If you haven’t read my last post yet, do that now. HERE
Basically, thank Heavens I saw that co-worker eating her lunch in her cute fitted outfit! And now I tell everyone about running through traffic in Nashville!!
I was so hesitant to go to the dr. My husband will testify, I am the kind of person that I don’t want to hear you complain unless there’s a serious issue, like you need to be on your deathbed. Suck it up Buttercup! And if you do complain and I have decided that you don’t need to go to the dr then let it go. If I think you do need to go to the dr, then you need to go or I don’t want to hear about it again. I have no sympathy. Well, I have very little sympathy.
Because of that, I felt really dumb making a dr appointment to tell her ‘I get bloated when I eat.’
For real?
Suck it up buttercup.
Well, I actually did go to the dr. and she was totally understanding. She asked me a ton of questions and she sent me straight to get blood work. Nothing showed up so we both strongly felt like it was IBS. IBS can’t be tested with blood. You just meet some basic criteria for your symptoms and it’s labeled as IBS. And really even the criteria doesn’t help much because it’s different for everyone. The food that triggers IBS is different for everyone and the symptoms from IBS are different for everyone.
After she diagnosed me with IBS, I remembered that I did go to my dr once before in college and complained about bloating and she said it was probably IBS. But let’s be real, when your dr gives you a ‘suggested diet’ to follow on a sheet of paper and you’re in college… you brush it off. After all, it’s just a ‘suggested’ diet, ain’t nobody got time for dat! IBS, or whatever it is, hasn’t slowed down my fun so far, so who cares! That ‘suggested’ diet, it would totally slow down my college fun! I just filed the ‘suggested’ diet papers in the appropriate file. Labeled TRASH.
Well, then when I had the same issues, actually worse issues as an adult, well that’s then I took IBS more seriously. Plus I am more educated and more mature now (only a little more mature, mostly just more educated).
This picture doesn’t even do it justice but it’s from my FB post telling my followers a little about my story as it started to unfold.
This post might be TMI but I know there are others out there that are struggling with the same issues.
For years I have had stomach issues. As in constipation one minute and opposite the next…if you know what I mean. My dr jokingly declared my belly as an ’emotional gut’. Really though, emotional is pretty accurate. We have narrowed it down to IBS but to be on the safe side did some blood work for other things since I have a history of cancer.
So, what to do with IBS? I have to figure out what food aggravates my stomach. I am starting with an elimination diet that is designed specifically for those with IBS.
This side-by-side of me is before a breakfast of oats, berries and egg whites. And then after breakfast and a shower. It’s not only about looks though. I have plenty of other issues that effect my daily life, including emergency restroom stops, enough bloating that my pants don’t fit, cramps, pain and just plain uncomfortable feeling.
I know this is TMI but can you relate? If so, how do you cope? Are there certain foods that effect you?
So I started following a Low-FODMAP diet and made an appointment with a wonderful nutritionist. The Low-FODMAP diet was killer for me! I couldn’t have garlic or oinion!! I thought I was going to die! I mean, who cares about the no gluten, no beer, no apples, no broccoli….. But NO GARLIC, NO OINION!! That’s serious!
I followed Low-FODMAP off and on for almost a year. Things got a little better but I still had issues. In October 2015, I started having a cough. No biggie. But then it continued for months. (That’s how we found my Hodgkins, from a cough.) So when I still had the cough from Fall of 2015 to Spring 2016, I went back to the dr. BTW this is the most I’ve been to the dr in about 12 years! When I was in the office for the cough I mentioned that I was still having issues with my digestion and I just didn’t feel like myself.
Yes, I try to be healthy but more than that I am pretty in tune with my body. I don’t usually know what the is wrong but I’m in tune enough with my body that I can tell that something is wrong. I can tell when certain parts of my are off or I can tell when I am just not feeling like myself. And looking back I realize that I knew something was ‘off’ for at least 2 years. And after having my third baby, the Fall of 2014, I became less like myself that I had ever felt before. I researched seasonal depression, post-pardon, I took off from working out for awhile, I stopped tracking my food in hopes that it would reduce stress. I tried to slow down my schedule and cut things out. I just couldn’t figure out what was going on but I knew I didn’t feel like ME. I even told my dr that. It was a terrible description of what my issues were but I told her ‘I just didn’t feel like myself’ and I hadn’t for a long time.
My awesome dr ran the tests that I had requested, plus she obviously ran some tests that she wanted, including blood work, a CT scan and an ultrasound.
Then the blood work for Crohn’s came back.
positive.
POSITIVE FOR CROHN’S! What the heck did that even mean?
Well, if you do a google search for ‘what is crohn’s’ this is what your answer is:
A chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract.
Fewer than 200,000 US cases per year
Can’t be cured, but treatment may help
Requires a medical diagnosis
Lab tests or imaging often required
Chronic: can last for years or be lifelong
Crohn’s disease can sometimes causes life-threatening complications.
Crohn’s disease can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, and fatigue. Some people may be symptom free most of their lives, while others can have severe chronic symptoms that never go away.
Crohn’s disease cannot be cured. Medications such as steroids and immunosuppressants are used to slow the progression of disease. If these aren’t effective, a patient may require surgery. Additionally, patients with Crohn’s disease may need to receive regular screening for colorectal cancer due to increased risk.
You can find out even more HERE.
Basically, my body isn’t absorbing any of the nutrients that I eat. That’s why I became so tired. So tired that I would take a nap every chance I could get. I would pull over at the park if possible and dose off. Sometimes I would take advantage of my husband being home and I would sneak into the bedroom and sleep. I skipped workouts. And because my guts aren’t working properly, sometimes food would get stuck in certain parts of my digestive tract and other times it would slid right through my whole digestive tract.
So, now I am working with a holistic dr in Indianapolis. She is the most amazing dr! Honestly, I think I have the perfect team of drs in my life. My family dr, my oncologist, my OB dr and now my holistic dr. I am so pleased with my medical team!
Boom dignity! I was so happy to have an answer! Now that we have an answer we can deal with it.
I have started my treatment for Chron’s without medication and I can’t wait to tell you more about it……