Struggling with the worst smelling gas and bowels in the world!

Carbs can definitely cause this and yes you do need to eat more protein.  Eating more, in fact, can help with your sugar cravings, too. Transferring your addiction to sugar makes perfect sense to me, and to get into ultimate control, you're probably going to need the help of a therapist.

 I'm afraid that all of the attention is going to be focused on your sugar intake, but many are forgetting that we are prone to bacterial imbalances in our bowels, which has the symptoms you describe. 

Basically, the  flora in your intestines is out of balance, and you need to either add some probiotics (can use pills, but I just enjoy more yogurt) or wipe out the population with antibiotics and start over with probiotics to repopulate the colony.  

So, yeah, try to kick the sugar to the side a little, and also try some probiotics in your life.

Thank you for explaining the flora and probiotics, I was so lost.  Ive decided to take the ygurt route.  I have a bottle of Cipro in my medicine cabinet, that i do not want to take.  Should I be taking a probiotic AND eating yogurt?

Cipro is an antibiotic...which is taken for a set amount of time. Three options:

1) Don't take it but don't complain if the infection (and c diff in the gut IS an infection) does not get better.

2) Take it AS prescribed and CURE the infection (best route).

3) Take only part of it and set yourself up for even stronger bugs next time. Which will mean even stronger antibiotics. Stay on this option and eventually NOTHING will fix the problem.

 

 

If it's really bad, you could.  I travel for work and hate the yogurt at the hotel (too much sugar). so my stool is extra stinky by the time I get home.  My "one-two-punch" is a bottle of kefir, which is like a yogurt smoothie that is filled with protein and extra probiotics.  You can find it at most grocery stores near the yogurt or hippie sections.

Wal-Mart sell it?

Here's a useful website - foodaddicts.org.  They do a great job using 12 step to address food addiction, and are accustomed to people who have had WLS who are also in recovery, and recognize the different needs we have based on the DS surgery.   They have meetings in Hoboken and in South Philly - based on where your doctor is, I would think those would be your closest meetings.   You have done a lot on your journey to get where you are - get the help you need to continue your journey to a better place.  I wish you the best - in the end, it is a decision you need to make for yourself.  Recognizing you need help is step 1.  May you have the strength to find what you need to thrive!

Thank you!

Congratulations on your new beginning.  I wish you the best of luck with your recovery.  My suggestion probably won't be well received in this forum but as a recovering drug addict myself I come from a different place of understanding.  While I haven't had the DS (yet, working on it, been researching for months), I have had WLS and understand how weight ties in to our challenges.

One thing I heard years ago that stuck with me was "shoot the biggest, hungriest alligator that is closest to the boat first" - meaning, prioritize your struggles and address the biggest, most life threatening issue first.  Then stop, take inventory, stabilize, (re-load your gun) and take aim at the next largest, hungriest alligator.

I think your recovery from drug abuse is probably your biggest alligator and your 12 step friends and family that you know IRL would probably agree. My suggestion - deal with that alligator first, give it your full attention until it's stabilized.

The way I see it addressing your weight is a phase 2 effort that you should undertake later after your stable in your sobriety, when you are capable of standing still and looking forward with peace in your heart, a clear head and confidence. Right now, you can't afford to let anything compromise your recovery from drug addiction, it's too important. If you try to tackle too many things at once you'll be moderately successful at all of them, at best. Moderate success with recovery from drug addiction is a death sentence, no matter how thin/healthy you are otherwise.

So put the weight and food addiction issues on the back burner and eat what you need to eat for now (short term) while you regain your footing. If you need sugar and carbs to help quell the monster then that's what you have to do. Whatever it takes to stay off drugs - that's what you have to do. Follow the advice that others have posted about medications and probiotics to offer short term help so you can be a functioning member of society (without fear of gas) while you set this issue aside and be sure to get your protein and vitamins. Remember that while food addiction and being obese aren't healthy and poor eating habits with the DS aren't advised, they aren't the most important thing right now so set them aside for now with the understanding that they are small issues that may get bigger, and that's okay, their time will come. Obsessive thoughts are the enemy of recovery so do whatever you have to do to get the things you're obsessing about (weight, gas, etc) out of the picture so you can focus!

Best of luck to you and if you ever need an understanding ear please feel free to reach out.

That was great, thank you. I feel like my struggle with food is compromising my recovery, I get so upset, it makes me want to use. I'm taking baby steps.

Protein first if you can.  Get your 100g in before you turn to sugar & carbs.  A round of Flagyl, should kill off all the bad bacteria in your guts, then a good probiotic and yogurt to repopulate your guts...should help with your gas issues.  Have your labs drawn just to see where your problems are from lack of vitamins and protein.

OA, hypnosis might help with the sugar too.  

Also, I had problems with whey after my DS, plus SA and any SF products.  SA bring on the most awful gas, spasms, bloating for 4-8 hrs, makes it easier to avoid foods with SAs.