Patient story

9 months of stomach pain relief only if I avoid sugar -- considering Low FODMAP now

@kellanloewBronzeContributorShared August 2026
Male

Current status

Still struggling
  1. Still struggling
  2. Somewhat resolved
  3. Mostly resolved
  4. Fully resolved
In their words

The story

After eating a significant number of sweets after Christmas, the bloating, urgency, and mucous stools started pretty abruptly. There was about a week where I could eat sweets and be somewhat ok, but by two weeks out I had to completely avoid them. Honey, sugar, maple syrup, and white sugar all caused issues. It's been about 9 months since it started. In the meantime, I've tried Nutridyn GI Integrity and Digestive Complete for about 4 months, NAC 600 and zinc carnosine for 2 months. Things seemed pretty similar with both regimens. They helped me not feel bloated and have regular bowel movements. But, Moderate amounts of homemade sauerkraut would cause bad symptoms, and even just a spoon of highly fermented homemade kefir would cause a lot of mucous stool. I started getting bad bloating and pain again -- I would have to lay on my stomach for relief -- after having a cantaloupe drink with evaporated milk and fructose sweetener. Currently, if I avoid all sugar/glucose, mucous stools go away, though there is still the urgency and occasional cramping and bloating.

I've had a functional doctor help me since February. I've taken Gut zoomer stool test and OAT test. Gut zoomer looked mostly normal, though the markers of probiotic activity were very low. OAT showed very high INTESTINAL MICROBIAL OVERGROWTH of Tartaric, a level of 23. Doctor said it could be from mold, but given the Low levels of Furan-2,5-dicarboxylic and 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furoic, it didn't seem likely. I have not had SIBO breath test, colonoscopy, stool culture tests done.

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What they were dealing with

Symptoms

moderatemoderateFood intolerancemoderateMucus in stoolmoderatemoderatemild
What the workup showed

Tests & diagnoses

Organic acids testTartaric 23; low Furan-2,5-dicarboxylic; low 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furoicnot donenot doneGut dysbiosismarkers of probiotic activity very low
Every treatment, and what happened

Treatments

Each treatment this contributor tried, in the order that mattered, with their own reported result. The ones marked with a trophy are the treatments they credit as decisive.

Made worseNo changePartially helpedHelped
Helped

Tried for about 4 months with Nutridyn GI Integrity; helped not feel bloated and have regular bowel movements.

Mucosal support
Helped

Tried for about 4 months with Digestive Complete; helped not feel bloated and have regular bowel movements.

NAC
Helped

Tried for 2 months with zinc carnosine; things seemed pretty similar and helped reduce bloating and support regular bowel movements.

Zinc Carnosine
Helped

Tried for 2 months with NAC 600; things seemed pretty similar and helped reduce bloating and support regular bowel movements.

Gluten / sugar / dairy avoidance
Helped a bit

Currently avoiding all sugar/glucose makes mucous stools go away, though urgency and occasional cramping and bloating remain.

Functional medicine consultation
No change

Has had help from a functional doctor since February.

Fermented foods
Made worse

Even a spoon of highly fermented homemade kefir caused a lot of mucous stool.

Food-based support
Made worse

Moderate amounts of homemade sauerkraut caused bad symptoms.

Discussion

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Important

This is one person's reported experience aggregated by GutPattern, not clinical advice, a treatment protocol, or a diagnosis. What helped one contributor can do nothing — or harm — for someone with a different underlying cause. Sudden, severe, bloody, feverish, or worsening symptoms belong with medical care. Always discuss care decisions with a qualified clinician.