Fructose Malabsorption

Interested in knowing the symptoms of fructose malabsorption?? I am tracking causes of my gut problems. I have very frequent diarrhea, from loose stools to watery explosions many times in a day or throughout the night. I take a lot of Immodium which is helpful and use Metamucil daily. I am not a sweets fan and have no diet sodas, very few colas, cookies, candies, cakes, syrups, etc. and nothing with artificial sweeteners. Cannot tolerate iceberg lettuce, but romaine and most other raw greens are ok. Cooked greens are no problem. I never know what I have ingested that sets it off and nothing is identified as always a culprit. At times, walking into a store and smelling chemicals such as "sizing" can send me rushing to the restroom. I have been tested for most of the usual conditions, with negative results. I have had an Interstem device implanted to control stimulation of anal muscles. No luck. Probiotics have not done much for me although I subscribe to the idea that they must be live culture. I fear that none or very few of my meds or supplements are being metabolized for the needed benefit. I very often see them in whole form in the toilet after a bm. My nails and skin & hair are in awful condition, nails peeling, splitting, crumbling. I am leaning toward the possibility of "leaky gut". If you have experience or symptoms such as these, I would appreciate your comments and possible suggestions.

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The symptoms you can get from fructose malabsorption can be really horrible. I developed it after a case of viral food poisoning as severe as that caused by e coli, and it was almost fatal. You can't digest the fructose because the lining of the intestine is damaged. I had incredible gas and belching, bloating, and asthma from the gas, and didn't care whether I lived or died. What's to live for if you can't eat, breathe or sleep? I also got esophageal dysmotility and food caught in the esophagus (even scrambled eggs) and had GERD from it, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth from it. One time had to blend all my food for weeks. Also have visceral hypersensitivity. Anyway, it took about 10 years to get it diagnosed; be sure to go to a reputable gastroenterologist, at a university medical center if possible. Mayo diagnosed mine. I have a friend who has it and she can eat a lot more sugar than I can. She figures if I can eat it so can she. I've found I can hardly eat any, including artificial sugars. I want to share what I've learned. By the way, I've been to 4 dietitians and none of their recommendations worked for me because my system is so intolerant of sugar. This is a minimalist diet but it's a good start if you're still struggling to discovered what you can eat. Here's what I eat: Protein: eggs, meat, fish (all unprocessed- no ham, sausages, etc). Carbs: potatoes without the skin, white Basmati rice, Kettle Brand Kettle Chips (for energy). Vegetables: cooked spinach, cooked broccoli (in moderation), broccolini (in moderation), one baby carrot every other day (has sugar in it). Since I also have lactose intolerance and broccoli and broccolini (?) have a bit of lactose in them, I take 2 lactase pills with those. Occasionally have mushrooms, a bit of celery, green Swiss chard. Whatever you do, don't ever eat garlic, and if you try onion, only eat a little of the clear juice, not the solids. Fruit: none. Drinks: distilled water. Spices and herbs: cinnamon, thyme, sage, salt, black pepper. Nuts: occasional small amounts of Planters Deluxe mixed nuts (remove the pistachios). Oils: canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, extra light olive oil. Be careful with olive oil - olives are a fruit, and other olive oils have olive fruit juice in them. Regarding no potato skins or brown rice, I believe they contain fructans, chains of fructose, also indigestible if you have fructose malabsorption. Anyway, if anyone knows of any spices/herbs that are ok, I'd appreciate knowing. I've tried oregano and rosemary and they didn't agree. Another thing I use is L-Alanine powder, an amino acid, which was found by a researcher at the U. of Iowa or Iowa State to help the intestine absorb fructose. I take probably 6 tsp. of this a day with the potato chips, etc. All for now. There is a web site that gives all the names for sugars, to help you identify them, and another that gives the sugar content of fruits, vegetables, etc. Next time. I'm not going to talk about FODMAPS etc. but just give practical advice that has worked for me.

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My first gastroenterologist was with a large organization and I had the same experience - all they wanted to do was repeat colonoscopies and upper endoscopies, also for the $ I believe. They didn't even do any other testing. I finally went up to Mayo where I
was diagnosed with fm. When I got home, I switched to a gastroenterologist at the local university medical center.

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I believe ‘fructose malabsorption’ is something causing my IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) although I’ve not heard it termed that way. I tested positive for SIBO in the breath test and went through the FODMAP elimination diet about 6 months ago. I found the things that exacerbate my symptoms (diarrhea, pain, intermittent constipation) are gluten, dairy (lactose), onions, garlic, spicy foods. I’m slowly trying out things at home, like a red sauce with garlic at the end of the ingredient list, so that I can more comfortably eat in restaurants. So far it hasn’t caused the explosive diarrhea I’ve experienced in the past but I took L-glutamine this morning to hopefully soothe a riled up gut that can get out of control quickly. I’m interested in the paths people with similar situations are taking and what, if any, success stories emerge.

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