# Lifetime sufferer, Trial and error



## Oatman (Sep 28, 2017)

I thought I would come here and share my story because I've been a lurker finding this place through googling symptoms several times.

My entire life i would suffer with various stomach ailments, but my mom would discourage me from being open about them because she believed it to be all in my head so now I am in my mid 30s and still learning about this ailment. I would go to the doctor but I cannot afford health insurance in USA and a regular doctor would likely refer me to a specialist or tell me things I already know and I'd be out $400+ without fixing anything. When I was in school I would get sent home regularly feeling massive stomach bloating, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, sometimes even tingling in my limbs. Fast forward to today, I work from home, I had other jobs but my random stomach problems would practically disable me from work, and I enjoy what I do now more, though it doesent pay as much. Sometimes i feel fine and next thing i know it can jump from a 0 to an 8. In the beginning I felt it was a reaction to anxiety and stress, I didnt think I wasnt having movements as often as I should because I dont know how often the normal person goes, Thats information I never asked other people about. Eventually as I began listening more to my body I thought it might be acid reflux because I do occasionally suffer symptoms.

As of right now my attacks can fluctuate between happening once every few months, and once every other week. Ive made major diet and lifestyle changes such as cutting soda except for the occasional glass of ginger ale, Ive began exercising more frequently, and eating more fruits. I am currently experimenting with cutting dairy from my diet because I noticed an attack 2 days after I had various foods containing dairy, which also reminded me of when I was a teen I would also have diarrhea when eating too much dairy. I also notice how posture, sleep position, and speed of eating can impact how I feel

Lately I pay more attention to my body and if i feel light headed then I know im about to have a movement and it doesent trigger my anxiety but I think thats basically the equivalent of changing the oil in your car when it starts smoking but im not sure what else can be done. Symptoms I have that start my 1-3 day cycle of misery is I will sleep for 7+ hours and still feel drained which isnt normal for me, or if I wake up feeling like i have a brick in my intestines. I am a person with a very high metabolism so I could have large comfortable movements every day for weeks but somehow theres 10x more hiding inside me, eventually it comes to a head and I will have an insane amount of solid movements, more than I could ever imagine coming from someone whos 130lbs

The condition is very sporadic and incredibly annoying, I took a vacation recently with my gf and day 1 I experimented with new food (fermented cabbage) and I felt like i was going to die off and on for the entire trip. The thing that gets me the most is this brain fog and demotivation that keeps me from working, and the overwhelming feel of nausia. Vomiting is the worst thing for me so the nausia usually triggers anxiety that i struggle with controlling. As far as doing things outside of my diet to curve this, I tried Gas X, Tums, Pepto Bismol, Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen helps with headaches associated with it all but I havent noticed any significant changes related to my bowels, but I only take 200mg dosage

Tums I would take every day before dinner and I noticed some minor improvements but I feel like it may have been mostly a placebo effect, though I could be wrong. I would also encounter side effects with Tums as it would make my gas worse which also heightened my nausea

Pepto bismol helps soothe my stomach at times, but other times it can make it worse. Side effects are that it causes constipation so i try not to use it unless i feel i need it. considering that constipation is a problem with me, its best to use it sparringly

Gas X helped slightly with bloating but i still felt miserable

I took a stronger antacid (zantac) once, I feel like this causes more harm than good due to acid rebound

I have also dramatically upped my water consumption to combat diareah but it wasnt helping. I would drink upwards of 2-3 liters per day which ultimately caused other health problems.

This is probably poorly worded, but if you have any questions or comments feel free to ask, I am no success story but I have been dealing with this for a long time so I am somewhat experienced in dealing with it.


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