Turning Over A New Leaf

Even though I wasn't happy or satisfied with my first visit to the gastroenterologist, I thought I would at least give her suggestions the benefit of the doubt and also try a few of my own things.  

So I started taking the fiber; a spoonful at night to start out.  After a week or so I add another spoonful in the morning.  Although this did harden my stool, the fiber didn't make me feel any better.  I still felt very bloated, especially by 2-4pm. By bloated I don't mean gassy, I mean like I looked and felt like I could be 3-5 months pregnant.  Wearing pants with any sort of waist band was out of the question because I couldn't fit into them come 2pm.  Thank goodness I was working as a physical therapist in a hospital and could wear scrubs otherwise I would be 10x more uncomfortable.  I also still had stomach cramps throughout the day and even more intensely at night.  

So why was I still bloated and miserable even though ALL my lab results came back negative?  I was not ready to just be pooled into the IBS category and ignored.  Deep down I knew this was not  just IBS.  So, just like anyone else I started do my own research and try different diets and suggestions that I found on the web.  And here it goes folks, all my trials and errors documented. 

Through my own research on the web, I discovered that people could still be sensitive to gluten without testing positive for celiacs. So, I decided to eliminate gluten from my diet completely.  This was easier said than done being that grains was  my main food group for many, many years.  At the time, I was also vegetarian and had been for about 5 years.  Grains are a major food group for some vegetarians especially ones that exercise at a high intensities (like me).  I quickly found myself in a tough situation.  I wasn't getting enough nutrients.  So, I decided to do something that I never thought I would ever do again.  I added some meat back into my diet.  I added more fish, chicken, turkey and even some pork to my diet. 

At the time,  I belonged to a Crossfit gym.  If you know Crossfit, you can't step into a box without hearing someone talk about the Paleo Diet.   Crossfit and Paleo pretty much go hand in hand.  So, I basically started the Paleo Diet; eating more meat, not eating legumes, not eating grains. After a week of the Paleo Diet, my stomach felt maaaaybe 20% better.  I didn't have the stomach cramping anymore, but I still felt bloated and horrible most of the time. 

All I could conclude is that maybe gluten had something to do with how horrible I felt, but it wasn't 100% the cause. I found my self excited to go back to the gastroenterologist.  I couldn't wait to tell her my findings and I hoped she had something else for me to try.