I might well have the most problematic and laborious stomach, I have ever encountered, - aches, flatulence, numerous bowel movements during the day, diarrhea, constipation, stabbing pain, menstrual pain, sickness- you name it, I have seen them all, without even a one day break. And I just cannot come up with a solution to fix it.
I have had tummy '‘problems’' ( I don’t like to say a problem, because I have actually accepted it to be part of me already) since I can remember. As a child my parents recall me complaining about tummy hurting all the time. Beside the ‘normal’ tummy aches, I also had a regular pain in the right side of my abdomen. That kind of pain stayed normally around an hour and then just disappeared like nothing had happened. It was so tender, that during that hour I was just crying in fetal position, while my mum desperately tried to help me.
As growing up, I was proud to say; ‘’ I haven’t got any allergies.’’ I could eat anything at any time and I was not the least bit interested what should I not put in my mouth. The tummy aches stayed, of course, and I did not try to fix them, just tried to ignore them and keep going.
At some point, it got so severe that we decided to test it out. Anyway, allergy tests came out clean so life continued normally- tummy being a trouble, but not so big that it would have changed my life dramatically.
As growing up, I was proud to say; ‘’ I haven’t got any allergies.’’ I could eat anything at any time and I was not the least bit interested what should I not put in my mouth. The tummy aches stayed, of course, and I did not try to fix them, just tried to ignore them and keep going.
At some point, it got so severe that we decided to test it out. Anyway, allergy tests came out clean so life continued normally- tummy being a trouble, but not so big that it would have changed my life dramatically.
As an adult I have been to the doctor for a few times as well, testing out everything from sexually transmitted diseases, to irritable bowel syndrome. Again, always clean, no need to change anything, even though my stomach is trying to tell something really different.
I guess my problem with my stomach has never been the actual stomach, but the inability to listen to it. I have always been a food lover and if I have a craving, I cannot pass it. I am that kind of person, that if want to eat something, I will f*** yea eat it, even though my stomach is yelling me to stop. It is only been since I became vegetarian and started to practise yoga, that I have actually been able to listen to it.
I guess my problem with my stomach has never been the actual stomach, but the inability to listen to it. I have always been a food lover and if I have a craving, I cannot pass it. I am that kind of person, that if want to eat something, I will f*** yea eat it, even though my stomach is yelling me to stop. It is only been since I became vegetarian and started to practise yoga, that I have actually been able to listen to it.
Since then, I have limited my diet enormously. The list of ‘’what not to eat’’ is long -and sometimes very hard to follow as the best things are mostly on top of the list.
I have noticed dairy being extremely bad for my digestion, as well as coffee, alcohol, flour, banana, peanuts, sparkling drinks, chewing gums and pretty much any highly processed food. Anyway, keeping out of all the ‘goodies’ - is not so easy after all.
Even though, I have a list of NO GO’s - it is not all so simple. Some days I am sure I have finally figured it all out until comes a day where my tummy acts like a stranger to me. Some days eating chocolate and drinking coffee is brilliant. Other days it feels like a have drank pure rat poison and eaten blocks of dynamite. It is impossible to keep track of.
As you have heard, the food affects my tummy enormously, but it is not all. I have a stress tummy too. If anything goes wrong in my life - stress or emotional pain - I feel it - indeed, right in the middle of the abdomen. Eating something wrong into a stress tummy, does not help sorting out things either. So it is constant balance between emotions and diet, a balancing act, where I keep falling down and climbing up all over again.
I just have to thank my stomach for fighting with me and continually forgiving me, while I feed it with food it does not want, as I test out the right diet. Because when my stomach gives up, there is a long way to climb back up again.
I have noticed dairy being extremely bad for my digestion, as well as coffee, alcohol, flour, banana, peanuts, sparkling drinks, chewing gums and pretty much any highly processed food. Anyway, keeping out of all the ‘goodies’ - is not so easy after all.
Even though, I have a list of NO GO’s - it is not all so simple. Some days I am sure I have finally figured it all out until comes a day where my tummy acts like a stranger to me. Some days eating chocolate and drinking coffee is brilliant. Other days it feels like a have drank pure rat poison and eaten blocks of dynamite. It is impossible to keep track of.
As you have heard, the food affects my tummy enormously, but it is not all. I have a stress tummy too. If anything goes wrong in my life - stress or emotional pain - I feel it - indeed, right in the middle of the abdomen. Eating something wrong into a stress tummy, does not help sorting out things either. So it is constant balance between emotions and diet, a balancing act, where I keep falling down and climbing up all over again.
I just have to thank my stomach for fighting with me and continually forgiving me, while I feed it with food it does not want, as I test out the right diet. Because when my stomach gives up, there is a long way to climb back up again.