As an infant, I had jaundice and a series of kidney infections - to the point where were the next infection to occur, I was to begin treatment for kidney transplant preparation.
1980: fissure repair surgery, attached to spine base and intestines (not sure to what degree or severity, since I was young)
1993: I was told, as best as I can remember, that my liver was not processing fats very well, and to keep an eye on my fat and alcohol consumption. Tested for diabetes - negative.
1995: I gained about 60-70 lbs in one year - My Dr told me to be more careful. Tested for diabetes - negative. I kept gaining weight, it seemed like, no matter what I did, until
1999: I drastically restricted my diet and lost 80 lbs, and during the last bit of weight loss, discovered that I was seriously lactose intolerant. My Dr suggested taking lactase or something similar when eating dairy. It didn’t really seem to work for me - I could take 10-15 pills and still have debilitating cramps, diarrhea, breakouts etc. So, for the most part, I stopped eating dairy.
2000: I stopped eating meat - but continued with eggs and most seafood. I also became more aware of how important organic foods were, and began switching my at home diet over to mostly organic.
2002: Diagnosed with unexplained infertility, did not begin any treatment. Tested for diabetes - negative.
2004: Began gaining weight quickly and had an emergency appendectomy. Tested for diabetes - negative. After the surgery, I became vigilant about exactly what I was eating and how I was eating - organic, added some organic meats back into my diet. Prior weight gain was never lost. Around this time, I became more aware of how my body was reacting to different foods. Eating out became cumbersome, as I would constantly feel ill (diarrhea, headache, severe fatigue) after those meals, and so I cut most restaurant foods out of my diet.
2005: Began aggressive fertility treatments. Tested for diabetes - negative. My sick feelings after meals became worse, especially if the foods were processed, pre-made frozen, from restaurants etc. My Dr suggested Weight Watchers - I tried it, but never lost more than 5 lbs. I quit after 6 months. I began to notice that I rarely ate a meal where I did not feel ill afterwards.
Through the internal sonograms I received 2005-2007, the OB/GYN’s made note that I have a fibroid and gallstones. They also noted that gallstones are not a problem unless there are symptoms - and they explained the typical symptoms to me, and referred me to my regular physician if I had questions. I didn’t have any of the symptoms, so I did not follow up.
2007: Read about gluten intolerance, ibs, infertility, and decided to eliminate gluten out of my diet to see if it made any difference in how I was feeling - and the change was instantaneous. I felt better and clearer mentally, my face was no longer grey and bloated all of the time (I didn’t even realize it was grey and bloated until it wasn’t!), and, finally, 3 months later, a round of fertility treatments worked, and we became pregnant (Benjamin - YAY!). Once pregnant, I added meat protein back into my regular diet. One of the fertility meds caused severe ovarian hyper-stimulation, so my body didn’t allow for nourishment temporarily. The Dr’s had me drinking Gatorade and such (good gravy, that stuff is AWFUL and disgusting!). By the 3rd month of pregnancy, I was eating normal meals. Because I did not gain any weight by 7 months, and Benjamin’s stomach was measuring unusually small, my OB added Ensure to my diet - I was drinking 2-3 of these every day (yuck!), until I delivered. Tested for diabetes - negative. The Dr was unconvinced that this overweight pregnant lady wasn’t diabetic, so they tested me again - negative. I gained 16lbs with the pregnancy, and lost it almost immediately. Somehow I thought that more would come off, with breastfeeding and dietary changes… but it never has. I also stopped eating any soy products during my pregnancy and have not gone back.
2008: Began adding coconut oil and coconut products into my diet after reading about Elana Amsterdam (elanaspantry.com) looking for gluten free recipes. I continued to feel ill after eating most meals - but was so wrapped up in being a new mommy, I really did not take the time to pinpoint what/when etc. I also added milk yogurt back into my diet for calcium and live cultures. My tummy would sometimes get rumbly after eating yogurt, but not consistently. I made my own yogurt for about 6 months, and then it stopped working (it wouldn’t set).
2010: Attempted another round of fertility treatments, unsuccessfully. Tested for diabetes - negative. During the treatments, the fibroid and gallstones were again noted. Starting in the Fall, I ceased sleeping well at night - not due to digestion issues (that I am aware of, at least).
April 2011: At midcycle, I all of the sudden had severe and sudden abdominal pain when I bent over or moved suddenly (not meal related at all). There was a noticeable lump when my navel was pressed. Sometimes the lump would suddenly pop into another spot, not with pain. I made an appt with my GP Dr. after it happened the subsequent cycle, but then wondered if I shouldn’t have gone to my GYN… Tested for diabetes - negative.
May 2011: Dr orders a CT scan of my abdomen. The scan reader sees gallstones and I am referred to a surgeon. I did not follow up because I do not believe that what I have described or am feeling, fits the description of problem gallstones. I believe that was an easy diagnosis for them because I am overweight, over 40, and have gallstones.
I don’t believe that a gallbladder surgeon is the best person to discuss this with, because they are interested in performing surgery. It took me such a long time to recover from my appendectomy, I am really not interested in surgery unless there is truly no other option, and surgery will absolutely correct my problem. I see this as another sign that something is amiss with my digestive system as a whole and I am interested in correcting the actual problem.
July 2011: Diarrhea, fatigue, fever knock me out - I am in bed for almost two days, and only drink water for 3 days during this time. I think that I have picked up a nasty bug, and thankfully no one else has caught it. I am so proud of our hygiene habits!
I read about gallstone diets and start drinking apple juice and eating more apples.
August 1 2011: A similar feeling diarrhea with fatigue, and 1 days fever strikes, only me again… I am thinking that perhaps the incidents are not nasty bug related (as no one else around me is ill at all), but my body protesting. The diarrhea is bright yellow - I google that up, and guess what?!!? Fat malabsorbtion - liver blockage, gallstones, liver malfunction. But these things all have multiple symptoms - the only one of which I have is the unfortunate discomfort of diarrhea.
So, I have made the appointment with the gastroenterologist. I predict surgery will be recommended. I would like to keep my gallbladder - I miss my appendix (that sounds weird - eh?), and I am sorry that I was so inhospitable to it. I do not want to loose another organ!
In the meantime, I am using these dietary guidelines:
My frustrations:
Not interested in loosing another organ
Inability (it seems) to loose weight
Feeling ill after most meals for all of these year
Also not interested in Pancreatic Cancer (my maternal grandfather died from this)
How’s that for a summary?!!? It has been a good exercise to write this all down - I’m taking this with me to the Dr :)
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