Hi Heather and Everyone,
I recently celebrated my tenth anniversary of following the Eating For IBS guidelines! Yes, that's TEN pretty darn stable years! In that time, I graduated from law school, got engaged, bought a house, had a big traditional wedding, worked a normal schedule, bought another house, lived a fairly normal married life, had a completely normal vegan pregnancy and raised a precious newborn into an even more precious toddler. (See why I don't post often?  )
Prior to finding Heather's website, books, cooking shows and everything else, I had absolutely resigned myself to never being able to do any of those things that are commonly associated with living The Dream. I've said it before, but on this anniversary it bears repeating… "It's mostly thanks to Heather - she really helped save me!"
With that said, I have a short story to tell that I'm hoping may help save someone else. Last Saturday morning, I was awoken by stomach cramps. Oh, was I annoyed! I hadn't had an IBS attack in longer than I could remember and I'd just finished my period on Thursday. I did a quick inventory of my stress levels and recent foods I'd eaten and went back to sleep. I finally just got up and didn't feel much like eating, but I knew better than to skip a meal, so I ate a safe one. I had mild cramps and bloating all day. I waited all day for the runs to the toilet. They never came. Sunday, my bloating and gas pains got worse. I just felt constipated. So, I figured that was the problem. I increased my insoluble fiber intake all day and spent half the evening doing wind-releasing poses. I even brushed the dust off my hypnotherapy tapes and used them to help me fall asleep. When I tried to get out of bed Monday morning, I couldn't stand up straight because the pain was so intense.
Long story short, I almost died on Monday because I waitied two days to seek treatment. Thanks to an incredible doctor and surgical staff, I'm alive to share the following with others that might help save another life: ECTOPIC PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS MIRROR IBS SYMPTOMS. I had emergency surgery that night to remove my burst fallopian tube and irrigate my abdomen that had been filling with blood for two days. I thought the rupture was a colon spasm. I thought the blood and the subsequent pressure of the blood was bloating, gas and constipation. I was almost dead wrong.
Here's something else I didn't know: JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE BLEEDING DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE HAVING YOUR PERIOD. At the doctor's office, I kept telling them that I couldn't be pregnant because I'd just finished my period and we hadn't had sex since for awhile before that. I kept telling them I knew my body and that I was just having a bad IBS attack and needed help with the pain until the constipation subsided. Thank God they covered all their bases, anyway.
I know we all have enough to worry about. I know none of us need one more thing to think about when we're having cramps or serious bloating. But if you're a woman of child-bearing years, it wouldn't hurt to take a pregnancy test just to be sure. I'm going to from now on. They say less than 1% of all pregnancies are ectopic, but I won't be playing doctor and taking any more chances. I hope you don't either.
All my gratitude,
Jenn
A Loyal EFI follower and non-cheater (Yes, in ten years, I've only cheated ONCE and that was when I was pregnant!)
p.s. I was also severely anemic – I'll also be making sure to eat my iron-rich foods with something that's high in ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) to make sure I'm absorbing as much as possible.
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Ectopic Pregnancy Mirrors IBS Symptoms
