I can no longer digest protein

[Emster]

Hi, there. I hope someone can shed a little insight into my situation because my doctors seem to have not a clue. I'm 40 and female and weigh 167. I've developed an intolerance to protein and I can't help but believe that it's because I followed the Atkins diet for too long. I started it in 1998. It's my own fault. Atkins seemed to no longer work for me to lose weight beginning around 4 years ago. I thought what I had to do was completely eliminate carbs and add more protein and fat, so that's what I did. Plus I eliminated caffeine and artificial sweetener. I posted here on the forum for help with my problem and I followed everything that was suggested. I drank the amount of water that was suggested, but it probably was not enough. Well, now I can no longer digest protein whatsoever. It doesn't matter if I take digestive enzymes, drink gallons of water, take quality, expensive probiotics, add more fat. My body just can't tolerate protein anymore. I have severe consitpation for more than a week whenever I eat any amount of protein anymore. My skin turns dry and cracks and I experience insatiable thirst all day and it wakes me up in the middle of the night.

I have a suspicion I have kidney stones or kidney damage. I've seen a series of doctors and am finally seeing a urologist on Tues. Not all the time, but occasionally if I don't go heed mother nature's call, I experience severe pain in what I think is the area of my bladder. I had a urinalysis done recently and they checked for kidney stones and it came back negative. I had a barium enema recently and it was normal. I usually wake up in the middle of the night desperately thirsty. I have had my blood sugar tested and it's normal. My pulse and blood pressure are extremely normal...just below what's considered good. I woke up with sudden neck and back pain on 4/13/06 (no injury). I had done my first liver flush 2 weeks before this. I did another in June after a month long parasite cleanse (which helped my former horrible gas immensely!). I had my blood analyzed in April and it showed uric acid crystals, spicules, rouleau (caused by undigested protein by-product known as monosodium urate), poor iron absorption and a protein deficiency despite the fact that I can't tolerate it. I have sharp pains in my breasts which I used to think was caused by protein, but now that I'm not eating it, I don't think it's protein that's causing it (could be stress). I had a clear mammogram 12/05. My gastro doc recommended to eat more veggies and add fiber. Ha! All I eat is fruits and veggies. I have been taking chanca piedra (supposed to break up kidney stones) since Friday. I don't keep track of exactly how much water I drink, but it's A LOT!!! At least 6-7 16 oz. bottles per day. I have considered the possibility that I have a stuck liver or gall stone also.

I just don't know what to make of the state of my health and just want to do whatever it takes to feel better and regain my former excellent health. Maybe then I can figure out a way to lose weight. It's not going to be Atkins because of my protein intolerance, unless there's a way to correct this. Has anyone had this happen to them? I can't help but feel I'm not the only person this has happened to.

[Analog6]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

Has the doctor looked into the state of your gall bladder - I know it can be affected by diet but am not sure of teh symptoms apart from abdominal pain. There are some posts here about gallbladder troubles, amy be helpful to check them out.

[Emster]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

I have done liver flushes which also cleanses the gall bladder. I'm sure I have gall stones. You're supposed to keep flushing the liver until you've done 3 flushes and you're clear of stones. I've got a ways to go, so I know I've got gallbladder issues as well. But does that interfere with your ability to digest protein?

[not2late]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

Plants have protein too. In fact all living things contain protein. Do you have problems with digesting those?

I thought what I had to do was completely eliminate carbs and add more protein and fat, so that's what I did.

So I suppose, you never ate the carbs (veggie, fruit, legumes, grains) Dr. Atkins wanted us to eat during the phases of his diet?

[Emster]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

I don't have the debilitating effects with veggies and fruits as I do with animal protein.

[not2late]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

Are you following Atkins or are you following this diet that you wrote about last year?

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ad.php?t=13931

I'm not familiar with the diet you wrote about in that thread, but Atkins isn't a high protein diet. Protein should only comprise about 30% of your total daily caloric intake. For most of us that amounts to about 3 - 4 ounces of meat 2-3 times daily. A serving of meat isn't all protein. For example according to the USDA Nutrient Database, 100 grams of chicken breast is only 31 grams protein, 65 grams water and about 4 grams fat. 100 grams is roughly 3.5 ounces.

Also on Atkins, during the Induction phase, you will be eating about 10 grams of fiber (depending on the vegetables you choose to eat). By the time you move to the other weight loss phases of Atkins, your fiber grams increase to about 20-30, again, depending on the foods you choose to eat. Fiber helps "move things along" in your digestive tract.

[Emster]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

I'm not following that diet. In fact, I only followed it briefly. It was very difficult to stick to and very limited.

I am eating strictly vegetarian at this time and not dieting. I am watching what I'm eating, but I am not in the process of trying to lose weight. I'm just existing day by day, trying to avoid things and foods that cause pain. I have very little dairy (milk in cereal). I currently cannot digest any animal protein despite using enzymes.

[bizzlekitty]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

Flushes won't necessarily get rid of gallstones. It's a good thing to try, but you will never know for sure unless you have an ultrasound done. It's also common to have "sludge" or a build up in your gall bladder if it's not emptying properly. The only real cure is to have it removed, which is not that big of a deal nowadays and can be done outpatient with laproscopy.

I was having very slow weight loss on Atkins the year before I had a major gall bladder attack and then got it removed. Since then, my weight loss has improved and while it's still slow, I am losing 1 lb a week and inches.

I was having issues with constipation and abdominal pain (after gall bladder was removed) until I changed my diet to remove common gall bladder trigger foods (eggs, pork like sausage and bacon) and added in more lean protein and fish, as well as a flaxseed oil supplement.

Make sure you have gall bladder issues checked into, with the kidney issues, though it sounds like you are checking into alot of things. Are you certain what kinds of protein it is? Have you tried to narrow it down to a specific type like beef or pork or eggs etc? Have you been tested for other things like yeast or celiacs or crohns disease?

I wish you luck finding the answers.

[Emster]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

I have tried eggs, fish, chicken, beef, pork, beans, potatoes, and pasta is iffy. If I eat anything other than veggies or fruit, I pay for it. I haven't been tested for celiac disease. Wheat doesn't bother me. I'm having an abdominal ultrasound done next. My insurance won't allow a CAT scan until I've had the ab ultrasound first.

Flushes do, in fact, remove gallstones. I've seen 'em! If you've done a number of flushes and you still haven't expelled gallstones, then you're doing something wrong. You must use Epsom salts and eat no protein on the day of your flush to build up pressure. Plus there are things you can do to prepare for a successful flush too such as eating apples, drinking apple juice, having fresh lemonade first thing every morning, vigorous exercise the day before your flush. Before my first two flushes I had really bad constipation no matter what I ate. After my first flush, I did a 30-day parasite cleanse and then my 2nd flush and now I am regular just as long as I stay away from protein.
I am hoping there is someone else out there that has gone through this and can tell me that I'll be able to eat protein again some day. I smelled the neighbors grilling yesterday and I almost jumped over the fence and demanded the burgers!

[2big4mysize]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

BILE FROM THE GALL BLADDER DIGESTS FATS NOT PROTEINS! they say to avoid proteins because most proteins contain fat.

How can you say you have no problem with hweat yet pasta a wheat product is iffy. The best thing for you to do would be to stop all your self medicating and follow a treatment plan drawn up by your doctor.
I'm not understanding what your no digestion of proteins means and how you know this to be fact cause if it was you'd be dead by now from consuming your own tissues for your protein needs.

Since you got constipated did your doc recommend any foods or med to help this issue? there are many natural foods and fiber that can be used to stimulat the bowels if you don't wwant to use medication. You said you had a negative barrium enama what about a study from the other end. They have you swallow stuff and then do a scan looking for ulcers but it can also tell them about the motility of your small intestines.

[Heidi3]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

OMG livers do not get stuck or clogged if you know about anatomy and the function of the liver you will be able to figure this out..they get damaged but not stuck or clogged......and btw it is physiologically impossible to flush your liver no matter what some products tell you....

but if you want to believe all that and think you are doing some good for yourself then ...wow go for it!!!

this whole thing is a bit off the wall if you ask me...but then it is just me thinking again isn't it?

[Emster]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

If I have too much pasta it can cause constipation too. I've been having Total Raisin Bran for Breakfast lately and it doesn't. I do not understand it -- it is what it is. See, the problem is that I have been following doctors' advice and that has gotten me nowhere but feeling worse. What am I supposed to do if they can't and won't help me? I started out with my family doctor and then a holistic physician and they both are too textbook and mainstream to think beyond advising bandaid solutions than getting to the root of my problem.

I don't know what to tell you about my inability to digest protein. Whenever I eat it, I pay for it by immediate severe constipation and severe dehydration and drying and cracking of my skin. I wish I had the answers. Because I don't, I'm seeing specialsts to find out what's wrong. I came here to see if anyone had similar problems and could offer some helpful advice. I really didn't think I was going to be bombarded with disbelief and criticism.

It's hard to describe what my body feels like when I run out of enzymes, but it's very scary. I guess my body consuming itself sounds very close to how I feel when I don't have my enzymes.

Trust me when I tell you I'm scared to death by this. I am one of the biggest proponents of Atkins. My cholesterol numbers were always the best when I was on Atkins. Don't get the wrong impression that I'm trying to discount Atkins. You wouldn't believe how much I'd love to have a great big steak. I merely want to figure out what's wrong and was hoping to find someone here that went through the same things I'm going through. It may be that I've got some rare or weird disorder that nobody here has ever heard of.

As I said before, the doctors recommended more fruits and veggies and that's all I'm eating. As far as an upper endoscopy, my gastro didn't see the need for any further gastro testing. I have no heartburn or stomach pain issues.

I was told I have a congested liver at my blood analyzing. Liver and gall stones can get stuck in bile ducts. Livers become congested. Go to www.curezone.com and look at the Liver Flushing section and check out the pictures. There are no products you can buy to flush your liver other than olive oil, lemon juice and epsom salts.

There are many things that mainstream medicine don't want us all to know about. Dr. Atkins knew that.

I'm sure the ultrasound will shed a lot more light on my issues.

[Atkid]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

Hugs to you! Hope you find the answers!

[Maerow]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

Wow thats pretty scary, good luck and let us know how your tests come out. *hug*

[not2late]

Re: I can no longer digest protein

If vegetables and fruits relieve your constipation, then you probably aren't eating enough fiber in your diet. IIRC, the recommendation is at least 25 grams fiber daily for an adult. Pastas, breads.....they don't have nearly the amount of fiber that vegetables do. Typically they contain 2-4 grams per serving, whereas some vegetables can contain up to 7 grams per serving. Most people on Induction run into the constipation probelm because they over-eat the meat and undereat the allowed vegetables.

I still don't understand your protein problem. That is, how much would you have to eat in order to cause your constipation? Do you eat the protein in combination with vegetables/fruits and/or fats? The other thing is do you eat processed meat (bacon, sausage, cold cuts, some frozen meat products like the "meat" in frozen dinners, etc.) or do you eat whole, unprocessed meat? And is your problem with all types of animal protein; for example, do poultry and fish/seafood cause you the same problem? Also when you eat plant-based protein products, like tofu, seitan or quorn, do you have the same problem?