[ It looks like both Poo and I are dealing with tummy troubles! How rude of Tiger, doesn’t he understand that the bloat is not a fun situation?!😆 ]
For the most part I can keep my hiatal hernia under control, and that’s all important because it’s located just under my diaphragm. 😳 which activates my asthma. Controlling my little hernia is just one part of keeping my digestive situation from becoming a situation!😉. Managing my food allergies is a big part of tummy taming, but sometimes things get a little twisted and I end up like Bloated Betty!
[ This is Bloated Betty - She hates that nickname! It looks like she’s having another digestive episode... Who relates? ]
I mostly stick to avoiding all the FODMAP’s because those are the trouble makers that cause extreme bloat and other gastric issues. But sometimes some of those fodmaps slip through due to user error!🥴. Yep, I had a sauce that I shouldn’t have and I’m paying for it in spades! It can be tricky to try avoiding fodmap foods [ at least the ones that trigger your personal gastric health ] but in the long run I find it to be worth it.
[ Who remembers when food was { just food } and we could just eat what we
wanted?? ]
Living with conditions that overlap one another can be an eye rolling maze as well. Tummy health + Asthma health = Whole health! Since I enjoy being alive, I have to take responsibility and work to recover and help my digestive system get back to normal; oh, let’s not forget getting this mild asthma flare under control too! Ain’t life grand?!🙄😁
[ Betty doesn’t play when it comes to her health! ]
Discussing the emotional side of health challenges helps connect us all and that’s why I’ll be posting more on my struggles emotionally. I find that often times when I’ve been at fault guilt takes over, and it does no good for my mind or body, but sometimes I just need to process those feelings, recognize that they don't define me, and then get back to the business of personal health care! 💪🏽
Know Thyself! Here’s another important point that I frequently tout. We must get to know our own body and what affects it, especially when living with a disease or food allergies. It’s because I know my body so well that I can pinpoint what’s gone wrong and usually why, but that’s from years of experience. Something that can aid you in getting a better grip on how your body reacts in regards to your [ personal physical reactions] relating to your condition is to keep note!
[ Way to go Betty - She won’t be Bloated Betty for long! Her health is worth it! ]
Wether you use phone, tablet or good old pen and paper keep a log of how you feel when something goes south INCLUDING what you’ve eaten, and meds your taking including supplements and anything else you can think of that could help pinpoint a pattern. This can impact your health care tremendously, not to mention giving you some measure of control in relating back to your doctor and over what’s potentially happening in your body.👍🏽
It’s time for Betty and myself 🤪 to get it in gear and get in more gut soothing and anti inflammatory foods to aid with healing and inflammation fighting for both our guts and my lungs!...Life! Fall down seven times, get up eight!
[ Looks like Rihanna hasn’t heard of FODMAP’s either! 😄 ]
In case you’re unfamiliar with fodmap’s they are acronyms for: Fermentable Oligo- Di- Mono Saccharides and Polyols🤷🏽♀️ Yes it’s a ‘mouthful, but these are actually short chained carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion, especially for people with IBS irritable bowel syndrome.
So for some of us, FODMAP’S are poorly digested, and end up in the colon where they can draw water into the intestine and become fermented by hydrogen producing bacteria. So they rot in the gut.🤢. Earlier I mentioned how I primarily stick to a diet low in fodmaps and it keeps me from becoming a ‘bloated Betty! I experience a reduction or even a clearance of uncomfortable digestive symptoms when I’m careful of fodmaps.
Here is a simple list of many fodmap foods: Note that it’s not the point to eliminate every single one of these foods, it’s just a guide line to begin to work with to minimize certain fodmaps that help reduce uncomfortable digestive symptoms.
This list is to give you a starting point, not to treat your digestive issues. We will touch more on fodmaps in a separate post. :)
Of course you should check with your doc to find out if this is the best way to help alleviate your digestive issues; and they will most likely refer you to a gastrointestinal doc and a dietitian or nutritionist who is familiar with fodmaps [ who can help you to formulate a diet that's right for your current health needs so that you don't end up with nutritional deficiencies ].
FODMAP elimination is rather tedious and even my dietitian advised that it can be too restrictive or just too difficult combined with my food allergies. However, I DID find my way to more trouble when I Didn't avoid [ most - it can be different from person to person] fodmaps, I ran into Tummy Rage! 🥴 This is what has currently happened to me and now I'm back in gut healing mode to alleviate my discomfort and asthma. 🙄😆
We aren't perfect so we won't always get it right, so it's important to realize that and not beat yourselves up too much or it may lead into a Food Rebellion ✊🏽 - a place that I have visited more than once! Just being honest! 😬
Have your medical support team on board you may be told to see a gasterologist if your symptoms linger as stated earlier, and are serious enough which is what happened to me. Make your home support, family and or friends aware of what you're going through so they can understand why you need to avoid certain foods.
So, yes we’re human and yes we’re going to mess up or even sabotage ourselves sometimes, but NO this isn’t a reflection of you as a failure; remember we are all a work in progress and we’re all on this human journey together, helping one another along as we learn and grow!🤗. It’s good to talk about the emotional side of our health issues because showing ‘perfection’ in any journey isn't the full journey and isn’t reflecting real life. 👍🏽