frogbiscuit

I have kind of avoided steak since I had a colon resection due to diverticulitis about ten years ago, but I ate a big one the other day.

Since then I have had daily stomach cramps, headaches, and I generally feel like ****. Thiwas Sunday, it's now Thursday. How long does this stay in your system, or is this completely unrelated?

Flip Flop Rider

ride it off

rumrunn6

A Mayo Clinic study found that the average time food spends in the large intestine varies by gender: 33 hours for men and 47 hours for women. Your digestion rate is also based on what you've eaten. Meat and fish can take as long as two days to fully digest.

Lemond1985

Salmon can swim upstream, slowing digestion times yet further.

OP, I found a good deal on New York steaks a while back, but didn't want to freeze them, so they were all cooked at once, and I would have to eat one per day to keep them from going bad. Mind you, I used to love beef, but by the 4th day of this, I was feeling really sick, and my once-regular digestion had me going around the clock, and in practically every direction.

I ended up throwing out several pounds of good steaks I couldn't finish. I dunno if the steaks were bad or it was just my inability to tolerate them, I just know I won't make that mis(steak) again.

SJM205

Your body's just not used to it after 10 years off. I had 12" of my small intestine removed 2 years ago. I wore a colostomy bag until one year ago, when I had surgery to re-attach. Once through the healing process, eating steak has been no problem. However, give a vegetarian a ribeye, and it will wreck their system.

Lemond1985

Would be like feeding a cow a pork chop.

canklecat

Try some bromelain. It's an enzyme from pineapple. Or eat more pineapple. Besides helping digestion it's also a good anti-inflammatory. Helped my chronic sinus inflammation better than Prednisone over the winter.

Some folks report cannabis products help with their appetite, digestion and chronic GI problems. Maybe it relaxes the stressed GI muscles and nerves. I'm not sure researchers know for certain how and why it works for some folks, but it does appear to help with a wide range of health issues, from serious seizure disorders to digestive problems to chronic pain.

If you're drug tested at work or prefer to avoid the psychoactive effects of THC (personally I don't enjoy getting high anymore -- I got over that phase in my teens 40+ years ago), you might try CBD. But while it's easy to find potent THC (seems like all my cycling friends have a vape pen loaded with THC nowadays), it's harder to find good CBD that does what it claims.

The best I've found for the money is Lazarus Naturals, but only the high potency full spectrum. The isolates did nothing for me. But the high potency full spectrum has been as effective as prescription pain relievers for my chronic pain (multiple injuries from sports and being hit by cars). The full spectrum has a tiny amount of THC, within federal guidelines (a fraction of one percent), not enough to get high, but enough to produce what the trendy CBD hype marketers call an "entourage effect". Whatever. The tiny amount of THC seems essential to make CBD useful.

For a couple of days this week I was out of CBD while waiting for a new shipment (I can't find any good CBD locally), and had to resort to my prescription hydrocodone and cyclobenzaprine. Not only do those not work as well for me, but they make me groggy and lazy. Good quality CBD doesn't affect my energy level, just leaves me alert but pain-free.

It also helped my appetite last summer. My thyroid was swollen from a tumor (cancer, removed by surgery in November), constricting and deforming my trachea and esophagus. Swallowing solid food caused a gag reflex and put me off my feed. I mostly got by on soft foods and protein supplements. CBD helped tame the gag reflex so I could swallow soft foods and liquids. But it doesn't give me the munchies like weed.

And another friend does use cannabis with THC for his digestive issue (I think he also had diverticulitis, I'll have to ask him). He's self employed so he's not drug tested, but he's very self disciplined. He takes about one puff once or twice a day to ease the GI cramps and relieve pain from various injuries. I've never seen him "high". He says after awhile the body adapts to THC and while it takes more to feel high, it doesn't take more to be effective on his GI cramps and muscle/joint pain. I think he said it takes maybe 3-4 days of regular use before the sensation of feeling high dissipates and he just gets the health benefits.

And, nope, I have no connection with Lazarus. I just acknowledge them for their generous discounts for veterans like me. But even their full prices are among the lowest in the market. And they've dramatically improved their quality the past few months, with much better flavor and odor -- hempy but pleasant. Last year it was kinda fishy smelling.

Rollfast

Did you eat it well done? And did you check to see if there are any beef recalls affecting where you eat or get it?

There is this thing called Escherichia coli (yes, that e.coli) going around a lot out east lately...

https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/index.html

Do yourself the biggest favor and go seek medical attention regardless, as Bike Forums members only play doctors on TV.

frogbiscuit

Doc seems to think it's reflux, so I am staying off the coffee this morning and seeing how that works.

My wife has us on a keto diet, so I am thinking I need a bowl of raisin bran.

WarrenR

A big bowl of raisin Bran, draino for the digestive system!

OldTryGuy

2 possibly helpful NATURAL and CHEAP aids that I have been using for decades.

1st -- if having issues with "emptying out," go to a Walmart (or where ever) and for $0.98 buy a bottle of Magnesium Citrate BUT instead of drinking simply shake bottle, open cap, pour a tiny bit in cupped hand and rub on inside of wrists, inside of elbows, back of knees and ears, adding more if needed. Usually by next day things will flow. I do a bit morning and night but I put it in a little spray mist bottle and spray on.

2nd -- buy some Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar and take a swig with water if needed. Especially if upset stomach is present INSTEAD OF ANTACIDS. Again I do this 2 or 3 times a day, at least.

canklecat

My mom got off her acid reflux meds when I took over as her caregiver and changed her diet. Nothing drastic, just a basic, well rounded and healthy diet. She'd been ignoring her boring meals on wheels fare (always boiled chicken, broccoli and rice), and maybe getting some spaghetti with meatless sauce from her home health aide once or twice a week, and mostly subsisting on geedunk from the apartment complex junk food machines.

Just putting her on a regular, varied and balanced diet cured her digestive issues. And she lost weight so gradually she was never aware of being "on a diet." It got her weight down from around 185 lbs in 2006 to 135 lbs over a decade of moderate changes in her "diet", and modest exercise (she needed a walker or cane just to hobble 400 yards, but she did it most days to check the mail).

By satisfying her cravings for meat, seasoning (she disliked bland food), and variety, she didn't crave Pepsi, chocolate and sweets all day, every day. Her consumption of Pepsi decreased from a 6-pack a day to one maybe every other day.

Personally I'm skeptical of anything labeled a "diet" that either doesn't include "balanced" or "medically prescribed for diabetes," etc.

Ketosis puts stress on the body and takes awhile to adapt to. I've never met anyone in the US who was able to sustain a keto diet, and that dates back to the 1970s when some of my Navy buddies tried it for rapid weight loss to avoid disciplinary action for obesity. They did indeed lose weight but couldn't keep it off for more than a year or so. It's tough to eliminate all simple carbs and sugars, including alcohol, sugar in coffee or tea, etc.

And some folks never adapt to trying to change their bodies from relying on sugars to relying on fat for fuel. In part that's due to schedule demands. Ketosis works best with regular moderate exercise. Some working folks with families don't have time for that.

I've lost 10-15 lbs since 2017, and 55 lbs since 2001, just by cutting way back on the beer and random junk food. I quit buying beer to drink at home. Once or twice a month I'll have a beer with friends at a restaurant or pub. I time my consumption of sweets -- candy, cookies, etc. -- around bike rides. I'll do a fasting ride occasionally after a 12-hour or longer overnight fast, at a very moderate effort for an hour or so. The trick is to keep the effort low to avoid blood sugar bonks. And I don't deprive myself of necessary carbs for fuel before I do interval training -- that's just asking for a bonk.

Other than that, I eat whatever I like. I refuse to do "diets".

deacon mark

I love steak what is the problem? Train on steak and eggs with a bit of cereal and I have not found a better way.

Rollfast

Thank you for seeing a doctor. Acid reflux will mess your esophagus and windpipe but good. You not only need to fix that but it can be a problem associated with several diseases.