Why now? Dealing With IBS

I am nearing the end of a glorious nine day vacation in paradise. One day, we sleepily shuffled to breakfast complete with bed head and cobwebs, my oldest daughter looked up at me and asked, “When did you know you had IBS?” It’s a fair question. I knew by the age of 10 that certain foods made me extraordinarily uncomfortable and my self esteem was a whole other topic. But it was until about 38 that doctors started to tell me that I might want to get tested or try a script or an elimination diet.

Deep down, I already know that I had major gut issues. As a kid I had ulcers, bloating and so much more. Like most Western practitioners, a prescription and a broad label of “IBS” was written in my charts. I was sent on my way.

And like most of us with disorders or autoimmune diseases, you just sort of accept the information and trust their expertise. Who questions a doctor? Me, I did. As my bloated stomach started to erode my self esteem and launch me into a full blown body dysmorphia campaign for most of my adult life, I started to wonder if there was a workaround like, I don’t know…integrative medicine?! I say this having no prior experience but I knew I could not settle for another decade of discomfort or a complete lack of confidence.

There were days were I felt and looked like I was five months pregnant. The pain I felt and the irritability I found myself feeling were some of my saddest moments. It would literally dictate my day and more often than not, my social plans.

In my 42nd year of existence, I discontinued the insanity and tried something new. Despite my poor body image, my goal was not to lose weight. I just wanted to feel comfortable. I wanted my clothes to fit properly. After all, I checked all the other boxes. I ate clean, I cut out gluten, I cut out dairy and mostly refrained from sugar. In the pandemic, I became a die-hard fitness addict working out six days a week. Previously, I was always good for 4-5 days a week. I guess boredom breeds muscle?

It was October 2020 that I had a tele-conference with my now doc. It was the beginning of change…both physically and mentally. When your stomach has been distended for decades, you have no idea what that does to a woman’s psyche. I began extensive testing and labs and we mapped out a plan. Much to my dismay, the results were not going to happen overnight. More like six to seven months which was hard for someone as impatient as I am. But I stuck with it because if there is one thing I am, it’s disciplined. And the changes started to occur with time. The bloat slowly started to subside. There was a laundry list of foods I had to avoid and I even started a morning shake that was focused on healing my gut and replenishing all the damage that was not visible to the naked eye. 2020 brought polyps, ulcerative colitis, kidney stones and more. I was defeated but finding hope. My body was so depleted of nutrients, hormones, etc that I was horribly anemic and exhausted as all get out. Within one week of my new, all-natural supplement journey I had more energy than I had ever experienced. I felt like a 20 year old, which was shocking because I just thought I was supposed to be tired like every other mom. How wrong I was!

Fast forward to January 2021, we started to integrate enzymes into my diet. That’s where the real change started to occur. I could eat without suffering. Next up, all-natural, non-synthetic testosterone. And while I swallow an average of 14 natural supplements daily, yes…you heard that right; I’ve never felt better in my life. Do I miss red wine? Absolutely. That’s a no-no because it’s so high in histamine. Do I miss red meat? Weekly. But habit breeds change. Speaking of change…

While I don’t envision the confidence of Naomi Campbell anytime soon; I can confidently tell you that this vacation was the best I’ve ever felt in a bikini. Sure, I still get bloated and yes, I still see a bit of jiggle here and there. I’ve finally decided that I like myself. I’ve worked HARD to get here and at 42, I like what I see. I still eat clean but I also eat a burger with fries and I refuse to beat myself up over it.

As for those stomach rolls, well everyone has them and I’ve decided that I am happy to be your IBS ambassador if that means YOU feel better about YOUR body today, tomorrow and always. Be an advocate for your health. It’s the best decision you will ever make.