With this in mind and with 8 months worth of symptoms to discuss I recently marched in to my local surgery wielding a vast list of research that I had carried out, alternative treatments and health foods that I had tried, diets that were making no difference whatsoever and a long medical history of pills, supplements and vitamins which I was taking. I then proceeded to rattle through this list, to the horror of my GP, who sat quietly listening as my frustration with the situation became more and more apparent and my voice reached higher and higher tones.
I had been to visit my doctor on three occasions prior to this hoping to reach some sort of resolution to the problem, however each time I had been seen by someone different and it appeared that no record of these visits or the prescriptions supplied had been kept. Another thing that I noticed was that their immediate assumption was that the situation was being caused by IBS - diagnosed purely from my description of what had been going on.
There were no blood tests, no samples and no allergy tests, things that I would have certainly felt were elementary in ruling out more serious digestive complaints.
On occasions I was told that I just had to go away and deal with the embarrassing lifestyle as so many do every day and then my frustration grew - Why couldn't I handle this situation if so many women are able to?
I was left questioning whether I should be seeking help for a physical problem or for a mental one, as so much of IBS is related to your attitude to life. I was convinced that I was not under any stress, nor had I been when these symptoms started so it didn't make any sense that it could be impacting on my digestion. I began by looking at the physical problems that could have been causing this and went on a medical mission of my own searching for even the smallest clue which could help.
My process of trying to help myself began 5 months ago in the most obvious place that I could think of, at a food allergy clinic. As I waited to go in I was so full of hope that with one simple test and some small lifestyle changes I could soon be on the road to recovery, regaining the control over my life that had been lacking for too long.
The test itself was short and I was told that I was lactose intolerant with a small allergy to all pork products as well. The dietician helped me to plan a new diet and suggested alternatives for all the things that I would miss the most - chocolate (I ate about four bars a day...), ice cream (As a rule "no more puddings" isn't really something I wanted to hear), Saturday morning hot dogs etc were all to go.
But working on the basis that it was going to help me I was more than happy, well I was accepting at the very least, that these foods were to no longer to feature in my life. I embarked on this new routine with a 4 week deadline already set and the intention that following this short musical interlude I would be able to reintroduce dairy slowly back into my diet.
Yet alas 4 weeks later my symptoms carried on leaving me with little motivation to work slowly through the reintroduction process. My plan of eating an entire Easter egg in 30 seconds flat did not go down so well with my stomach but then again very little ever did. Whether the lactose intolerance was having any impact on the "IBS" I was never to find out.
Another desperate attempt to rule out dietary complaints came when I cut out wheat for a prolonged period of time. Having been very blessed with a high metabolism, no doubt boosted by my very active lifestyle, I had never been one for eliminating any food from my diet particularly on a voluntary basis. Having been told that I was lactose intolerant had given me a kick up the posterior for the dairy diet but opting to go wheat free on a solo decision was something I was certainly not used to at all.
I would be the first to admit that my will power is pretty shocking. I have always eaten what I want and given little thought to the calorie count, the nutritional content or the value of what I was eating. So it was a big shock to the system when I went weight free - bread, pasta, cakes (again!), cereal, biscuits - I waved good bye to the lot again with the hope that something, ANYTHING, would come from it.
My sandwiches at lunch were replaced with salads, my dinners became potato and meat based (typical Irish!) and I was fairly stumped on what I was allowed for breakfast so I just didn't eat it most days.
And yet again regardless of the efforts I was putting in there was no reward.
The frustration that I was having with the situation in general was then being compounded by the fact that, as far as I could see, I was doing everything in my power to try to change things for the better. I was reading forums, going to health websites, taking notes, making changes, buying expensive treatments to no avail. And if I couldn't do anything and my doctor couldn't do anything then where did that leave me??
My next step came through the world of alternative therapy - as they say desperate times and desperate measures often go hand in hand.
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