So I've got a diagnosis for this chronic nastiness that I've become accustomed to. Apparently, the nature of my gut is not "normal" and is treatable, mostly by dietary changes and medical intervention so now I begin a journey of discovery with my new diet.
As far as medication goes: I've recently tried one called dicyclomine and that is a no-go as it makes me super drowsy. I just won't take anything that makes me a walking zombie and gets in the way of being a functioning parent, or anything that hinders my ability to run. So I shelved that one. Maybe that'll be a good one to take some night that I've got a flare-up and I can't get to sleep! Bonus. :D I have another called Diphenoxylate/Atropine -- it works well from what I can tell, but I take it sparingly as I think it makes me a bit drowsy as well & to be honest I'm just not into drugs. There are more on the list to try, I'll update as I run through them -- when and if I do.
Dietary changes are going to be the toughie. I feel like I've been thrown for a loop here as I've been taught that high-fiber diets are beneficial for everyone. Fiber adds bulk for people with diarrhea, and absorbs water for people with constipation. Win/win. Right? Well, fiber (insoluble fiber to be specific) is out-right poison for people with microscopic colitis. A Fiber One brownie will send me into a "tail spin" (pun pun pun) for days.
This explains why, when a few months ago I read the book The Spectrum by Dr. Dean Ornish (which was the text in a Diet/Exercise/Weightloss class I took a couple years back), and applied its principals I got sick. I went on a high fiber/high (lean) protein diet - namely soy products. Of course, I snuck in some poultry here & there. Boy, did I lose weight! But damn it, I was so sick and downright confused. This book reinforced over and over that he had proven scientifically that if you went on this diet you would feel better, period. And come on -- no one can deny that a vegetarian diet is healthy, right?
I tried to trust in the process. After 2 weeks I ended up feeling like a quitter -- like I just couldn't hang in there long enough to start reaping the benefits of eating on the healthiest end of his spectrum. I kept waiting for... for... That blessed day when I could just "go" once. But alas, it was usually an on & off all damn day (as opposed to the usual on & off all damned morning).
OK so now I know it wasn't me. I'm one of the rare few who is basically "allergic" to freakin' fiber. That having been said; how does one get the nutrition they need sans salad? I love me some raw fruits and veggies. I do take supplements. How in the hell am I supposed to keep from getting fat if all the vegetables I can stomach are starchy and all the bread I can eat is white? No beer. No coffee. No milk. Maybe no gluten? Maybe?
Alright, OK, pity party is over. I'm considering consulting with a dietitian. I really do feel like I'm lost in the forest. In the meantime, I'm taking advise from my friend Sarah who's been on her own dietary journey for some time and has quite a bit of helpful hints for me (IE: pad your gut with some starchy veggies before you indulge with your fibrous veggies). And I'm drinking a lot of green tea; which tastes NOTHING like summer ale but is much easier to digest. Oh, summer ale. How I miss thee.
Oh, and one more thing about gut problems. Of course there is no way to prove that stress or anxiety can CAUSE any physical ailment but it can. It does. This digestive business started when I was a little kid. It started during a very stressful period of time for me. I'll admit that I'm an anxious person. It's totally 50/50 nature/nurture in my opinion but that's a topic for another day. I remember missing huge chunks of my day at school because of this. It did eventually just become my own normal; but pain is just never normal and in this day & age of "modern medicine" there is no reason to go through life hurting -- at least without knowing why.
