Unregistered

Hi to all who are working through the gastro issues with Tykerb. I had a horrible time getting on it. I had to add one a week for over a month, and now am up to 4 for a month, dreading to go to 5 but probably will. I found that my doc and the staff had NO IDEA about how to treat my really bad diarrhea and stomach upset. I ended up losing close to 25 pound over the last 3 months just because I couldn't eat anything. I did figure out a regime that helped a lot.

First thing in the morning and 2 or 3 times a day I take 2 oz of Aloe Vera juice before I eat. (George's is the best brand as it doesn't feel slimy at all - like water.) The aloe really helps coat your stomach. I also was on Carafate (sp?) as well, it seemed to help my lower GI tract, (it is perscription) and now I am off that.

I take a zantac in the am before my first meal.

When I started, I just automatically took an imodium a day, then I went down to 1/2 and now I am down to as needed, which is great.

The dairy issue is a big one for me - I can't even tolerate youghurt at this point, but I have been able to introduce goat cheese and have done better with that than regular cheeses. I am hoping to start a goat kefir so I can get probiotics better. Regular probiotic supplements from the healthfood store help too.

The biggest thing though is cutting out SALT. The addition of any salt to food creates a terrible problem - it just acts as an osmolytic and pulls the water into my bowels. If I avoid salt in my meals, I am able to go for days without an incident. I even went out to dinner and asked them to hold the salt, and I was good the whole evening. It was great.

Best luck for everyone - and if you find something that works, please post it.

Thanks, Alison