For years, my life was nothing but stomach pain, diarrhoea and fear. Some days I was on the toilet twenty or thirty times, at night too, and often there was blood. My days were about getting through, not living.
All I wanted was to live without symptoms again. To be there for my young children and actually enjoy them, without my gut constantly on my mind.
Medication kept giving me short bursts of hope. Sometimes it worked for a while; sometimes my body just did not take to it. But there was always something new to try. Until the day came when the options ran out. A stoma was starting to look inevitable. I tried to make my peace with it, but the fear ran deep.
Early in 2019 I came across a completely different way of looking at my symptoms. It felt like my last chance. The intake was no-obligation, but my decision was not: if I was going to do this, I was going all in.
The change that followed was huge. My entire way of eating had to go. Foods I loved disappeared, and things I had never touched took their place. My life became about reading labels, planning ahead and simply sticking with it. That was hard, especially as my body was getting weaker and my energy kept dropping. Still, I kept going. Not because it was easy, but because I felt I had to see it through. The guidance felt close and genuinely involved. I could always ask my questions, even on the days I had lost all faith myself. That gave me peace of mind.
After a few months, things turned. My gut calmed down. My appetite came back. Things I had thought impossible slowly became normal. What had felt like a strict diet gradually became simply how I live.
My lifestyle still takes attention today. I prep my meals, sometimes bring my own food and make deliberate choices. But in return I have something I had missed for years: energy, stability and trust.
It has been going well for a long time now. My bloodwork looks better than it ever has, and I am coming off my medication. It was a massive change, but it gave me back something priceless: my life.
