Can anyone help me please? I could really use it right now.

WARNING: some of what I say may sound or be disgusting to some. If so, I apologize. I don’t know why, but I have such a hard time with eating and knowing what to eat that won’t cause me to have diarrhea or oily stools, to the point where I have to call off of work, because of it. I had to call off today, and this is why I am writing this now. I have literally been in the bathroom off and on starting at 1:30am this morning, and it woke me up. I have been in there 5 more times since then, and it is only 8:30am. I knew I would never make it at work today, because my butt and hemorrhoids are so sore right now, that I am lying down while typing this. This is unbelievable. This usually lasts almost all of the day, and I take 2 Imodium after each or every other loose stool. I can go to the bathroom anywhere from 6-8 times in that day. Not to mention it causes my hemorrhoids to emerge and bleed something awful, where I have to use a warm to hot washcloth to somewhat calm them down, as well as take pain medication. I see on the bites, vites, and exercise posts that people can eat a lot of bacon (which I absolutely love, love, love) and some fatty foods, but I don’t seem to be able to. What can I do to stop the diarrhea like stools, frequency of the stools, and the oily stools? I don’t feel normal anymore, and haven’t been feeling that way in a long time. I had my surgery 3 years ago, and I have had the worst time getting my body to adjust to what I eat. I don’t want to go the rest of my life having to eat just chicken or bland foods because of this, or never be able to eat a piece of chocolate again or a slice of cake or a cookie, etc. I am almost to the point where I regret that I ever got this done. I love the fact that I have lost the weight, but my gosh at what cost? Does anyone else have this problem or a problem similar to this? What should I do? I haven’t had a protein shake in years, but I do try to eat as much protein daily, without protein bars or shakes or protein supplements. However, I probably don’t intake as much as I should.  Does protein keep your stools more regular or bind them better?  I really think my eating habits are awful at this point. Some days, I have to make myself eat dinner. Here’s is what is I would say was a daily menu me: First thing in the morning at about 2:30am or so: I have a cup coffee (just switched to decaf) with 3 tsp of sugar and 1tsp of non-dairy cream. 4:30am in the car (work is at 5:00am): Every day I eat at least two eggs, sometimes with 3 pieces of deli ham or turkey bacon   5:15am: I will make a cup of tea (16 oz) when I get to work with 3tsp of sugar 6:00am or 6:30am: I will eat a pack of crackers with cheese (a different type every day)  8:00am or 8:30am: I usually eat 4 pieces of deli meat on two slices of whole wheat bread with mustard and some pretzels (maybe 10-12), or oatmeal with sugar, pad of butter, and cinnamon and some fruit of some kind, or peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread and a handful of plan chips or salty chip At about 9:30am or so: this is where I start with this grazing problem that I seem to have. It is usually what I believe is healthy snacking, but who knows? I snack or graze on granola bars, peanuts (small bag), mini cheese rice cakes, etc. I do this until about lunch time, which is at 11:30am 11:30am: I usually eat a tuna sandwich or deli sandwich with a few chips, or a can of soup, or a can of Chef-Boy-Ardee pasta, or leftovers. It definitely varies. 2:30pm or so: cup of coffee made just like the morning cup and maybe a half of sandwich or something or nothing but the coffee. Then I won’t eat really anything until dinner, which varies as well. Sometimes, I don’t eat much dinner at all. I try to make a small plate of whatever I do make (your standard meal of meat and veggies), unless I really like what it is (spaghetti, meatloaf, baked chicken, homemade tortilla pizza), then I may eat a little more of it. I  try not to eat any sweets (chocolate, etc), but I do on occasion when I want a chocolate fix. I will take a bite of some type of chocolate bar, eat a snack size bar, or a peanut chew or something during the week. I do have a habit of eating chips, cheese curls, Funyuns, cheese cracker chips from Special K, etc. but not that much at a time. However, it is on a daily basis, and a handful or so at a time. Such a bad habit. On the weekend, I do allow myself to eat a piece of some sort of cake like substance or cookie, because of how my stomach may react to it during working hours. That is about it for me on a daily basis, and every day. What is going on with me? Can anyone help me? Thank you in advance.  

Almost all of the things you eat would give me diarrhea.

Crackers, too much wheat bread, sugar, pretzels, chips, sandwich bread, Chef-Boy-Ardee, pasta. etc.

You need to eliminate these from your diet. Your diet needs to be protein based and add complex carbs, not all the simple carbs you are eating.  Simple carbs cause diarrhea.

How much calcium and when do you take it each day?

Go back to basics, try cutting out carbs. So much of what you listed would give me the runs or bad gas! Go back to protein first. How are your labs? Vitamins? Most of the vets have gone to the new site.. Might try going there for advice too.
http://weightlosssurgery.proboards.com/

Thank you Staceeann for the advice. I will. I have just registered for the new site.

I haven't had my labs done in a while, because of personal issues. I keep up on my vitamins daily. If I miss some, I make sure I take them the next day (all of them).

Thank you.

I agree with pay it forward above. Your diet is heavily based on carbs. There is protein in there, but way too much carbs. If you were to cut out the bread, crackers, chips of all sorts, pretzels, pasta, granola bars, rice cakes,and simple sugar, I bet you would see a difference. Do you really need 3 teaspoons of sugar in your coffee and tea? How about Splenda or Stevia?
     Also, it's possible that you have bacterial overgrowth in your colon. This is something that you could discuss with your surgeon or pcp. A short course of flagyl might help. But if you continue with the simple carbs, the diarrhea is going to continue.

Larra

I agree with Larra and the gang on carbs--you may be eating waaay too many. Carbs disturb my poop and make me go more often. I eat plenty of them, but I notice they can change things for me in this area. 

My specific advice is to try a week of absolutely low-carb and see what happens to your bowel habits. Try for less than 50-110g of carbs a day. For example, the sugar you put in your morning tea is about 15g of carbs. I suspect you are eating several hundred grams of carbs every day, from the bread and crackers to the sugar and Chef-Boy-Ardee (which is like 60g of carbs right there).

You may want to add a probiotic too. My surgeon recommends Primal Defense Ultra. I do not take it but many people swear by it to regulate their gut bacteria. You can buy it online or at places like Whole Foods. If you don't want to go that route, try a good yogurt with a probiotic in it.

Try low-carb and probiotics for a week and see if it clears it up. Larra could be right and you have a bacteria issue that may require Flagyl. Only a doctor can heolp you on that one.

Good luck!

Nicolle 

Thanks Nicolle. I see where I have been going wrong. I never bothered looking at carbs, and I had no idea that there were 15g of carbs in the amount of sugar that I was using. It is ridiculous because I have sugar substitute, and I do not use it. I am my own worst enemy with my eating habits. I will watch my carbs starting tomorrow morning, and try not to go over the 110g.

I used to use the probiotic "Align", but I stopped. I also heard that yogurt is a probiotic as well. Is that true?

Thank you so much.

Bonnie

Yep. Yogurt has probiotics in  it. Not as much and not necessarily the RIGHT kind for the DSer, but it's better than nothing and it's protein, too. The brand Activia comes to mind (the one that Jamie Lee Curtis hawks).

My surgeon and many of his patients swear by Primal Defense Ultra as a good probiotic for the DSer--the right kind of bacteria for our gut. You may need to go for the big guns at this point. Warning: I have heard that until the probiotic "wins" in your gut, you may have some diarrhea going on at first. Ride it out and it should get better.

Nicolle

 Oh My.  My dear, I know you are angry and not feeling well but if you really want people to read what you wrote, start using paragraphs.

First thing I thought was I would be ill at about 3 months postop If I ate what you were eating.  I don't know where you got your food info but you are way off.  Almost anyone who has been heavy for any period of time has been on Atkins.  Your diet, till you lose all the weight should be similar to Atkins induction.  No carbs, no sugar.

Even at 10 years postop, if I ate what you are eating, I would probably have some issues.  When I eat right, I poop once a day.  If I go up to twice or more, there's an excellent chance I am eating too much junk/carbs.

There's nothing on your list that I couldn't eat now but I am years out.  Next, if you don't figure out how to get rid of the carbs and sugar ASAP, you won't lose all your weight and you will regain.  You will also have ongoing bathroom issues.  You will never eat enough protein on an ongoing basis with that many carbs in there.  Right now, all you ahould have room for is protein.  And if you need to snack, more protein.  Your body is reacting to all the grains and junk.

I still tend to save up my carbs for a treat, I would be having the piece of cake or chocolate just like what you do.  Another thing I did is give myself one weekend a month to eat as I please and the rest of the time, carbs are off limits.  If I had a birthday or a party coming up, that would be my free weekend.

I think you should try a probiotic too.  At least that wouldn't hurt you.  And right now, today, get rid of all those carbs.  If they are a problem for you, just don't buy them or have them in the house.  Most of what you listed has very little food value for normies too.  You would be doing your whole family a favor.  Most of that junk is just a recipe for future obesity.

Think of protein as free food.  You can eat it whenever you want and protein should be about 90% of what you eat.  Snacking is easy.  Hard boiled eggs, sausage, cubes of cheese and ham, deli meat rolls(deli meat and cream cheese rolled up), nuts, jerky.  Keep it simple, you eat meat, eggs, and cheese.  Plain greek yougurt is a good choice, if you want it sweet use splenda or some SF jam.

There's nothing wrong with coffee.  Just have it with real heavy cream and Splenda.

Forget bread too.  Eat the meat with mustard rolled up or roll it up with a pickle spear in the middle.  Meatloaf and chicken are great choices.  If you make spaghetti, eat the sauce and skip the pasta.  If you have to make a meal out of something in a can, forget soup or Chef-Boy-Ardee.  Read the label....all carbs and very little protein.  Chicken and tuna in a can are good choices, as long as you don't put it on bread.

I would suggest you track your food for a couple days/weeks on some site like Sparkpeople.  This will help you get rid of the carbs as well.  We don't really need to watch fat or calories.  It's just the carbs that eill do you in every time.  

 Patty, she is 3 years out not 3 month. 
But you are right, all the carbs are not good.