morning/bowles and head

[lauralauralaura]

110 pounds.  lost 40 lbs in past 5 months.  5'7" to 5'8".  mildly to moderately active. have been receiving treatment for Anorexia for 3 months.  ate 700-1000 calories a day, was overly restrictive.   not entirely recovered,  FAR better off, basically eating 'normally' again. past 4-5 weeks, increased caloric intake to about 1300-2000 calories a day..  weight has not really increased in this time period; stabilized.  much happier and more energy, two concerning symptoms: morning headaches every morning which seem to go away after I get up and have breakfast; MAINLY CONCERNED ABOUT bowel movements. normal bowel movements whole life even through my dieting, it seemed normal.  not on any sort of laxatives. no alcohol, no smoking, no drugs etc.  past weeks ..esp the past 3 weeks...bowel movements increased in frequency.  go a couple days without having a bowel movement or normal movement. all of the sudden it will hit me and i'll have lots movmeents for several hous in a row.  they are loose and 'mushy' like...sometimes having little shape to them, or other times normal shape  normal brown color. sometimes yellow/clear mucous with it.   'greasy' like/mushy.  i've tried to keep note of what i've been eating but havent noticed any real patterns. ..dont notice dairy problems; eat wheat breads etc, and it doenst necessarily happen rigiht after that either.  i do eat apples (maybe 1 a day...ish..sometimes less..sometimes slightly more) and i sometimes (maybe 3 times a week) have a bowl of fiber one cereal..doesnt happen right after that.  the only other thing i can think about my diet is that i''ve had an increased amount of coffee (going from 1-2  or 3 cups a day to 2-3..sometimes 4) but i typically always space the cups out throughout the day and also having decaf instead of all caffenated after the morning cup.  also, there are times when i''ll have cofee and not have a bowel movmement that day at all.....so i''m not sure thats the cause.    

[LifesAHeadache]

The more high fiber foods, fruits and vegatables you eat - the more bowel movements you will have.  You GI system has been impacted and it looks like it is trying to come back to a pattern but don't freak if you have a lot of BM's after a lot of fiber.  If you are waking with headaches, try eating something like oatmeal, or a couple of pieces of that high fiber toast before you go to bed.  You have to rule out low blood sugar through the night giving you the morning headache.

Also, your GI problems are notorious for giving headaches.  Caffeine dehydrates you but you are mixing decaf, thats good. It is always good to drink lots of water but I bet that fruit/veg and fiber one is causing the BM's.  That is only a bad thing if you are getting dehydrated - so you can try to drink some propel water, plain water etc...  Adding the water can even increase the BM's  Cutting back on the Fiber One may be necessary just to see.  I really think your body is readjusting, but I would make an appt with whoever is treating you for Anorexia - this may just be part of the comeback and they will have great diet advice know who to treat these side effects.  And I am so proud of you for the comeback.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,
It is indeed a great effort on your part to come back to being your normal self.
Well what can be done is that you try avoiding coffee for a few days, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and high fibre foods.
That should help with the bowel movement.
It will take some time for your bowel to adjust to a set pattern - but drinking plenty of water would also help.
If these do not help, it would be best to consult your dietecian or doctor.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.