Hey guys,

I am looking for any help I can get regarding my diet and health in general. I will try to make it as concise as possible, I promise.

I have been struggling with GI issues since 2004 – a myriad of problems piled up all at once, including health related, and I ended up sick as never. I struggled a lot, with peculiar cramps, bloating, lack of appetite, you name it. My immune system was also in distress, to say the least (long-term use of various antibiotics prior to all of this). I constantly fought either with my stomach or my throat which was always inflamed. I finally was referred to homeopath who advised me to get off of sugars and dairy, which I did. It felt like a godsend, plus maybe the placebo effect of taking all these little sugary pilules. For the next few years my condition improved significantly: GI problems were subdued, I felt better emotionally. In those years I became more health-conscious and started watching what I put in my mouth: with time I eliminated a lot of junk food from my diet: I weaned myself off of sugar entirely (no more juices, fizzy drinks, etc.), still no dairy, I gave up alcohol; I stopped eating fried food and shunned fat along the way either. I tried to diversify my diet too, so I would introduce certain ‘new’ products I previously avoided, mostly veggies.

Fast-forward to 2011 – now and again I would go through a phase of some GI issues; could not gain any weight (not in a long run anyway) and then I had a major lower back failure which, needless to say, left me an emotional wreck. It was in November of 2011 and from this time on everything has turned for the worst, especially when it comes to my GI issues. When I finally got back on my feet with my back, I tried to focus again on eating even healthier than before – so I would eat 5-7 times a day, at regular intervals, mostly grains (mullet, oatmeal, buckwheat) with veggies and meat. I would not tolerate (and it only got worse) any raw food like fruits, veggies. I seemed to develop new food sensitivities by the day. And, the worst part was, that I kept losing weight and felt constantly cold (especially my feet were freezing). All this time I monitored my blood work, which was pretty ok  – nothing out of the ordinary, except perhaps for elementary bodies which were way under the lower limit. Anyway, being fed up with all of this and knowing that whatever I am going through is connected with my stomach somehow, I finally built up the courage to see a gastroenterologist, which I did back in April 2013. I was diagnosed with bile gastritis due to the malfunctioning of the pyloric valve – it was not closing properly, if at all. I was prescribed a bunch of pills, including IPP. After two months of taking it, I developed strange symptoms – a quick google search made me realize it was side effects of IPPs. I quit taking them cold turkey and started looking for alternatives: a tried manuka honey, aloe vera gel, mastica gum, marshmellow, and bunch of other stuff. I started getting back on my feet, until one day I developed heartburn which I have never had before! It was a disaster. I lost all the appetite. Again, I went online to find some clue as to how to deal with this and that is how I came across a thread in which I girl claimed she rid herself of GI issues following paleo. I kept reading this thread (more than 100 pages) in which she kept advising people to switch. I decided to contact her. She hit me right back sending me some recipies from R. Wolf’s book, and within one day I was on it! I thought ‘what the hell’, I really have nothing to lose at this point.

I started paleo on June 24. Unfortunate beginning, I would say, since I had garlic, spinach and avocado the very first day – all of which were kind of new in my diet (except for garlic, but I had issues with it before) – and one of the products, or possibly all of them, made me sick as a cat. The rest of the week I was recovering, but I decided to stick with paleo and not go back to, say, bread or rice. Yesterday marked the two week period on the diet and I am feeling somewhat better, yet really unsure.

What is important, I seem to be tolerating high input of meat and fat in the form of butter and olive oil quite well. My stomach appears to be doing better, miraculously the heartburn subsided, yet there are many changes going on I am not sure they are either good or welcome. I am still kind of weak; my legs and arms hurt; my mood is low (although before the weekend I was quite ebullient), then its high =  mood swings, I would call it. I have incredibly low libido, lack of it really. I try exercising, going for a short run, doing push-ups, playing table tennis, but it all requires a tremendous amount of ‘pushing myself’, and it does not give much joy, like I thought it would. My sleep is disrupted and I cannot get much out of it, even though I go to bed earlier than I used to.

Since I have gastritis and am not treating it anymore with IPPs, or any medicine for that matter, I am supplementing myself with Priobiotics from Now Foods, L-glutamine (3x1000mg), and aloe vera gel. I also drink ginger tea daily, which is supposed to help. I do not know if this enough, but paleo + supplements seem to be doing a good enough job – like I said, my GI issues abated, my hunger and taste is back. On the other hand I have weird stools (fragmented, hard as a rock, and unusually black like I have never had before).

AS to the pyloric valve, I was told it might start working again when I eliminate all the grains from the diet. I have no way of knowing if anything changed in that regard, but I still feel bile-like taste in my mouth at times, usually upon waking up. What is your take on that? Can I really expect things to self-regulate?

As far as the paleo diet is concerned, I am still quite confused. The more I read, the less simple and precise it seems: there are so many conflicting theories as to what, how or when to eat that I am at an almost complete loss here. I understand that there is a strong form, and a weak one, but there appears to be everything in between as well, and that is just not good. Not for me anyway.

I have a rather simple objective in mind following this diet and a way of living, really: I would like my digestion to improve, so that I do not experience these ‘systemic crashes’ and feel like I am dying; I would like to gain weight (currently, by any standard available, I am seriously underweight) and not feel like I am submerged in cold water all the time freezing to the bone; I would also like to get physically active and fit, maybe gain some muscle.

I have high hopes and I trust paleo would assist me in attaining my goals. BUT I really need some kind of assistance. All the articles and books will not give me what real-life knowledge and, most importantly, experience will. That is why I am asking you guys to help me figure all of this out and help make right, mostly dietary, choices. I believe that with improving the functioning of the pyloric valve the rest would come easy. But can I really expect that to happen?

If you have any experience with that, any suggestions, anything that can help me and straighten things up a little bit, please let me know. On my part, I will try to update you on the progress I make and seek answers when in need.

Let me then start by asking you this:
1)   Am I doing enough with regard to the inflammation of the stomach? If not, what else would you suggest?
2)   Do you think that supplementing with magnesium, B Vitamins, fish oil, etc. would be necessary and beneficial at this point?
3)   Should I shun away from fruits and carbohydrates in general (as some suggest) or should I rather increase their intake (if tolerated) in order to feel better, more energetic? At this point, I think, I am not consuming a whole lot of them and that maybe the reason I am feeling weak. On the other hand, most paleo-sites lean toward reducing the amount of carbs to minimum.
4)   What is the deal with the nuts: some claim they are truly paleo, others put them in the same category as grains = forbidden. I had problems with tolerating them in the past but now they seem quite ok. And they make for a great snack in between the meal  so putting them aside is a great loss.
5)   The same with white potatoes: some advocate consuming them, others specifically forbid.
6)   Is it important to supplement with digestive enzymes, especially as far as fats are concerned? Like I said before, for a long period of time a avoided fats as much as possible and then trying to incorporate them in my diet was not easy – I could not even drink a glass of broth without accompanying GI symptoms.

I would appreciate all the help I can get from you.

Thanks
Pablo