Disclaimer: This is about physical wellness and health. Words like diarrhea, dyspepsia, and bloating are frequently used. Leave now or forever hold your peace. Enjoy!
The other day I was sitting in class as my stomach erupted with a sound straight out of Alien vs. Predator. It reminded me of just how long I’ve struggled to reduce and take control of my body. The journey began years ago.
It was 8th grade when I realized that I was regularly suffering from severe gas, bloating, and indigestion. Middle school was hard enough — what with all that acne, puberty, and transition to adulthood stuff. During that hormonal time, I also concluded something was very wrong with my stomach. I felt like an internal chemistry experiment.
Where’s the nearest bathroom?
This began a 12-year adventure to figure out what was wrong with me. My peers seemed to be fine, and didn’t struggle like I did (or at least, didn’t let me know). My search for the trouble began with a routine look at possible allergies. Milk, nuts, wheat?
That investigation was easy. One day I decided to pour a full glass of milk and drink that on an empty stomach. The results were uncomfortable, and conclusive. As someone with European heritage and a Jewish background, it was a quick conclusion of lactose intolerance. My, how mildly I’ve described the effects! If I had ice cream, milk products, or something suspiciously milky, I’d pop a Lactase pill — delivering the necessary enzyme to tackle this issue. The solution was an inexpensive box for about $15 a month.
It’s only milk, right?
My indigestion had long ruled me. I would escape to the bathroom whenever I could, and big groups became difficult when I was hurting from cramps. Having this fix felt right, and I felt freed. My troubles appeared to be over, and I was ready to move on to a less dyspeptic life of bliss.
Unfortunately, the solution didn’t stick. Over time, my stomach continued to decline. That’s when I tried a new product: Beano. The popular, over-the-counter medicine targets highly fibrous vegetables and legumes. Another experiment: I ate a bunch of broccoli and then took a pill. No dice. I was a bubbling, effervescent, gas-filled container waiting to explode. I kept buying Beano for a few months, just in case it might take some time to improve my digestive abilities. Between the Beano and Lactase, I was spending about $30 per month on dietary help.
Talk to me Google, what should I do?
Despite proactive dieting and medicines, I found no panacea and continued to struggle. If you visit Google and search for “indigestion” or “diarrhea” or “upset stomach,” you’ll get billions of results. Websites will provide conclusions such as bowel cancer, gastrointestinal blockage, allergies, gluten intolerance, and many more. Medical tip: If you’ve ever been prone to paranoia, avoid searching for medical illnesses on the Internet.
Numerous articles recommended probiotics. They seemed fairly harmless, and I decided to pick up some pills. Over the period of a month, I took acidophilus pearls. The probiotics began to help and I grew confident in my ability to digest normal foods. I wasn’t worried about my timing of foods versus group work.
Like many of my previous attempts, the positives began to disappear over time and the money seemed like a waste. I decided to stop buying them after a while, but I had probably spent a couple hundred dollars over the years. Every attempt seemed to have another financial burden.
I’m like the Goodyear blimp, without the view
That’s when I took my bloated self to a doctor for the first time. I described the symptoms, and he cautiously concluded that I may have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Like a dagger to the stomach, I was well aware of what this meant.
Studies estimate IBS affects 3 to 20 percent of the adult population, with most studies ranging from 10 to 15 percent. –NIH
IBS is a fairly common health concern. It’s essentially a catchall that includes bloating, gas, pain, discomfort, and inconsistent stools (aka, poops). Unfortunately, there’s no clear etiology or solution. While there are plenty of potential management options, consistency can be hard to find. Watch out for high fiber… Watch out for high fat… Watch out for simple sugars. Many “answers,” with few clear remedies, solutions, or permanent fixes.
The final remedy was in my attitude, head
After hundreds — possibly thousands — of dollars spent on remedies and doctors’ offices, I realized a very simple fact: my stomach sucks and the indigestion is often stress-induced. Unfortunately, I only learned this after a journey that cost me plenty.
Medical complications can add up quickly. My measly tummy trouble is no different. While I continue to struggle during particularly stressful periods and/or eating gluttonously, I know that the remedy is not a pill away. Rather, the fix is in my head, working with the stress and anxiety associated with my schedule. Also, see how mindfulness can help.
Sam, I used to suffer and it is not all in your head. I have sensitivity to milk (okay with yoghurt, cheese and other processed forms of milk; also fine with goat’s milk) and oats. Used to be all gluten so for five years I couldn’t eat bread or anything with flour (imagine my just looking at my food in a Paris restaurant because good food comes with sauces). Now I’m mostly fine.
IBS is made worse by stress but it can be a bg that is left after you’ve had an infection; and now there is a pill that kills all in your gut so you can start building again.
Maria,
No kidding! Thanks for your comment. Nice to know I’m not the only one. 🙂
Thanks for the tip.
My friends son has IBS and he takes a medication which helps him. I can find out the name if you want. But definitely, stress seems to exacerbate it. It took them a couple of years to get it properly diagnosed.
Thanks for your comment! I sincerely appreciate you asking. 🙂 I think I’m going to stick with my stress reduction techniques for now, but may have to hit you up at a later date!
I can certainly feel how troublesome it was for you. I used to have IBS and they were the worst days of my life. After many trips to several doctors, it was found to be stress-induced. As if the condition itself was not enough, I also had to master handling stress. Sweet!
I’m lucky to have never had any sort of health complication, even indigestion, but I can imagine that it would be really frustrating. Stress causes so many conditions, it’s shocking.I think there are a lot of things that we can help that we regularly suffer through, just by getting rid of little stressors in our life. It’s easier said than done though. Good job in identifying it.
I was diagnosed IBS as well, but found no temedy to it -pills, diet,… So I tried kinesiology and alternative medicines and found out I hard fungus which is called candida in my digestive system. This fungus males you feel tired if you eat ‘normal’ and hides in gluten so your inmunológico system attacks gluten, yet you are not celiac. Plrase try alternative medicine, get the food intolerance frecuency-energy test done to make sure your supposed IBS is actually IBS and not spmething that could Send up worse! Good luck and hope this helps!!!!