# Suffering from digestive problems for 10 years...



## mawilbolou (Aug 17, 2017)

Hi guys

Just a quick story...

Im a tech guy, working from home, but fairly sporty/active.

Ive had constipation, acid reflux, bloating, pellet poop, stress and anxiety for about 10 years.

The doctor said I had IBS, and sent me away with laxatives, and an offer of antidepressants and a colonoscopy!
I wasnt happy with that.... there was no advice on how to stop any of these symptoms really. No food allergy test,

no offer of councilling or nutritionist, no further tests, Nothin!

So with a complete lack of confidence in our NHS doctor! I thought Id do some self help.

The problem is with the symptoms I had is that its a vicious circle...
Stress can cause digestive problems (the main ones being bloating and constipation) 
and digestive problems can create irritability leading to stress and anxiety.

I have had bloating pretty everyday, multiple times a day for years.

*Ive tried many things to improve my digestion for at least 4 weeks at a time...*

Gluten free - no change
Probiotics - seemed to get brain fog, and an odd sensation that made me feel sick.
More activity - no effect on digestive system really, but good for stress and weight loss
Nut free - less cramping
Greatly increased water - little effect
Higher overall fibre - made me worse

Less insoluble more soluble fibre and visa versa - no effect
Egg free - less cramping
Reduce stress in many ways - helped a bit
Mindfullness - made me feel a bit more positive

Calorie controlled dieting - good for weight loss but no effect otherwise

Intermittent fasting - good for weight loss but no effect otherwise

Less coffee and tea, and more coffee for stimulating the gut to go - Less coffee seemed to help

So as you can see, Nothing was really working...
And then I went dairy free... I have cut out everything Dairy, Milk, butter, cheese, even yogurts and probiotic drinks full with supposed friendly bacteria!

No Bloating on day 1,

none on day 2,

day 3, still nothing,

day 4 still no bloating!!! Still pellet poop...
Day 5.... poop improving, almost normal...
Day 6 is where I am today, and I am feeling more healthy than I have in 10 years.

Will it come back?
I don't know, but the future is bright, because without bloating as the trigger for irritability, the stress has gone! and the circle has, so far, been broken.


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## Barney71 (Aug 1, 2017)

Yeah, getting rid of stress and coffee was helpful for me as well, as they are both linked to each other actually. Whenever I feel coffee I'm just too energized and gotta do something, focus on something and that's usually work or some other thing that I'm too excited about and it leads to me being more stressed. So I have put coffee for now. Opposed to you, I actually saw improvement when I started eating more eggs and actually boosted my diets into more balanced with fats: 1:1:1 and more proteins, but not too much as they gave me an hard stool.


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## mawilbolou (Aug 17, 2017)

Hey Barney, Yeh, so much trial and error is involved.

Theres so many things that we do and consume in modern life that is detrimental to us.

It takes a long time to find out what is good for us and what affects us.

You're right, coffee does the same to me. Makes me hyper as hell 
I stopped drinking large latte's because of bloating. But I might try it with soya milk or coconut oil.

As for hard stools, I have found that they can soften with rediculous water consumption (3-4 litres per day)
or after a really fatty takeaway like fried chicken and greasy fries.
Taking a stool softener is the chemical way of course, I have used Dulcoease and laxido.


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