Faintness -> Living In Hell! <- Adrenals Exhausted?

Babouin,

i did do some research on the adrenal extract and they said that some of the side effects are:

insomnia
restlessness
heart palpitations
changes in blood pressure

it's strange but I get the same reaction from ginseng. I am very sensitive to caffeine and have severe symptoms from it that is very much like a low blood reaction. Novacaine does the same thing to me at the dentist's office. I think they are all tied to a release of adrenaline. It makes you feel terrible and it's very scary.

Dj

Thanks for the info dianajj. My friend at the health food store told me that I should keep using them and that it should work after some time. However, I did not take one today and I wonder if I will continue as those adrenal extract really made me anxious and I had terrible insomnia!

* * *

i wonder, by the way, how do you actually feel when you eat "bad"? Today I was focused and decided to try to eat very low-carb. I ate salade + egg this morning, and salad/salmon twice this afternoon. Then I arrived at my group therapy 1 hours and a half after eating salad/salmon and I was so weak, so confused, unable to do anything.

Then, because it was our last group of the season, we had pizza. I ate 4 pieces of pizza, and felt so good for the next hours.

Stan would probably tell me this is normal to get so weak because I am not used to work on so litte carb. However, I wonder stan... I need to continue my life for the next weeks; I need to work! I need to be able to get to work without having the impression I will faint again!

Ok I know I was wrong tonight (i would have eaten 5 pizzas if I could... I have a binge eating disorder), and will try to do better. But I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea for me to apply a less strict diet (like one suggested in "hypoglycemia for dummies") because only protein/fat and veggies seems to be a good way for me to get depressed, to faint and/or to lose my job!

Anyway, I didn't meant to whine... I am just... Low on sugar! :wink:

It's okay! We'll help out any way we can. Trust me, I know exactly what it feels like and I know what's it's like to worry you have every possible disease and worry you're not getting enough carbohydrates. Sigh. Bad, bad, bad. Expect to feel awful, terrible, depressed, more anxious and generally like absolute, horrid waste for at least a week after what you just did. It does take time to get used to the diet, i'll give you that, but it's the only way you can get better again. Even if you go high carb, you must stick with it without faltering for at least six months, you have to. There's no other option. Is it possible for you to go on medical leave for a month or two? That's a good option to try, I did it at first. Diana, caffeine is bad, so you know, because it raises blood sugar, which in a hypoglycemic the pancreas quickly drops. It actually causes your liver to release its stores. Also, to get my opinion clear, i'm pretty definite you are having trouble with fat only because of the sugar. You've screwed yourself up so bad that you're currently in a very precarious position that will take a lot of hard work to get out of. You have to stick with a good diet, whichever route you choose, I suggest mine but go high carb if you want to try it. Sorry about the mistake, I thought you said you tried high fat and gained weight earlier.

Well actually I would like to be able to eat in a "normal" way and be able to eat bad sometimes without feeling to weak, etc. I would like to be "normal" and enjoy life with food sometimes, with alcohol too.

I am ont a low-carb diet for 2 years, but I used to eat a lot of legumes, and a lot of "this" and a lot of "that". It seems my body would compensate for the loss of simple carbs by making me eat more complex carbs.


I need to get rid of my binges, which is my greatest challenge. When I am with people in supper, or when I feel anxiety or have physical pain related to my back problems, I tend to eat a lot of fat/carbs. In the last 2 years, I managed to eliminate completely grains and milk (except yogurt/cheese/cream in binges or occasionnaly) but I simply replaced the cereal or ice cream binges by whipped cream or cashew binges.


The result is that I lost weight.


But another result is my dyspepsia and unability to properly digest fat.


In the last months I have been anxious and I was with a girlfriend which was prone to eat junk food all the time. The exceptions were more numerous, and I guess that this is why I felt so bad.


Anyway, for the last days (exception of my yesterday night binge... Grrrr) I try to eat at each 3 hours salad (with lot of mixed raw vegetables and fine herbs) with 50-60g. Meat each time or an egg. But I wonder... Is it possible to eat too much raw vegetables? Or is there a good ration with protein to follow?


Today, I ate 3 meals so far, each time about 1 to 1.2 litre of salad + 1 egg or 50g. Salmon or 50g. Organic chicken. I wonder if this is too much salad. I just like salad so much and I don't feel bad after eating, but maybe 1.2 liter of salad each 3 hours is too much?


I would like your advice on this! And maybe... How to deal with binges and people tempting me with pizzas and bad food?


Thanks!

P.S. I must add that I have terrible smelly gas for the last days since I started this diet.

Your intestinal bacteria will change on the diet, so that's where the gas is coming from. It's pretty much impossible to eat too much salad. You'd have to eat so much your stomach would explode, there's no way to get too much of it. I eat a huge bundle of green leaf or romaine every day, a ton. You may be able to eat in a "normal" way eventually, but you have to work for it, keep eating junk food and it will get worse and worse. It may be that you're one of the few people that don't listen until you're put into psychiatric treatment at the hospital because it gets so bad. It's happened, some have even had shock treatments. Be careful and do the right thing.

Yesterday I ate:

- 10 a.M.: 1.2 litres of salad + 1 egg
- 1 p.M.: 1.2 litres of salad + 60 g. Salmon
- 4 p.M.: 1.1 litre of salad + 60g. Chicken
- 7 p.M.: 60g. Chicken + very small portion of vegetables
- 10 p.M. Very very small portion of legumes + very small portion of vegetables

i had so much difficulty digesting this. 3 hours is not enough for me to assimilate the meat, so I had nausea all the evening + this night also.

Strangely enough, I always feel worst in the morning after fasting than some hours after eating. I wonder if I might have some kind of fasting hypoglycemia, because even if I get symptoms some hours after a meal, symptoms are always much worst after night.

Last 2 times I fainted it was in the morning. And this morning, when I woke up, I had a terrible vertigo when I got up from bed. Wouldn't that may indicate some kind of pancreatic problem? Or maybe my liver is simply unable to store enough sugar and to do appropriate gluconeogenesis later to give me back sugar?

Anyway, there seem to be a link between my nausea or feeling of discomfort and my morning symptoms. The last times I fainted I had difficulty digesting the evening food and again I had difficulty yesterday and I feel like crap this morning, as if my body did not assimilate anything I ate. Even now, after I ate an apple, vegetables, an egg and some wild rice, I still don't feel good and feel like I would faint again if I had to work this morning.

I don't know what to do. I should eat very often, but 3 hours seems to be highway to indigestion for me. Or maybe I have organic hypoglycemia and should do more testing? Well, whatever, not a great day...

Anybody here has organic hypoglycemia or worst after fasting than after meal? Or anybody saw a link between indigestion and hypoglycemia symptoms? Thanks.

Indigestion and hypoglycemia go hand in hand, it's one of the most frequent symptoms you'll hear about. Expect to experience it for awhile. If you're having so much trouble digesting as you seem to think, separate your meals differently. Have one with vegetables and then three hours later one with your protein. This will give you a good 5-6 hours between eating protein and fat to avoid the problem. If you still have it, it's simple, it's one of the symptoms you have to deal with until it goes away. Let me tell you something else because I see it happening to you and it's happened before. Get a grip on yourself. You're starting to slip into the worry phase and if you're not careful you're going to drive yourself into a realm you never want to experience. I've seen it happen before to a few people like you. You're getting close my friend. Stop talking or thinking about all of these different possibilities. You have hypoglycemia. That's probably it. You don't have fasting hypoglycemia, because you'd be able to eat anything if you had that. It makes sense to feel like that in the morning but not after eating. Don't you get it? You don't eat while your asleep so of course at first you're going to feel worse in the morning than at other times because there's nothing in your body. Get it in your head and read this message any time you start to obsess. This does indicate a pancreatic problem, and it's called hypoglycemia. Your liver is fine, if you're really that worried they have a simple blood test they can do. It's running out of sugar because you keep dropping, simple as that, but it's not its problem, it's your pancreas that's having the problem, it's overreacting and you have to teach it how to function properly. You have hypoglycemia, you don't have anything else. The diet will suck at first for you, I can tell already. Don't obsess about it every day, keep sticking with it. Never, ever worry about any hypoglycemic symptom unless it occurs continuosly for a long period of time, like at least a month. As I always say, you'll find this doesn't happen and what you experience lasts only a day or passes in a few. Watch yourself, man, you're starting to get into bad territory. I've seen it happen before and it's not pretty.

Thanks for the advice... But really I am in bad territory for the last weeks. This is not if I was starting from scratch. Just as an example, let me show you (random dates... I open a page and show what I ate on that date) what I used to eat (i note everything about food):

thursday april 28, 2005

10h20: 1 apple
11h40: 125 g. Tofu + spinach with herbs and oil dressing
14h10: 100g. Roasted almonds
17h20: 215 g. Chicken + spinach salad with oil dressing + 1 apple
21h20: 1/4 bowl of legumes


friday january 13, 2006

12h00: 150g. Tofu + vegetables
*15h40: 2 bowls strawberries/blueberries + whipped cream + 1 bowl arachids
18h15: 70g. Tofu + vegetables + a bit arachids + blueberries/raspberries as dessert
23h00: 125g. Yogurt


friday auguest 26, 2005

10h50: 1/2 bowl legumes/vegetables
12h00: 1 1/2 bowl legumes/vegetables + 1 apple + 1 carrot
16h30: 220g. Tofu + spinach salad
18h15: 1 1/4 bowl legumes/vegetables
19h30-22h00: carrots + 1 apple


sunday may 21, 2006

10h45: 1/2 bowl melon
11h50: legumes + wild rice + vegetables
16h50: 180g. Salmon + vegetables + a bit of kamut full-grain spaghetti + 1 bowl of strawberries
*20h00: 1 big bowl of pineapple
21h00: 1 egg + salad + 1 bowl strawberries
*21h30: 1 bowl pineapple


friday november 18, 2005

12h00: 1 bowl legumes/vegetables + 1 apple
17h00: 150g. Tofu + legumes + vegetables
23h00: 150g. Tofu + legumes + vegetables


sunday march 26, 2006

12h00: 150g. Tofu + 1 egg + salad + 1 apple
*14h00-17h00: 2 bowls strawberries + whipped cream + 300g. Arachids + 30g. Chocolate 56% + 500g. Yogurt 2,5% m.F. + strawberries
21h30: 175g. Chicken + salad + wild rice + some legumes + strawberries + 1 apple


wednesday april 11, 2006

12h00: 2 eggs + salad + 1 bowl pineapple + 1 apple
17h30: 150g. Salmon + salad + some arachids
18h00: 1/2 bowl strawberries
*21h00: 275g. Arachids + 1/3 bowl strawberries + 1/2 bowl pineapple
*22h30: 1/2 bowl pineapple

* is a binge.





Ok what I want to demonstrate is that my diet wasn't that bad in the last year. I rarely ate any processed food (except some occasions) and even in my binges (totally random dates; I did not choose healthier days) I ate mostly yogurt, nuts or fruits.





Where am I going with this?





Well, my point is that I think that, except for my binges, I was eating better than probably 75% of the population. So I wonder why I feel so crappy still and have strong hypoglycemia reaction, etc. I sure had a relapse in 2006, but still, I don't understand why I have all those symptoms and why my symptoms are so much worst when I have indigestion.





Another thing I don't understand is why I sleep so well on nights after restaurant (with white flour and sugar) and why I get all kind of intestinal problems with vegetables, legumes, protein or fat. Sometimes I wonder if maybe my constitution should make me eat sugar.

Anyway, sorry I am confused. My blood sugar must be very low this morning, as I had trouble to get up from bed and have vertigo everytime I move. I feel exactly like the day when I fainted. I had indigestion that night too. It sucks.





* * *

i will try your trick to eat only protein at 6 hours with a vegetable break in-between, but what I read was that each meal/snack should have protein in it because proteins are what slow down absoption of sugar.

I wonder, maybe I don't have enough enzymes to break down those vegetables. I never smelled so bad and had that much intestinal discomfort than yesterday (even when I used to eat legumes twice a day)... That was ok since I wasn't with my girlfriend, but... Well, you get the idea.





Anyway I know I look like a very anxious person, but the bottom line is: I am. I am tired to feel sick. I would like to feel better. I did eat not that bad for 2 years and still feel crap and have so much hypoglycemia I would have had to call ill if I had to work this morning in fear of getting out of job anyway in an ambulance! :lol:

thanks

* * *

i'd like to add something. You said it is normal to feel weaker in the morning because I did not eat anything at night. Well, usually I don't feel that weak. More interesting, when I go to restaurant on an evening, I will feel good the next morning. It's like my liver is unable to correctly stock glucagon. Or maybe something else. But the thing is: I usually feel ok in the morning, except when I have indigestion or had bloating or felt bad in the night and sleeped poorly. Then I am weak, I have terrible nausea for at least 2 days, and on those days I fainted twice, and would probably faint more often if I had a 40hour/week steady job.


* * *

another thing: I don't understand the link between indigestion and hypoglycemia. I have the impression my indigestions are caused by eating too often (or too much too often) and the meat never has time to get digested hence it stays there and... Well, fermentate, putrefaction, etc. Just wondering!

* * *

last thing (seriously! :wink: ): my main concern right now is mostly thay my hypoglycemic symptoms are always worst in the morning (except for time to time at job or elsewhere) and every time they are, it is linked to some intestinal problem. My hypothesis used to be that maybe there is some kind of a leaky gut or ibs or something that alter the proper assimilation of nutrient, hence the bloating/discomfort and the lack of energy/faintness. Anybody here has any experience with ibs or things like that? Cause I observed that when I had my worst hypoglycemic attacks in the morning, I had diarrhea/constipation in the days before/after and had major intestinal disturbance.

Thanks a lot for reading (and helping) me. I appreciate!

If I might interject here...

Looking at what you ate for the past year, I notice a lot starch and carbs. And, yes, you did eat better than 75% of the population, but ... I have news for you ... So did i. Or rather, I thought so too. However, for hypoglycemics many items -- the legumes, tofu, carrots, apples, just to name a few -- is a no-no. Eventually you'll be able to have these things in small doses but not now. Prior to losing this weight and eating seemingly healthy, you admit you ate poorly. Well, guess what, it finally caught up with you. Yes, you eat better than you did before but with some minor adjustments, you'll eat even better and eventually feel better, too.

When you say you sleep better, would you say you "slept like a log"? Yeah, I would too. Do you know why? Because the sugar levels are off and I would be in a "semi-catatonic" state for lack of a better term. (i could have slept through a hurricane).

As for your indigestion, have you tried those digestion tablets yet? How about drinking some lemon water? (would that be allowed, stan?) or better yet, fresh mint tea? It works wonders. I would also recommend for you camomile tea. You need to relax and camomile will calm you.

Lastly, you said "i'm tired to feel sick". Babouin, trust me when I tell you we have all said that at some point; usually when we're at our worst point. You need to look closely at stan's diet and really adhere to the prohibited list. I am sure you're still eating things that you are reacting to. Also, I would recommend a vitamin b complex in liquid form. You're nerves are shot. It will help you. But!!! You will not happen overnight. Not at all! It will take time and it won't be easy but you must remember it will get better.

Btw, are you still taking celexa?

Hmmm, lemon water, I don't see why not as long as it's from fresh lemons. I don't know if that would help digestion, but I have heard it suggested before. On my old diet I used to drink it twice a day, big glass of it and it seemed to do something. Yeah, b, no offense but you keep contradicting yourself all over the place. In that same post there you say "you said it is normal to feel weaker in the morning because I did not eat anything at night. Well, usually I don't feel that weak." and then, after that you say "my main concern right now is mostly thay my hypoglycemic symptoms are always worst in the morning." which is it? If you mean that you feel like that now it's to be expected. Your body is in complete chaos because you're finally doing the right thing. Well, almost. As t said there, that diet you were eating was sort-of healthy, but not to someone with hypoglycemia. That diet right there is practically the worst thing you could possibly eat ever. There is so much badness in there I don't even need to elaborate. Now to answer you questions in order.

1. Why do you have symptoms with indigestion? Simple. Indigestion is one of your main symptoms and it's there with the others. When you have that happening, since it effects digestion, you can expect to feel a little worse until your body finally adjusts and this stuff stops. That's it.

2. Why do you sleep so well on white flour and sugar? Simple again, you've just given your brain a temporary fix. If you don't believe, go ahead and eat a diet full of that crap and I guarantee in about two weeks you'll feel insane and won't be sleeping at all. Occasionally cheating has given you a period where you're feeling better than normal, but if you were to keep doing it it would get worse as the pancreas continues to overcompensate for the garbage you're chucking in there.

3. Why intestinal problems with vegetables and such? Because your body isn't used to it yet. You probably have a nice little bacterial imbalance going on in there that can takes weeks to fix. Until then, expect this to happen on a good diet, it means the good bacteria is beginning to take over again and the bad is getting pissed.

4. Yes, protein slows absorbtion, that's why you should try to have some with every meal. But, you're saying you think you have trouble digesting it, so I suggest separating it like that. Up to you.

5. You have enough enzymes to break down vegetables. What you have, again, is a bacterial imbalance. The bad gas is a sign of things getting better, in spite of how much it sucks. As a general rule of thumb, when you're eating right, sucks = good.

6. Liver? Go get tested so you shut up already (no offense!). I myself thought this and was tested. Guess what, perfect liver. Yep, no problem at all. It can store it just fine, it just doesn't have anything to store because your sugar is so low. Simple as that.

7. Indigestion can only be caused by eating too often if your fat intake is way to high. It would take a lot. Otherwise, it's because you're eating like crap if you're a normal person. For hypoglycemics, intestinal problems are usually a big symptom. I'm not sure why. I assume the brain is shutting down areas it may not find as important as others, that's the only answer I have. I can tell you i've had stomach and intestinal pain that lasted for almost two weeks straight when I started to eat right. I eventually couldn't stand it and went to the er to be tested. Everything normal, yet again. Except one thing, sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8. Does meat putrify? No, please stop it, no it doesn't. If you were constipated, maybe yeah, but you're not. It won't do that and if you're working out like you said you were, it goes to the muscles to repair or throughout the body to aid other thingies.

9. Ibs? Yeah, I think we all have that. I get a teeny, weeny bit here and there, like once a week at best, but as I said up there one time it lasted almost two weeks straight with no let up. I can say that I noticed too that when I have one symptom, the diarrhea, pain or whatever would follow a day or so afterwards. Again, I unfortunately don't have a clue why, I think it's what I said up there, the brain cycles through things to shut down so they don't get damaged by shutting them down all the time.

Many authors seem to disagree with what you consider good and bad food stan.

In "hypoglycemia for dummies", it is said that legumes are very good, whole-grains too and that fruit in small quantity is fine too.

In her book on hypoglycemia (edition 2002) jeraldine saunders says that any non-processed unrefined food is good. She says that legumes are good, whole-grains are good, and even fruits later in the treatment.

So according to those sources, my previous food was not that bad (except for the binges) as legumes are very high in fibers and tofu is a very high-protein meal too...

I just can't handle meat that well. I can't eat red meat (it simply makes me sick) and can only eat chicken once in a while (3 times a week at most!!). So legumes and tofuare really important for me! If I eat too much meat (i ate meat 4 times yesterday) I get an indigestion and then feel like crap the next day (which is today... ). You understand?

I don't see how this reaction could be caused by eating better; I sure eliminated fruits for the last days, but I also introduced more meat. I am blood type a so maybe meat isn't that good for me. I would like to try to eat some whole-grains, but according to your diet this would not be ok, but according to others it would be.

I am confused. It seems I just can't eat what I need to to be able to thrive.

As for the intestins, I take pro-biotics everyday for the last 2 years, and I ate fruits, and not much refined sugars (except for binges).

My hypothesis about how bad I feel is mostly related to maybe some kind of a leak in the gut, which would 'overcharge' the body with toxins that can't be eliminated at once, and that overcharge would create anxiety and stress.

What do you think?

If you've been taking pro-biotics leaky guy would be pretty much impossible. I've read everything man, what i'm telling you is coming from experience and from the experiences of many hypoglycemics. I've only found one diet that agrees with mine, and it was what helped me to figure everything out. It was made by three doctors. Http://www.Fred.Net/slowu p/haidiet.Txt read it and see what they say. Very few hypoglycemics, in truth, are able to eat the diets you find in those books. Those diets only apply to a few lucky individuals. If you read through saunder's book, she even says at one point that some people have to eat every one to two hours, but yet gives no tips on what they should do. Furthermore, she admits somewhere in what I think is the same section you just mentioned, that some people (i disagree with "some" because like everyone on here cannot handle her diet) cannot tolerate grain at all. But again, she gives no indication what you do in such a case. Ariolo or whatever his name is said the same thing, but yet again neither of them provide any indication as what one should do if grain is not an option. The best they say is something like "it can be added back in eventually." what the hell does that mean and do you have a clue how this is to be done? Read and you'll find it. It may be possible you can't handle meat. So here's what you do, follow the diet in saunder's book. Let me know what happens. Everything I said i'm reiterating at this point. I'm only telling you what i've learned from myself and other hypoglycemics. If you don't want to believe it, which it seems you don't, then don't. Try her diet, that's the best advice I can give you. Do whatever she says and stick with it. Come back when it doesn't work, but if it does then good, you got it, but from my experience very, very few hypoglycemics do good on that diet, myself included.

For what you have, dyspepsia, you can't make soy products and beans your main food in your diet. This just makes your present condition worse. Beans and tofu have an enzyme inhibitor in them that prevents proper digestion in the stomach. Thus, resulting in gas and bloating, indigestion. Which makes your condition worse out already having digestion problems. Eating this results in gas and bloating, especially in the intestine. Stopping this until you get a better handle on your dyspepsia will make you regain control over the bloating and gas for now. Still again, proper control of stress/emotions will get rid of the dyspepsia all together. Thus, you will be able to eat soy and beans again free of the other symptoms.







Pancreatin like you are taking is good for gas in the stomach and that stuffed feeling and trace minerals should alliveiate the intestional gas as well. Brown rice or barley broth is good to take in with meals in a small amount to treat the gas as well. In time this will leave you when you adjust your diet well. Eat more fish and veggies and try a protein shake as well, as plain as possible perhaps brown rice one with some almond nutt butter or macadamia butter in there as a meal replacement or snack.

Excellent advice right there. I forgot to mention the thing about beans and tofu, though I hinted at it. Thanks!

Thanks for the advices.

Nypumpkin: I knew commercial tofu had such inhibitor, because of the way it is processed (did you read "soy: the dark side of america's favorite health food"? New book of 2006, very interesting) but I didn't know about beans? I mean: if the beans are natural, and boiled (not fried) why should there not be any enzyme in them?

I was reading the saunders book and she recommanded trying raw milk products. I went to a place where I tried some raw milk chesse. I ate a piece not bigger or thicker than a quarter, and then another one even smaller. Guess what, 10 minutes after and for the next hour I felt full. I wasn't feeling sick or that bad, but my stomach was hurting and I knew that if I had eaten more it would have been terrible.

Another example: one year ago I could eat nuts for hours, literrally. I could sit there and eat nuts non-stop pour 1 or 2 hours. I could eat more than a pound of nuts easily. Now, I eat like 15 almonds on an empty stomach (even worst on a full stomach) and it hurts and takes hours to digest.

Do you have any idea what can cause that? When I talk to my gastro-enterelogist, he simply says: "you have functional dyspepsia, learn to live with it" but he does not help me to help myself.

Basically, if I could be able to eat more nuts, cheese, butter (i can't even eat butter right now!) I would be more able to follow an hypoglycemic diet and say no to fruits, legumes, or anything with more carbs.

Thanks!

I say to avoid milk products at first. Raw milk is increasingly harder to find as most farmers will not sell to private customers anymore because of contracts. It's even illegal to sell it in several states, which is unfortunate because there's nothing wrong with it. As I said, i'm of the opinion that you're having these problems only because of the sugar because i've experienced the same things. I just keep going with it, putting the food in there and saying screw you stomach. Eventually it was like okay you win. Gastro doctors are no better, i've found, the one I went to see was a completely unfeeling fool that didn't even listen to what I said and wanted to give me medicine for irritable bowel? Mind you, this was before I even had any stomach symptoms, at that time I was only passing out, getting depressed, getting anxious, and getting confused. Irritable bowel? Seriously, it's only going to get worse. Beans have the same problem that soy beans do, phytic acid, it cannot be removed whatever you try to do. That's why you shouldn't eat too many of them, though they can be used for their carb content later on. Maybe you should try eating raw cheese instead of nuts to see how you do on that, it has more carbohydrates in it, and you may find it works for you. As i've said though, if you try my diet you have to do it the whole way, it's designed to work perfectly based on all the research i've done. We'll figure it out man, don't worry.

Hello. Yes, soy products are hit or miss with people for many reasons of effects of thyroid supression and others in certain people and men. Just depends on your health background and family history. Good and bad benefits really.

The nuts..In general you have to learn to put food properly together in what you eat. Also that large quanity of nuts washed down with a liquid will make your already troubled digestion hell along with the fat already dragging it down. That may be another source of problems you are experiencing. If you pair certain things together they cause indigestion because of where they are absorbed primerly and where broken down ..Stomach/intestine. I will send you something you can follow if you like on that on what to pair together.

With digestion also you should be drinking plenty in between meals. 4 oz every waking hour and more in the hotter months. This effects your food sitting there hanging out as well. It needs the liquid. But becareful- I know a lot of people can drink a full glass down of whatever or more with a meal- with your stomach; doing that with a meal is causing problems already. Since your diluting the juices to help you digest.

Just by curiousity do you crave crackers and other dry foods you find? Like toast or bread still at all? Im not asking about "carbs" just dry foods.

Second nuts are good as snacks, not by the pound or as full meals however. They are a source of good fats yes, but the strain your pancreas was subjected to in the past and gallbladder as well effects this outcome from being postive.. It is possible if you experience chronic pain in the back you may have some gallstones, or if it goes into your shoulder its your stomach distress/stress. Everyone gets them, gallstones, just when they get lodged in the bile ducts etc, they become troublesome for enzyme secretion and overall the whole system working together as one with the pancreas-liver-stomach. This could be possible, especially likely considering it happens with weightloss of over 50 pounds and your history. Oilve oil helps dislodge them, as does stress reduction and magnesium supplementation as it discourages their formation.

Don't eat alot of nuts at all in general, handful if any inbetween meals is tops. You should not need more. If you get a gnawing pain to eat food too, thats more your stomah irritation/stress response, not that you need to eat food. You must be able to determine these two. Stomach distress causes dizzyness/a rush of a hot feeling all the sudden with the pain and especially would be pronounced in the middle of the night and upon waking. Notice if you have gnawing pains. They are a little different from hypo symptoms. Also, take note of what fats you eat. You should be able to handle olive oil in fact you should benefit from it. And avoid sunflower seeds, too much fat saturation for you to handle.

In the end your liver needs detox badly and you need to modify your eating habits. Milk thistle capsules are excellent and gentle for your liver. Cleaning that will aid in healing your overall digestive imbalance. So it works better along with the other organs. Olive oil with the gallbladder and good source of fat. And the other stuff I sent you.

In regards to your stomach distress and overall anxiety the best book that I think will answer all your questions about your stomach is "why zebras don't get ulcers". It is very good and informative for what you are going through with your stomach relations. When you understand that side fully the rest will all fall into place accordingly through a good diet and behavior.

Thanks to you two for the information!

Nypumpkin: I will read the book you suggested. Seems very interesting!

Well, as for the gallbladder, my osteopath said lately that it seemed to her as there was some kind of "obstruction". So maybe some stones?! But the thing is: when I first went to see my gastro-enterologist, I had an echography to look for stones there, and there was none! So, is there anything else (besides anxiety, on which I am working actively) that could explain why I have so much trouble digesting fats?

Of course I don't try to eat 500 g. Of nuts anymore! I would only like to be able to eat like 15 almonds in my 15-minutes break at job in the afternoon to avoid late afternoon hypoglycemia. But the thing is: when I eat those nuts I feel bad for hours then!

Been unable to digest nuts (i tried almonds, cashews, peanuts, macadam, etc.), I was attracted by saunders suggestion of eating complex carbs bread.

So, I bought some high-quality natural quinoa/millet bread today, and I ate one piece with some raw cow milk cheese and strawberries. I was ok at that time. But guess what, at 6:30 p.M. I decided I needed a little snack to I ate again only one slice of bread and some cheese, and by 8:00 p.M. I was in strong hypoglycemia condition, with a terrible sugar craving!

I decided I needed to have supper. I ate 140 g. Salmon + 500 ml. Salad (as usual) and one slice of bread + cheese. Then after supper I went for another slice of bread + cheese. Then I ate 1 bowl of strawberries. Then another slice of bread + cheese. Well, you get the idea: a total full-blown binge! Highway to my bulimia, which seemed in control for the last week!

Do you think hypoglycemia can be the source of those binges?
And why is a quinoa/millet very high quality old-made bread + raw cheese would be enough to elevate enough my sugar level to cause hypoglycemia?

I don't disagree with stan's diet. It's just... I usually think of us, humans, as we need to eat complete and different food to thrive: meat, vegetables, but also fruits, legumes and grains! I feel like I might miss something in the long run not eating grains! This is why I liked saunders suggestion. And by the way, they also suggest to eat those kind of grains in "hypoglycemia for dummies" (chow/chow).

I feel trapped. I can't eat nuts, I can't eat bread, I can't eat fruits, I can't eat meat at 3 hours interval. Stan suggested to eat one time meat and the other time only vegetables, but the vegetables do not give me enough energy and are too promptly digested. So I thought it would have been nice to add some nuts or protein, but well I can't digest fat fast enough for that! The only way I can digest fat is if I eat before going to bed, then by morning I will be ok.

Nypumpkin: I am not sure exactly about what you say about the gnawing pain and the difference from hypoglycemia. All I know is that it seemes my body is not giving me enough enzymes to digest my food and that if I re-eat on it while it's still at work it produces pain.

To be more clear: if it takes me 5 hours to digest pain (5 hours in my stomach!) if I eat anything in that 5 hours time frame I risk having at least back pain (under the two shoulders) or a full-blown dyspepsia attack (some of those attacks nearly led me to er... It felt like someone was cutting me wide open with a knife... Terrible pain I never want to suffer from again).

My dyspepsia problem is aggravated by my bulimia/binge eating disorder which prompts me to eat too much and too often, overloading my overworked stomach. So if my binge eating disorder is caused by hypoglycemia, getting over hypoglycemia would likely help my dyspepsia.

But then again, what can I eat, damn it!? It seems I can't eat anything else than salad.

But still, even with milk thistle and everything, do you think I would be able to digest normally someday?

By the way, what is your opinion on alcohol? I got sick yesterday after taking 3 sips of a 5,5% alcohol beverage. I have a zero tolerance on alcohol. I feel like I have a 80 years old liver. It's not normal at 26 yo to be unable to drink alcohol, to eat nuts, to eat bread, or to eat anything or so... Or to be sick and tired all the time.

Well, anyway, thanks for reading and helping. I am on a journey, and right now I am wondering if I will put to trash my 6,69$ quinoa bread and what i'd miss without grains in my life.

The gallbladder can have stones too small to see, also they can be small enough and become trapped in the liver..Now, this theory is boo-hooed by most physcians but from many people there has been evidence through exploratory surgery that deemed otherwise there were small stone formations in pellets from people with gallstone disorder..This ofcourse was done on dead people not living exploratory means, however efforts through certain ways to eliminate them have also been shown to show actually stones being excreted through stool. So there is proof.





In either case, cleaning your liver with help the above situation regardless. And also your pancreas is very effected. Alcohol is very detramental to its health. This is common result (improper fat digestion, hypoglycemia etc) from abused pancreas'. Diet adjustments and time can only heal this.





I will give you some alternatives, however number one I would put off eating nuts for you, it doesn't do well, dont do it. The way you described the eating "binges" is not good. You shouldn't eat bread and cheese together first. Millet is excellent for you. However use 1 slice with a meat in a meal and spinach. Dont eat fruit with your meals or especially with bread, that is your first no no- your body is meant to absorb fruit quickly for you, it just sits there and becomes gassy sugar anyway already by the delayed digestion. Fruit can be eaten with cheese. Apple slices and cheese are wonderful together. Or cottage cheese as well (brown rice protein shakes, yogurt.) those are good matches.





Stans diet is a good diet. Everyone on here has the same thing with relatively different causes for the disposition of glucose issues. This makes for not a one size fits all solution. Where everyone slinks in and out of trying things to find a way. So you need to modify it for each person. However above all, anyone that doesn't eat routinely at certain hours, breakfast, lunch dinner times and snacks inbetween will exhibit hypo regardless just at different degrees at a time. You need to make sure you are respecting a routine eating schedule first. I will send you an email on the rest of that to explain.





You mention, reeating when you are having digestive problems. Dont do that. Never eat inbetween your food beng digested because it causes it to sit longer. Your stomach insn't superhuman. You have to respect its trying to do its job properly with what it has. Sure, if you ingested a simple sugar of soda, juice, ice cream etc. It would be tolerated to be "layered" in there. But you cannot do that and have a positive outcome regardless. So just make a measure, if you know it feels like its "sitting there" the best thing to do is prevent that situation, like by what I said, check out drinkiing digestive bitters, ginger/chamomile teabefore meals to prep your stomach for food and afterwards get some fresh parsley and chew on that with some water to wash it down. That should suffice the breakdown alone.





Your bulima eating disorder needs to be mandated by a professional eating disorder specialist above all. If you need help finding one let me know. Helping your digestion is one thing. But for the latter, you need to find the proper guidence for that. Osteopaths are excellent, but this is far above osteopaths. You need someone educated in behavioral eating problems/co-dependency. Thats the root of the whole problem that needs to be corrected and dealt with as none of this will get better without tackling that issue. In general I know you just can't eat that way, then what you can eat is another issue. But binging, its like getting stiches and then running around afterwards. You just open the wound again to bleed again because you are never really allowing proper rest for repair. It taxes your whole system that way negatively from all that abuse.





Will you be able to digest normally someday? Yes, if you attack the bulima issue above. The healing process however totally determines on how bad you have taxed your body already. This is serious stuff. Your already seeking out new diet alternatives and are being openminded, so that is very positive to take control of for you. Now, you need better guidance somewhere else dealing with another layer of problems, the reason you eat like that. I promise you once you get to exploring that not only will your digestion improve but overall your whole life will change and anxiety as well. But know, this all takes time for things to unfold and they will if you let them and with the right help you will get somewhere.. Nothing is overnight. Always stay determined and positive. I know it can be annoying and hard finding what you can tolerate to eat and changing things etc can get cranky. But don't let yourself fall back on that behavior of allowing you to feel helpless over it. Your grains will return for sure and others will be tolerated in time to respect of other aspects.


Check your email on here later and I will send you alternatives for you to eat to replace your cannot eat list and good food combinations.