VITARRHEA

VI·TAR·RHEA- The frequent passage of loose or liquid stools resulting in dehydration and electrolyte imbalances due to the malabsorption of vitamins.

My husband has some curiosities this week:

1.) Why is his wife and brother-in-law feverishly embarking on a trip to an Amish general store??  


2.) Why is his mother-in-law sleeping on the downstairs sofa??  


3.) And why do all three bathroom toilets currently look like something you might find in Calcutta!?  

The answers to these questions sums up my week, but I'll spare you the details of 1 and 2 and jump right to the question who's explanation is best characterized by the definition above.

I have chronic bouts of diarrhea.  I realize this sentence alone is making you wish I had chosen to talk about questions 1 and 2, but believe me, the answers to those questions are no more pleasant.  At least we are on topic in talking about a health problem that you too may be experiencing.

There are lots of causes for the occasional bout of diarrhea which can make isolating a cause near impossible.  Most cases of gastrointestinal discomfort can be attributed to a mild form of food poisoning, but when symptoms persist, one must investigate further.  I struggled to understand why my body would react this way to healthy food??  It would stand to reason that high-fat foods and rich desserts should cause a bigger problem than lean meats and fresh fruit and vegetables.  Yet, I could pig out on pizza and cheesecake and barley have distress, while a salad and a piece of fish would send me running to the little girl's room.

The episodes were beginning to come so fierce and frequent that I had begun to wonder.  Is my body literally rejecting the notion of a healthier lifestyle...!?! Had I developed a condition like Irritable Bowel Syndrome?  It still didn't make sense that the condition would come and go.  I was beginning to look to each and every food group as a possible cause.  Am I lactose intolerant?  Do I have Celiac Disease?  Am I allergic to certain fruits and vegetables??

I eventually made a correlation between my vitamin supplements and my bathroom habits.  When I was eating healthy or dieting, I was diligent about taking my supplements.  When I was on a binge or simply not focused, I was also less regular with my vitamins.  Ironically, when I would run out of vitamins the diarrhea would stop.  It seemed odd that something designed to be beneficial to my health would reek such havoc on my digestive system, but repeatedly the bouts would come when ever I included them in my regimen.

I take one of the best women's multi's which contains a long list of vitamins and herbs.  Perhaps I was allergic to one of the many ingredients??  After conducting some research I found that Vitarrhea is quite commonly caused by the body's inability to absorb vitamin C and magnesium.  Duh!  I guess that's why Milk Of Magnesium gets prescribed for constipation!

Making this discovery has been a challenge because I believe very strongly in the supplements that I take.  I have wrestled with the pros and cons of continuing them.  I am not convinced that healthy eating alone provides enough vitamins and nutrients to repair environmental damage.  I also believe they are assisting me in the management of my insulin and weight loss.  Yet, obviously, living in a constant state of bowel discomfort, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance is not a healthy compromise to make.

I had momentarily found a compromise.  Spreading my vitamins across three meals instead of taking all of them with my morning meal seemed to temporarily solve the problem.  But last week the symptoms returned.  Being too stubborn to just give up the pills, I continued to take them hoping the symptoms would subside again.  I ended up feeling pretty sick on Sunday and Monday like I was one hundred and two years old; lethargic, dehydrated, tired and unenergetic from a long bout of diarrhea.  Hence, the Caluctta inspired toilets and a not so great workout week :-(

To be continued...