Skip to main content

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Lactaid makes up for a specific enzyme deficiency (lactase) that can vary in severity over time. It’s not likely that your non-lactose sugars issues are from a similar problem that’s so easy to remedy. Perhaps Gas-X would help, though not everyone finds it helpful. Do complex carbohydrates, like starches, cause the same problem for you? Those digest down to sugars pretty quickly in the gut. Some J-pouchers do better on a very low carbohydrate diet, though that didn’t seem to do much for me when I tried it.

Low carb works for me. Gas X never helped me much.  I just came off a bad bout of COVID, which also kicked off pouchitis, so I've been doing my normal thinking after an illness.  I consider myself lucky that my trips to the bathroom are lower than most, but I have had more pouchitis than most.  I feel like managing gas is harder than managing the bathroom trips, as I can't pass gas standing up, or even on the toilet. So, anything that can reduce gas is good.  I just notice that when I have sugar (sweets) I get more gas.  Other carbs like potatoes don't cause too many problems.  I'll keep researching the enzymes. 

Some people have an insufficiency of pancreatic digestive enzymes. Lactase deficiency is most common, but this is something to discuss with your GI doctor. Maybe it is something that will improve with time, maybe not. You could figure out if specific sugars are the culprit, such as fructose (a common bad actor). If it is a true pancreatic secretion disorder, there are prescription supplements for it.

Jan

Regarding sugars... Please read ingredient labels carefully.  If it contains any sugar substitutes (sucrose, sucralose, xylitol, erythritol, etc. {anything ending in "ol" is a sugar alcohol}) these can cause distress, increased BM's, extreme diarrhea.  My GI took me off of all artificial sweeteners, except aspertame.  These sugar alcohols can be found in SOOOO many foods.  Even Stevia and/or Monk Fruit usually contain erythritol as well.  I've learned that it is very important to read ingredient labels closely now.  Hope this helps.

My GI had a nutritionist who walked me through the FODMAPS diet to identify which sugars were my biggest culprits for gas. Knowing which sugars are worst for me helps me keep a mental tab on what I’m eating and then cut back or take calculated risks as needed/desired.
I also used to buy a digestive enzyme supplement from the health food store. It was kind of pricey but it *claimed* to have a more broad spectrum of enzymes than just Lactaid or Gas-X. Could be worth a try?

Add Reply

Post
Copyright © 2019 The J-Pouch Group. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×