Bloating has been one of the symptoms that I have had from the beginning of mold. Before we knew it was mold that was causing my sickness, my mom and I self-diagnosed me with Leaky Gut Syndrome. Nope, that doesn’t mean food is coming out in wrong ways from either end. (That’s always what people assume when I say ‘Leaky Gut’.) I would explain what it really means, but this article by Sarah Balentine does it much better, complete with the scientific details and cute little drawn pictures/diagrams: https://www.thepaleomom.com/what-is-leaky-gut-and-how-can-it-cause/
The thing is, as I was exposed to toxic black mold for so long, my system eventually couldn’t handle it anymore. For the same reason that I can’t handle chemicals most people can, my body can’t handle foods that it normally could. I was able to handle the toxins of the chemicals just fine, until the constant exposure to the toxic black mold pushed me over the edge since my body couldn’t handle the chemicals and the mold at the same time. In the same way, my digestive system was totally able to handle any food I put into it, just like any other person. I did have a sensitivity to some foods that are just naturally harsher to your gut than other foods… but I never realized it, because just like my body could handle chemical sensitivities before, it could handle the harsher foods.
That is, until mold hit. Suddenly my body couldn’t handle fighting the mold and processing the harsher foods at the same time.
Suddenly, every time I ate, my stomach would swell, and bloat, and get really tight, uncomfortable, and painful, like it was going to explode. Eventually it stopped going down back to normal in between meals, and just stayed that way constantly.
It was hard to ever get comfortable. even if it wasn’t constantly in pain (though often), it would never be comfortable. Maybe not a big deal and yet… yeah, a big deal after it non-stop for months.
When it first started happening, we asked our doctor about it, and… well, they didn’t say it outright, but I was left with the very distinct impression that they didn’t believe me. Besides, I was just a teenager, of course I couldn’t be trusted to know what my stomach looked like normally… I was just a teen with self-confidence problems. That was frustrating. And it didn’t fix the problem.
So my mom got researching, and we took up a friend’s suggestion to try a naturopathe. Together we went with the Leaky Gut Syndrome theory, and began the long, complicated, trail and error process of taking out foods that were ‘harsh’ foods for me. It’s a long list, that we’ll visit some other time, but basically I was on the AIP diet, except add a few more restrictions.
That helped a whole lot! Sure, then we had the problem of not eating much, but if we could just be nice and gentle to my gut for a while it would heal. Well… that was the idea. It didn’t work out quite that way, we had to move away from the mold, too, for it to heal, but I am pleased to say that it does end. It is possible for your gut to heal if you take care of it properly. It even went completely back to normal! It even went back to more normal than I thought it would, keeping in mind the fact that I had spent many months without exercise.
One thing I do notice when I am more inflamed and bloated, is that I am always so hungry no matter how much I eat. That is normal. That is okay. Just be wise, and realize when you really are hungry, and when it is just the inflammation that is making you think you’re hungry.
It doesn’t fix anything, but the essential oil Digestion Support, either taken orally or rubbed on you stomach with a carrier oil can help relive the pain of it somewhat. Also rubbing your stomach area from right to left (your right, and your left), also helps a lot. I mean, when a doctor suggested it to me, I didn’t believe her, but it helps a whole lot. For short term relief, experimenting with taking enzymes when you eat is also a great idea, which helped me significantly. There’s more on that here.
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