The thing that sorted my IBS out was giving up wheat as part of a low carb lifestyle.

It wasn't until afterwards that I realised just how bad modern wheat is. See "Wheat Belly" by William Davis, MD. I've been reading it and it is an eye opener. (Did you know that hybrids of wheat increase their chromosomes to include both parents?)

If you aren't overweight and cannot bear to give up bread, at least consider using ancient varieties: Eikorn, Emmer, Kamut and Spelt are all available. (That's in order of age, I think).

Also, if you must have bread, get a bread machine and one of those wheat varieties.

Better still, give up wheat like I did... I'm sure you will benefit.

B.

I think you're right. I've been thinking it would be prudent to go to a gluten free or low gluten diet. Some heart healthy and cholesterol wise choices would be good too. I'm like everyone else though and just don't want to give up the things I have grown to love. ...Baby steps in the right direction right?

I went to the Doctor this morning. I have strep throat. I did a search for strep and kidney and surprisingly, strep throat is know to SOMETIMES cause kidney inflammation. Still not sure what happened but at least the pain (in my kidney area) is all but gone today.

I went to the Doctor this morning. I have strep throat. I did a search for strep and kidney and surprisingly, strep throat is know to SOMETIMES cause kidney inflammation. Still not sure what happened but at least the pain (in my kidney area) is all but gone today.

I'm glad to hear the kidney pain is gone, and it may have been the result of the strep throat, not that having strep throat is a good thing, but at least it is treatable.

Have you considered adding FG? It is actually effective for digestive issues and makes a difference in my IBS. Taking even a single FG (500mg) a day is enough for me to get relief. And it is not something that will negatively impact your NBE efforts in my experience. I take it together with the PM. It could be that is why I don't really have any issues with my bowel from PM, or maybe it just doesn't affect me that way. If you are worried about your kidneys, let your doc know that you are concerned about pain in that area and peeing more than usual. A prostate check or a blood test to check kidney/urinary health might be in order. If you do have a problem developing you really want to know about it as early in life as possible. I suppose it's possible that PM is simply raising the flag on a latent issue in your body. If so, that would be very interesting to know.

I actually never stopped taking FG when I switched to PM from RC and hops. I think some people are just more sensitive to what ever is in PM that irritates the bowel. In the PM portion of the forum, some people talk about having to open the capsules and use half the dose, then build up. In my case, it could be partly due to this or that medication I'm taking.

As for kidney issues, I've recently been told that my most recent blood/urine testing indicates my kidneys are beginning to fail as a result of damage from diabetes. I get to see the results next week. Then I'll know just how bad since a year ago there was no such indication. It isn't much of a surprise given all that has happened to my eyes. I have had no kidney pain from PM, just bowel issues. I started the PM a couple weeks after the samples were taken so I know the problems existed before ever introducing PM.

I'm glad it's just strep doodlebug2055. Strep is one of those nasty things that can affect all sorts of things in the body. But it is very treatable and that's good.

MonikaT, renal function decline is not uncommon in diabetes patients, particularly as they get older. I know this from family experience. I hope you are a long way from serious loss of kidney function. Pay close attention to the diabetes. It is so debilitating to so many organs and bodily functions. It is one of those things that is cumulative too, so it sneaks up on you. By the time people decide it really is important, it is too late. Too much damage to nerves and organs. The neuropathy from it really is a big issue in the later stages. Diabetes sufferers often cheat to improve their near-term quality of life, relegating the future to well, the future. Be strong!

MonikaT, renal function decline is not uncommon in diabetes patients, particularly as they get older. I know this from family experience. I hope you are a long way from serious loss of kidney function. Pay close attention to the diabetes. It is so debilitating to so many organs and bodily functions. It is one of those things that is cumulative too, so it sneaks up on you. By the time people decide it really is important, it is too late. Too much damage to nerves and organs. The neuropathy from it really is a big issue in the later stages. Diabetes sufferers often cheat to improve their near-term quality of life, relegating the future to well, the future. Be strong!

Yeah, I watched my mom go through the whole dialysis route. I don't think I'm going to bother when it gets that bad. There comes a point when it is time to just accept reality and let go.

It's a very difficult thing. I'm sorry you lost your mom that way.

UPDATE:
I don't know if it's seasonal affected mood disorder, the winter that wont quit snowing, cabin fever or what but my GD has been the worst its ever been for the last three months. Once I decided to try PM, it took 5 weeks for my order to arrive so you can imagine how badly I wanted to consume the whole bottle at once. The frustration continued when I had to stop after just 3 days due to kidney pain and / or strep throat. The last 10 days have been driving me crazy because I wanted the PM but was abstaining while taking antibiotic. Finally on Thursday I couldn't take it anymore and popped a PM. As recommended earlier, I added lots of water but about 3 hours after taking my first dose, I could, ever so slightly, feel it in my kidneys again. Same thing the next day only less noticeable. Today's dose however, has been in for 8 hours with no side effect whatsoever. YEAAA! The funny thing is, I was talking to an old friend on Friday and telling him about the emotional funk I've been in and I started to tear up. That's pretty unusual for me but it was kind of nice to have an emotional release and I felt much better after our conversation. Later on, when I got home, I was talking to my wife for literally a couple hours when all of a sudden, I was overwhelmed with emotion towards her and got misty eyed again. Suddenly it dawned on me that the PM was probably making me emotional. Honestly, it's a very welcome response and I've been in good spirits for the last 2 days without any explanation besides PM. I've hated being mildly depressed for the last couple months and unable to show emotion for most of my life. I'm not experiencing dramatic changes (maybe like a 15% change) and honestly, it COULD be coincidence, but I like it. However, I can't say I've noticed any changes in the CD desires yet but those fluctuate in several day cycles for me. All this makes me think I'm pretty sensitive to PM and because of that, I think I'm just going to step up to 1000mg daily (500mg / dose) in about a week and hold there for a couple months. I don't want to risk hurting my kidneys or experiencing estrogen dominance if 1000mg will bring the boobie fairy to my bedside. ...But I haven't experienced boobie greed yet either. We'll see how things progress.

Doodlebug, if you continue to have kidney pain with pm, you may want to consider switching over to the powder or extract version of pm. For some members I think their bodies tolerate the powder or extract version much better than the capsule form. I'm not sure why this is exactly. Maybe it's because the body starts breaking down the powder and extract forms earlier than the capsule form?

I don't know precisely when the brain rewiring curbed my CD desires, but when it did it was quick and absolute. All of a sudden, crossdressing just wan't erotic for me anymore.

It doesn't seem like pm has made me anymore emotional. As I mentioned in another thread, I already had an emotional side before starting NBE.

Doodlebug, if you continue to have kidney pain with pm, you may want to consider switching over to the powder or extract version of pm.

What about topical PM cream? I don't hear anyone discussing it at all but it seems like, as long as there is adsorption through the skin, it would be a good option to get the estrogen exactly where you want it. Obviously though, the skin's primary purpose and the one it's particularly good at is preventing things (germs, viruses etc) from entering the body. Is it generally considered less effective than oral or just not discussed here by coincidence?