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Blueberry Season & Gastroparesis

It is the blueberry season in Oregon, and I have this box, 5lbs of blueberries. They're gorgeous and exceptional this year - perfectly tart, not too watery, just the right ripeness and firm. I'm going to take some photos today - see if I can paint a picture of them. I'm working on a portrait of some bananas. :D

I need to figure out how to embed images on here again.

So no more bloat or GI problems. Figured out my stomach emptying was the issue. I cut back on fiber and meal quantity and ate more throughout the day and that has resolved it.

I thought I was just allergic to all the foods I reacted to, but some just seem to have a tougher time with my stomach, like oats.

Feeling pretty normal and don't expect to crash until my next period (hormones make gastroparesis work which is why I always crash every month) unless I eat a crazy big fat meal. I still wish I had more energy.

I have had stomach problems since birth but after ten years of yo-yo dieting and disordered eating, I think my stomach and GI were like -- "we are holding on to this food!! FOREVER." Squeezing everything out of it, gastroparesis, cha cha cha. I think the fasting was the last straw. It was like, "you're going to starve us now hu? Well hang on this is about to get so much worse."

Because of the gastroparesis, I also had wonky blood sugar and probably developed the lipid clogged cells and metabolic issues. (I have not had the gastroparesis checked by a doctor yet, but the metabolic issues are all there in my test results.)

My family has challenged me NOT to give out nutrition facts or goodies or talk about food, my GI or nutrition. They have thrown down the gauntlet! I see their point. ;-P

I have been so focused on getting well for so long, there isn't much else in my life besides figuring this illness out and figuring life out. For so long I've been in an eat -> get sick, cycle. My GI would get gastritis on and off, bloated like I was about to give birth to an alien, felt like I had swallowed pine cones that were trying to pass through my intestines sideways, sore spots in my GI where I could tell when the food arrived at that were sore and it HURT, blood in my stool occasionally, constipated no matter how much fiber I ate, and the crushing fatigue. All I was ever diagnosed with was a trash-can diagnosis of IBS. Most of my friends said it was the gluten in foods.

To be honest - I'm unsure why the Vegan diet worked for me. Theoretically, it would have made me worse with all that fiber, and the bloating did reach the NEXT level. But over all I just started feeling better and better and better. Maybe it was the low fat. I'm not sure but man, it did some good for me.

I always wondered - why does no one else get sick depending on what they eat? Seriously they can just eat pizza with no repercussions?? And there are a lot of Vegan recipes I'll never even try - I know I can't digest that symphony of fiber - but it's cool if other people can. I'll have to stick to safer waters (banana) ;-P

Also wonder why my doctors just assumed it was IBS, they barely asked me any questions. They would say things like, "as long as you're not passing bright red blood you have nothing to worry about." great. I've gone to doctors at least seven times about my GI.

I think this might be my answer and even though there isn't a cure it can be managed better if I actually know the issue.

Maybe this is the end of my CFS story, maybe from here on out it's management and try to think about other stuff besides food. I hope it's the end. I want to fill my life with cats and knitting. ;-P
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I b s is another waste basket diagnosis so much cheaper than all the very expensive investigations also of course it is not invasive so giving the diagnosis of ibs covers pretty much anything that irritates/inflames your bowels.
 
Oh blueberries....how nice!

And can you eat and digest them okay? I would love to pick blueberries here. They don't seem to grow wild here (UK) I love 'em!

I like vegan food too. I am not strict vegan though. In the first few weeks of being unwell sometimes the only things I could eat were fish, boiled eggs, etc with the odd few veggies. But meat tastes like dog food to me and has done for years and I can't help that. A lot of vegan food is yummy.

I am sorry about the whole gastritis issues you have. I know because I had gastritis twice before. Once age 12 then again age 18. The doc put me on a gastritis diet and lots of my favourite foods I couldn't eat. The final bout passed though and never came back thankfully. A barium swallow never showed any abnormalities. But I do remember what it felt like and empathise with you. ) Like I had swallowed a truckload of rocks! haha) Plus this constant growly-hungry feeling in my belly.

I wish you well, and hope you find a way to feel somehow better at least sometimes.... Take care.
 
I seem to do pretty well eating blueberries. Wasn't sure how it would go at first. Been eating small amounts through the day and getting by alright. :p I think humans came from the oceans, there are so many nutrients we need related back to a salty water past like Iodine, Omega 3, Selenium, Vitamin D even. I'm thinking of adding a little fish and an egg or two into my diet because I can't eat much at any one time and it keeps me full a bit longer. I'm going to try Vegetarian rather then Vegan, there is less fuss with that label anyway. I think people don't know what Vegans eat and think we're out munching on grass like a big beautiful cow. ;-P People seem to lose their minds when you suggest fruit and veggies might be GOOD. It's really really weird. But I'll never figure shit out.
 

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Runner5
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