u/DysautonomiaQueen

The tl;dr version of my IBS is that I’ve struggled with constipation since day 1, and have had varying levels of various other symptoms over the years, with the last 4 years being primarily severe sulfur gas, constipation that sometimes flipped to borderline-diarrhea, and occasional GERD and gastritis. Plus a few other little fun things sprinkled in here and there.
I also have POTS.

I’ve spent thousands at doctors, and have tried countless supplements. Spent sooo many nights crying, thinking I would never get better.
This year it seems like I started fitting puzzle pieces together. I found out that I’m deficient in multiple vitamins (primarily B12, D, and ferritin), and started supplementing, but saw minimal improvement.
On a whim, I decided to try just one more digestive enzyme, and got Digest Gold from Enzymedica, and suddenly started seeing improvement. It wasn’t 100%, but it helped hugely with finally narrowing down on the trigger foods I had.

I’d tried low FODMAP, gluten free, and dairy free, and none of them helped. And no wonder, because my biggest trigger foods are red meat, broccoli, and eggs. (All of which are high sulfur foods, which makes me wonder if I have hydrogen sulfide SIBO or some other kind of sulfur sensitivity, I dunno. More research to do there.)
I cut those out, and found even more relief.

The last piece I’ve found has been managing my lifelong stress/anxiety. I’ve begun doing hypnotherapy, at first in-person for a couple sessions, and now at home with the Calm Gut app and other videos I can find on YouTube.

These three things have brought my symptoms down by about 80%, but I still have short bursts of symptoms that worry me that I’m still missing a piece. But I’m also wondering if this is something that might just continue to improve as my gut (hopefully) heals? It’s only been about a month on the enzymes and hypnotherapy, and actually less than a week off of my known trigger foods.
Is there a chance that things will continue to level off over time? I’m thrilled with the progress I’ve made after sooooo long feeling hopeless, but also want to do anything I can to continue healing.

And here’s the craziest thing that makes me think I’m not just imagining the improvements. My chronic fatigue from POTS has dropped off massively, and my gains in the gym have absolutely EXPLODED. I swear it’s like I’ve got newbie gains again, after 5 years of lifting. All I can assume is I’m finally absorbing protein and nutrients for the first time in years, possibly ever.

Am I crazy, or is it possible to get that really severe and absolutely horrible smelling gas within like 10-20 minutes of eating a trigger food?! A lot of things online say that mostly comes from fermentation, and therefore takes a couple hours, but I swear I turn into a bioweapon within minutes of eating red meat, eggs, whey protein, or broccoli.

I’ve had gut issues literally my whole life. My dad even said I was constipated pretty much from day 1.
I won’t give a super in-depth life story, but basically my symptoms have ebbed and flowed over the years with no discernible pattern.
I’ve spent thousands on doctors, tests, and supplements. (Although I have yet to get a colonoscopy or HIDA scan).

My main symptoms over the last 3-4 years have been severe, foul smelling gas. Like, bioweapon level.
I also battled with constipation, which I was then able to start managing by taking a long walk first thing every manage. Although then I also started getting random bouts of loose stool. No idea why.

Anyway, that brings me to the last month. I’ve tried several digestive enzymes before, but on a whim I decided to try the Digest Gold enzymes from Enzymedica. Figured they might be stronger than what I’ve used before, and I was right.
They’ve brought my gas down from 100% to maybe 10%.
Now, I’m not cured. My system feels made of glass, and when I went on vacation a couple weeks ago, I ended up extremely constipated, which then swung to bad diarrhea, and of course a lot of gas. But that settled back down within about a week after getting home.
I also have a few foods that I’m definitely sensitive to and have to avoid.
But on an average day, my symptoms are now very tolerable. And what’s even crazier is that after many years of lifting weights, I’m suddenly seeing insane growth and strength over the last month, I assume because I’m finally absorbing protein.

But…why? Is there any way for me to figure out WHY my body apparently isn’t producing sufficient enzymes? I’m beyond grateful to have found some relief, but I’m also super worried that it’s temporary. A bandaid is great when you’re bleeding out, but I’d sure like to have a more permanent solution.