through the intestines. That's what made me think of it while responding to your post. The oil also contains caprylic acid, which is helpful in maintaining a proper balance of intestinal "flora".

[flowergirl]

I am so sorry to hear about your son. Little children should not be suffering like that. I'd put him on a 3 week anti-candida diet on top of the gluten-free one if I were you. And after that introduce probiotics and lacto fermented veggies. Slowly reintroduce sugars and starches but keep them very limited. Also see that he gets flaxseed oil and coconut oil after the anti-candida diet. I hope he gets better soon.

[HawkFire]

Here is a very safe, natural remedy for your child. I promise you, it will work in two days if not ONE day. Chlorella. Go to your natural foods store. They pretty much all carry CHLORELLA. Ask for it if you cannot locate it. They are small, green pills- pluverized algae. Totally non-toxic. You cannot take too many and be poisoned. However, do your online research. Most will tell anyone beginning to take Chlorella to take half the recommended dose to begin with as there is such a positive cleansing of the colon to begin with. After about a week, you may increase to the recommended dose.

This is not a medicine. It's an organic food product. An algae. It will keep your child running smoothly, kill bacteria in his gut, aid in digestion and provide nutrition. I take 16 pills a day. They're very small. My children take half that a day for the other health benefits.

I recommended this to another poster and someone freaked out telling me not to make medical recommendations.... this is not a medicine product for those who are upset by Chlorella. It is like recommending a B.R.A.T. diet for loose stools. No worries to those prone. You cannot "overdose" on Chlorella.

HOWEVER, those who recommend FLAX SEED OIL- that stuff is not so good for you. You need to look that up. Lots of evidence that FLAX SEED OIL needs to be taken moderately if not at all....

[acod]

thanks for all of the suggestions.

I think simplifying and reducing his diet is probably a really good way to go. He loves food, and finds the only joy in the day from food, so it is tough, but we will try.

RICE GUY: If I may ask, "Do you use the magnesium for constipation or lack of "going"?

I am just so interested in finding a way to help my son. He drinks tons of water and we give him lots of natural fiber, but things really just don't move. We try and walk too.

Another thing came up today...his tTg titers are still, slowly coming down, but his EMA went back up high.

Wonder what you think of this?

Thanks again