Hi,

Anyone know if wine contains dairy produce, such as egg white/yolk or wheat?

I only ask as I have lactose intolerance and have problems with eggs and also wheat and gluten intolerances. I have been cutting all these out of my diet recently, but last night, my friend persuaded me to have a couple of glasses of wine. This was white wine and I did only have two glasses.

Anywhow, this morning I was woken early with the worst belly ache ever. This was so bad that I had to sit on the bowl for 40 minutes - lucky I took a good book with me!! My belly ache was gone after coming off the bowl, but wow man. Won't be touching wine for a bit, but has anyone else had similar experiences?

It is very doubtful that alcoholic beverages contian any dairy procuts. However, they do give me terrible diahrrea(sp?) sometimes. Even if I just have one wine cooler, I get very bad gas from it right after drinking it, and the next morning I will have bad diahrrea. I have IBS, so I don't know if that is a contributing factor, but I also think it has something to do with the acidity of the alcohol. If you want to be sure about the dairy thing, try looking at the lable on a bottle of wine next time you are in a store that sells it. It also helps if you have a little something to eat while you are drinking.

Hi,

Thanks for that. Having thought about it, I think that it was too soon to start drinking alcohol again really. I have just finished a course of strong antibiotics that I have had to take for a severe stomach infection that has been lurking and that I have not been able to get rid of. Although I felt a bit better in myself, my stomach is still all over the place really, in the fact that I would only normally need to have a BM once a day, but am now needing to go as much as three times a day and when I do go I am having to sit on the toilet for as long as 30 mins at a time in order to get done. I am really fed up at the moment, as I seem to spend my whole life sitting on the toilet, or so it seems.

Alcohols, sugars, ketones as well as other organic compounds easily convert into each other with the addition or deletion of a small, abundantly available ion [OH-]. If you have similar problems whenever you consume more than your usual amount of sugars/simple carbs, this may be a factor.

During wine fermentation, there is an explosion of yeast production. Some vintners add sugar to accelerate wine production or as part of their specific wine recipe. Sulfur content also varies considerably between wines; but, this is just a guess. Suggest you check [o]enology Web sites for accurate information.

If you are just getting over a stomach infection, it might not be wise to start drinking alcohol so soon after. You also might just have an intolerance for it, since you have such a weak stomach. I know what you feel like when you say that you sit on the bowl for 30 minutes or more.... Do your legs fall asleep? http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Thanks. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is on the bowl for ages. This has just happened since my stomach infection. It is a lot better now and I am taking Acidophilis caps again, ginger caps and aloe juice and these are all helping, however I have found that for the last four mornings I will get up, find my book, make myself a cup of peppermint tea (I'm off all additives now) and go off to sit on the bowl for 30 mins. This is not out of choice though. Just the way my bowels are at present.

What is your longest time? When I first got sick I literally was unable to get off the bowl for 45 mins. I had to see the funny side though, as this was the night that I called the doc out. When I rang, I had to give the operator my cell phone number just in case I happened to be sitting on the can when the doc came. Sure enough the door buzzer sounded and after a few mins, my cell phone rang. Poor guy, luckily he was real nice about it, as he had to go sit in his car for 15 mins until I could get off the can for long enough to open the door. Wow and even then he wanted to try and get me to the ER to have my belly scanned.

I move my feel around whilst I sit on the can!! My butt gets a bit numb though!

I think you were right about the wine. After last night, I don't think I'll be drinking any more of it until my belly is properly better.

You have a doc who makes house calls?? I guess my longest time on the bowl would also be about 45 minutes. There was a time last year when I had a really bad stomach virus, and for about 2 weeks, I literally could not leave the house because I would have to go every 5 minutes and then be on the bowl for 15 or 20 minutes and then have to go back 5 or 10 minutes later. Have you ever had a Colonoscopy? I had one recently, and that is how I was diagnosed with IBS. My doc has me taking something called Culturelle, which is really just Lactobacilus, a digestive aid. This has helped me a little bit. It is pretty expensive though ($20-$30) and even though it is supposed to be over the counter, the only way I could get it was by having him write a prescription for it and having Walgreens order it through the pharmacy, because the don't usually stock it. Do you have any luck with things like Immodium? I like Lomotil the best. It shuts it down cold. The only thing is that it can make you drowsy. I am also very lactose intolerant, so instead of taking 1 lactaid pill when eating dairy, I take 4-6. I also only eat Lactaid Ice Cream. (which is absolutely fantastic, by the way) Do you get any other stomach problems other than the terrible diahrrea? I also get reflux, go I am on aciphex for that. I find that it works pretty well. A few years ago I had an endoscopy and my doc said that he never saw anything redder than the lining of MY stomach. So he put me on this "wonder drug" called Carafate. And what do you know, within days of starting it, I could eat again without feeling like there was something burning a hole in my esophagus. For me, the diahrrea has pretty much become apart of daily life though. It has gotten much better, and I am no longer totally incapacitated by it, but there are times, like when I have my period, that I cannot get off of the bowl for more than 5 minutes. I used to NEVER eat salad because of the diahrrea it gave me, but now I have found that eating a nice sized salad during the day actually has helped me with the diahrrea, because, I guess we do need a little roughage to be regular. Also, stay completely away from soda (cause it will give you gas and cramps) and other caffeinated beverages or beverages with a lot of added sugar (or sugar substitutes, especially) because those will definitely give you a stomachache. No milk either. Take a calcium supplement. Milk can cause bad diahrrea in a person with a weak stomach. Do you see a Gastrointerologist? (GI doc). I started going to one and then liked him so much that I began to use him as my primary care physician! I hope you get to feeling better soon,

Take care,
Elyse
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wave.gif

No, my regular doc does not make house calls, but when I got sick it was 1 am, so I called up an emergency doc to come out and see me. He didn't really want to though and at first told me that I should go to the ER if I had belly pains that were that bad. Once I told him that I couldn't be away from the can for longer 10 mins he agreed to come out to see me.

Yes, I do have a good gastro doc that I saw yesterday. Because of all this, he said that he really wants me to have another ultrasound scan of my belly and then a colonoscopy just to be sure.

Anyway, for the moment I am on Metamucil twice daily, Acidophilis caps, ginger and aloe juice sometimes. I am also lactose intolerant. Basically, now I am off caffeine, soda, dairy and wheat and am eating chicken, fish and veg. Also salad. I am not eating a lot of carbs at present, but this is mainly to take the load off my system. The Metamucil is helping replace the fiber in that respect and my belly is a lot better. I had a normal BM this morning, although I still had to sit on the can for 20 mins to have it. Anyway, I suppose that is something.

I am having a scan of my belly this afternoon, so I'll let you know what it shows up if anything.

I am glad to hear that you might be starting to feel a little bit better. Please let me know what happens with the ultra-sound this afternoon. It's good that you are staying away from all of those foods. But I do hope that you are eating some carbs, because that will help you to keep your energy up, and also carbs like bread help to absorb some of the acid in your stomach, making other foods more tolerable. You know, now that you mentioned the wheat thing, have they ever done a Gluten test on you? It is a blood test to see if you have an inteolerance to gluten, which is found in many breads, pastas, cereals, etc... and causes very bad upset stomachs and diahrrea like you described.

Hi,

Well, I had the ultrasound scan of my belly done yesterday and then had an appointment with the GI doc after this. He said that it was mostly clear, but he felt that he might have been able to see some diverticul pockets. He wants me to have a colonoscopy to check out my bowels, but he thinks that this could be the reason why my belly has been so painful recently. In fact, when the probe was going over my belly it was quite painful in places, especially when they pushed hard.

He has taken more blood tests too and has done one for gluten. He also wants me to have a repeat endoscopy too.

Thanks for your help and my belly is a lot better than it was. I am booked in for my colonoscopy early next week.

Will your gastro also perform a biopsy [or swab test] during the colonoscopy in order to determine whether you have a sclerotic/autoimmune problem of the gut? This would establish a more specific dx than 'IBS' requiring an immune-suppressant tx.

Addendum:

Sarah - Just read an article about glucosamine being used to help rebuild the intestinal lining. [Due to posting guidelines, can't provide the link.] Thought this info might be useful if your gastroenterolgist notices that your GI lining has thinned.

Jay


[This message has been edited by Jay Tor (edited 09-11-2002).]

Good luck with the colonoscopy. The prep isn't pleasant, but you should be used to it, seeing as you can't get off the bowl anyway! Can your doc do both the endoscopy and the colonoscopy at the same time so you don't have to be put under twice? (some drs will put you under for the colonoscopy and the endoscopy, some will not).

Thanks Jay,

I'll try and do a hunt out about that and will definitely tell my gastro doc about it. He said that he would definitely take a biopsy from the colonoscopy to see what is going on if anything and yes, he will do both together. He said that he would also take a biopsy from the endoscopy from the small intestine to check out the gluten intolerance.

Yes, he told me about the prep when I saw him. I spoke to his nurse about it in greater detail and I have to start the prep on the weekend. Anyway, as you said, I spend so much time on the bowl anyway that I should hardly notice the difference.

I'll let you know what happens.

Have you ever had times when you have been sitting on the bowl and your whole bowel goes into spasm? Just interested, as I woke up with slight stomach ache this morning and knew that I needed to go and sit for while. I had been on the bowl for about 10 mins when suddently everything seemed to go into spasm. I had pain in my anus and rectum and severe stomach cramps. These stomach cramps were so severe that I came out in a cold sweat and was bent double.

I had to sit for another 10 mins to wait for them to pass and then go and take some analgesia. Very uncomfortable I have to say.

Has any one found that putting heat pads on your stomach helps with pain?

Suggest you read this article:

"Gynecologic Pain
Author: Dharmesh Kapoor, MD, Research Fellow in Female Urology and Voiding Dysfunction, Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic Florida"

This article starts off by commenting on how the common enervation of the uterus/cervix, etc. and the colon/anus, etc. often makes diagnosis difficult.

Also suggest you look up intestinal ileus.

Yeah, I have had that once or twice when I just get really really bad cramps all over. Once it woke me up in the middle of the night and I was in so much pain that I had to send my dad out to the 24 hour Rite-Aid for medicine! I think mine was from gas though. I find that the Mylanta gas formulation helps with that. I also definitely get some relief from the cramps when I put a heating pad on my stomach. I used to lay with one for hours at a time! Oh, and this might sound weird, but I find that when I get a lot of cramps, pressing deep into my stomach in certain spots (you just have to experiment!) helps because it breaks up the gas bubbles a little bit. (if that is what is causing the cramps). Or even just rubbing my stomach helps sometimes.

Do you take anything like Immodium or Lomotil?

Hi,

Thanks again. I'll look up intestinal ileus.

I do take Immodium when needed, but do not think that my cramps are related to gas. Further to your suggestion, I got my boyfriend to rub my belly for me last night. He actually got some lavender oil and just very gently massaged this in all over my belly. This really helped me to relax and because I relaxed it really helped the pain too. This as well as the heat pads was great.

Thanks

I'm glad you found something that helps. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif Your boyfriend must be a great guy to do that for you!

purple2067
what is the name of your Gastro doctor? I have suffered from stomach problems for years and had tons of tests. i have gone to about 5 different doctors in the city with no luck. Any help would be great.
Thanks

What kind of stomach problems do you have?

I see a dr in staten island, where I live. His name is Dr. Jeffrey Shaps. He's always done right by me. He is my gastro doctor as well as my internist. His partner, Dr. Elias Purow is also an excellent dr.

As per super sarah's question, what kind of stomach problems do you have. How many drs have you seen? I don't know if mine would be able to help you any more than the other doctors you have seen, but it is certainly worth giving it a try. I cannot give out contact information due to the guidelines of the board, but you could easily find him if you look in a staten island phone book or do a search on one of the many yellow pages sites online.

Have you tried searching on webmd for a doctor?

Just to let you know that I had my colonoscopy done. My gastro doc said that there was a lot of inflammation in my intestines and said that he could also see some horrible inflammed and infected looking diverticular pouches. He actually said that that was probably the reason that I was having such severe stomach pains and also possibly why I was having to sit on the bowl for 30 mins at a time.

O well, at least I know now. I am continuing to take my Metamucil and am going to buy some Aloe Juice to see if this might help. A friend also suggested that some herbs could help, so I am going to look into that possibility.

so what is he doing for you now?

Well nothing really. I think at the time of the colonoscopy, I still had a lot of pain because I had a lot of infection still, but now that is cleared my stomach seems to be ok. At least if I have any pain at the moment, it is just like pretty minor cramps in comparison to the severe stomach pains that I was getting.

Anyway, it just seems to be a matter of continuing with the Metamucil, which I am and this seems to keep things going smoothly so that nothing gets stuck in the pouches. I am also drinking plenty of fluid and keeping to my natural diet, which I have to do because of my various food intolerances. I have changed from taking the Acidophilis caps to probiotics and am taking these regularly and I am glad to say that my bowels have actually settled down a lot now too. I am down to about two bowel movements in the morning and I only sat on the bowl for 10 mins rather my normal 30.

I suppose it is just a matter of stopping the pouches getting infected so that I don't have to take antibiotics again.

but if they are already infected then don't you have to take an anti-biotic to get rid of the infection?

I'm glad you are feeling better. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Yes, been there, done that, bought the teeshirt and seen the video as they say.

I took the antibiotics and the infection has now cleared. It is now just a case of keeping infection free.

Thanks for your tip on the stomach rubbing by the way. It really helps.

When ever I have stomach ache now, I lie down and my b/f will put some oil on my stomach and very gently but firmly massage all around my stomach in a clockwise direction, following the bowel. I find this really helps the pain. After this, I put heat pads on my stomach and just relax or fall asleep for a couple of hours. The warmth from the heat pads helps the pain as it relaxes all your stomach muscles. Low and behold, when I awake, no more stomach ache.

You can do it on yourself, although it is not as nice. I have gone to lie down and put oil on my stomach and just gently rubbed it myself for about 20 mins and then put heat pads on and it has worked just as well.

How is your stomach at the moment? Is it any better and are your stomach pains better and are your spending less time sitting on the bowl?

A friend recommended that I go and see her ND the other day. I did so and he was a really nice guy and made a lot of sense. Most and if not all of the dietary changes that he advised, I had already done due to my food intolerances, but he has made me up a herbal mixture to take. Apparently it contains herbs with anti-inflammatory properties for my diverticulitis and other herbs to settle and soothe my stomach generally and then herbs for a liver detox, as he seemed to say that a lot of my stomach problems were to do with my liver. Anyway, I have just started taking them to day and they are not really unpleasant, so I will see what happens. Here's hoping.

Lastly, do you not get fed up with having your stomach poked and prodded so much? Every time I go to see my pcp or my gastro doc they want to examine my stomach. Never mind that they have examined it at least twenty times previously and when I ask why, they always just say that they need to see if anything has changed in the location of the pain and others things. O well, hopefully that is over for the time being.

Take care and look after your stomach.

yeah, I just get fed up with having to go to so many doctors in general. I am glad that the stomach rubbing has helped. My stomach has not been too bad lately. I think I have finally gotten it under control. (crossing my fingers). I hope that the herbs work for you. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif