My lifelong retail career now finds me working part-time, so NOW methinks is the time to put my energy into freelance writing!
My Sweetie and I live in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. We got our first place a couple of years ago and we’re working on fixing it up. I’ve spent all my life in retail and I’ve always despised it with a deep, abiding hatred that few are truly capable of, though my latest job has been enjoyable and rewarding! Possibly due to me part-time, when-I-get-off-work-this-stuff-is-no-longer-my-problem status, LOLOLOL!! Strangely, I was often complimented on my customer service skills, even when I was miserable at my retail jobs.
I’ve decided that this is a reflection of my abilities to put myself in another’s skin and plumb the psychological depths of various character-types (and NOT simply an indication that I’m an adept phony). I therefore contend that this is strong evidence that my success in the field of writing is assured. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
This blog documents my freelance journey, my struggles with Fructose Malabsorption Disorder, our ongoing attempts to renovate our place, and my ma-a-avelous and deeply insightful commentaries on all things that intrigue and amuse me.
My ultimate intent is to export to WP.org where I will be able to monetize my blog as another avenue toward ensuring my writing pays the bills!
AVT
18 responses so far ↓
Alexandria Golding // April 30, 2009 at 10:10 am |
Hey girl,
I finally found you again. Seems we are pursuing the same career. Except yours is on the net and mine is paperbacks. Hoping you will sent me a note back . We are all well. … San.
Lisa // August 8, 2009 at 6:35 pm |
Am questioning my recent diagnosis of fructose malabsorbtion. Would love to discuss with you….do I post here.
Thanks.
Lisa
avthompson // August 8, 2009 at 9:06 pm |
Feel free to post, Lisa!
What is it about the diagnosis that doesn’t fit?
Lisa // August 9, 2009 at 3:37 am |
Hi there.
First of all let me say I love your website. It was fun to read and informative at the same time! Okay, so I’m going to tell you how I got here. I was going through a bit of a stressful time in April. I do in home daycare and was really having some issues with a family. It bothered me to the point of sleepless nights and much anxiety…I have generalized anxiety disorder but do not take mediction as I have learned to ‘control’ it (ya right). Usually I can keep it where it’s tolerable. I’ve had some wierd things pop up from my anxiety where each time I think…oh, this is it….it’s going to be something medically serious this time and then in the end everything checks out ‘ok’ and the diagnosis is anxiety. So, in April I started waking up with pain in my stomach not every night put sometimes. It would be right in the pit of my stomach and boy would it hurt. I would re-arrange/re-position myself and it would just eventually go away in an hour or two….while it was there it was BAD…to the point where I would get sweaty with pain. The other thing that started to happen is I would periodically become bloated and burpy after meals…not every day and not every meal. There seemed to be nothing I could do to relive the burping and bloating….walking, drinking lots of water, gas x pills….so, off to the doctor I go. They put me back on Aciphex….I had been diagnosed with acid reflux back in 2005. I was on Aciphex for one year and then came off it and have sinced managed it with diet and stress reduction (again a ‘ya right’ to the stress reduction). I joke but I really have come a long way with my anxiety and managing my ‘thoughts’ that stress me out. Well, after being on Aciphex this time for one month I say no changes and it seemed the bloating and burping were becomming more and more …sometime in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon…the one thing I could count on was that when i laid down at night it would usually go away. Oh, and the stomach pain at night seemed to go away completely on the aciphex. So, I thought I’d take it upon myself to up my fiber. WOW! Was that painful. I was eating so much fiber that it pretty much became concrete in my stomach since I forgot to up my liquid intake and I’m bad at liquid intake in the first place….boy was I miserable! I felt like a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey. So, I backed off of the fiber…felt somwhat better but again was still burping and getting bloated and came off of the aciphex just to get a clean slate to start from again. I went to a gatroenterologist again and her gave me 3 breath tests to do….lactose intolerance, small bacterial overgrowth and fructose intolerance. I tested megative on two but positive on fructose intolerance…they gave me a small pamphlet and sent me on my merry way. This was about 2 months ago. So, I did an elimination diet where I had NOTHING with fructose…I ended up getting sick with walking pneumonia…I’m guessing due to the lack of fruits and vegetables and the nutrients they have. I’ve been trying to ‘test’ the waters and re-introduce foods but this doesn’t make any sense….here’s why…
*I’ve heard that the breath test are inaccurate…I’m wondering if my reaction is anxiety or stress of maybe acid reflux and I didn’t give the Aciphex long enough…
*This has seemed to come upon me overnight…one day I was eating anything the next day I bloat uplike a blueberry like the girl on WIlly WOnka!
*My symptoms or tons of burping…big huge burps…not taste and bloating.
*I don’t get diareah
*It really does seem it doesn’t matter what I eat it luck of the draw…one night I went to a friends and had sliders (hamburgers with spicy cheese, pimentos, etc) on a bun which has HFCS listed as #1, pasta salad that was premade (so yes to HFCS), asparagus with prochitto meat, zuccini….I got nothing from this. I thought I was in big trouble after that meal but nope…just a full belly. On the other hand I will eat something in which I think is going to be just fine and I’m miserable. I had crumcake I made the other day with brown sugar on it and I was fine with that along with having other ‘not on the list’ foods
–So here is my question…have you heard of these tests giving false positives?
–Does it sound to you like Fructose Malabsorbtion?
–I would love your opinions…
—Am I in denial?
–I feel lost as to any guidance…I want to feel better and it seems like I just can’t get there.
Sorry this is so long…I do appreciated any guidance you can give me.
Thanks a bunch!
cheryl // September 6, 2009 at 7:39 pm |
Hi Lisa, just read your entry & it reminded me of my 2 yrs of GI suffering, with pieces of a puzzle that didn’t fit together.
I, too, had lots of burping, getting worse & worse. I would start burping on an empty stomach first thing in the morning & it would only stop when I went to bed or laid down.
I went to a ’specialist’ who told me I was swallowing air & had to stop it- like I was doing it on purpose! I wasted almost a year with him, then thankfully was referred to another specialist who knew what he was doing and took an interest.
After several tests, he diagnosed me with severe Gastroparesis AND Fructose Malabsorption.
The test I did for GastroP involves eating ‘radioactive’ scrambled eggs then lying under an imaging machine for 2 hours.
It seems it was the Gastroparesis causing the burping & the FM causing abdominal pain, diahorrea etc.
Gastroparesis is delayed emptying of the stomach- apparently food was sitting in my stomach for over 20 hours. It seems unbelievable.
It’s now about 4 months since diagnosis & the GastroP is being treated with medication & diet. It’s slowly improving, but can take 1-2 years.
Where I’m having trouble is combining the GastroP diet with the FM diet. I’ll have to find a good dietician.
Anyhow, wanted to let you know about my experience, as your symptoms sound similar.
Good luck!
avthompson // August 9, 2009 at 11:02 pm |
Welcome Lisa!
Don’t worry about the length of the post – I’ve authored many whoppers myself!! LOL!
I have to say, I’ve never heard of a false positive – I’ve heard of false negatives, as some fructmals exhale methane rather than hydrogen, so merely a hydrogen test may not catch fructmal……. but just because I haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen! I am not the be-all-and-end-all!
And remember… anything done by a human can be done incorrectly… human error…
That said, I need to know.. you say you “did and elimination diet with NOTHING with fructose”….
1) how long were you on this diet?
2) did the diet eliminate foods with fructan chains as well as foods with fructose?
Wheat and wheat flour, spelt, kamut, brown rice as well as other foods have fructan chains and you WILL have a reaction!! Very often, particularly with the grains, these reactions happen a couple of days after ingestion. If you are fructmal hamburger buns WILL cause a reaction whether they have HFCS or not – because they are wheat – so will crumcake – again: wheat. However, your immediate reaction to the crumcake may have been to the brown sugar or to something else… heck… it may have had NOTHING to do with the crumcake and was a delayed reaction to something you had eaten a couple of days before!
This is why it is SO important to elimination fructose AND fructan foods for 4 to 6 weeks RELIGIOUSLY. Then when you start reintroducing things.. say… one half of one hamburger bun where there is nothing in it you can’t have except the wheat, then (eating NO more questionable foods and no additional wheat) waiting a week to see if you get a reaction one, two, three or more days later.
Honestly, most fructmals take months to reaquire even a small tolerance for wheat. I would not choose to reintroduce any of the fructan grains until last. Start with the safer stuff first – as your odds are better for a “good/tolerable” result and you get to expand your repertoire of foods sooner.
What were you and were you not eating? And for how long?
And why in the WORLD would you eat ANYTHING with HFCS for any reason?!?!?!
You CrrrrrAZY, girl!
Lisa // August 10, 2009 at 5:30 am |
Hello and thanks for the response. I’m struggling with when we eat out and at friends houses. We don’t eat out much but do take a family vacation (which we just took) and we had dinner at a friends house….hence the HFCS buns….what do you do in these situations. Also…on the elimination diet….you mentioned wheat being a no-no….what is left? I was told to eliminate fruits and vegetables and now wheat….I’m not a huge meat eater and it seems that and dairy are all that’s left….HELP!!!!!
avthompson // August 10, 2009 at 7:40 pm |
Hello again, Lisa
Ahhh! The dreaded social situation. Unfortunately I have been in the same situation… with my in-laws no less! Really, the only thing to do is say, sorry I can’t eat that. Period. Often I say I have recently discovered I have an “allergy” rather than having to go through the whole story of what fructmal is, blah, blah, blah.
There is NO reason you should be off ALL veg! There are many different diets, but what seems to work as a 4 to 6 week elimination diets for most fructmals is:
AVOID:
-fructose (including HFCS)
-All fruit and fruit products including juice, dried fruit, jams and jellies and fruit related ingredients in other foods.
** citrus rind has no fructose, so if you want to add some lemon or orange zest (outer peel) to your water or tea, go ahead!
-asparagus
-artichoke
-onions, chives, leeks, green onions
-honey
-all active probiotics/bacterial cultures (like yoghurt)
-all prebiotics (chicory/FOS/inulin)
-wheat/spelt/kamut in any form
-brown rice
CUT BACK SEVERELY ON:
-corn
-potatoes
-rye
-molasses/syrup/brown sugar/raw sugar/white sugar (sucrose)
THESE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM:
-all other veg
-oats, barley, teff, quinoa, buckwheat, tapioca flour, amaranth, millet
-glucose (also known as dextrose), and glucose syrup
-milk & milk products (except yoghurt)
-meat and eggs
-nuts
-mushrooms
Once you have been on this diet RELIGIOUSLY for 4 to 6 weeks, start re-introducing the “Cut Back Severely On” foods one at a time. Re-introduce one food in a small quantity and wait a full week to see if there is any delayed response. If it seems safe, then bring it back onto your safe list and try another food, etc.
I am not a doctor, but lots of fructmals have tried lots of versions of the elimination diet and this seems to be the most useful.
That said, everyone is different. Some people DO have a reaction to oats. Some people react to some nuts. It is also quite common to have another sensitivity along with your fructmal – like lactose intolerance or an allergy.
I hope this has been helpful.
I know that social situations can be awkward – I often phone ahead or the day before and explain that I have developed “allergies” and don’t want to “get sick” and give the host/hostess some suggestions. Grilled chicken and white rice with sauteed broccoli and snowpeas, feta cheese omelettes with black olives and mushrooms, shishkabobs of beef, chicken or shrimp, sweet bell peppers and cherry tomatoes done on the BBQ, hamburger patties (no bread crumbs in the beef please) served on a bed of lettuce with pickles, cheese, everything but the bun!
Please let me know how things are going!
Lisa // August 11, 2009 at 6:39 pm |
Thanks for the help. I am going to give your diet a try. I will keep you posted….again, thanks for the advice!!!
Elizabeth Murray // August 23, 2009 at 5:08 pm |
Hi, I was diagnosed with Fructmal about 4 months ago by my gastro doctor through a breath test. I was totally shocked that this could all of a sudden “happen” at 38???!!!! My symptons are severe bloating, constipation and gas. I also gt a bad feeling of “Fullness” and burpy. I am so thankful to have found your site. There is NOTHING really out there for us!!!!
Elizabeth
avthompson // November 8, 2009 at 11:04 pm |
Yep, sounds familiar Elizabeth! Glad to meet you!
There seem to be a lot of us who just “got it” one day. For me it seems to have correllated with antibiotics, but for other people….who knows? An illness? An allergic reaction?
I hope that the fructmal diet gives you some relief!
Cheryl // September 17, 2009 at 12:51 pm |
Your blog and website are so helpful and encouraging. My daughter is FM and I am looking for helpful sites. Thank you .
avthompson // November 19, 2009 at 7:32 pm |
Thank you!
RL complications have been keeping me away lately, and I apologize for my tardiness. I appreciate your good words!
Ariana
Cat // October 2, 2009 at 5:50 pm |
Hey there,
I was wondering if soy yoghurt needs to be cut from a FructMal’s diet? My doctor thinks I may be FructMal and wants me to cut problematic foods.
I’m definitely lactose intolerant – have been for years – that has been tested and diagnosed.
Cheers,
Cat
avthompson // November 19, 2009 at 7:54 pm |
Hi Cat!
The only issue with yoghurt is that there are active bacterial cultures. As the bacterial cultures in fructmals’ bodies have been overstimulated – sometimes for years – with fructose they shouldn’t have been dealing with, the idea is that adding MORE bacterial cultures is the LAST thing needed!
I have been experimenting myself with bringing yoghurt into my diet occasionally. I have been careful to choose brands that list “active bacterial cultures” as the LAST ingredient, and contain NO prebiotics. So far my reactions have been moderate to non-existant! YAY!
Each person must test themselves and find their own tolerance.
Keep us posted!
Ariana
natalia // November 1, 2009 at 8:40 pm |
Hi, I’m so glad I found your blog!
I got diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome a year ago, and have had ’sugar sensitivites’ ever since. I can go off all sugar (not fruit) and the allergies to sugar subside with elimination except they dont for the fructose sugar. i found this out via an electro-dermal screening device that screens for sensitivites. I haven’t had a hydrogen breath test yet to confirm, but i’m pretty certain i have fructose malab.
I get really bad low blood sugar, and bloating, flatulence, brain fog, depression.
I’ve tried going on a ‘hypoglycemic diet’ with no carbs or sugar and i get wayyy too tired but can’t sleep at night. but during this 3-day trial i didn’t get any bloating, flatulence etc..
I think the problem may be fructose malab. causing the hypoclycemia?! when i broke the 3-day trial i ate some fruit and got bloating and pain pretty much an hour later.
does this sound like fructose malab. to you?
I’m sensitive to nuts too. If I go off the sugar will my sensitivities decrease?
hope you can get back to me
thanks a lot!
Dawn // November 7, 2009 at 8:18 pm |
My daughter is 23 mo old and we are assuming she has fructose malabsorption. At her 1-yr check, her dr. noted several ‘failure to thrive’ red flags as well as gross motor delays. For the past yr. we have had every neurological test, every blood test, every possible specialist look at her. The gi dr. presented several possible options for her symptoms, one of which was fructose mal. Her only suggestion for that possiblity was to eliminate fruit and fruit juice. My daughter didn’t seem to improve much (she has always had terrible diarrhea 4+x/daily since starting food, but this was not on the forefront of our concerns until about 20 mo). After we had crossed fructmal off of our list of possibilities, something brought me back to that possibility. Now we have completely changed her diet and done as well as we can with our two other sugar monsters, age 4 and 6 under the same roof and in the same kitchen. We have seen several days of improvement, and then usually a good couple blow-outs because I missed something.
My desperate question is: What sweets are made with glucose??? I can’t find any lists and such bits and pieces online. I haven’t ordered any books yet. I saw your kinnikinnic cake listed and choc pudding frosting. I thought sugar is to be avoided or at least greatly limited. I feel so helpless to help her and she literally begs for sweets all day long. Any great suggestions?
We have not completely eliminated wheat from her diet, but probably need to do so. Everything seems so trial and error… Thanks so much for your blog and for the helpful information. It is so discouraging when so many different drs. have never even heard of this. Thank you, this is a real gift you are giving others with similar needs and concerns.
Dawn
avthompson // November 8, 2009 at 10:33 pm |
Hello Dawn!
I am NO expert… and certainly not on things relating to the little ones, but I feel your pain and frustration! I’m glad you seem to be seeing improvement!
The only candies I know made with glucose are, in the United States called “Smarties” and in Canada called “Rockets”. They are little pastel-coloured tablet-like candies. They are packaged in a little roll of cellophane and around here they are very popular at Halloween.
Apply for membership in this group:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/fructose_malabsorption_australia/
Nevermind that it says Australia, lots of us are members from all over the world. There are many parents in this group and this group is highly educated and shares good, solid, real info.
I wish you well!