"2 part Post"

Part 1:-Diet, Doctors, Diagnosis, Drugs, Discouragment?

My journey continues. For years I've posted about my digestive distress and various diets I have discovered and implemented. From eliminating sugar as the "bad guy" to going grain free, taking aim at mainly wheat as the culprit. And of course we can't forget dropping dairy and other "offending" foods that are naturally enjoyed by the normal population! All of these efforts met with little to no improvement in my overall comfort after eating a meal.
Now there is also the visits to gastroenterologists across the nation! I've seen them in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, and most recently Austin, Texas. I've had scopes, c-scans, beathe tests, pin-pricks, blood analysis, saliva tests and the list goes on. The general consensus being either diet changes from the homeopaths or drugs from the MDs. I do feel I have an adequate diagnosis of IBS, only "stamped" in my medical records recently from the MD in Austin. I am thankful to have a handle on my chronic problem. Unfortunately this same doctor's only and promised "miracle" cure was more drugs. Since February 5th I have tried 5 different IBS drugs, all of which gave me side effects worse than the stomach distress. One side effect is still plaguing me after I have been off all meds for over 2 weeks-hand tremors- similar to what you might see in a person with Parkinson's Disease.
So where do I go from here? A possible "solution" I'd like to try is illegal in most states, except Colorado, California, and Oregan. You guessed it-medical marijuana. It has now been approved for IBS sufferers. Unfortunately, for me, you must be a resident of the state in order to get "in the system" to see a dr. and obtain a script. And I WON'T go an illegal route so that is off the table, for the moment anyway-until Florida votes to approve majiuana as a legal drug. (Then I'm driving there, knocking on a provider's door and "asking for a joint"! Ha!)

But, for now, where do I go? Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord..." doesn't give discouragement as an option so.....
After much internet surfing Hunter and I have found two avenues to pursue. One is to take hemp oil daily-1 T. 4 x daily. Hemp is in a similar family as majiuana and may produce some of the same benefits. The other is another diet. Yes, I said it-another diet! It is called the Low-FODMAP diet. It is currently being studied and implemented at the University of Michigan. FODMAP is the collective abbreviation for a group of fermentable, poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates that provide fast food for bowel bacteria and may cause digestive discomfort. 75% of IBS suffers in their program improved dramtically while on this diet. (Let's hope I'm not in the 25% who did not!)
There are a number of restrictions but I won't go into that for now. I am used to "doing without." If this diet could bring me some results I'd "do without" forever! The journey just keeps trucking along.....

Part 2-Keaton & Beckham