February 24, 2025 • 46 mins
In this episode of I’ve Got Guts!, Lauren dives deep into the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for stomach and esophageal ulcers, shedding light on how they affect digestion and overall health. Stef then takes the mic to discuss the complexities of IBS-C (irritable bowel syndrome with constipation), offering insights on managing symptoms and living with this challenging condition. Tune in for a comprehensive look at these common gut issues and practical advice for managing them.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello, I'm Stefanie and I'm Lauren and this is I've Got Guts, a podcast about living
(00:09):
and thriving with chronic illness.
Let's be real, it is really hard.
But it doesn't have to be.
You are not alone.
With this podcast, we want to create a community and a space to be able to talk about the tough
stuff and laugh along the way.
The idea for this podcast stemmed from us trying to find one for ourselves to listen
to, but not being able to find anything that didn't make us more sad or frustrated.
(00:32):
Our goal is to talk about the hard stuff, but also talk about how to get through it,
be positive, have a full and productive life, and of course thrive.
But before we get started, just so we are clear, we are not medical professionals.
We are just here sharing our personal experiences.
Yes, we are.
Okay.
All right, we're going to change it up a little bit.
(00:53):
And we're going to start with Rose's first room.
Because our roses are leading into our thorns this week.
Sometimes they combine.
So my rose is also a little IVF update for everyone.
So let's hear it.
Last time, well, last time I gave you guys an update, I told you how they were putting
me through a priming cycle, which was going to even out my hormones and synchronize my
(01:18):
follicles.
Yes, you synchronized swimmer you.
And I got to the end of this priming cycle, and I felt really strongly that my body had
gone through the motions of having a period, but I never got a period.
So I reached out to them and I was like, I know you told me to wait until the first day
of my period, but I think I need to come in for a checkup just to see where I'm at.
(01:38):
So I went in this past Tuesday for a checkup and they were, this is the first time they've
ever said this to me.
They're like, your ovaries look perfect.
I was like, say it again.
Say it one more time.
Say it louder.
They're like, your follicles are all like small, same size.
You don't have any lead follicles.
That's exactly what we want ovaries to look like for stims.
(02:00):
Yes, I'm so proud of them.
So I was like, oh my God, the only thing was my uterine lining was thick, obviously, because
I didn't actually bleed.
But because we are doing a freeze all cycle, it didn't matter.
Oh, that's good.
So we started our stim medication on Tuesday.
So I'm on day six of stims right now.
(02:22):
Typically you stim for about 10 to 12 days and then you go for an egg retrieval.
Oh my goodness, this is so exciting.
But wait, what is stim?
Can you explain stims for people who may not know?
It's so funny you say that because when I told my mom, she's like, when I think of stims,
I think of people with autism.
And I'm like, oh yeah, no, this is very different, mom.
(02:43):
This is like, so basically we're stimulating my ovaries and we're growing those.
We want my follicles to be big.
In order to do an egg retrieval, your follicles need to be over 20 millimeters.
That's kind of big.
Right now I've got like some sixes, some sevens, some eights and a nine.
So they grow about one to two millimeters per day with these medicines.
(03:06):
So I go for another checkup tomorrow morning.
So we'll see where I'm at.
This is so exciting.
I know it is.
Yay, Room.
I love it.
Yeah, so it's a good rose.
Good.
I'm glad it was a good rose.
Well, my rose was, this just happened this morning.
And I'm a part of a mastermind Zoom group with these ladies who actually I've talked
(03:27):
about already.
I went to a spiritual spa day with these ladies.
And after that spa retreat, we just found that we had like such the bond and connection
after like our time together that Tiffany, one of the ladies was like, what if we do
a mastermind where we meet once a week and we get together and we share highs and lows
(03:47):
and we just collaborate and we're all trying to grow both personally and professionally.
I'm like, sure, I love that kind of stuff.
I'm in.
So this morning, usually we've been doing them at night, but this morning it was nice
and early at 730.
Holy cow on a Sunday.
Yes, yes.
But honestly, I set my alarm.
I got up.
I made my hot lemon water to stimulate my digestive tract.
(04:11):
Got all cozy and I spent the morning with Becky and Tiffany and it was just such a nice
morning to be able to just talk about things.
And I have a lot going on right now, unknown with my health.
And I feel like it's like impacting just my everyday life with Sean.
We've been kind of at each other's throats these last couple of weeks.
(04:32):
But yeah, it was just a beautiful way to start my morning and they really just kind of helped
set the tone for the day.
So I love that for you.
People always are like, you and I are the same.
And I'm like, yes, we are.
But if I had to wake up at seven on a Sunday morning to do Zoom, I would be really I would
feel angry.
Well, you your reaction was Sean's when he after we were done with the Zoom, he comes
(04:57):
storming in.
He's like, what are you doing at seven a.m. on a Saturday?
Your voice is echoing through the house.
I'm like, oopsies.
I closed the door.
You do have a loud voice.
I really do have a loud voice.
Next time I plan to zoom early on a Sunday morning, I will use headphones and go in the
basement.
There you go.
Compromised.
All right.
(05:18):
Thorns room.
All right.
So my thorn.
Well, so while it is exciting that we are in this phase of IVF, the the thorn of it all
is my body is not reacting well to these medicines.
So I'm getting three shots a night and the shots in general are not fun.
Two of them aren't terrible.
(05:39):
One of them is real hurty.
I mean, it burns going in and it's a lot of liquids.
Anthony makes eye contact with me.
I found lately that listening to the Backstreet Boys has been very helpful.
I wonder why.
Maybe because they might have announced a tour that I'm really excited about and I'm
(05:59):
going to find a way to go to.
But listening to their old stuff has been just like, I think it's comforting for me because
I know every single word and harmony and I'm just like, OK, I can do this.
If I can get through this, if I can sing through, I'll never break your heart.
Then the shot will be over.
I love that.
But it's been the symptoms are terrible.
I have these raging headaches every morning and every night and the constipation.
(06:24):
I mean, which it's been bad.
Like I mean, I called poor Anthony.
Actually, I think I called my mom first, but then I called Anthony and I'm hysterically
crying yesterday and I'm like, my butt's bleeding.
And he's like, next time you call me crying like that, can you just start off with like
no one died?
I was like, my butthole died.
I just need to make sure that everyone's still alive.
(06:48):
And it's just another issue.
It was just I birthed poop.
I mean, it was painful and terrible.
And I was like, do we have any ointments in the house?
Like, I just need to know where the ointments are.
That's why I'm calling you.
So, you know, it's the it's there's good and there's bad.
I knew going into this that my body was going to react to these medicines.
(07:10):
But anything for my for future baby.
And yes, yes.
And you are so strong.
And I feel like everything that you've already been through in life is like preparing you
for going through this whole experience.
Oh, yes.
So you're ready for it.
Room, your thorn.
OK.
My thorn is I just have not been feeling the best.
(07:31):
Just an update.
I feel like last time I did not know the results of my ultrasound.
I just talked about the old Doppler ultrasound that was new for both of us.
And so the ultrasound, I got the results back and it showed that I have a blockage in my
celiac artery.
Crazy.
OK, not to be confused with celiac disease.
(07:52):
The first thing when my gastroenterologist said it to me, I'm like, wait a second, is
this like celiac disease?
He's like, no, Lauren, this is an artery.
OK, just learning as I go here.
So I wasn't sure.
So yes, celiac, celiac, spelled the same, pronounced the same, totally different meanings.
So the celiac artery is an artery that actually pumps blood to your stomach and different
(08:16):
organs.
And they saw that it's blocked in some shape or form, but it's the ultrasound.
It's not like perfect.
So they're sending me for a CT angio on Tuesday this week where that will be really very picture.
The picture will be very clear on where the blockage is, how much is blocked.
Because if you think about it, and my doctor even said he was like, if you are if blood
(08:40):
isn't flowing to your organs and your belly properly, no, that could really affect you
not feeling the best.
And I have not been feeling the best.
But if I get the CT scan and they're like, it's not that bad.
It shouldn't be causing any symptoms.
And we know it's just the iron.
And I'm just waiting for my iron infusion to kick in and hopefully start to feel better
again.
(09:01):
So that's my thorn.
I just I am feeling like I cannot wait to just like feel better.
And I haven't been able to like exercise, which is like my way to release.
And I think that's maybe why Sean and I have been at each.
Well, I should say I haven't been the most easy to deal with because I'm not like running
and getting the exercise I normally do.
(09:23):
Yeah.
Although how do you run outside right now?
We got like, you know, all the snow and ice.
Well, they have these great little things you put on your sneakers and they have like
almost like little claw.
I shouldn't say claws, but these like little pegs.
So when you run, it helps you helps you get traction.
You just put them on the bottom of your sneakers.
Yeah, because I hate treadmills.
Yeah, they're the worst.
(09:44):
All right.
So that was my thorn this week.
Oh, man.
I feel like anybody who's been listening for the last couple of weeks is like, man, these
girls never feel good.
But life with chronic illness.
I mean, here you go.
I know, right?
I really I feel like I've been on a good streak up until recently.
Seriously.
All right.
Shout out of the week.
You want to take over for this one room?
Yes, I will.
(10:04):
So we're shouting out our good friend, Amy J, or I should say Amy Ethier now, but I
call her Amy J.
So Amy has been listening literally since I feel like we started.
No, she didn't she wasn't totally caught up, so she did say to me the one day she's like,
I literally just binged you guys.
(10:25):
I'm like, you binged us?
I love that.
And it's just we so appreciate her listening and her support.
And I think my favorite part is that Miss Tessa, her daughter is listening as well and
was asking and requesting some music.
So I mean, hey, and Connor and Connor.
Yes.
(10:45):
And we miss you and we love you guys and we so appreciate you listening and so much
to us.
Yes, we do.
All right, room.
Kicking it off.
You're going to kick it off today with a little IBS constipation.
Yeah, let's talk about it.
So in one of our very first episodes, I briefly touched on IBS constipation and I feel like
(11:08):
I didn't really like stick to it that much because I don't really identify with it.
I'm going to throw that out there and as I talk more about it, I'll tell why I don't
really.
But I have had trouble going to the bathroom from the time I was born.
And I actually like called my mom to get like more background info for this episode today.
(11:29):
And she said that she when she told the doctors when I was a baby, an infant about this, like,
oh, just mixing some caro syrup with her formula.
That's what they told her to do.
That's crazy.
Yeah.
And she did because she was like this poor baby is never pooping.
You know what I mean?
So then, like when I was a kid, my mom's like, she's not going to the bathroom.
(11:52):
What can I do for her?
They told her to give me prune juice.
They told her to give me milk of magnesium.
They told her to give me castor oil.
And she's like, oh, no, she's like, I was so distraught because you're a small child
who is probably not going to take any of those disgusting things.
So how am I going to force them down your throat to go to the bathroom?
(12:15):
You know what I mean?
Like, and I remember she put a glass of prune juice in front of me and I would sit there
and I would not move for hours.
Like, she's like, you're going to sit there till you drink that prune juice.
I would sit there.
And if I did drink it, I would gag on it.
Like disgusting.
Oh, so gross.
And I have memories of enemas, like lots of enemas.
(12:37):
And I talked to her about a specific memory I have where we spent hours where she'd get
close to me and I would clench my butt cheeks.
And like we did that dance for hours because I don't want to do the enema.
And we tried suppositories, which suppositories and me.
Was enema bucket a thing back then?
No, it was just the old.
I mean, maybe.
Maybe you just didn't know about it.
But she didn't know about it.
(12:58):
You know what I mean?
But it would get to the point where I knew that going to the bathroom, it was going to
be so big that I was so afraid of it that I would purposely hold it in.
Like I would get the urge to poop, but I would hold it in and it would get so bad that I
would throw up.
OK, that is the worst.
Nobody wants to be vomiting.
And it was like this fear of probably what I experienced the other day, ripping my butthole
(13:20):
open.
Like you don't want to.
And there's so much pressure building.
It's like you got to get stuff out of you some way or another.
Right.
Yeah.
And my mom was like my coach.
Like she would sit on the other side of the door, like reassuring me.
She's like, it's OK.
You can do it.
Push, push, push.
Like Toni, you're the best.
And as a mom, it has to be so hard to watch your kid go through that and really like have
(13:41):
no answers.
And she actually told me I did not know this.
She told me about it.
Like it got so bad once she took me to my pediatrician and right there on the table
in front of her, he pulled poop out of my butt with his hand.
What?
Yeah.
She's like, he just stuck his fingers up there and just pulling poop out of you.
OK, wait a second.
How old were you when this was happening?
I had to have been, it was before the age of six because we still lived here in New
(14:04):
York.
OK.
Before we moved to Florida.
So I was. How traumatizing.
I mean, thank God I don't have a memory of that.
But for her, it was traumatizing.
She's like, I'm sitting in the corner of the room, like hysterically crying, watching this
man pull poop out of you.
And she felt like she kept going to the doctor saying she needs help.
Give her milk and magnesium.
Give her, like they never had an answer.
(14:26):
And I said to her, when was I officially diagnosed?
And she's like, not until high school.
So you went all of those years.
You're like basically your entire childhood dealing with this.
Yeah.
She said there were there wasn't like they never put a term to it.
It was just she's constipated.
You know what I mean?
And she really tried to get help for me.
But like she never knew that she never knew all the stuff we know now.
(14:51):
Right.
She's like, if I knew then what I know now, I feel like it could have been different for
you.
But she was doing the best she could.
Yeah.
With what the knowledge that she had.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So before I get a little bit into my story, I want to just tell people a little bit about
IBS in case they don't know.
So IBS is irritable bowel syndrome and it's a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that affects
(15:16):
the large intestine.
And it causes a group of symptoms that can vary in severity and frequency.
So like abdominal pain or cramping, bloating in gas and changing in bowel habits.
Now, many people don't know this and we did touch on this in our other episode, but there
are three different kinds of IBS.
There's IBS D, which is diarrhea, IBS C, which is constipation.
(15:38):
It's the version I have.
And then there's IBS M, which is where you alternate between constipation and diarrhea.
And typically when you have IBS, you have mucus in your stool and you never feel like
you have a complete bowel movement, which you probably don't.
Right.
You're never fully getting it out.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And the causes are like not really known.
(16:00):
Could be a gut brain interaction, could be food sensitivities, could be stress and anxiety,
could be hormonal, could be gut bacteria imbalance.
And there's no real specific way to diagnose IBS.
There is no real treatment either.
There are some diets you can try, like there's the FODMAP diet.
(16:22):
Tried it, didn't work.
There's medications.
I've probably tried all of them.
They never helped.
Stress management, like that doesn't help.
It's a crock of, you know what?
And probiotics, which for some people do help.
I personally can't take probiotics.
Now my personal feeling about IBS is it's a blanket diagnosis given to people when they
(16:43):
have no idea what else is going on.
Yeah.
It's exactly what they told me when I was a kid and I was an undiagnosed celiac.
So it's kind of like what they reach for when they don't know what's going on with you.
It's a lazy diagnosis if we're being honest.
And this is why I don't identify with it.
I think constipation is part of my problem, but I think my stomach issues have always
(17:04):
run much deeper and have always gone misdiagnosed.
I think if they had sent me to a pediatric gastroenterologist when I was a kid, which
why did that never happen?
Right.
So we probably would know a lot more about my whole picture.
And I wonder if that would have changed the path that my life had taken.
(17:27):
Obviously now I have many other things.
I have gastroparesis.
I have ineffective esophageal motility.
I have GERD.
So that complicates things a little bit.
But when I was first diagnosed with gastroparesis and my diet completely changed, they put me
on Miralax because they're like, you have IBS.
We're about to take all the fiber out of your diet.
(17:49):
So you have to be on Miralax.
Now mind you, I've been on and off Miralax for 17 years.
And it works for you, right?
It worked for you.
It worked for me.
And I've been on it for long periods of time, but this was by far the longest.
I was on it from 2019 to 2024 every single day.
That's a lot of Miralax.
And let me tell you, between my diet of mostly processed foods and white carbs and Miralax,
(18:13):
I didn't have a solid poop for all those years.
That's insane.
Never.
That's just not fair.
Everybody deserves to have a good poop.
I know.
I shouldn't say that because I did have bouts of constipation, obviously, but nothing longer
than two weeks.
But until my bridal shower...
(18:33):
How do I remember this?
Leading up to it, I didn't go to the bathroom for a month.
Which is crazy.
We were just being like, saying a prayer of like, please, the bride needs to poop.
It was awful, but I was really determined to look good in that dress.
So I do have some go-to strategies.
Now, obviously, when I throw these out there, these may work for some people.
(18:57):
These may not work for some people.
These typically always work for me if I do them together.
So I put castor oil on my belly.
I don't ingest it.
It's disgusting.
I can't believe they told my mom to make me drink castor oil.
But I put it on my belly and I actually shouldn't say I do it.
I have Anthony do a massage, a clockwise massage.
(19:20):
And you actually...
I could try to explain it to you guys, but I feel like words won't help.
You have to start in a certain spot and then move to a certain spot.
And there's a reason for this.
This direction follows the path of the large intestine.
So you kind of go up your right side, which is your ascending colon, across the top, which
is your transverse colon, and then down the left side, which is your descending colon.
(19:44):
And doing that with the castor oil helps just move things through the intestines and down
the colon.
And then I put my heating pad on after.
And honestly, you can YouTube.
You can find videos of how to do this on YouTube.
That's really helpful.
And sometimes I'll just have Anthony do it, even if I'm not in a bout of constipation.
Just because I feel like it gets things moving for me.
(20:07):
It doesn't.
And so it literally helps stimulate peristalsis of your intestines, your colon.
I did hot water with lemon a few times a day, which you just talked about.
I did.
It's a great way to stimulate the old digestive tract.
I did several enemas, hence why I purchased the enema bucket.
It's actually really efficient.
(20:29):
And money wise, it's definitely an investment, right?
Because you just buy it one time.
You got your bucket forever.
And I ate mostly liquids or soft foods.
So typically if I'm in a really bad bout of constipation, I do those things for, it usually
takes a couple of days to a week to get everything fully out.
And I got everything fully out about two days before my bridal shower.
(20:52):
I was like, thank goodness.
I didn't have a bloated bride.
Yeah.
You know, I went back to Miralax, but right after my bridal shower, you introduced me
to Oliveda.
Yes.
And as you would say, it has been life changing for me.
So as with my strategies that I use to help with my bouts of constipation, this is what
(21:17):
works for me.
So what I'm about to tell you might not work for everyone, but it has literally changed
my life.
So Oliveda or olive tree people is a European waterless beauty brand.
And this company has been in Europe for 20 years, but they just came here to the U.S.
two years ago and there's nothing here like it.
So the founder of the company replaced water found in normal products that we use in the
(21:41):
U.S. with olive leaf elixir, which is called hydroxytyrosol.
I literally had to practice saying that like 500 times.
It's a hard word.
And that paired with collagen, hyaluron, and camu camu kind of sets this brand apart.
So I was already looking to take a more natural route with things in my life anyways, knowing
(22:03):
that right after the wedding, we were going to start trying to have a baby.
Like I knew that chemicals were bad.
So I already wanted to change my hair care, my skin care, all the products in my house,
everything.
So this was kind of aligned with where I was going anyway.
So I really didn't go into this with a ton of expectations.
Like you told me about this.
You're like, it's working for me.
I was like, I'll try anything at least once.
(22:24):
That's my motto.
So I started with one of the products and after about a month, I noticed I was going
to the bathroom more regularly.
I was like, I told you, Room.
And then after using that one for a month, I added in the other two internal products.
(22:44):
So they have three internal products.
Okay.
And so what are you taking right now?
Are you still doing those three?
I still do the three.
So it's called I-66, I-70, and I-01.
I started with the I-66.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because that one was more for digestive tract.
And that got me going.
So I was like, okay.
And then when I added in the other two after about a month, I was like, okay.
(23:07):
I'm like going to the bathroom and I noticed like my bloating was going down.
Like I was just feeling better overall.
And then I added in their olive oil.
And now when I tell people this, they're like, wait, you drink olive oil?
Yes.
I actually take a shot glass and I put a little bit of the olive oil.
(23:28):
I put the I-01 because it's like a little dropper, you know?
And then I squeeze a little bit of lemon and I take it like a shot.
Ooh.
How does it go down for you?
Beautifully.
Ooh.
And I love olive oil.
I know.
Didn't you say you were like putting it on ice cream or something crazy?
Yes.
It's a thing in Italy.
It's a thing in Italy.
Yeah.
This isn't just any old olive oil.
(23:48):
Like their olive oil is single sourced, cold pressed, bioactive and is pesticide and fertilizer
free.
So this isn't like you can't buy this on a shelf in the grocery store.
You know what I mean?
Right.
Yes.
It's so pure.
And that is when I hit my sweet spot.
Like I am not kidding you.
I was like never bloated.
(24:12):
My gas was almost like non-existent.
Okay.
That's amazing.
Which is crazy because we're talking about someone who think I work with kids because
I will fart all day and blame it on kids.
You literally just been farting through your life as have I.
I was going to the bathroom several times a week, which I don't think has ever happened
in my entire life.
I remember when you called me like once you were like really into it, you're like, I can't
(24:36):
get over it.
I went and it's like normal.
Normal poops.
Yeah.
But that point is I was like, okay, I think I'm going to stop the Miralax.
So I stopped taking the Miralax cold turkey and nothing changed.
The bloating was still gone.
I was still going to the bathroom.
I was still feeling great.
I felt great overall in my whole body.
(24:58):
That's amazing.
And I think that goes to show that like I was poisoning myself for years with Miralax.
Miralax is terrible.
I've done a lot of research on it.
Oh no.
It's like straight poison.
No one should be putting that stuff in their body.
Like first of all, it can imbalance your electrolytes, which I already have a problem with.
(25:19):
Oh right.
Because of like my passing out.
Yes, your blackouts.
You can depend on it.
So your body can get used to it and then you need it to go to your body unlearns how to
go to the bathroom without the Miralax.
Right.
It's like almost just so unnatural.
It alters your gut bacteria balance.
Hello.
(25:39):
I had intestinal, methanogenous overgrowth in my belly.
I had thrush, like all these gut bacteria imbalances.
Yeah.
You can get like allergic reactions, neurological concerns.
There are reports of neurological symptoms in children.
Okay.
That's frightening.
Yeah.
(26:00):
And it causes bloating, gas cramping and diarrhea.
Like why are we putting this in our body?
And to me, the worst thing is, is it's recommended for children.
So now if someone like my mom were to go to the pediatrician and be like, my child's not
going to the bathroom.
They're like, give him Miralax.
That's the new prune juice.
Right.
And so people are putting this poison in our children's bodies at such a young age.
(26:23):
Like it's full of chemicals.
It's full of plastics.
Like, oh, I can't, I am so thankful that I was able to get off of Miralax.
It really, I feel a huge difference in my body after being off of it.
Which is so amazing.
It's so amazing.
I think that if you're listening to this and you're a parent and you have a child who's
constipated, kind of push the doctor to be like, wait, why is my child constipated?
(26:47):
Let's get to the bottom of this.
Right.
Ask the questions.
Ask the why questions to get, to uncover what's really going on.
So obviously I'm now I'm on like 800 different drugs for IVF.
My belly's been pretty off, which I knew was all part of this.
I was expecting it.
Like everybody said, you know, be prepared, these medicines really constipate you.
(27:09):
So I knew that this was coming.
But the Oliveda was still helping me even through the like IVF medicine.
But I had a little snafu a few weeks ago.
What happened?
My Oliveda order was destroyed while it was being shipped to me.
It's like what?
We don't have time for things getting destroyed.
So I had it timed perfectly.
(27:30):
We're like, I was going to run out and it was going to come and I wouldn't like miss
a day.
But with it being destroyed, obviously that didn't work out.
And Oliveda was great.
They like, I emailed them.
They that night created an order and sent it to me.
But it took about two weeks to get here.
So I went two weeks without it and holy cow, my body is mad at me.
Oh, Room.
(27:50):
So mad at me.
And I think, I think that's the thing when you have digestive problems, especially something
like IBS, even though I think IBS is a scam, you have to like create habits and you can't
get something just a month.
I hear so many people being like, well, I did it for a month and it didn't work.
I think when you have like digestive issues, I think three months should be the maximum
(28:12):
of doing it every day consistently before you can say something doesn't work.
Right.
But you got to give your body time to adjust.
Yes.
So I have this habit now of doing it.
I broke that habit and my stomach is mad.
So I have to get back into that habit.
But I think if you find something that works for you, do it consistently.
(28:33):
Yes.
Yeah.
And yeah, stick with it.
Yeah.
You got to stick with it.
So find what works, be consistent and have some emergency strategies because if you have
something like IBS, you're always going to go through periods of like flares.
So have a few backup strategies.
Like for me, I've got the massage thing.
(28:55):
I've got the lemon water.
I've got the enema bucket.
Find the things that work for you.
Make sure you have them on hand at all times and just maintain that consistency.
Yes.
I think such great advice and I can't wait.
I'm going to come home and be like, Sean, will you counter counterclockwise rub my belly tonight?
Yes.
I need to make sure he uses the palm of his hand when he does it.
Okay.
Palm of your hand.
Can I borrow some castor oil?
(29:15):
Where do you get that from?
Wegmans.
Oh, okay.
Wegmans.
People are like, wait, what's Wegmans?
Wegmans is a grocery store very specific to the area that we live in in New York.
Yes.
They are amazing.
You can get it at any grocery store, drug store.
It's just like in the health aisle.
Don't drink it.
Only rub it on your body.
(29:38):
All right, Room, what do you got for us today?
All right.
Well, I'm going to head into ulcers.
Ooh, so exciting.
Ooh, little ulcers.
When we met.
Actually, that's a good one.
That's why you were mean to me.
I was.
I really struggle with my emotions when I'm not well.
But yes, when I met you, Room, I had a bleeding ulcer in college.
(30:02):
And actually, when I was going back and thinking about and just jotting down how often I've
had ulcers, it had to be at least four or five times over the years that I've had ulcers.
And so for those of you who are, I'm sure everyone has heard the term ulcer before,
but basically ulcers are sores or lesions that commonly occur along the upper digestive
(30:22):
tract.
So when they form in this area, they're known collectively as peptic ulcers.
And then just individually, these peptic ulcers are described by where they are found.
So the most common place to find them is gastric ulcers in the stomach.
That's where most of mine were in the beginning.
And then there's, I can never say this word right.
(30:45):
Duodenal?
Yes, ulcers.
It's that part that connects to your small intestine.
It's that upper part of your small intestine.
So they can go there.
I've had them there as well.
And peptic ulcers that occur in the esophagus are known as esophageal ulcers.
And just common side effects, if you do have an ulcer, maybe you are thinking, oh, maybe
(31:09):
I'm having these symptoms.
Maybe it is an ulcer.
Common side effects are just pain that people often describe as burning and stabbing.
And that's how I would always know.
It was like that burning stab, knife-like pain, loss of appetite, difficulty swallowing,
nausea.
And then certain foods and drinks can make the pain worse.
(31:31):
Like orange juice, anything acidic is just like fire.
It feels like an open wound, basically.
Exactly.
And they can even start to bleed.
So I've had many over the course of my life.
But two that really stood out that were the peptic ulcers that were in my belly was college.
(31:51):
I was honestly new.
What was I?
We were sophomores in college.
I kicked off that semester and I wasn't feeling the best.
I was pledging for our sorority.
And I just remember, one, it's the bond that you share, one, with your sorority sisters,
that they were there for me every step of the way, supporting me and just helping me.
(32:14):
Because it was tough.
It was tough to be not only going to school, but doing all the things that I was doing
while I had a bleeding ulcer.
You did not look well.
I did not.
I remember meeting her.
I was like, this girl is sickly.
Something's wrong with her.
She was cracked out.
Nope, just a bleeding ulcer.
And I just remember going home during spring break and landing in the hospital.
(32:36):
It was Easter and they diagnosed me with the ulcer.
And I remember coming back and it was just, it just shows that I had a sorority of sisters
that were there for me and it was just wonderful to come back to.
So that was one big ulcer moment.
And then another ulcer that I ended up getting was, so after we graduated college, I moved
(32:58):
here to Rochester.
And I feel like, Room, we just kind of-
We just continued college, basically.
We continued college for like 10 years.
We were just, we were doing all the things.
We were going out.
We lived our best life.
We were partying.
We were doing kickball leagues.
Oh my God.
You did do a bocce league.
Bocce leagues and just dinners and just we, we lived, we lived.
We lived, for sure.
(33:19):
We lived to the fullest.
So it was one point where it got so bad, the pain that I was experiencing.
And you know, maybe my habits were not trying.
Lack of sleep, alcohol, you know, what I was eating.
I feel like back then we were broke living off of like tater tots and rice.
(33:39):
But we were, it was right before we were getting ready to go see the script.
Do you remember this room?
Oh yes.
We were in Philadelphia or Philly weekend.
Yes.
Yeah.
So it was Room, me and our good friend, Emily.
And the three of us just, I don't know, we fell in love with the script.
And I just remember that one summer where you and Emily were just bouncing around and
(34:00):
we were just jamming out to the script.
Oh, we listened to you.
Yeah.
So Emily, first of all, one, we miss you and love you.
And I know you're listening to and we appreciate your support and listening to our podcast.
I feel like it connects us.
But it was right after Emily moved, she left Rochester, moved to New York City and we,
the three of us would try to like get together and the script was playing in Philadelphia.
(34:23):
Yes.
So we had to go.
Perfect opportunity.
Perfect opportunity.
Do I not get diagnosed with a peptic bleeding ulcer right before going?
And I remember sitting on my bed in our one bedroom apartment and I was on the phone.
I don't know if I was talking to the, what doctor I was talking to at the time.
Oh, Dr. Kim, it's definitely Dr. Kim.
Oh, yeah.
And we were, he was getting me set up for my endoscopy and he was like, yep, yep, another
(34:46):
ulcer, bleeding ulcer.
And he would give us the pictures of our endoscopy.
Oh yeah.
He loved doing that.
And I like hung it out the fridge.
I kind of was proud.
I was like, look at that ulcer I created.
Now watch me heal it.
I feel like you drink a lot of milk to heal it.
I did.
I did.
That was before I lost my gallbladder.
So milk was still my friend and I did drink a lot of milk, but I did not, I never cancel
(35:09):
plans very rarely.
Oh no.
And we were not canceling the script.
No.
And we went and not only did we go, but we ended up meeting the script.
We did.
It was just like, you got a bleeding ulcer.
That's okay.
You're going to meet the script.
You've literally been like swooning over all summer.
So that was like a crazy time.
But again, I feel like they put me on meds that just kind of helped to soothe my belly,
(35:32):
to just soothe the situation.
And it really, it's a good like two months, you know?
And I think by the time we went to see the script, I was like, I was still kind of in
pain and I was managing the best I could.
But I feel like food and what you eat and just putting things in your body when you
have an ulcer that doesn't aggravate it is so key as you're healing.
(35:52):
So that was after that, I didn't have an ulcer for a long time until this past June.
Okay.
So I don't, I was thinking, I feel like I shared this story already on the podcast.
One month before my wedding.
Yes.
And I was afraid we were going to have to cancel because I didn't think you were going
to be able to come to my wedding.
Oh my God.
It was so scary.
(36:12):
It was so scary.
So actually we, it was a week in June.
It was Amy's, Amy J's birthday.
I love how we shouted you out Amy J.
And this is the weekend, Sean and I came home for your surprise 40th.
So Amy didn't know we were coming.
We were heading home to Watervliet and I don't, on the drive down, I remember going
to Sean, I'm like, I don't know.
(36:32):
Like I feel like I was trying to like swallow like a snack in the car and some, you know,
ginger ale, whatever.
I'm like, something feel like, it doesn't feel right.
It feels like it's getting stuck.
Yep.
But I just had a stretching like beginning of May, end of April and this is June.
Like that's too soon.
I'm like, ah, who knows, whatever.
So get to Watervliet
We get to the bar and actually I want to say Scott, my brother-in-law picked up some food,
(36:56):
gluten-free food for me from a local place in the Troy area called Birch Baked and they
do gluten-free and they do the best sandwiches.
So he picked me up a sandwich.
I remember eating that and the sandwich went down and then, you know, we were at the bar
for her party.
I met, you know, here I am.
I just knew something wasn't right though as it went down.
(37:16):
But anyway, it did not stop me from enjoying myself that evening.
No, it never does.
I met Scott's new girlfriend, Paulinka.
We were celebrating Amy and we just celebrated through the night.
So it was a really, really, really fun night.
I woke up in the morning, obviously not feeling the best, but thinking, you know, didn't make
the best choices the night before.
We get in the car to head home and I am like, is this really hurting to swallow?
(37:41):
This is bad.
Like something is not right.
Yeah, you called me.
Yeah.
So I'm like, room, I don't know what it is.
It's hurting so bad.
You're like strep throat is going around.
I'm like, oh, you're a genius.
It's got to be strep.
I have definitely have strep throat.
So as soon as we got home, it's a Sunday.
I'm like, I can't miss work on Monday for just strep throat.
(38:02):
If that's what it is, I need an antibiotic.
So I went to urgent care.
I'm like, I definitely have strep.
So I know this is going to come back positive and let's do this.
And needless to say, it was not strep throat and the doctor at urgent care was like, no,
this is nothing like strep throat.
(38:23):
But because I was feeling like it was hard to swallow in a different way than I've ever
experienced before, you know what I mean?
I thought maybe really it was like a sore throat.
So anyway, she referred me to go to my primary care the next day and she ran some blood work.
So after that, the next morning I woke up, remember this room?
I panicked.
(38:43):
I was panicking.
Not only it got to the point now where I was only being able to drink water or anything
that was cold.
And it got to the point when I called you, I couldn't swallow my saliva.
Like it wouldn't go down.
And I like became hysterical.
I thought you were having an allergic reaction and like your throat was closing or something.
(39:04):
It was just so unknown.
So like go to my primary care, she's like, no, Lauren, like you got to go to the ER.
Like we, something's obviously not right.
And like you're not able to swallow even your saliva.
Like you got to go.
Something's very wrong.
So I went to the hospital and you know, having achalasia, I know that it's a progressive
(39:25):
disease and you know, we heard from Martin when we interviewed him a couple of episodes
ago that really everybody's future is different with achalasia and you just don't know, you
know, when things can take a turn for you.
And I just remember laying in the hospital being like, is this it?
Like is my esophagus not working anymore?
Like is this, you know, what's happening?
(39:47):
And it was scary.
But then part of me was like, no, I just had a stretching and everything looked good.
So they ran a bunch of tests and of course everything's coming back normal, but my inflammation
levels were high.
And they just, my blood work wasn't normal and things weren't showing up on the CAT scan
on the normal, you know, tests that they do.
And I still couldn't, they're like, we can't send you home if you can't swallow.
(40:10):
You can't swallow your own spit.
You can't go home from the hospital.
So they admitted me and they were going to do an endoscopy the next day.
And I just remember laying there being like, what is happening?
Like why is this happening?
Like I'm not ready to like lose my esophagus yet.
I'm not ready for this to turn progressive.
Like I was just fine.
And like how, what is wrong?
(40:30):
And it was that moment where like, you know, you just have that breakdown and you're all
by myself in the hospital.
Like obviously Sean had to leave, go, you know, be home with Connor.
And it was a really, really rough night.
But when I woke up, I had my endoscopy and they ended up finding my esophagus was full
of bleeding ulcers.
It's full of how, like how many would you say there were?
(40:54):
I mean, I want to say like four or five.
There was definitely a lot.
Honestly, I do have the pictures of them.
Oh my gosh.
I could gag just thinking about it.
You didn't hang that one on the fridge for sure.
Definitely wasn't hanging that one on the fridge, but it was really, really gross.
And they were like, no wonder you can't swallow anything.
(41:14):
So as soon as they knew they got me, you know, I, IV meds just to kind of start to heal the
ulcers while I was in the hospital.
And then I got to a point where I was able to swallow and I could drink fluids and, you
know, they were able to discharge me.
Thankfully, what's so bizarre is, is like, where did this come from?
Literally a month and a half before I had an endoscopy.
That was the most shocking part.
(41:35):
Right.
It was perfect.
They couldn't figure it out.
So after I left the hospital, my doctor Goldstein, who I love so much, he was basically, I mean,
I guess also the ER doctors were saying the same thing too, that they're thinking that
I contracted some type of virus or infection and it just manifested in my esophagus because
(41:56):
when I eat, things go down slow.
Things will kind of get stuck.
Things can, and what happens when food sits in your stomach for too long or in your esophagus
for too long, it can irritate and then hence cause the ulcers.
So they're thinking I had some type of viral infection that I contracted that, you know,
manifested there.
So here's the, so far you were talking about Oliveda products.
(42:17):
I was using the Oliveda internal products, February, March, April, things went out of
stock and I didn't have them the whole month of May.
June is when this all happened.
So I like put it together in my head.
I'm like, oh my gosh, I haven't, and one of the drinks that we do, the wellness drinks
we do has an intense vitamin C booster that camu camu.
(42:42):
So that is like an immune booster and it's, I think was like protecting me.
So I wondered if I had those shots in me during the month of May, could my body have fought
off the virus?
The virus, who knows, who knows?
But while I was in the hospital, the doctor was like, all right, and we're also going
to put you on a steroid just for the high levels of inflammation.
(43:02):
And I get it.
I was on other meds to help with the ulcers, but I'm like, I don't want to do prednisone.
Like you know, we're dealing with this.
I don't want to do this.
And I got the alert that my Oliveda internals arrived while I was in the hospital.
And I'm like, all that I know to be true how I was feeling, how hydroxytyrosol can combat
inflammation.
(43:23):
I'm like, I'm going to say no to steroids.
People don't think they can do that.
You can say no to medicine.
Yes.
Yes.
So I said no.
I went home.
I started on my drinks, you know, rested, healed.
I had to stay home from school for a little bit.
I ended up going back to the doctor.
And when I did go back, my blood work was, he couldn't get over how my inflammation levels
(43:47):
leveled out so well because I wasn't on a steroid.
He was like, I've never seen your levels go back down this quickly without a steroid.
So it just goes to show the power of, you know, we don't always need to turn to these
pharmaceutical meds.
There are natural organic ways that we can heal our bodies, you know, with products that
(44:07):
won't cause you more symptoms like your miralax was.
Right.
So there's sometimes there's a time and place for medicine and there's a time and place
for trying to do things a different way.
Right.
Or at least trying.
Right.
And here's the thing.
If I did that and I went back to the doctor and it wasn't working, I would have went on
the steroid because that would have been the right thing to do.
Right.
Absolutely.
Lucky me, I didn't need to.
So I'm going to end my section today and that I and obviously before I even end, I'm ending
(44:33):
with a quote, which is my favorite.
But after that episode, I have been in a really good place.
No other ulcers, nothing else.
So I'm here's to no more ulcers.
You made it to my wedding with no problems.
Oh yes.
We didn't have to cancel.
We didn't have to cancel.
I remember just being like, I am a maid of honor.
I have a duty in a month.
I cannot be unwell.
(44:58):
But I'm going to end with a quote today from a Greek philosopher, which I'm not going to
try to pronounce his name.
And the quote is, it's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
And I think me retelling that story of being in the hospital, it reminded me of how we
can sometimes feel like a victim, how we can have those thoughts of like, why me?
(45:18):
What now?
Like that just all bubbling to the surface and you go down that hole and it is hard to
get out of and it's dark and it's scary.
And I think laying there in that hospital bed had me in a dark place.
But when we can shift our perspective, when we can allow those feelings, obviously to
surface, honor them, feel them, but then shift, like that is where the power is.
(45:40):
The key is just shifting your energy and focusing on what you can do in the moment to empower
yourself, to lift yourself up, to soothe yourself, just to feel better and focus on what you
can control, which is how you react and handle what happens to you.
You're in charge and how you show up and that energy you bring to yourself is so powerful.
(46:01):
So just my advice for you is always remember that things are not happening to you, but
for you, moving you into the direction of exactly where you want to be.
Even when sometimes you're like, oh, what in the world is going on?
It's very true.
I agree with you 100%.
Right.
Well, that's all we have for you today.
Yes.
(46:21):
Thank you guys for listening.
As always, we really appreciate likes, follows and reviews wherever you listen to your podcasts.
And you can find us at I've Got Guts podcast on Facebook and you can email us at ivegotgutspodcasts@gmail.com.
Thanks everyone.
See you next week.
Bye.
Bye.
Hello, I'm Stefanie and I'm Lauren and this is I've Got Guts, a podcast about living
(00:09):
and thriving with chronic illness.
Let's be real, it is really hard.
But it doesn't have to be.
You are not alone.
With this podcast, we want to create a community and a space to be able to talk about the tough
stuff and laugh along the way.
The idea for this podcast stemmed from us trying to find one for ourselves to listen
to, but not being able to find anything that didn't make us more sad or frustrated.
(00:32):
Our goal is to talk about the hard stuff, but also talk about how to get through it,
be positive, have a full and productive life, and of course thrive.
But before we get started, just so we are clear, we are not medical professionals.
We are just here sharing our personal experiences.
Yes, we are.
Okay.
All right, we're going to change it up a little bit.
(00:53):
And we're going to start with Rose's first room.
Because our roses are leading into our thorns this week.
Sometimes they combine.
So my rose is also a little IVF update for everyone.
So let's hear it.
Last time, well, last time I gave you guys an update, I told you how they were putting
me through a priming cycle, which was going to even out my hormones and synchronize my
(01:18):
follicles.
Yes, you synchronized swimmer you.
And I got to the end of this priming cycle, and I felt really strongly that my body had
gone through the motions of having a period, but I never got a period.
So I reached out to them and I was like, I know you told me to wait until the first day
of my period, but I think I need to come in for a checkup just to see where I'm at.
(01:38):
So I went in this past Tuesday for a checkup and they were, this is the first time they've
ever said this to me.
They're like, your ovaries look perfect.
I was like, say it again.
Say it one more time.
Say it louder.
They're like, your follicles are all like small, same size.
You don't have any lead follicles.
That's exactly what we want ovaries to look like for stims.
(02:00):
Yes, I'm so proud of them.
So I was like, oh my God, the only thing was my uterine lining was thick, obviously, because
I didn't actually bleed.
But because we are doing a freeze all cycle, it didn't matter.
Oh, that's good.
So we started our stim medication on Tuesday.
So I'm on day six of stims right now.
(02:22):
Typically you stim for about 10 to 12 days and then you go for an egg retrieval.
Oh my goodness, this is so exciting.
But wait, what is stim?
Can you explain stims for people who may not know?
It's so funny you say that because when I told my mom, she's like, when I think of stims,
I think of people with autism.
And I'm like, oh yeah, no, this is very different, mom.
(02:43):
This is like, so basically we're stimulating my ovaries and we're growing those.
We want my follicles to be big.
In order to do an egg retrieval, your follicles need to be over 20 millimeters.
That's kind of big.
Right now I've got like some sixes, some sevens, some eights and a nine.
So they grow about one to two millimeters per day with these medicines.
(03:06):
So I go for another checkup tomorrow morning.
So we'll see where I'm at.
This is so exciting.
I know it is.
Yay, Room.
I love it.
Yeah, so it's a good rose.
Good.
I'm glad it was a good rose.
Well, my rose was, this just happened this morning.
And I'm a part of a mastermind Zoom group with these ladies who actually I've talked
(03:27):
about already.
I went to a spiritual spa day with these ladies.
And after that spa retreat, we just found that we had like such the bond and connection
after like our time together that Tiffany, one of the ladies was like, what if we do
a mastermind where we meet once a week and we get together and we share highs and lows
(03:47):
and we just collaborate and we're all trying to grow both personally and professionally.
I'm like, sure, I love that kind of stuff.
I'm in.
So this morning, usually we've been doing them at night, but this morning it was nice
and early at 730.
Holy cow on a Sunday.
Yes, yes.
But honestly, I set my alarm.
I got up.
I made my hot lemon water to stimulate my digestive tract.
(04:11):
Got all cozy and I spent the morning with Becky and Tiffany and it was just such a nice
morning to be able to just talk about things.
And I have a lot going on right now, unknown with my health.
And I feel like it's like impacting just my everyday life with Sean.
We've been kind of at each other's throats these last couple of weeks.
(04:32):
But yeah, it was just a beautiful way to start my morning and they really just kind of helped
set the tone for the day.
So I love that for you.
People always are like, you and I are the same.
And I'm like, yes, we are.
But if I had to wake up at seven on a Sunday morning to do Zoom, I would be really I would
feel angry.
Well, you your reaction was Sean's when he after we were done with the Zoom, he comes
(04:57):
storming in.
He's like, what are you doing at seven a.m. on a Saturday?
Your voice is echoing through the house.
I'm like, oopsies.
I closed the door.
You do have a loud voice.
I really do have a loud voice.
Next time I plan to zoom early on a Sunday morning, I will use headphones and go in the
basement.
There you go.
Compromised.
All right.
(05:18):
Thorns room.
All right.
So my thorn.
Well, so while it is exciting that we are in this phase of IVF, the the thorn of it all
is my body is not reacting well to these medicines.
So I'm getting three shots a night and the shots in general are not fun.
Two of them aren't terrible.
(05:39):
One of them is real hurty.
I mean, it burns going in and it's a lot of liquids.
Anthony makes eye contact with me.
I found lately that listening to the Backstreet Boys has been very helpful.
I wonder why.
Maybe because they might have announced a tour that I'm really excited about and I'm
(05:59):
going to find a way to go to.
But listening to their old stuff has been just like, I think it's comforting for me because
I know every single word and harmony and I'm just like, OK, I can do this.
If I can get through this, if I can sing through, I'll never break your heart.
Then the shot will be over.
I love that.
But it's been the symptoms are terrible.
I have these raging headaches every morning and every night and the constipation.
(06:24):
I mean, which it's been bad.
Like I mean, I called poor Anthony.
Actually, I think I called my mom first, but then I called Anthony and I'm hysterically
crying yesterday and I'm like, my butt's bleeding.
And he's like, next time you call me crying like that, can you just start off with like
no one died?
I was like, my butthole died.
I just need to make sure that everyone's still alive.
(06:48):
And it's just another issue.
It was just I birthed poop.
I mean, it was painful and terrible.
And I was like, do we have any ointments in the house?
Like, I just need to know where the ointments are.
That's why I'm calling you.
So, you know, it's the it's there's good and there's bad.
I knew going into this that my body was going to react to these medicines.
(07:10):
But anything for my for future baby.
And yes, yes.
And you are so strong.
And I feel like everything that you've already been through in life is like preparing you
for going through this whole experience.
Oh, yes.
So you're ready for it.
Room, your thorn.
OK.
My thorn is I just have not been feeling the best.
(07:31):
Just an update.
I feel like last time I did not know the results of my ultrasound.
I just talked about the old Doppler ultrasound that was new for both of us.
And so the ultrasound, I got the results back and it showed that I have a blockage in my
celiac artery.
Crazy.
OK, not to be confused with celiac disease.
(07:52):
The first thing when my gastroenterologist said it to me, I'm like, wait a second, is
this like celiac disease?
He's like, no, Lauren, this is an artery.
OK, just learning as I go here.
So I wasn't sure.
So yes, celiac, celiac, spelled the same, pronounced the same, totally different meanings.
So the celiac artery is an artery that actually pumps blood to your stomach and different
(08:16):
organs.
And they saw that it's blocked in some shape or form, but it's the ultrasound.
It's not like perfect.
So they're sending me for a CT angio on Tuesday this week where that will be really very picture.
The picture will be very clear on where the blockage is, how much is blocked.
Because if you think about it, and my doctor even said he was like, if you are if blood
(08:40):
isn't flowing to your organs and your belly properly, no, that could really affect you
not feeling the best.
And I have not been feeling the best.
But if I get the CT scan and they're like, it's not that bad.
It shouldn't be causing any symptoms.
And we know it's just the iron.
And I'm just waiting for my iron infusion to kick in and hopefully start to feel better
again.
(09:01):
So that's my thorn.
I just I am feeling like I cannot wait to just like feel better.
And I haven't been able to like exercise, which is like my way to release.
And I think that's maybe why Sean and I have been at each.
Well, I should say I haven't been the most easy to deal with because I'm not like running
and getting the exercise I normally do.
(09:23):
Yeah.
Although how do you run outside right now?
We got like, you know, all the snow and ice.
Well, they have these great little things you put on your sneakers and they have like
almost like little claw.
I shouldn't say claws, but these like little pegs.
So when you run, it helps you helps you get traction.
You just put them on the bottom of your sneakers.
Yeah, because I hate treadmills.
Yeah, they're the worst.
(09:44):
All right.
So that was my thorn this week.
Oh, man.
I feel like anybody who's been listening for the last couple of weeks is like, man, these
girls never feel good.
But life with chronic illness.
I mean, here you go.
I know, right?
I really I feel like I've been on a good streak up until recently.
Seriously.
All right.
Shout out of the week.
You want to take over for this one room?
Yes, I will.
(10:04):
So we're shouting out our good friend, Amy J, or I should say Amy Ethier now, but I
call her Amy J.
So Amy has been listening literally since I feel like we started.
No, she didn't she wasn't totally caught up, so she did say to me the one day she's like,
I literally just binged you guys.
(10:25):
I'm like, you binged us?
I love that.
And it's just we so appreciate her listening and her support.
And I think my favorite part is that Miss Tessa, her daughter is listening as well and
was asking and requesting some music.
So I mean, hey, and Connor and Connor.
Yes.
(10:45):
And we miss you and we love you guys and we so appreciate you listening and so much
to us.
Yes, we do.
All right, room.
Kicking it off.
You're going to kick it off today with a little IBS constipation.
Yeah, let's talk about it.
So in one of our very first episodes, I briefly touched on IBS constipation and I feel like
(11:08):
I didn't really like stick to it that much because I don't really identify with it.
I'm going to throw that out there and as I talk more about it, I'll tell why I don't
really.
But I have had trouble going to the bathroom from the time I was born.
And I actually like called my mom to get like more background info for this episode today.
(11:29):
And she said that she when she told the doctors when I was a baby, an infant about this, like,
oh, just mixing some caro syrup with her formula.
That's what they told her to do.
That's crazy.
Yeah.
And she did because she was like this poor baby is never pooping.
You know what I mean?
So then, like when I was a kid, my mom's like, she's not going to the bathroom.
(11:52):
What can I do for her?
They told her to give me prune juice.
They told her to give me milk of magnesium.
They told her to give me castor oil.
And she's like, oh, no, she's like, I was so distraught because you're a small child
who is probably not going to take any of those disgusting things.
So how am I going to force them down your throat to go to the bathroom?
(12:15):
You know what I mean?
Like, and I remember she put a glass of prune juice in front of me and I would sit there
and I would not move for hours.
Like, she's like, you're going to sit there till you drink that prune juice.
I would sit there.
And if I did drink it, I would gag on it.
Like disgusting.
Oh, so gross.
And I have memories of enemas, like lots of enemas.
(12:37):
And I talked to her about a specific memory I have where we spent hours where she'd get
close to me and I would clench my butt cheeks.
And like we did that dance for hours because I don't want to do the enema.
And we tried suppositories, which suppositories and me.
Was enema bucket a thing back then?
No, it was just the old.
I mean, maybe.
Maybe you just didn't know about it.
But she didn't know about it.
(12:58):
You know what I mean?
But it would get to the point where I knew that going to the bathroom, it was going to
be so big that I was so afraid of it that I would purposely hold it in.
Like I would get the urge to poop, but I would hold it in and it would get so bad that I
would throw up.
OK, that is the worst.
Nobody wants to be vomiting.
And it was like this fear of probably what I experienced the other day, ripping my butthole
(13:20):
open.
Like you don't want to.
And there's so much pressure building.
It's like you got to get stuff out of you some way or another.
Right.
Yeah.
And my mom was like my coach.
Like she would sit on the other side of the door, like reassuring me.
She's like, it's OK.
You can do it.
Push, push, push.
Like Toni, you're the best.
And as a mom, it has to be so hard to watch your kid go through that and really like have
(13:41):
no answers.
And she actually told me I did not know this.
She told me about it.
Like it got so bad once she took me to my pediatrician and right there on the table
in front of her, he pulled poop out of my butt with his hand.
What?
Yeah.
She's like, he just stuck his fingers up there and just pulling poop out of you.
OK, wait a second.
How old were you when this was happening?
I had to have been, it was before the age of six because we still lived here in New
(14:04):
York.
OK.
Before we moved to Florida.
So I was. How traumatizing.
I mean, thank God I don't have a memory of that.
But for her, it was traumatizing.
She's like, I'm sitting in the corner of the room, like hysterically crying, watching this
man pull poop out of you.
And she felt like she kept going to the doctor saying she needs help.
Give her milk and magnesium.
Give her, like they never had an answer.
(14:26):
And I said to her, when was I officially diagnosed?
And she's like, not until high school.
So you went all of those years.
You're like basically your entire childhood dealing with this.
Yeah.
She said there were there wasn't like they never put a term to it.
It was just she's constipated.
You know what I mean?
And she really tried to get help for me.
But like she never knew that she never knew all the stuff we know now.
(14:51):
Right.
She's like, if I knew then what I know now, I feel like it could have been different for
you.
But she was doing the best she could.
Yeah.
With what the knowledge that she had.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So before I get a little bit into my story, I want to just tell people a little bit about
IBS in case they don't know.
So IBS is irritable bowel syndrome and it's a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that affects
(15:16):
the large intestine.
And it causes a group of symptoms that can vary in severity and frequency.
So like abdominal pain or cramping, bloating in gas and changing in bowel habits.
Now, many people don't know this and we did touch on this in our other episode, but there
are three different kinds of IBS.
There's IBS D, which is diarrhea, IBS C, which is constipation.
(15:38):
It's the version I have.
And then there's IBS M, which is where you alternate between constipation and diarrhea.
And typically when you have IBS, you have mucus in your stool and you never feel like
you have a complete bowel movement, which you probably don't.
Right.
You're never fully getting it out.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
And the causes are like not really known.
(16:00):
Could be a gut brain interaction, could be food sensitivities, could be stress and anxiety,
could be hormonal, could be gut bacteria imbalance.
And there's no real specific way to diagnose IBS.
There is no real treatment either.
There are some diets you can try, like there's the FODMAP diet.
(16:22):
Tried it, didn't work.
There's medications.
I've probably tried all of them.
They never helped.
Stress management, like that doesn't help.
It's a crock of, you know what?
And probiotics, which for some people do help.
I personally can't take probiotics.
Now my personal feeling about IBS is it's a blanket diagnosis given to people when they
(16:43):
have no idea what else is going on.
Yeah.
It's exactly what they told me when I was a kid and I was an undiagnosed celiac.
So it's kind of like what they reach for when they don't know what's going on with you.
It's a lazy diagnosis if we're being honest.
And this is why I don't identify with it.
I think constipation is part of my problem, but I think my stomach issues have always
(17:04):
run much deeper and have always gone misdiagnosed.
I think if they had sent me to a pediatric gastroenterologist when I was a kid, which
why did that never happen?
Right.
So we probably would know a lot more about my whole picture.
And I wonder if that would have changed the path that my life had taken.
(17:27):
Obviously now I have many other things.
I have gastroparesis.
I have ineffective esophageal motility.
I have GERD.
So that complicates things a little bit.
But when I was first diagnosed with gastroparesis and my diet completely changed, they put me
on Miralax because they're like, you have IBS.
We're about to take all the fiber out of your diet.
(17:49):
So you have to be on Miralax.
Now mind you, I've been on and off Miralax for 17 years.
And it works for you, right?
It worked for you.
It worked for me.
And I've been on it for long periods of time, but this was by far the longest.
I was on it from 2019 to 2024 every single day.
That's a lot of Miralax.
And let me tell you, between my diet of mostly processed foods and white carbs and Miralax,
(18:13):
I didn't have a solid poop for all those years.
That's insane.
Never.
That's just not fair.
Everybody deserves to have a good poop.
I know.
I shouldn't say that because I did have bouts of constipation, obviously, but nothing longer
than two weeks.
But until my bridal shower...
(18:33):
How do I remember this?
Leading up to it, I didn't go to the bathroom for a month.
Which is crazy.
We were just being like, saying a prayer of like, please, the bride needs to poop.
It was awful, but I was really determined to look good in that dress.
So I do have some go-to strategies.
Now, obviously, when I throw these out there, these may work for some people.
(18:57):
These may not work for some people.
These typically always work for me if I do them together.
So I put castor oil on my belly.
I don't ingest it.
It's disgusting.
I can't believe they told my mom to make me drink castor oil.
But I put it on my belly and I actually shouldn't say I do it.
I have Anthony do a massage, a clockwise massage.
(19:20):
And you actually...
I could try to explain it to you guys, but I feel like words won't help.
You have to start in a certain spot and then move to a certain spot.
And there's a reason for this.
This direction follows the path of the large intestine.
So you kind of go up your right side, which is your ascending colon, across the top, which
is your transverse colon, and then down the left side, which is your descending colon.
(19:44):
And doing that with the castor oil helps just move things through the intestines and down
the colon.
And then I put my heating pad on after.
And honestly, you can YouTube.
You can find videos of how to do this on YouTube.
That's really helpful.
And sometimes I'll just have Anthony do it, even if I'm not in a bout of constipation.
Just because I feel like it gets things moving for me.
(20:07):
It doesn't.
And so it literally helps stimulate peristalsis of your intestines, your colon.
I did hot water with lemon a few times a day, which you just talked about.
I did.
It's a great way to stimulate the old digestive tract.
I did several enemas, hence why I purchased the enema bucket.
It's actually really efficient.
(20:29):
And money wise, it's definitely an investment, right?
Because you just buy it one time.
You got your bucket forever.
And I ate mostly liquids or soft foods.
So typically if I'm in a really bad bout of constipation, I do those things for, it usually
takes a couple of days to a week to get everything fully out.
And I got everything fully out about two days before my bridal shower.
(20:52):
I was like, thank goodness.
I didn't have a bloated bride.
Yeah.
You know, I went back to Miralax, but right after my bridal shower, you introduced me
to Oliveda.
Yes.
And as you would say, it has been life changing for me.
So as with my strategies that I use to help with my bouts of constipation, this is what
(21:17):
works for me.
So what I'm about to tell you might not work for everyone, but it has literally changed
my life.
So Oliveda or olive tree people is a European waterless beauty brand.
And this company has been in Europe for 20 years, but they just came here to the U.S.
two years ago and there's nothing here like it.
So the founder of the company replaced water found in normal products that we use in the
(21:41):
U.S. with olive leaf elixir, which is called hydroxytyrosol.
I literally had to practice saying that like 500 times.
It's a hard word.
And that paired with collagen, hyaluron, and camu camu kind of sets this brand apart.
So I was already looking to take a more natural route with things in my life anyways, knowing
(22:03):
that right after the wedding, we were going to start trying to have a baby.
Like I knew that chemicals were bad.
So I already wanted to change my hair care, my skin care, all the products in my house,
everything.
So this was kind of aligned with where I was going anyway.
So I really didn't go into this with a ton of expectations.
Like you told me about this.
You're like, it's working for me.
I was like, I'll try anything at least once.
(22:24):
That's my motto.
So I started with one of the products and after about a month, I noticed I was going
to the bathroom more regularly.
I was like, I told you, Room.
And then after using that one for a month, I added in the other two internal products.
(22:44):
So they have three internal products.
Okay.
And so what are you taking right now?
Are you still doing those three?
I still do the three.
So it's called I-66, I-70, and I-01.
I started with the I-66.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because that one was more for digestive tract.
And that got me going.
So I was like, okay.
And then when I added in the other two after about a month, I was like, okay.
(23:07):
I'm like going to the bathroom and I noticed like my bloating was going down.
Like I was just feeling better overall.
And then I added in their olive oil.
And now when I tell people this, they're like, wait, you drink olive oil?
Yes.
I actually take a shot glass and I put a little bit of the olive oil.
(23:28):
I put the I-01 because it's like a little dropper, you know?
And then I squeeze a little bit of lemon and I take it like a shot.
Ooh.
How does it go down for you?
Beautifully.
Ooh.
And I love olive oil.
I know.
Didn't you say you were like putting it on ice cream or something crazy?
Yes.
It's a thing in Italy.
It's a thing in Italy.
Yeah.
This isn't just any old olive oil.
(23:48):
Like their olive oil is single sourced, cold pressed, bioactive and is pesticide and fertilizer
free.
So this isn't like you can't buy this on a shelf in the grocery store.
You know what I mean?
Right.
Yes.
It's so pure.
And that is when I hit my sweet spot.
Like I am not kidding you.
I was like never bloated.
(24:12):
My gas was almost like non-existent.
Okay.
That's amazing.
Which is crazy because we're talking about someone who think I work with kids because
I will fart all day and blame it on kids.
You literally just been farting through your life as have I.
I was going to the bathroom several times a week, which I don't think has ever happened
in my entire life.
I remember when you called me like once you were like really into it, you're like, I can't
(24:36):
get over it.
I went and it's like normal.
Normal poops.
Yeah.
But that point is I was like, okay, I think I'm going to stop the Miralax.
So I stopped taking the Miralax cold turkey and nothing changed.
The bloating was still gone.
I was still going to the bathroom.
I was still feeling great.
I felt great overall in my whole body.
(24:58):
That's amazing.
And I think that goes to show that like I was poisoning myself for years with Miralax.
Miralax is terrible.
I've done a lot of research on it.
Oh no.
It's like straight poison.
No one should be putting that stuff in their body.
Like first of all, it can imbalance your electrolytes, which I already have a problem with.
(25:19):
Oh right.
Because of like my passing out.
Yes, your blackouts.
You can depend on it.
So your body can get used to it and then you need it to go to your body unlearns how to
go to the bathroom without the Miralax.
Right.
It's like almost just so unnatural.
It alters your gut bacteria balance.
Hello.
(25:39):
I had intestinal, methanogenous overgrowth in my belly.
I had thrush, like all these gut bacteria imbalances.
Yeah.
You can get like allergic reactions, neurological concerns.
There are reports of neurological symptoms in children.
Okay.
That's frightening.
Yeah.
(26:00):
And it causes bloating, gas cramping and diarrhea.
Like why are we putting this in our body?
And to me, the worst thing is, is it's recommended for children.
So now if someone like my mom were to go to the pediatrician and be like, my child's not
going to the bathroom.
They're like, give him Miralax.
That's the new prune juice.
Right.
And so people are putting this poison in our children's bodies at such a young age.
(26:23):
Like it's full of chemicals.
It's full of plastics.
Like, oh, I can't, I am so thankful that I was able to get off of Miralax.
It really, I feel a huge difference in my body after being off of it.
Which is so amazing.
It's so amazing.
I think that if you're listening to this and you're a parent and you have a child who's
constipated, kind of push the doctor to be like, wait, why is my child constipated?
(26:47):
Let's get to the bottom of this.
Right.
Ask the questions.
Ask the why questions to get, to uncover what's really going on.
So obviously I'm now I'm on like 800 different drugs for IVF.
My belly's been pretty off, which I knew was all part of this.
I was expecting it.
Like everybody said, you know, be prepared, these medicines really constipate you.
(27:09):
So I knew that this was coming.
But the Oliveda was still helping me even through the like IVF medicine.
But I had a little snafu a few weeks ago.
What happened?
My Oliveda order was destroyed while it was being shipped to me.
It's like what?
We don't have time for things getting destroyed.
So I had it timed perfectly.
(27:30):
We're like, I was going to run out and it was going to come and I wouldn't like miss
a day.
But with it being destroyed, obviously that didn't work out.
And Oliveda was great.
They like, I emailed them.
They that night created an order and sent it to me.
But it took about two weeks to get here.
So I went two weeks without it and holy cow, my body is mad at me.
Oh, Room.
(27:50):
So mad at me.
And I think, I think that's the thing when you have digestive problems, especially something
like IBS, even though I think IBS is a scam, you have to like create habits and you can't
get something just a month.
I hear so many people being like, well, I did it for a month and it didn't work.
I think when you have like digestive issues, I think three months should be the maximum
(28:12):
of doing it every day consistently before you can say something doesn't work.
Right.
But you got to give your body time to adjust.
Yes.
So I have this habit now of doing it.
I broke that habit and my stomach is mad.
So I have to get back into that habit.
But I think if you find something that works for you, do it consistently.
(28:33):
Yes.
Yeah.
And yeah, stick with it.
Yeah.
You got to stick with it.
So find what works, be consistent and have some emergency strategies because if you have
something like IBS, you're always going to go through periods of like flares.
So have a few backup strategies.
Like for me, I've got the massage thing.
(28:55):
I've got the lemon water.
I've got the enema bucket.
Find the things that work for you.
Make sure you have them on hand at all times and just maintain that consistency.
Yes.
I think such great advice and I can't wait.
I'm going to come home and be like, Sean, will you counter counterclockwise rub my belly tonight?
Yes.
I need to make sure he uses the palm of his hand when he does it.
Okay.
Palm of your hand.
Can I borrow some castor oil?
(29:15):
Where do you get that from?
Wegmans.
Oh, okay.
Wegmans.
People are like, wait, what's Wegmans?
Wegmans is a grocery store very specific to the area that we live in in New York.
Yes.
They are amazing.
You can get it at any grocery store, drug store.
It's just like in the health aisle.
Don't drink it.
Only rub it on your body.
(29:38):
All right, Room, what do you got for us today?
All right.
Well, I'm going to head into ulcers.
Ooh, so exciting.
Ooh, little ulcers.
When we met.
Actually, that's a good one.
That's why you were mean to me.
I was.
I really struggle with my emotions when I'm not well.
But yes, when I met you, Room, I had a bleeding ulcer in college.
(30:02):
And actually, when I was going back and thinking about and just jotting down how often I've
had ulcers, it had to be at least four or five times over the years that I've had ulcers.
And so for those of you who are, I'm sure everyone has heard the term ulcer before,
but basically ulcers are sores or lesions that commonly occur along the upper digestive
(30:22):
tract.
So when they form in this area, they're known collectively as peptic ulcers.
And then just individually, these peptic ulcers are described by where they are found.
So the most common place to find them is gastric ulcers in the stomach.
That's where most of mine were in the beginning.
And then there's, I can never say this word right.
(30:45):
Duodenal?
Yes, ulcers.
It's that part that connects to your small intestine.
It's that upper part of your small intestine.
So they can go there.
I've had them there as well.
And peptic ulcers that occur in the esophagus are known as esophageal ulcers.
And just common side effects, if you do have an ulcer, maybe you are thinking, oh, maybe
(31:09):
I'm having these symptoms.
Maybe it is an ulcer.
Common side effects are just pain that people often describe as burning and stabbing.
And that's how I would always know.
It was like that burning stab, knife-like pain, loss of appetite, difficulty swallowing,
nausea.
And then certain foods and drinks can make the pain worse.
(31:31):
Like orange juice, anything acidic is just like fire.
It feels like an open wound, basically.
Exactly.
And they can even start to bleed.
So I've had many over the course of my life.
But two that really stood out that were the peptic ulcers that were in my belly was college.
(31:51):
I was honestly new.
What was I?
We were sophomores in college.
I kicked off that semester and I wasn't feeling the best.
I was pledging for our sorority.
And I just remember, one, it's the bond that you share, one, with your sorority sisters,
that they were there for me every step of the way, supporting me and just helping me.
(32:14):
Because it was tough.
It was tough to be not only going to school, but doing all the things that I was doing
while I had a bleeding ulcer.
You did not look well.
I did not.
I remember meeting her.
I was like, this girl is sickly.
Something's wrong with her.
She was cracked out.
Nope, just a bleeding ulcer.
And I just remember going home during spring break and landing in the hospital.
(32:36):
It was Easter and they diagnosed me with the ulcer.
And I remember coming back and it was just, it just shows that I had a sorority of sisters
that were there for me and it was just wonderful to come back to.
So that was one big ulcer moment.
And then another ulcer that I ended up getting was, so after we graduated college, I moved
(32:58):
here to Rochester.
And I feel like, Room, we just kind of-
We just continued college, basically.
We continued college for like 10 years.
We were just, we were doing all the things.
We were going out.
We lived our best life.
We were partying.
We were doing kickball leagues.
Oh my God.
You did do a bocce league.
Bocce leagues and just dinners and just we, we lived, we lived.
We lived, for sure.
(33:19):
We lived to the fullest.
So it was one point where it got so bad, the pain that I was experiencing.
And you know, maybe my habits were not trying.
Lack of sleep, alcohol, you know, what I was eating.
I feel like back then we were broke living off of like tater tots and rice.
(33:39):
But we were, it was right before we were getting ready to go see the script.
Do you remember this room?
Oh yes.
We were in Philadelphia or Philly weekend.
Yes.
Yeah.
So it was Room, me and our good friend, Emily.
And the three of us just, I don't know, we fell in love with the script.
And I just remember that one summer where you and Emily were just bouncing around and
(34:00):
we were just jamming out to the script.
Oh, we listened to you.
Yeah.
So Emily, first of all, one, we miss you and love you.
And I know you're listening to and we appreciate your support and listening to our podcast.
I feel like it connects us.
But it was right after Emily moved, she left Rochester, moved to New York City and we,
the three of us would try to like get together and the script was playing in Philadelphia.
(34:23):
Yes.
So we had to go.
Perfect opportunity.
Perfect opportunity.
Do I not get diagnosed with a peptic bleeding ulcer right before going?
And I remember sitting on my bed in our one bedroom apartment and I was on the phone.
I don't know if I was talking to the, what doctor I was talking to at the time.
Oh, Dr. Kim, it's definitely Dr. Kim.
Oh, yeah.
And we were, he was getting me set up for my endoscopy and he was like, yep, yep, another
(34:46):
ulcer, bleeding ulcer.
And he would give us the pictures of our endoscopy.
Oh yeah.
He loved doing that.
And I like hung it out the fridge.
I kind of was proud.
I was like, look at that ulcer I created.
Now watch me heal it.
I feel like you drink a lot of milk to heal it.
I did.
I did.
That was before I lost my gallbladder.
So milk was still my friend and I did drink a lot of milk, but I did not, I never cancel
(35:09):
plans very rarely.
Oh no.
And we were not canceling the script.
No.
And we went and not only did we go, but we ended up meeting the script.
We did.
It was just like, you got a bleeding ulcer.
That's okay.
You're going to meet the script.
You've literally been like swooning over all summer.
So that was like a crazy time.
But again, I feel like they put me on meds that just kind of helped to soothe my belly,
(35:32):
to just soothe the situation.
And it really, it's a good like two months, you know?
And I think by the time we went to see the script, I was like, I was still kind of in
pain and I was managing the best I could.
But I feel like food and what you eat and just putting things in your body when you
have an ulcer that doesn't aggravate it is so key as you're healing.
(35:52):
So that was after that, I didn't have an ulcer for a long time until this past June.
Okay.
So I don't, I was thinking, I feel like I shared this story already on the podcast.
One month before my wedding.
Yes.
And I was afraid we were going to have to cancel because I didn't think you were going
to be able to come to my wedding.
Oh my God.
It was so scary.
(36:12):
It was so scary.
So actually we, it was a week in June.
It was Amy's, Amy J's birthday.
I love how we shouted you out Amy J.
And this is the weekend, Sean and I came home for your surprise 40th.
So Amy didn't know we were coming.
We were heading home to Watervliet and I don't, on the drive down, I remember going
to Sean, I'm like, I don't know.
(36:32):
Like I feel like I was trying to like swallow like a snack in the car and some, you know,
ginger ale, whatever.
I'm like, something feel like, it doesn't feel right.
It feels like it's getting stuck.
Yep.
But I just had a stretching like beginning of May, end of April and this is June.
Like that's too soon.
I'm like, ah, who knows, whatever.
So get to Watervliet
We get to the bar and actually I want to say Scott, my brother-in-law picked up some food,
(36:56):
gluten-free food for me from a local place in the Troy area called Birch Baked and they
do gluten-free and they do the best sandwiches.
So he picked me up a sandwich.
I remember eating that and the sandwich went down and then, you know, we were at the bar
for her party.
I met, you know, here I am.
I just knew something wasn't right though as it went down.
(37:16):
But anyway, it did not stop me from enjoying myself that evening.
No, it never does.
I met Scott's new girlfriend, Paulinka.
We were celebrating Amy and we just celebrated through the night.
So it was a really, really, really fun night.
I woke up in the morning, obviously not feeling the best, but thinking, you know, didn't make
the best choices the night before.
We get in the car to head home and I am like, is this really hurting to swallow?
(37:41):
This is bad.
Like something is not right.
Yeah, you called me.
Yeah.
So I'm like, room, I don't know what it is.
It's hurting so bad.
You're like strep throat is going around.
I'm like, oh, you're a genius.
It's got to be strep.
I have definitely have strep throat.
So as soon as we got home, it's a Sunday.
I'm like, I can't miss work on Monday for just strep throat.
(38:02):
If that's what it is, I need an antibiotic.
So I went to urgent care.
I'm like, I definitely have strep.
So I know this is going to come back positive and let's do this.
And needless to say, it was not strep throat and the doctor at urgent care was like, no,
this is nothing like strep throat.
(38:23):
But because I was feeling like it was hard to swallow in a different way than I've ever
experienced before, you know what I mean?
I thought maybe really it was like a sore throat.
So anyway, she referred me to go to my primary care the next day and she ran some blood work.
So after that, the next morning I woke up, remember this room?
I panicked.
(38:43):
I was panicking.
Not only it got to the point now where I was only being able to drink water or anything
that was cold.
And it got to the point when I called you, I couldn't swallow my saliva.
Like it wouldn't go down.
And I like became hysterical.
I thought you were having an allergic reaction and like your throat was closing or something.
(39:04):
It was just so unknown.
So like go to my primary care, she's like, no, Lauren, like you got to go to the ER.
Like we, something's obviously not right.
And like you're not able to swallow even your saliva.
Like you got to go.
Something's very wrong.
So I went to the hospital and you know, having achalasia, I know that it's a progressive
(39:25):
disease and you know, we heard from Martin when we interviewed him a couple of episodes
ago that really everybody's future is different with achalasia and you just don't know, you
know, when things can take a turn for you.
And I just remember laying in the hospital being like, is this it?
Like is my esophagus not working anymore?
Like is this, you know, what's happening?
(39:47):
And it was scary.
But then part of me was like, no, I just had a stretching and everything looked good.
So they ran a bunch of tests and of course everything's coming back normal, but my inflammation
levels were high.
And they just, my blood work wasn't normal and things weren't showing up on the CAT scan
on the normal, you know, tests that they do.
And I still couldn't, they're like, we can't send you home if you can't swallow.
(40:10):
You can't swallow your own spit.
You can't go home from the hospital.
So they admitted me and they were going to do an endoscopy the next day.
And I just remember laying there being like, what is happening?
Like why is this happening?
Like I'm not ready to like lose my esophagus yet.
I'm not ready for this to turn progressive.
Like I was just fine.
And like how, what is wrong?
(40:30):
And it was that moment where like, you know, you just have that breakdown and you're all
by myself in the hospital.
Like obviously Sean had to leave, go, you know, be home with Connor.
And it was a really, really rough night.
But when I woke up, I had my endoscopy and they ended up finding my esophagus was full
of bleeding ulcers.
It's full of how, like how many would you say there were?
(40:54):
I mean, I want to say like four or five.
There was definitely a lot.
Honestly, I do have the pictures of them.
Oh my gosh.
I could gag just thinking about it.
You didn't hang that one on the fridge for sure.
Definitely wasn't hanging that one on the fridge, but it was really, really gross.
And they were like, no wonder you can't swallow anything.
(41:14):
So as soon as they knew they got me, you know, I, IV meds just to kind of start to heal the
ulcers while I was in the hospital.
And then I got to a point where I was able to swallow and I could drink fluids and, you
know, they were able to discharge me.
Thankfully, what's so bizarre is, is like, where did this come from?
Literally a month and a half before I had an endoscopy.
That was the most shocking part.
(41:35):
Right.
It was perfect.
They couldn't figure it out.
So after I left the hospital, my doctor Goldstein, who I love so much, he was basically, I mean,
I guess also the ER doctors were saying the same thing too, that they're thinking that
I contracted some type of virus or infection and it just manifested in my esophagus because
(41:56):
when I eat, things go down slow.
Things will kind of get stuck.
Things can, and what happens when food sits in your stomach for too long or in your esophagus
for too long, it can irritate and then hence cause the ulcers.
So they're thinking I had some type of viral infection that I contracted that, you know,
manifested there.
So here's the, so far you were talking about Oliveda products.
(42:17):
I was using the Oliveda internal products, February, March, April, things went out of
stock and I didn't have them the whole month of May.
June is when this all happened.
So I like put it together in my head.
I'm like, oh my gosh, I haven't, and one of the drinks that we do, the wellness drinks
we do has an intense vitamin C booster that camu camu.
(42:42):
So that is like an immune booster and it's, I think was like protecting me.
So I wondered if I had those shots in me during the month of May, could my body have fought
off the virus?
The virus, who knows, who knows?
But while I was in the hospital, the doctor was like, all right, and we're also going
to put you on a steroid just for the high levels of inflammation.
(43:02):
And I get it.
I was on other meds to help with the ulcers, but I'm like, I don't want to do prednisone.
Like you know, we're dealing with this.
I don't want to do this.
And I got the alert that my Oliveda internals arrived while I was in the hospital.
And I'm like, all that I know to be true how I was feeling, how hydroxytyrosol can combat
inflammation.
(43:23):
I'm like, I'm going to say no to steroids.
People don't think they can do that.
You can say no to medicine.
Yes.
Yes.
So I said no.
I went home.
I started on my drinks, you know, rested, healed.
I had to stay home from school for a little bit.
I ended up going back to the doctor.
And when I did go back, my blood work was, he couldn't get over how my inflammation levels
(43:47):
leveled out so well because I wasn't on a steroid.
He was like, I've never seen your levels go back down this quickly without a steroid.
So it just goes to show the power of, you know, we don't always need to turn to these
pharmaceutical meds.
There are natural organic ways that we can heal our bodies, you know, with products that
(44:07):
won't cause you more symptoms like your miralax was.
Right.
So there's sometimes there's a time and place for medicine and there's a time and place
for trying to do things a different way.
Right.
Or at least trying.
Right.
And here's the thing.
If I did that and I went back to the doctor and it wasn't working, I would have went on
the steroid because that would have been the right thing to do.
Right.
Absolutely.
Lucky me, I didn't need to.
So I'm going to end my section today and that I and obviously before I even end, I'm ending
(44:33):
with a quote, which is my favorite.
But after that episode, I have been in a really good place.
No other ulcers, nothing else.
So I'm here's to no more ulcers.
You made it to my wedding with no problems.
Oh yes.
We didn't have to cancel.
We didn't have to cancel.
I remember just being like, I am a maid of honor.
I have a duty in a month.
I cannot be unwell.
(44:58):
But I'm going to end with a quote today from a Greek philosopher, which I'm not going to
try to pronounce his name.
And the quote is, it's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
And I think me retelling that story of being in the hospital, it reminded me of how we
can sometimes feel like a victim, how we can have those thoughts of like, why me?
(45:18):
What now?
Like that just all bubbling to the surface and you go down that hole and it is hard to
get out of and it's dark and it's scary.
And I think laying there in that hospital bed had me in a dark place.
But when we can shift our perspective, when we can allow those feelings, obviously to
surface, honor them, feel them, but then shift, like that is where the power is.
(45:40):
The key is just shifting your energy and focusing on what you can do in the moment to empower
yourself, to lift yourself up, to soothe yourself, just to feel better and focus on what you
can control, which is how you react and handle what happens to you.
You're in charge and how you show up and that energy you bring to yourself is so powerful.
(46:01):
So just my advice for you is always remember that things are not happening to you, but
for you, moving you into the direction of exactly where you want to be.
Even when sometimes you're like, oh, what in the world is going on?
It's very true.
I agree with you 100%.
Right.
Well, that's all we have for you today.
Yes.
(46:21):
Thank you guys for listening.
As always, we really appreciate likes, follows and reviews wherever you listen to your podcasts.
And you can find us at I've Got Guts podcast on Facebook and you can email us at ivegotgutspodcasts@gmail.com.
Thanks everyone.
See you next week.
Bye.
Bye.
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