Most of the times we start running around to find out what is wrong with our digestive systems when things have gotten bad. We ignore the mild symptoms that comes at the beginning of the problem.
I always felt uncomfortable after eating a lot of food all at once. Certain foods and drinks would make me feel somehow but I ignored all that because the feeling would go away on its own without much struggle.
One big thing that I first noticed was that drinking water especially cold water made me feel worse. I simply decided to stay away from drinking water of which the body need water.
Sometimes I would feel a burning sensation in my stomach and up to my throat. People calls it heartburn. I was told to drink different things to feel better. I would eat ashes, drink a water and bicarbonate of soda solution or sometime drink warm water.
During that time I used to eat one meal and could even bath with cold water in winter. I ate anything m, as long as my tummy was full. I guess I was putting more strain on .y system unknowingly. I was in Zimbabwe at that time and temperatures were never extreme.
I moved to South Africa and it felt like that was the biggest mistake of my life. The symptoms got worse and I started staying away from many foods and I ended up losing a lot of weight. At that point I could only eat bread and tea as well as thin pap.
I later started feeling constant pain that I would feel in my upper back. I started having morning sickness. I would wake up feeling tired and sick and throwing up. If I ever had a headache, it would go away only after vomiting everything that would be in my stomach.
I later decided to visit a doctor. That is when I was told I had a stomach ulcer. My HB was very low and it was assumed that it could be a result of the ulcer. The doctor assumed that the ulcer was bleeding and that is why I gad anaemia.
He gave me antacids, folic acid and iron supplementary drugs. I took them for three months but my condition was getting worse because I was not eating enough. I started struggling with constipation too because of the iron tablets being taken without a balanced diet. I avoided drinking water too.
The doctor kept on focusing on the anaemia each time I went fir check up. I got tired of taking tablets still getting sick. It felt like I was causing further damage. I later went to a public clinic and one nurse advised me to look for a doctor who will find out the exact problem and solve it which I did.
The second doctor told me he was also or has been dealing with the same problem for years. He diagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). He told it is a lifetime problem you cannot cure but can control. He ruled out that this IBS was the cause of anaemia.
He told me what to eat and what not to eat. I was given medications for three months and I saw improvement. He suggested that I take antacid tablets two or three times a week. I did it and it worked.
Yes it was working but I was not ready to live a life of taking pills at that tender age. I started working on finding out the kind of foods that works for me. I would take note of what and how I feel after eating and drinking something.
I discovered that taking antacids does not guarantee that your stomach will not burn. It will at some point and you may need to get a runny tummy or throw up the excess acid. Usually the vomit is bitter. I would get a terrible headache that only goes away with vomiting not painkillers.
These headaches are simply indicators of what is happening in my stomach. I discovered that you would start preferring hot drinks to cold ones but not coffee. Oily foods would trigger the symptoms and make me regret ever eating them.
Honestly, sometimes I would induce vomiting by putting a finger in my mouth and I would feel better after that. I stopped taking spicy food and beans as well as some leafy vegetables. I started avoiding cold baths as they also trigger the symptoms. You have to stay warm.
Stress is another trigger and shock too. Stress may take you days before the results surface. You may eat right but stress will make you sick. Sudden shock will trigger it there and there.
Sometimes you may crave for things that you know will make you sick. You have to avoid them otherwise you will pay the price. You have to be disciplined and take good care of yourself. Remember some painkillers worsens your stomach conditions.
I am not saying you should stop taking your medication but you can actually do without them if you know what to eat in what amount. Not everyone affords to buy medicines every month. And the solution is eating and drinking the right stuff.
Now I’m living a comfortable life after years of struggling. I am not going to tell you what to and what not to eat. You just do it yourself and get to know what’s good for your system.
Good luck!.