I’m hoping for some advice in regards to my Mum’s stomach problems

[Guest]

Hi everyone. I’m hoping for some advice in regards to my Mum’s stomach problems.

She’s 68 and lives in England but will be coming here for 6 weeks in just over a weeks time.

She’s had digestion problems for many years now but seems to be getting worse the older she gets.

I’m hoping I may be able to help her while she’s over here.

Some history that I’m aware of (I can ask her if anyone has any other questions)

Her gall bladder was removed a few years ago due to gall stones, we were hoping this would help solve her stomach issues but it hasn’t.

Fairly sure she’s had cameras up and down but nothing has been identified apart from diverticulitis.

She’s had a bug once that was removed with antibiotics and been tested again for it recently but it’s no longer present.

She’s tried to monitor what she eats to identify different foods etc that could be causing the issue, but it almost seems too hard as it’s so sporadical.

I’ve just been back to England for 3 weeks and on one occasion just as an example, she thought it may have been half a plum she ate, but was also unsure if it was what she ate the previous night. She seems to be affected by almost anything.

Trying to see a doctor in England at the moment is extremely difficult, with crazy wait times. She’s now also at a loss for who to ask for help! I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do to help her while she’s here with me.

Any help or advise would be much appreciated.

Thanks so much..

[Ryan]

Is she currently taking a probiotic and digestive enzyme? As we age, our stomach produces less enzymes and acidity which can make it harder to digest foods and absorb their nutrients. Enzymes will help to break down the foods making them easier to digest, and potentially an HCL supplement could be beneficial if her stomach acidity is low.

[Jo ~]

Lower fats..

Go easy on the high fibre foods right now as her intestines are inflamed

Pro bio are the best probiotics on the market in my opinion

Try eliminating inflammatory foods, gluten, dairy, eggs, sugars and processed foods

Try things like poached pear, papaya, bananas, apple sauce (check jars make sure no added sugars) steamed potatoes or oats if tolerated cooked and cooked for resistant starch. L glutamine also helps with coating the intestines.

[BixandJo]

I had my gall bladder removed and really struggled until my naturopath put me on a Metabolic Balance diet and gave me ACL(hydrochloric acid) capsules. My naturopath is in Perth (Roleystone) but will do phone or Zoom consults. I'm happy to share her name, if you wish. She is from the UK, so understands the UK system etc.

[Terina]

Antibiotics are terrible for our gut. Has her microbiome been tested? Any old probiotics won't help if she's lower in certain strains.

Mum might be fructose intolerant. Does she keep a food diary ? That might be beneficial in trying to target which foods or food groups are problematic.

One thing to keep in mind. Very few are qualified in this forum, most is based personal experience or what has worked for them. The best thing to do is not guess. We don’t guess about what’s wrong with our car, we go to a mechanic but we play guess with our health. Get tested… before anything else don’t guess!

[Batman]

Other Topics:

• I booked my sleeve.. Really excited
• Can you go back to normal life after hernia surgery?
• I’m struggling for food ideas massively to the point I’m getting so stressed
• I’m having a hard time with eating habits I’ve got myself in to