Recently, I had a colonoscopy. No, not because I am close to 50, but because I have finally had enough of pain and discomfort with my digestive system. My issues started when I was a baby...yes...a baby. Let's just say I am a slow learner. Anyhow, as a baby, I had trouble with formula. My parents tried all different types of formula, but nothing really helped. I cried in discomfort all the time. By three months my parents had enough and put me on regular old milk. That didn't help either. I think they just dealt with the crying and I learned to deal with the pain.
Over the years, the tummy trouble was triggered. I don't really remember what, but as a kid I knew bananas hurt, Snickers bars, and pizza. What they all have in common, I have no idea, but they either caused a reaction in my mouth or hurt my digestive system. I remember one time we went shopping as a family. My stomach hurt so badly that they had to drop me off at my Grandma's. She gave me some Sprite and put me to bed. That rest seemed to help...so did a lot of farting.
Through middle school and high school I don't remember too much trouble. I remember being distressed in middle school, and in high school I just barely ate because I was a cheerleader and cheerleaders are thin (at least, that was the "social" stance back then). I remember pizza becoming a main stay in my diet, but I also remember it still ticking my mouth and throat. I also remember it hurting my belly.
In college, I drank so much beer I was always farting and gross. I hated college. I gained like 20 pounds and looked like shit - not the first year, but soon after. The first year, Tammi and I went to Myrtle Beach on spring break. It was a blast. We stayed in a hotel called The Atlantic Queen. One night I had such bad gas that smelled up the entire room. Tammi was so upset with me. I remember her saying, "KRISTIN, I have NOWHERE to go to get away from your stink!" I just laughed and told her that I couldn't help it.
So, that was half my life ago, and yes, I still have the same problems. Only thing is, they are getting worse. There were times in Shane and I's married life that I stayed home from fun things because of my stomach. I remember one time he had friends over and I had gas so bad I sequestered myself to my room and then was fearful the smell leaked out the door and the guests could smell me.
I think the reason I didn't do anything about it was because I was so used to it. Shane even got used to it. The running joke in my household is that mom farts all the time...and it smells like dead people.
The came came to do something about it. I just couldn't take it any longer. I went to my doctor and told him about my distress. I said I wanted a colonoscopy to be sure nothing was wrong, because I have been fearful of bowel stuff because my friend Daryl had colon cancer. The didn't find anything but a big ole' polyp that they removed. Everything else looked good. GOOD news! BAD news - I have to do it the hard way...by eliminating foods to find out the cause.
I have tried, half-heartedly, to eliminate foods from my diet to see what might be a trigger. This time is different. Shane and I have had conversations and decided that a diet that reduces me to boring stuff free from gluten, sugar, and dairy was the way to go. Luckily, my SIL's sister Danielle has been on the diet and so has Shane's friend from work. Both highly recommended it because it made them feel so much better. This diet is the Candida cleanse diet. It basically eliminates high sugar fruits and veggies, focuses on lean meats, eliminates all diary except for plain yogurt and kefir, and advised only lean meats. I quit drinking back in October 2019, and that has been helpful on so many levels, plus, you can't drink...and technically, shouldn't drink, if you have intestinal issues.
So, let's see how this goes. So far, it is just my fear of change that has made it difficult. I hate being confined to diets, spaces, etc. But, after having gone through a colonoscopy, anything is possible. That was horrid.
