Isn't it lovely to wake up of a morning (naturally) and pain free?
For most of us that is the case but for people like me it sometimes isn't, and for years and years I thought my body was normal and that everyone woke up in pain like I did.
I also thought it was normal to feel faint in pain most of my day and to feel weak and bloated as soon as I finished school.
I've been told by many that I should write this blog to raise some awareness about this common issue and for me personally I would love to help those suffering and hopefully offer some insight.
I'll try and cut this short.
For as long as I can remember I have suffered from chronic stomach pain, pain that can only be explained as a knife soaring through me and burning, feeling like my insides are shifting and horrible stomach cramps.(nice)
THREE YEARS OLD
When I was 3 I went to Tunisia and was inoculated against Typhoid, in simpler terms I had an injection in my butt cheek! The right one to be precise.
Me being the swimming addict that I am I swam a little too early and picked my scab off my bum whilst in water. Not long after coming home my Mum took me to the Doctors as it looked like I had a flesh eating disease on my bum, which was later confirmed. My Doctor gave me a very strong and dirty antibiotic which we feel I was way too young to have as it completely killed my immune system.
This is where we feel the problems started as I've known this pain for as long as I can remember.
HIGH SCHOOL
Before High School and during High School I suffered terribly with anxiety. I was incredibly attached to my Mum and would even cry being at School because I felt my School was too far away from my home and I would feel home sick. I'd even panic because I then couldn't see where my Mum was or know what she was doing which scared me. I suffered from Panic Attacks on occasion for about 6-7 years and then learned to control them thankfully.
I feel my tummy problems also brought on my Panic Attacks as I never enjoyed sleep overs or play dates etc due to my pain, and at home I felt my most comfortable as there was a toilet close.
It was only when I attended a friends sleepover (never to actually sleep over) that I realised that not everybody goes to the toilet as much as I do and that nobody is bloated like me or cramps like me or feels sick after a meal etc. Very strange but that is my first memory of this realisation.
It was then that my Mum started me on fish oil daily as I was incredibly thin and unwell and I could see the strain in my Mum as she could see it in me. I can only imagine how horrible it must be to see these changes in your child. I had horrible dark circles under my eyes, I could never keep food down, you could see all my bones and some people in my family even thought that I was Bulimic !
I won't go too deep into this but during this time for years I was going to the Doctors having tests and telling them that I'm sick or ill as soon as I eat any food, and they would always say theres nothing wrong with me... Very frustrating.
After my GCSE's I went away with my Mum and Dad and during my summer break I went to see a lady at her Intolerance Clinic in Westcliff.
SUMMER
My Mum was told about food allergies by a friend who was a Coeliac and who had taken her Son to see this Woman about his Health. My Mum and I went along, not knowing much about what we were doing and I remember my Mum said to me "After this we'll get some McDonalds" If only we knew...
Long story short, sort of! I went into the clinic and the Lady took me and my Mum into her room to start the tests. I can only explain it as weird. She got a metal handle and asked me to hold it in my left hand and then to put my bare foot onto her lap so she could place a metal pen looking thing onto the corner of my 2nd toe.
She places every food group you can imagine into a little machine, one at a time. They are in little tiny capsules. She then puts pressure on the metal pen on your toe and watches the dial swing from 0-100. She told me before we started that 0 was poor and 100 was right for my body (no intolerance). Lets just say I was mostly 15 on everything. My Mum and I were stunned ! As soon as we left all I could eat was a bag of carrots.
It made me so incredibly happen to finally find an answer to my pain. I was overwhelmed and saw this Woman as an Angel! lol She was amazing.
Did you know that pain in your stomach leads to less brain activity. I was using 20% of my brain before, now I'm on 95% lol. My focus was off completely and I couldn't focus on one thing for a certain amount of time as my brain was always focusing on the pain.
Near the end of the session she gave my Mum and I some ideas on what foods to make and how to add more flavour etc. And then some Homeopathic medicine to help detox and cleanse my bowel and stomach to prepare for the diet. It changed my whole life ! It took only 1 day to change me, my stomach pain had gone completely and I was having usual bowel movements and most importantly keeping food down.
SIXTH FORM
Entering Sixth Form I felt like a new person, my head was clear, my stomach was flat, I was sleeping on my tummy (which had never happened before), I wasn't using my stomach pain as my daily alarm clock and I was at a healthy weight.
I felt like I had lost weight but it was actually my bloated tummy I had lost and I had so much energy all the time I felt rejuvenated.
Diet wise I was practically left with some vegetables, potato, bacon and eggs. I stuck to this for 1 month and then each month I would have my appointment with my Allergy Angel and she would test me like before and see how my numbers had changed.
It generally is a detox for a few months, you need to stay away from certain foods for a while and then slowly start to reintroduce yourself back on to them slowly. But as we know every one is different.
Some foods went to 100 and some didn't. 80-90 is a slight intolerance and lower is more pain and discomfort. So it's best to stay off them completely so your body can repair itself.
For me Wheat and Dairy (that being everything from the Cow) was off limits, and it always will be for me.
I also struggle with mixed moulds (Mushrooms), Acidic foods like oranges, lemons and tomatoes, also onions.
So I'm not a confirmed Coeliac by my Doctor but I generally have to live as one.
FUTURE
I sometimes have the odd off day now and then but I can confirm that ever since my lifestyle change I have never ever had pain like I did back then and can happily live a normal life.
I do feel if I didn't make the change I would not be living the life I am today.
I was referred a few years ago to a Gastroenterologist for other pains that were non related to my diet. 100 blood tests later and 2 colonoscopies later he confirmed that I have Microscopic Colitis and IBS which was laughable as its been pretty obvious that I've had this for years. The Colitis isn't exactly microscopic like people think, it's actually another form of Colitis that can cause uncomfortable pain. It's like an open wound in the colon that causes inflammation, hence the bloating.
I was finally given some medication to take 3 times a day before my breakfast, lunch and dinner. One was a sachet and one was a tablet which would help line my stomach before a meal, my Gastroenterologist wanted to do a camera down to my stomach to confirm me being a Coeliac but I would of had to of eaten wheat and dairy for a month to do this test which I wasn't going to do. That would mean a month off of work and a month of being on the toilet or in my bed the whole time ill... This should of been confirmation enough.
HEALER
My Family and I are very spiritual people, we know Psychics, Healers, Homeopathic Doctors etc and we've had many positive experiences with these routes which is the reason why most of us have such faith in them.
I was referred to a Healer by a friend of mine whose children I used to Nanny for. She told me about friends of hers that he had helped and that he specialises in Crohns, Colitis etc...
I went to see him last year in the summer and I didn't know where to start. I had to tell him about everything listed above and then some!
He started work on me straight away and helped me tremendously. Lets just say I have never taken my prescription meds ever since. And the rest is history.
So thats my story!
I'd also like to add that Waitrose and Tescos are my saviours when it comes to Free From food, not everything is in the Free From section you just need to take a close look at the ingredients and check whats written in bold.
Since seeing my Healer I attended a 10k run in London with my Partner. We raised over £500 for Crohns and Colitis UK which was a tremendous achievement considering when I was in my early teens I would never of imagined running that far with the pain I was in.
Feeling run down all the time can completely knock your confidence but luckily for me I was offered the right help in life to help lead me onto the path that I am on today.
I really hope I have helped someone that may be in the same boat as me. If you feel you have any of these symptoms please make an appointment with your local GP OR your Allergen expert...
Signs and Symptoms of Colitis
- Abdominal Pain
- Diarrhea - With or without Blood in stool.
- Cramping
- Fever
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Dehydration
- Eye inflammation
This info is from- http://www.medicinenet.com/colitis/article.htm
Thank you.
CCX
