Intestinal blockage

[goodsamaritan]

One advice I would give you if you decide to get an MRI, is to sign a waver to avoid the use of coloring DYE in your blood.  It can sometimes severely damage people's kidneys.  My son had intussusception and we did not let him get injected with the blood DYE and they were able to read the MRI results.

[eveheart]

Interesting, I thought raw vegetables and raw meat together would be a terrible combination as they would most likely have completely different digestive processes?

If we had to separate our proteins, fats, and carbohydrates for the purpose of good digestion, we couldn't eat anything from the natural world, because most natural food is composed of more than one macronutrient.

Epsom salt is kind of working. Mostly brown/green water with very small pieces of  excrement(about the size of a chocolate chip/m&m).  Not the solid formed stools I was looking for.

How can you expect a laxative to give you a solid, formed stool, especially when you are overdosing on laxatives?

If you do have strictures (shrunken portions of colon), loops, rectocele, or some other colon deformation, overdoses of laxatives are the LAST thing that a doctor would prescribe. Colon obstruction or deformity is not made better by forcing yourself to have diarrhea.

VERY URGENT: in your post http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/health/intestinal-blockage/msg126526/#msg126526, you quoted me as saying that I've consulted Barefood Herbalist and have leaky gut. Neither is true. I think you have typed your statements in the "quote" box. Please edit or delete that post!

[raw-al]

Interesting, I thought raw vegetables and raw meat together would be a terrible combination as they would most likely have completely different digestive processes?

Raw food digests in a different way than cooked.

Basically cooked takes a lot more energy to process in the gut. Also it is nutrient free to a large extent. We reduced our food intake quite a bit when we went all raw.

I wouldn't be concerned about food combining, but it you are, then eat the veges first, wait 15 - 20 minutes then eat the meat. That separation will negate the combining issues.

BTW I would stick to changing your diet to about 50/50 for awhile so your gut can adjust to the raw diet. Maybe 1/2 your meals raw and 1/2 cooked, till you start to acclimatize. We went 100% into it and it took about 6 months to acclimatize.

Right out of the gate eat raw fats. That can include meat fats and butter. If you have difficulty with raw butter then obviously stop.

Eve,
Gotta say I am jealous that you have oranges in the back yard. Best we can do is peaches.

I went around in the springtime with a small artists brush and pollinated it and we had a gi-normous crop this year. The mason bees were not flying early enough to do it properly.

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

Right out of the gate eat raw fats. That can include meat fats and butter. If you have difficulty with raw butter then obviously stop.

I believe raw animal fat is what triggered this shrunken bowel/constipation... So why would you recommend I do it again. I do not think my gut is strong enough to digest raw animal meat/fat right now... I don't think I should be eating anything right now, as my digestive system is to weak to eliminate it... I'm confused as to why no one else sees it this way. You are all suggesting I EAT MORE to cure this shrunk colon/constipation? Even more outrageous is suggesting I eat the very thing that caused the problem. This makes no sense to me. I would rather completely eliminate my system, heal my gut, strengthen it, and then gradually proceed into raw paleo.

[eveheart]

I'm confused as to why no one else sees it this way.

Well, I can't see it your way because my experience was the exact opposite.

Why do you need others to see it your way? Like they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

If we had to separate our proteins, fats, and carbohydrates for the purpose of good digestion, we couldn't eat anything from the natural world, because most natural food is composed of more than one macronutrient.

How can you expect a laxative to give you a solid, formed stool, especially when you are overdosing on laxatives?

If you do have strictures (shrunken portions of colon), loops, rectocele, or some other colon deformation, overdoses of laxatives are the LAST thing that a doctor would prescribe. Colon obstruction or deformity is not made better by forcing yourself to have diarrhea.

VERY URGENT: in your post http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/health/intestinal-blockage/msg126526/#msg126526, you quoted me as saying that I've consulted Barefood Herbalist and have leaky gut. Neither is true. I think you have typed your statements in the "quote" box. Please edit or delete that post!

Sorry i miss typed my response in the quote box. I don't see an edit option anywhere.

I thought laxative would pass through at the least liquid stool diarrhea. So far epsom salt has just expelled green/yellow water mostly. Castor oil worked much better.

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

Well, I can't see it your way because my experience was the exact opposite.

Why do you need others to see it your way? Like they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

You're right.

I'm just thinking

Constipated?--->eat less
makes more sense than
Constipated?---> eat more

Especially if I do have a shrunken colon. It makes sense more food could rupture it.
Especially raw animal meats/fats. I think for now i should stick to water, coconut oil/olive oil, and if I feel well enough fruit juices. Id like to try yogurt/kefir but fear it may be to dense for my damaged gut right now.

[eveheart]

All food is liquid, called chyme, by the time it exits your stomach. (Yes, there are exceptions due to things not working well.) At pretty much the end of the transit, water is absorbed from the chyme. A well-functioning colon will make well-formed stools by eliminating all but the right amount of water. Constipation means that too much water has been removed. Diarrhea means that not enough water has been removed. (That's why people get dehydrated from diarrhea.)

Your whole digestive tract, from mouth to anus, depends on a bazillion different functions, starting with the smell of food, it's taste, the physiobiology of chewing, and the mystifying number of biochemical signals that tell each cell what to do.

Let's say you want to take juices. Then, you are depriving yourself of one of the first digestive signals, chewing. The tongue is a rich array of sensors that trigger chemical processes later on in the stomach. If you drink juice, you're saying, "Screw you, stomach, I'm going to dump some shit in you, and you won't have a clue what to do with it!"

Other dietary extremes wreak other kinds of havoc, like unbalancing your colon's bacteria types, losing or retaining water, or upsetting the mineral balance in your body.

I'd say: Constipated > eat normal amounts of food.
Normal amounts never mean "full" or "stuffed." Eat until "satisfied."

Then, once everything is going well, you can see what comes out.

P.S. I've had pelvic floor dysfunction. I had an operation for it when I was in my 40s. It came back, but never bothers me since I've been eating raw paleo style. I've also have autoimmune issues in my gut, but the usual symptoms have completely healed on this diet.

I switched, cold turkey, from cooked food to RPD. I started feeling better from day one.

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

All food is liquid, called chyme, by the time it exits your stomach. (Yes, there are exceptions due to things not working well.) At pretty much the end of the transit, water is absorbed from the chyme. A well-functioning colon will make well-formed stools by eliminating all but the right amount of water. Constipation means that too much water has been removed. Diarrhea means that not enough water has been removed. (That's why people get dehydrated from diarrhea.)

Your whole digestive tract, from mouth to anus, depends on a bazillion different functions, starting with the smell of food, it's taste, the physiobiology of chewing, and the mystifying number of biochemical signals that tell each cell what to do.

Let's say you want to take juices. Then, you are depriving yourself of one of the first digestive signals, chewing. The tongue is a rich array of sensors that trigger chemical processes later on in the stomach. If you drink juice, you're saying, "Screw you, stomach, I'm going to dump some shit in you, and you won't have a clue what to do with it!"

Other dietary extremes wreak other kinds of havoc, like unbalancing your colon's bacteria types, losing or retaining water, or upsetting the mineral balance in your body.

I'd say: Constipated > eat normal amounts of food.
Normal amounts never mean "full" or "stuffed." Eat until "satisfied."

Then, once everything is going well, you can see what comes out.

P.S. I've had pelvic floor dysfunction. I had an operation for it when I was in my 40s. It came back, but never bothers me since I've been eating raw paleo style. I've also have autoimmune issues in my gut, but the usual symptoms have completely healed on this diet.

I switched, cold turkey, from cooked food to RPD. I started feeling better from day one.

I believe my gut is so damaged and clogged that I must take nutrients via juicing/liquid forum. I think it's so weak it cannot digest solid foods atm. I wish I could eat the healing foods that RPD provides. But at this point is risk rupturing my colon.

I wouldn't call my bowel movements dhiarrea. They are literally 98% liquid, best way I can describe is green/yellow water. My colon is eliminating in a small stream the width of a straw. This is my I am going with Barefoot Herbalists theory of a shrunken colon. No matter what solid food I ate, I don't think it would make it out.

I suspect the intestinal blockage is so bad, any water I consume is simply passing around the stool.

I am thinking of taking a stool softener. But the ingredients don't look very good, lots of chemicals. I am amazon priming an enema kit, hopefully that will work. Until I have normal bowel movements without outside help, I don't think I should eat solid foods. As I risk the blockage reoccuring.

[raw-al]

Ayurveda says that you should answer the call of nature ASAP. By holding off you cause the GIT to absorb more moisture from the waste. This makes it dryer and that means that it will pass a lot less easily. The longer you hold it the harder it gets. Over time this damages the area making the whole process even more problematic.

Urine should be passed ASAP for the same reason. Holding it back, because 'it is not convenient right now' will aggravate your bladder and everything in the area including the prostate.

Another thing that aggravates the whole system is not exercising at all. Going for a 20 minute walk after a meal will do wonders for digestion, excretion, joy de vivre etc..

The massaging of the gut from walking or any gentle exercise like TaiChi or Yoga helps the peristaltic action of the GIT to move stuff along.

[raw-al]

Once the current emergency is over, this is what Ayurveda says to look for with your feces;

If it is black small and hard, consistently, then you are very pitta so you should follow a Pitta diet. Basically your digestion is very strong and in effect your food gets over-cooked by your digestion.

If it is alternately hard and soft meaning black rocks and then pale slush, you have a variable digestion and should eat more meals per day in smaller amounts and you are vata which means you should follow a Vata diet.

If it is soft mainly and maybe light in colour you should eat on time, less and you are probably Kapha and so should follow a K diet.

However when you eat raw, I have discovered, these rules tend to go out the window, as raw food digests much easier. However a certain amount of the rules are still true, especially if you are in a pickle like now.

Bear in mind that internet diagnosing is not that reliable, however I tried to make it simple.

Ayurvedic food guidelines, 6 pages http://ayurveda.com/pdf/food-guidelines.pdf

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

Today I are nothing but coconut oil, And drank water with lemon and fine himilayan pink salt. Starting at 8am, consuming 2 tbps every 2 hours. As 6:30 approaches it will be my 12th tbp. No bowel movements yet today.

It feels as if something is caught in my throat, and my breath smells like actual sh*t. I can't smell it but my brother keeps telling me. I do have a foul taste in my mouth for past several days.

Putting order in for Enema kit tonight. Any suggestions on which kit to purchase(using amazon).

[goodsamaritan]

See through plastic seems good so you can see the fluid level by yourself.  It is so cheap you should buy more than 1.

If you live with family, each family member must have his own enema kit, write your names on them with pentel pens.

My own boy's gut was so damaged he could not poop by himself.

What we did was we gave him Barefoot Herbalist MH's LBB Capsules every day (his activation dose was 1 capsule) and he was able to poop without assistance daily... for 60 days... then he became a pooping champion.
(before the capsules, we had to give him an enema water or oil to get his poop).

http://oldfashionedspices.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=445

[jessica]

have you had any carbohydrates for a while? when your body starts using ketones its produces foul smelling breathe...do you think that might be the cause?

[raw-al]

Today I are nothing but coconut oil, And drank water with lemon and fine himilayan pink salt. Starting at 8am, consuming 2 tbps every 2 hours. As 6:30 approaches it will be my 12th tbp. No bowel movements yet today.

It feels as if something is caught in my throat, and my breath smells like actual sh*t. I can't smell it but my brother keeps telling me. I do have a foul taste in my mouth for past several days.

Putting order in for Enema kit tonight. Any suggestions on which kit to purchase(using amazon).

Difficult to say on the internet, but it is possible there is nothing in there to expel? in which case it might help to eat. If you do not eat, your breath will smell pretty bad.

Re: the enema bag, they are very cheap at any drugstore. In fact, if push comes to shove, you could grab a plastic bread type bag and glue some sort of small hose to it and use that, but of course a real one would be more comfortable because the tube end has a small restrictor, so the fluid comes out the side of the tube to prevent it from rushing in too fast, which especially if it is your first time might give you a bit of a shock  . Slower is definitely better and hold it in as long as you can. Use a high quality coffee for the fluid.

BTW coffee enemas used to be in the Merck Manual up to around the 1970's till the medical mafia realized they cut down on their business selling drugs and so forth so they suddenly stopped mentioning them. Lots of stuff has gone that way. Can't have PPL getting well.

This gal shows it well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9x_eJS9s7c

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

have you had any carbohydrates for a while? when your body starts using ketones its produces foul smelling breathe...do you think that might be the cause?

No I eat zero carbs. Last 2 days I've only eaten olive oil/ coconut oil.

[jessica]

yeah you probably just have horrible "keto" breathe.  you  may want to be sure you are drinking fluids with plenty of electrolytes, especially potassium and magnesium.  this is when broths and seaweeds come in very handy.  when you blood glucose drops your body will flush out whatever excess fluids it was holding onto and your electrolytes can run low and become imbalanced.  many suffer from headaches, low energy , foul mood, and hydration issues.  getting enough of these minerals ensures that your body will maintain proper hydration, including in your bowels and stool. 

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

yeah you probably just have horrible "keto" breathe.  you  may want to be sure you are drinking fluids with plenty of electrolytes, especially potassium and magnesium.  this is when broths and seaweeds come in very handy.  when you blood glucose drops your body will flush out whatever excess fluids it was holding onto and your electrolytes can run low and become imbalanced.  many suffer from headaches, low energy , foul mood, and hydration issues.  getting enough of these minerals ensures that your body will maintain proper hydration, including in your bowels and stool.

Looks like I'll be picking up some coconut water, or water melon tomorrow.

[goodsamaritan]

some fruits that make people move:

papaya, water melon, melon, pineapples, coconut meat

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

some fruits that make people move:

papaya, water melon, melon, pineapples, coconut meat

Ok, thank you for suggestion. I was feeling very weak last night from not eating much for past 3 days. Brother convinced me to drink some goat kefir(not raw). This morning...no intestinal pain, but no bowel movement either. Going to Urgen care in a couple hours.

I also purchased a rite aid brand stool softener. Docusate sodium 100mg capsules. Might be worth a try in a day or two.

[eveheart]

I also purchased a rite aid brand stool softener. Docusate sodium 100mg capsules. Might be worth a try in a day or two.

I've used ducosate sodium only once and found that it produces some kind of "paste" that is nowhere near the consistency of solid stool.

I'm glad you are going to urgent care. The two diagnoses that your herbalist suggested are so different in cause and treatment. Pelvic floor dysfunction is a mechanical problem, blockages and strictures are more complicated. Also, I think you need to talk to a doctor and get a definitive diagnosis. Finding your own diagnosis online is difficult because you lack the diagnostic tools like lab tests or x-rays to make a good differential diagnosis. Not to mention that you've never seen what common ailments look like, so you have no point of reference.

I never used to go to the doctor because I didn't want medical treatment. I've changed my mind - I'll go to the doctor for the diagnosis and then decide how I want to treat the problem. After all, doctors can't arrest you and make you follow medical treatment. In many cases, you will astonish your doctors by how much you can heal with nutrition. If you can't heal yourself, you trudge back to the doctor and admit she was right.

[A_Tribe_Called_Paleo]

Doctor claimed I successfully cleared myself with castor oil/Epsom salts. Prescribed murilax. Don't know much about it, can anyone recommend?

Today I took a magnesium suppliment from natural vitality. I finally had my first solid bowel movement in who knows how long(2 weeks+)... I think ill cofounder taking it daily, unless there are any side effects from prolong use I'm unaware of?

I still haven't tried taking stool softener yet, very tempted.

[eveheart]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_glycol will give you an idea about the polymer polyethylene glycol. While there are naturally occurring polymers, PEG is a synthetic plastic. Miralax's website http://www.miralax.com/miralax/why-miralax/how-miralax-works.jspa says that

Water is vital to your body for healthy living, and to help your digestive system stay regular. Constipation may occur when stool moves slowly through the colon, which could allow too much water to be removed. This can make the stool hard, dry, and difficult to pass.

MiraLAX® contains Polyethylene Glycol 3350, which is a completely different way to treat occasional constipation. It activates water to work in 3 ways - hydrating, easing and softening - to unblock your system naturally.

Reading between the lines, it looks to me as if this large molecule of PEG is a mild irritant to keep things moving a little faster through the colon, before the stool can dry out. If it were me, I'd take magnesium supplement over polymers any day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioctyl_sodium_sulfosuccinate is in stool softeners. It is a surfactant. Surfactants are commonly used in laundry detergent as wetting agents.

Manufacturers of DSS products claim that their products are the natural way to relieve constipation, which I think means that the water they hold in the stool is a natural way to relieve constipation: they work by making your stool "wetter." If it were me, I'd take magnesium supplement over laundry detergent any day.

[PaleoPhil]

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is one of the most disastrous things I've ever been prescribed. Over time it depleted me of electrolytes, such as potassium, and I developed the worst toe cramps I've ever had, with one of my toes frequently painfully spasming, resulting in it pointing backwards straight up toward the ceiling.

I find Natural Vitality's Natural Calm magnesium to be far superior to PEG/Miralax.

[badboy9311]

I find the lack of mentioning of gut flora in the replies very concerning
I just recently had some constipation issue with no resolving from eating raw + doing various supplementation and cleanses

I resolved it by providing myself with plenty of soluble fiber and probiotic supplements (In form of fermented vegetable and soil-based organisms), and now the issue has been resolved somewhat. I believe the reason for intestinal blockage to be the low-carb diet we seem to follow yet not considering the consequence of having killed off some bacteria in our gut system.

But I also want to say this is just speculation right now as I've only resolved this issue two days ago