Let's Start at the Very Beginning

(A very good place to start.)

I couldn't resist. Hey, it's hump day! Live a little. Now for a a logical point of reference: birth.

I was born with a condition known as an omphalocele. Mine was fairly minor as far as these heart-pounding birth complications go but it has had lasting effects on my immune system and my digestive system. Because the guts protrude through the umbilical cord, my intestines were put back in my abdominal cavity in a non-rotative state. This means my intestines do not fit together like a normal person's: instead they sit side by side in dysfunctional bliss. I have thus always been able to "feel" digestion as it occurs, stage by stage. Gross, huh? Helpful, though, in determining what does and doesn't agree with my system.

Throughout childhood, I would have fairly frequent attacks of diarrhea/constipation. One time in fourth grade, I was so backed up I barricaded myself in the girl's bathroom for something like two hours at the end of the school day. I missed my bus home and my teacher had to come in and check on me and then call my dad to come pick me up. (Hey, when it's not happening, it's not happening and its agony!) I drank some cranberry juice, took a bath and was fine. Embarrassing? Hell yes. But little incidents like this were never really thought of as symptoms of a bigger picture condition.

At the age of seven or eight, I was put through a series of ultrasonds/upper G.I.s/M.R.I.s when my doctor thought I had a brain tumor because my headaches/nausea were so bad. Turns out I had Atypical migraines that were treatable with Ibuprofen and dietary modifications. Medical testing is no fun as a kid and it doesn't get any better as an adult but it's a necessity so I cannot stress enough: if something feels off go see someone who can point you in the right direction and get it properly looked at.

So flash forward to high school - nothing too out of the ordinary there. Although if I ate anything for lunch before those wretched Presidential Fitness tests in gym, I'd be looking at some fabulous stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. I can't tell you how many times I puked after running for sports or doing laps on the track. The jostling combined with eating a meal did me no favors (even if that meal was a small as a power bar.) There are plenty of people with IBS who experience the same discomfort and embarrassment but you learn to listen to your body over time and recognize little steps that can help alleviate undesirable effects. **I'm going to start a regular "Active" section of this blog for all of your fitness related questions/concerns. I'm a runner myself so I know of what I speak.

Next came college and a largely sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle (ah, the woes of the novice entering into independence and a daily dining hall smorgasbord.) I honestly didn't have many flare-ups those first two years. Finally a light bulb went off before junior year and I started going to the gym everyday and really working hard and noticed that my as-yet-undiagnosed IBS symptoms, especially during times of stress or on vacations, returned on occasion. I changed my diet and things went along smoothly.

After graduation in Winter 2007, I started work in New York City. Things there were fine. I couldn't afford much so I didn't eat anything that fancy/spicy/complicated. (It was a ton of soup, salad and Subway - hey, $5 foot-longs take you through lunch and dinner. Don't judge.) Left that craptastic job after a year and moved to Princeton, NJ in January 2009. It was wonderful, things were looking up. I bought a car, met the love of my life, got a place to myself four times the size of my starter apartment and WHAM - then comes May and I am sick as a dog.

This needs its own post, it's just that epic. Indulge my teeny bit of emotional hyperbole and I promise you'll be entertained!

TO BE CONTINUTED...

-GG