Questions about weight loss, gall bladder, and coconut oil

[mlouise]

Help! I am losing weight rapidly.  I weighed 147 in Feb., 131 in May, and 120 today.  I look emaciated.  I have no strength and I get very tired very quickly.  I don't eat much because nothing tastes good; it is hard to swallow or it gives me heartburn.  Any one with similar experience or advice?  I have been on the AB for a month now and I haven't seen any good changes, mostly more pain and more skin tighting.  Could I have a problem with absorption?  Could someone talk about that and what it is and how to handle it?

I am also wondering about the gall bladder.  I am so ignorant I don't even know what it is for, but I have known people who had it removed and folks who had gall stones.  I am concerned about it because I read in my medical records that a CScan revealed “Many probable gall stones”.  Wouldn't I have pain with these?  I have no pain.  I want to try to keep these organs as healthy so possible because I have been kicked off the insurance because of the SD and I have no coverage for any major surgery related to any of these organs until I can find a company that will accept pre-existing conditions..

So I was going to try the coconut oil detox that was mentioned in a previous post.  14 tbsp coconut oil, 14 cup of water with 8 squeexed lemons and 1 tsp of sea salt.  I want to know if this solution might cause me any internal strife.  Has anyone ever had any experience with it to know if anything could go wrong?

I plan to start adding coconut oil to my diet.  I have already been using coconut oil and tea tree oil on my skin.

[Maz]

[user=2398]mlouise[/user] wrote:

I am also wondering about the gall bladder.  I am so ignorant I don't even know what it is for, but I have known people who had it removed and folks who had gall stones.  I am concerned about it because I read in my medical records that a CScan revealed “Many probable gall stones”.  Wouldn't I have pain with these?  I have no pain.  I want to try to keep these organs as healthy so possible because I have been kicked off the insurance because of the SD and I have no coverage for any major surgery related to any of these organs until I can find a company that will accept pre-existing conditions..

So I was going to try the coconut oil detox that was mentioned in a previous post.  14 tbsp coconut oil, 14 cup of water with 8 squeexed lemons and 1 tsp of sea salt.  I want to know if this solution might cause me any internal strife.  Has anyone ever had any experience with it to know if anything could go wrong?

Hi MLouise,

My best suggestion would be to join the Yahoogroups “Gallstones” support group. I joined this group when I was having GB issues and there were many experienced liver and GB flushers there with a lot of dietary and flushing tips/suggestions.

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=gallstones

Something like 80 or 90% of people will have gallstones (according to finds on autopsy in articles I've read), so they are more common than not. Mostly, they are silent and cause no problems for folk, especially the larger ones that are too big to pass out of the GB (where they get stuck and cause pain). My Mum had one the size of a golf ball on ultrasound and it never caused her any problems. It's the tiny ones (both calcium and cholesterol stones) that can be troublesome, as well as sludge that can build up in the GB and cause sluggish function and inflammation.

The way to maintain healthy GB function is to eat only good fats and remove any bad ones from the diet. The daily lemon/olive oil detox drink works as a “slow” liver flush, but there is also the full liver flush that is a bit more aggressive and requires a period of parasite cleansing in advance, special diet, colon cleansing and then fasting on the actual flush day. I have not tried the coconut oil flush, only the olive oil flush, but you could ask experienced flushers on the gallstones group if it as effective as the traditional flush.

Here is a link that briefly describes the function of the gall bladder:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallbladder

MLousie, have you tried A Friend's recipe to help with wasting syndromes? If you type in “wasting syndrome” in the search box above, you should find some of her previous posts on the subject and she had written out the ingredients for this recipe, which helped turn around her weightloss issue when it became a problem, too. Of course, any big weight loss should be investigated by a physician, if you can afford to do that, as there are so many things that could be causing such a problem.

Malabsorption can be a big problem for those with scleroderma and gut involvement. Have you looked into the possibility, too, of being celiac with gluten intolerance? Certain food sensitivies can really do a number with some folk and excluding certain foods from the diet can also help to turn things around. A good naturopath of dietician could help with this.

Wishing you well, MLouise! Please let us know how you get on.

Peace, Maz

[Kim]

Hi mLouise,

I'm sorry you're having such difficulties.  Malabsorption is, sadly, not at all uncommon with SD or any of the auto-immune rheumatic diseases.  Ask me how I know. :doh:

After 5 years and a lot of hard work, I've managed to turn things around and it was more than just antibiotics.  A lot of gut work was necessary which surprised me because I've never had gut issues before, at least that I knew of.  I had the Enterolab test for Celiac and tested positive :shock:, and then had a food allergy test and found out dairy and eggs were also a problem for me :shock:.  Who knew?  My mantra is do “whatever it takes” to get well, so if altering your diet is a “must” then it should be given high priority because you will NOT get well with a bad gut.  Seriously, in the whole big picture, if the food you are eating is making you sicker then you need to know and make changes. 😕  “Leaky gut” is a condition that many of us suffer from (who knows if it's the chicken or the egg) and it is when the gut lining becomes perforated and food particles leak into the blood stream, then your body starts attacking it as a foreign invader……….not good.  Many doctors don't put enough emphasis on gut health, but when you talk to people that have conquered their illness you'll hear that healing the gut was a major part in their getting better.  It really all makes sense when you think it through. 😕

Take care…..kim

[Parisa]

Mlouise,

Here's an article about the benefits of combining cottage cheese and flax seed for wasting conditions:

http://www.arthritistrust.org/Articles/Essential%20Fatty%20Acids%20are%20Essential!.pdf

and here's a link for the lemon olive oil drink:

http://www.keephopealive.org/lemondrk.html

[mlouise]

Thanks so much for all the encouragement.  I am starting the cottage cheese and flax seed oil today.  Should I eat it more than twice a day?  I will start the coconut oil mix as well.  Can I just do a small amount of it every day instead of the total detox with nothing else to eat.  I don't want to lose any more weight.  MLouise

[mlouise]

 

Kim.

I called my doctor and asked her to order this celiac test for me.  I can't believe I could lose all this weight. I had seven children and I was always struggling to keep the weight down.  I don't eat bad things, but I do not consciously check exactly what is in what I am eating.  My husband and I are fresh fruit and vegetable farmers, so we eat a lot of fresh fruits and organic vegetables.  I never really noticed about the oils and fats that we use.  Have you ever used the “Eat Right for your Type” diet?  My alternative doctor mentioned to me as something I might want to try.  I didn't really want to because I hate giving up red meat.  We raise our own pasture-raised beef.  But now I am thinking of trying it.  I must be getting deperate!  MLouise

[Parisa]

Mlouise,

My husband had quite a problem with wasting and dropped from 165 down to 135 at his worst and it was a real struggle to stop that downward slide.  He also had nausea and an uninterest in food which can be and was for him a sign of babesiosis.  Hopefully, the minocin and some of the recommendations from above will help you but if not you should follow up with a Lyme doctor to see about babesiosis.

[Kim]

[user=2398]mlouise[/user] wrote:

 

Kim.

I called my doctor and asked her to order this celiac test for me.  I can't believe I could lose all this weight. I had seven children and I was always struggling to keep the weight down.  I don't eat bad things, but I do not consciously check exactly what is in what I am eating.  My husband and I are fresh fruit and vegetable farmers, so we eat a lot of fresh fruits and organic vegetables.  I never really noticed about the oils and fats that we use.  Have you ever used the “Eat Right for your Type” diet?  My alternative doctor mentioned to me as something I might want to try.  I didn't really want to because I hate giving up red meat.  We raise our own pasture-raised beef.  But now I am thinking of trying it.  I must be getting deperate!  MLouise

Sounds like you're already into healthy eating……great! 😀  I'd like to be your neighbor. :roll-laugh:  The Enterolab test for Celiac is one of the few tests you don't need a doctor's signature, you can call and order the test kit yourself.  It is a stool sample, not a blood sample.

If you want to save time, rather than going through the elimination diets, you can order the ALCAT (you do need your doc's help on this one) food allergy/sensitivity test and find out which foods your body is not handling well.  Sometimes your body craves the foods that are the worst for you. 😯  Some foods will have a delayed adverse effect, so if you don't feel bad until a couple of days later it's real hard to pinpoint which food did it.

My doctor put me on Creon, a prescription enzyme formula, to help with absorption which you might want to ask about.  Seems people with gut issues tend to lack the proper enzymes to break down food, also just part of the aging process.

Good luck figuring this out, mlouise, definitely worth doing.

Take care…..kim

[mkbeeliever]

[user=40]Kim[/user] wrote:

My doctor put me on Creon, a prescription enzyme formula, to help with absorption which you might want to ask about.  Seems people with gut issues tend to lack the proper enzymes to break down food, also just part of the aging process.

Good luck figuring this out, mlouise, definitely worth doing.

Take care…..kim

Mom's on Creon also and it has helped a lot.  She's been holding her weight since January.  She lost a lot of weight in the beginning.

Hang in there mlouise! I am praying for you!

Blessings,
Michelle

[mlouise]

thanks so much.  It is nice to know that there are people out there who have tread the path before us and can give advice.  I am just not used to figureing out my own body needs and reading test results.  I always left that up to the doctor.  Now there really is no doctor, just me.  MLouise

[Kim]

[user=2398]mlouise[/user] wrote:

thanks so much.  It is nice to know that there are people out there who have tread the path before us and can give advice.  I am just not used to figureing out my own body needs and reading test results.  I always left that up to the doctor.  Now there really is no doctor, just me.  MLouise

mlouise,

Learning to become your own health advocate is something that will serve you well.  I wish I had done it years earlier. 😉  Now I question everything and am not afraid to say, “no” to any procedure or drug that doesn't make sense to me.

Take care…..kim

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