Lets Talk About It

A blog about digestive disorder awareness. --- View Count: var sc_project=11112231; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_security="0dd7c2b8"; var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://secure." : "http://www."); document.write("");

[letstalkaboutdigestivedisorders]

Personal Stories #5

“I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 12 after months and months of bleeding. I went straight onto medication and struggled to find something that worked. I wasn’t able to leave the bathroom for longer then 10 minutes. After 9 months I was home and a collapsed on the ground as I was loosing so much blood. I was rushed to the hospital in the ambulance. after 2 weeks in hospital with drips, blood transfusions they decided to do colonoscopy and endoscopy to see how the disease was. it had spread throughout my whole large intestine. They decided to remove my large intestine and give me an ostomy bag. Since then in August 2014 I have been in and out off hospital with twists in my bowel and hernias. I am now doing a lot better and looking forward to having my bag removed and getting a j pouch soon.

I wasn't able to really go out to see my friends I case of an accident or sometimes I had to have days off of school, it really affected me because I was constantly anxious because If I wasn't near a bathroom.

As I was in hospital in and out constantly with the twist and such I felt very disconnected with the world and in one period I was there for 2 months straight which really made me feel quite depressed.”

[eternalspiralbooks]

Here’s a great set for digestion-11 minutes to better health! (via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ja-FM24XJE)

[letstalkaboutdigestivedisorders]

Did you know that there are exercises that can help you with digestion? Wether you are suffering from some digestive disorder or you just ate too much junk food over the holidays, this simple but effective yoga set can help ease those tummy woes!

[letstalkaboutdigestivedisorders]

Personal Stories #4

“I first noticed health problems when I was diagnosed with a bug called Dientamoeba fragilis. Dientamoeba fragilis in short is a parasite that can live in the human large intestine. The symptoms I had for this bug were nausea, diarrhea, stomach pains, cramping and fatigue. I never really wanted to eat because I was unaware of this bug and I thought food was making me feel ill. Being sick also made me drop from 60kgs’s to 52! (this was over a month or two) This was probably due to not being able to hold my food down, or not getting nutrients I needed as I had overactive bowels. When I was diagnosed, the doctor found it odd that I was feeling the symptoms as bad as I was because usually people don’t even realize they have it. After a few rounds of antibiotics and being cleared of the bug, I was feeling slightly better in some ways but some other conditions were worsening, such as frequent bowel movements and stomach pain. It was becoming quite embarrassing and I was avoiding social situations that meant that I couldn’t be comfortably close to a bathroom. My doctor found this incredibly strange, and this led to her referring me to a gastroenterologist.

Through multiple testing’s, going through an endoscopy and colonoscopy it was clear that I didn’t have a dangerous digestive disorder and the only conclusion was that I had irritable bowel. I’m uncertain whether it was the bug, constant rounds of antibiotics or the fact that it runs in my family that triggered this problem, but I basically just have to deal with it. I now take a medication called endep which is actually an anti-depressant, however those who have really bad irritable bowel symptoms are often put on this medication (Something to do with the pain symptoms from the stomach not being sent to the brain? I don’t know, I am not a doctor.) It also helps ease anxiety which I think was a big contributor to my symptoms, as stress is a trigger for irritable bowel symptoms. I also am really cautious of what I eat and have cut most lactose products out of my diet.

While having this condition is incredibly stressful and puts a strain on some social events, I have now learnt how to control it and when you first get it, it might seem like the end of the world but there are definitely much worse things you can have!”

[indomitableme]

What has yours taught you?

(via PostSecret.com)

[letstalkaboutdigestivedisorders]

Personal Stories #3

“I suffer from eosinophilic gastroenteritis, which basically means that things like my stomach and intestines are always inflamed, and I get a lot of bloating, stomach aches and pains for no apparent reason. It means that I'm lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant and I have to be careful about how much fruit I eat because of the natural sugars in fruit can be quite acidic. If I eat any of these things, I vomit and/or have diarrhea. The gastroenteritis also means that I struggle with my weight a lot, and I struggle to lose weight, because when I do, I basically put it back on straight away. I've asked my doctor if there's any medication for gastroenteritis, and because I'm young, there isn't and I basically just have to be really really careful what I eat, particularly when I go out.”

[letstalkaboutdigestivedisorders]

You are not alone! A small survey I conducted displayed that 41.51% of people suffered from a digestive disorder to some extent!

[letstalkaboutdigestivedisorders]

Personal Stories #2

“IBS:  I began having troubles with my stomach when I was in my early twenties and halfway into my second pregnancy. I had incredibly painful bowel movements (tears producing) along with bleeding. I became sick during this pregnancy with toxemia and wondered if it contributed to my tummy woes. I still have terrible constipation if I don’t take care of my diet. I now try to eat gluten free, vegetarian and need to take acidophilus every day to help with the pain.” 

[specialistsupplements-retail]

FRIDAY FACTOID: There are more nerve fibres surrounding the gut than are in the brain, so digestion is hugely affected by emotional state. Stress can even affect the secretion of digestive enzymes. Try to only eat when you are calm and relaxed!

[letstalkaboutdigestivedisorders]

Personal Stories

Gluten Intolerance - Possibly Coeliac

“I’ve got gluten intolerance (possibly coeliac but won’t get the blood test cause I hate needles). I only figured it out start of this year because I was extremely bloated to the point where I looked pregnant and was sleeping 15+ hours a day to try and keep my energy levels up and none of it was working. I already knew I was lactose intolerant from about 15 years old. My immune system was suffering too and I discussed it with my doctor and we decided to stop eating gluten to see if that would help only because I refused the blood test and I lost 3ish kgs and the bloating stopped immediately. I went back to sleeping 8-9 hours a night and no naps throughout the day. The doctor possibly thinks that i had IBS too but that was only because of gluten and dairy intake.

Mentally it just sucked because I thought I was fat and had really bad body image as well as being in a relationship with someone who was emotionally abusive and told me I was getting fat. Once I cut the gluten out my body image went back to normal I’ve had to be careful eating out at places because gluten is in so many dishes which can be misconstrued as rude because I wasn’t eating or barely eating anything when going out. I am not as strict as I should be so I get annoyed at myself because I get bloated when I eat a gluten meal and it sucks because of the amount of foods that I can’t eat when I go out but I’m really open about my allergies and intolerance and most people are understanding.”