My name is Stephanie. I have never written a blog. But I want to help people, and that is my purpose. First, I would like to say that I am in no way medically qualified to tell anyone anything. I am only here to share my experiences and hope that it can be a light at the end of someone’s tunnel.

2015 has been one of the most difficult years of my life. Growing up, I have always despised how people say things like,

 “Oh, I hate this year I can’t wait for it to be over.”

But in reality, that has been this year for me. In December of 2014, I discovered my first onset of symptoms of a stomach disorder I would later discover to be called “SIBO” or “Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth”. Now say that 10 times fast. 

Here were my symptoms:
– “Tailbone” pain
– Severe constipation
– An endless feeling of fullness in my intestines
– Pain & discomfort in relation to bloating
– Extreme lethargy and exhaustion
– Acne, loss of skin color
– Loss of appetite
– Weight gain
– GERD

And probably a long list of additional things that kind of just swirl into all of these. Let’s face the facts. There is no SIBO awareness. Most traditional medical doctor’s don’t even recognize SIBO as anything real. After a month of trying over-the-counter laxatives with no improvement, I finally paid a visit to a recommended Gastrointestinal doctor in February 2015. Long story short, he wrote it off as “IBS” – I would have to live like this for the rest of my life. He prescribed me an expensive medication called Linzess, that ultimately made me worse – Sent fire spasms through my gut and intestines.

Fast forward several months – June 2015. I found out that my Chiropractor is also involved in functional wellness and nutrition. Dr. Jean Bassani of Connecticut Back &Wellness is a God send, and if you are suffering from related symptoms and are lucky enough to live locally, call them right now. Stop what you are doing and make an appointment.

TREATMENT:

Apex Energetics Products  
– HPL-R, Yeastonil, Parastonil, HCL Prozyme (With Betain & Pepsin), Sibiotica (probiotic), & Cod Liver Oil.

Diet
-Elimination of gluten, dairy, & soy.
-Low FODMAP diet.

RECOVERY
I have been in a slow recovery since June, and although I am not 100%, and likely far from it, I am leaps & bounds in better shape than I was almost 1 year ago. I am a very active person; I practice a flexible approach to my nutrition intake & go to the gym 5-6 times a week. This past year, it was difficult to even eat, let alone muster up what little amount of energy I really didn’t even have to get to the gym at least once every 2, 3 weeks. Now, I am about 5 days out from my next show, and I will be stepping on stage in the best shape I have ever been in my entire life.

In this blog, I intend on posting regularly, with each post having a purpose. The details may not be pretty, but you need to know. People who have this need to know. You need to know what you may and may not experience. I will talk about horribly embarrassing things that my body has done throughout this process, but I am only going to do this because I wish that I had someone to tell me. I wish I had someone to say to me that they had the same reaction. They saw the same things. They felt the same way. How else will you know?

UNCERTAINTY was one of the worst mental symptoms I experienced during this process, and I still face it now. Like I said earlier, I am in no way medically qualified to tell anyone about what the have, or the treatment they should receive. I am only here to say “hey, this is what I went through.”

& if one person somewhere finds some sort of comfort from what I have to say, or relates to the way that I have felt, and it HELPS, then I am successful.

<3 Steph