Intestaclear - Second Round

After 6 months with my child in daycare I had endured gastro 6 times. It left me exhausted, sore and uncomfortable. After I had weaned my child, and given my past success, I thought I would try intestaclear again. I was able to source it without a nutritionist sign off.

But in hindsight, I probably should have seen someone.

Each time I took it, I had stomach cramps and shooting pain. It was not intense, but it was uncomfortable.

My body did not react the same. I did not feel the cleanse that I had last time. I don't know if they changed the ingredients, but it did not feel the same. I tried every few weeks, but instead of seeing an improvement, my symptoms worsened and my stomach became even more sensitive. I could no longer drink coffee and beer gave me cramps.

I became increasingly sensitive to heavy breads ect.

My experience was totally different, and I felt only negative side effects.

I don't know if they have changed the recipe or if my body is just very different, but its been illuminating.

Mum and my tum

I love being a mum. I love being my daughters mum. I love it.

But that doesn't mean that a mum hasn't had an impact on my diet and therefor my FOMAP symptoms. I go for the easiest options... and that's sugar filled processed biscuits, chocolate and well that's it. My husband cooks meat and veg for dinner... pretty much every night so i am spoilt. But with very little fruit, a diet full of flour and sugar i find myself exhausted, uncomfortable and putting on  allot of weight.

I should be totally honest and explain that i was doing ok, until i returned to work and got hit with regular bouts of gastro, the flu, colds and returned to uni. With my health deteriorating i relied on caffeine and chocolate to gets me through the 3 1/2 months of insanity that was university, work and my childs first year in childcare (going to two childcares to boot).

Overtime i found myself having bouts of nausea brought on by chocolate and overeating. My stomach is so sensitive that almost anything sets it off.

I thought for so long that i would just fix my stomach and it would be done.. but its not. Its a life time of ups and downs, its just up to me to stop pretending that it will be all ok while i scoff my third tim tam for the day.

As i drag myself out of the deep whole of frustration that is my sore and abused stomach I have returned to my old faithfuls, two inner health plus a day, activia yogurt, some more nuts and a new recipe book. The Happy Kitchen. As i learn more about the link between the gut and mood, I grow increasingly concerned that my exhaustion isn't from the illness', the constant waking at night (my baby sleeps but i have a sore back and live in a busy area), but the food that gives me those little highs and joys throughout the day. The ones i turn to for comfort to get me through. Could they be the ones responsible for this... well yes my dear... just because they are FODMAP friendly doesnt mean they are good for you.

For those of you caught in the "safe" food trap like me.... its time to take the plunge and see how much i can tolerate and see what it brings!

labyrinthitis many years later

I have had many recurrent bouts of labyrinthitis over the years. I got used to so I put it at the back of my mind and pretended like it didn't bother me. This worked... well not very well, but for some reason I thought I had to just put up with it. I didn't want to go to doctors or go on any more medication (which had made things worse!). So I lived with it for years, even during my pregnancy. But it was when I was holding my little baby in my arms and I felt my body teetering about that reality set in. It was no longer just me I had to worry about, I had a little one to take care of now.

I saw my kinesiologist who gave me some Gaze stabilisation exercises... they were ok.. but they weren't enough.

SO I went to google and I found the following exercises

http://www.brainandspine.org.uk/vestibular-rehabilitation-exercises

I tried them all, they didn't all work but I got there in the end.

I found that by building on the gaze stabilisation exercises by quickly bending over then standing, at first a little alarming, really got me there. I don't know why, but it helped.

But if I am honest they worked well with the combination of not cleaning my ear so much! I have always been a bit nuts about it, but I left it a little to see if it would help.. and I really think it did.

I have been fine for months now.. just exhaustion sets my eyes to fussy these days but that's to be expected.

I hope this helps someone out there looking for a little hope. Its a truly awful experience and a little maddening. Your not alone!

Chips!

I love chips. I love them anyway they are made and in any form... however, that does not mean they always love me.

Those tasty morsels with just a hint of fish batter always send my stomach into melt down. I feel so dreadful and it can set off my IBS symptoms. But these days its not burger and chips that are sending me to bed early... its chips in any delicious form!

Particularly Pringles... I mean what has happened there. They taste different and my goodness they feel different. And it's not just me, even my husband is running what used to be a fan favourite in our house. It isn't the only brand to. It seems the cheaper the chips, the more we end up with stomach cramps.

I don't know if it is my age or something that manufacturers are putting into their products now, but I am finding it harder and harder to find anything that wont give me a stomach ache!!

Surviving Christmas

Christmas is one of those amazing times of year when dried fruit appears in everything. Its tasty aromas fill bakeries far and wide and no department store is free from the sweet smelling goodness of fruity treats.

As I have a rather annoying case of Fructose intolerance I spend the season desperate to taste the yummy Christmas puddings and fruit cakes of my childhood.. but alas.... I must refrain.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't tasty morsels for us fruit deprived!

Nigella has of course provided with an amazing chocolate spice cake that tends to fill my much needed Christmas tradition of cake with brandy custard!!

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/christmas-spiced-chocolate-cake

also lovely with maple brittle icecream : )

https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/Recipes/christmas/christmas-dessert-recipes?name=pecan-brittle-ice-cream-sandwiches&recipeId=3342

You could also make Pavlova...so many to choose from... I would recommend looking at Nigella's website!!

I also recommend .. if you can.. some boozy Belle De Jour Truffles (sorry I have the book.. but there are a few different versions out there if you like)

Shortbread and ginger/spice biscuits can also fill that Christmas tooth! As a lucky Australian lady I have access to many very good Women's Weekly recipe books.. but if you are going to make them.. make sure they are from a good source.. internet recipes can go SO wrong.. and Christmas is frustrating enough as it is!!

I hope this helps... well anyone.

FODMAPing whilst pregnant

Pregnancy is that glorious time when more and more delicious foods become unavailable. My goodness how I miss coffee!!!

The really fun thing about pregnancy is the wind... cause its not like I haven't had to deal with that before.. and the worry that peppermint oil (my favourite remedy) is not really the greatest option when pregnant. So what to do... stick to your diet like everything naughty will send you into a fructose overload (I can only have 1 piece of fruit a day.. so for me its the very worst of the worst).. or whatever your most brutal FODMAP food is.

Its hard though... because I crave the very things that I know will hurt me....like smoothies!!!

But trust me.. its not worth it. Pregnancy is hard enough. People, well some of them go just weird... lunch conversation is now just them talking at you and lecturing you about their baby and pregnancy for four hours... and if your like me and you just want to have a nice conversation and not talk about babies...and are full of pregnancy hormones ; ) well... lets not put a FODMAP reaction on top of that. It's honestly hard enough.

I know for some people their food issues get better, and if you wanna take that chance or you cannot help yourselves I completely get it... but just tread lightly and take care of yourself.

FODMAPing through Europe

I am one of those lucky ones that have started to tolerate some of those nasty GOS ect... so I could eat baguettes, croissants and drink cappuccinos to my hearts content (well with lacteeze).

I got through Europe with only one incident (see Turkey below), I did this by bringing my own cereal and making our own dinners. In order for this to work I organised for us to stay in a self contained apartment. In Paris we were able to go to a locate market.. and the produce was fantastic. They have a website which can help you locate local markets which I cannot for the life of me find right now : )

However, this does mean that you will have to factor in making it home in time to make dinner. To make things easier for you make sure you have kitchen utensils that will assist in making a quick meal.. keeping in mind that those kitchens are going to be tiny and rarely have a microwave (also many places that have microwaves rarely had microwave safe dishes so be careful and perhaps pop something in your bag if your really worried.)

Through Turkey, my most feared destination, I got around allot of my issues by being very careful of what I ingested, never mind whats on your plate! I just pushed aside what I couldn't eat and hoped for the best. It makes for plain eating but, it will get you through. I ate allot of plain meals, but it was better than the alternative. I did get stung with honey once though. And whilst trying not to 'pop' on the tour bus I was really regretting that choice. Its really not worth it... unless your there for the food... then go for it.. just be prepared for the consequences!

I also took some crackers from home that I knew I could eat if there was no suitable lunch option. For me these are the large sandwich size vitabrits. They will fill you up, but of course if you have issues with wheat.. not a great idea. I found they travelled very well in a glad bag and they came in handy . ..more than I would have thought. My husband also kept a stash of tiny teddies with him.. just in case he got peckish. Its weird to take something foreign into another country... but its well worth it if you have issues.

I found Spain and Italy had Lactose free milk in their supermarkets.. however, in Barcelona I found two supermarkets right next to each other.. one with lactose free milk, the other without... imagine which one I found first : (

Health food stores are around, but don't expect the variety you have at home unless you have some feedback first. I long trek to a health food store with the promise of lactose free milk had me hauling oat milk all the way home.. tasty yes. But not with coffee!!

An incredible trip, amazing food... you just have to be careful, and never tell yourself I will be alright, its not a good time to test these things ; )

Goodluck ox