It's aggravating that the different "specialists" (or not) all have a different idea of what to do. I'm no doctor or other medical expert but I know my body. I know that sometimes my stomach bacteria gets off balance. I go to yogurt or OTC acidophilus for a few days. I know when a UtI may be starting and I drink lemon juice or cranberry juice. I know that overeating can cause discomfort in bloating and constipation. I know that not drinking enough liquids ( mostly water) can cause me to be unusually sleepy and dull. I know that my dry skin (flaking) can feel like gnats are biting me.
I know that stress (having to do something that I prefer not to do) causes me more back pain than usual. I know that drinking more than one cup of mocha cappuccino a day will start a bowel problem within about three days that will cause me great discomfort for a week or more. And adding even a bit of dark chocolate with almonds will make it worse!(I have to choose between enjoying what I really like and the consequences!) etc.
Take an inventory of your body and what is happening. Who was it that said, "Physician, heal thyself"? You are the one who knows you the best. I had a doctor once who would say to me, "What do you think is wrong?" I loved that man. He never discounted me and between us we found a solution to whatever ailed me.
Years ago I had a sudden pain in my abdomen that continued to get worse over two days time. I went to the ER and the doctor on duty diagnosed me with IBS. I knew I didn't have IB because my symptoms were not the same. She gave me her diagnoses because she didn't know me and she apparently assumed that I didn't know what I was talking about. The pain went away soon after and I never did learn what was causing it, but perhaps it was a piece of popcorn that got lodged against the wall of my colon and then got loose. I'll never know. But I haven't had those symptoms since 2013.
I had a sigmoidoscopy years ago. The Specialist told me not to eat any nuts, seeds or popcorn. Are you kidding me??? What he should have said was, 'be sure you chew your food well'. Take a clue from Laura Ingalls Wilder's book "Farmer Boy". Chew each bite at least 25 times and lay your utensil down while you do so.
No matter how many years a medical professional has been diagnosing patients she is still "practicing". Hopefully she's gaining knowledge and understanding and keeping up with new discoveries. I once asked a new (to me) Ophthalmologist if she was reading anything interesting these days. She said, "When I finally got out of school, I decided I'd never read another book." Well, I never went back to her "practice" again.
I hope you find answers soon. Sometimes it's hard to smile and go on when you'd like to cry and hide. We have to just keep going and hope and work for the best that we can do.
