GI / digestive issues

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I'm newly identified as being on the spectrum. The first resource I'm studying is The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin. (Wow! just Wow!) I noticed her mentioning, almost as an aside, how GI (gastrointestinal) issues are common in ASD. Well, ain't that the truth for me. How about members of Wrong Planet ?
And, if so, what do you do for prevention & relief ?

Here's my story. As a preteen, my stress and anxiety got shunted into my gut. Doctors diagnosed my stabbing pain as a spastic colon and prescribed Maalox. Flash forward. I finish a successful clinical trial which evicts the Hepatiis C virus that had been squatting in my body, and came away with digestive problems: acid reflux (gerd), sharp pain parallel (sideways) to the belly button, nausea, heartburn, constipation, erratic weight ( can fluctuate 6 lbs. in a couple days ) ... ... doctors diagnosed esophagitis, which I believe has gone away since, but symptoms persist, altho' getting better ...

... having watched my diet like a hawk during my HepC era, I've already been fairly strict, and now only more so.
* no fried food
* only whole grain & no gluten
* minimal minimal sweets (no chocolate)
* no carbonated drinks (like kombucha)
* small portions, eaten slowly
Before meals: enzymes, ginger, licorice (DGL).
Someone recently Rx'd zinc carnosine (pepzin GI)
& of course less stress (mindfulness)

I stopped eating wheat after a family member was diagnosed with celiac. I do not want to get diagnosed (because I would have to go back to eating wheat) but I noticed improvements with focus/alertness, anxiety, and "bathroom" issues I didn't realize were problems. Usually I prepare food myself.

Dairy is a no no with me. Have very bad gut troubles. Get awful gunge too :0O

Chronic GERD and slow digestion here!

I have had terrible GI issues and my mother has off-the-charts problems. I recently found out there is a strong possibility that I have GERD, and it turns out nearly everyone in the family has it. I tried a drug for it and that only made my other problem worse: gas, especially Sulphur-like gas, which is one of the things that led to being bullied. I also have a terrible time with dairy although it seems to have gotten slightly better with age. I have recently tried cutting back on the insane amount of sugar and grease I consume and we will see if it helps: it never in the past but we will see.....

What is gerd?

I have Ulcerative Colitis. I take my meds, get my tests, and eat a low-fiber/low-residue diet. Today I'm too ill to have anything but liquid.

I've got acid reflux problems and oesophagitis - I know quite a few other autistic people with similar GI problems.

Slippery elm bark supplements have helped me a lot.

I see this issue a lot in conjuction with autism.... and I am left scratching my head- what the hell is the connection?! Why??!?! !
I have GI issues too and they have become a HUGE problem for me lately, but I cut back on sugar & dairy and that helped lots, but unfortunately those are my favorite things ever... so if I cave I get horrendously sick but I miss them so... couple of other foods I have issues with chronically on and off, but generally as long as I'm sensitive to what I eat I fair well.
I never liked greasy foods.... but they make me feel gross too so...

I have similar issues to yours. I have, severe constipation, get the stabby lower left side pain really badly, sometimes get really bad sweats when Im trying to go because it don't wanna come out. I also get burning in my rectum, and have had a lot of mucus come out off and on over the years.

I did a month of Okra Pepsin E3 by Standard Process, and also regularly use a good probiotic supplement. Wne I did the month of the Okra, I noticed excellent results. It's not something that's good to take everyday on an ongoing basis though. More something you'd do maybe on or two times a year. It's not at all a colon cleanse or anything. But I've had excellent results with those things.

I've just filled the script for the somac pills again this afternoon because this is driving me nuts while waiting months in the public system for a gastroscopy. It's so embarrassing it's stopping me from ever eating out, going out anywhere quiet for several hours after I eat (and take at least 1/4 cup of antacids) etc.
I can't burp so it just gurgles up then down, up then down, VERY loudly and uncontrollably. Get bloating, stomach pain, feel like I am starving 24/7 no matter what I eat, reflux, gas, the whole bit.
I stopped having anything sugary, stopped having carbonated drinks, I'm vegetarian, I don't eat junk food - it doesn't matter. My stomach will act up anyway.
Funny what everyone says about the dairy - before, the only thing that would make it feel any better is a LOT of chocolate milk. Someone said it's alkaline. But the kicker of that is the innocent chocolate milk is very, very fattening if you drink that much of it. Nowadays that doesn't even really help anymore. I'm hoping to get this fixed asap.