Stomach cramps trying to find the cause

I know this is meant to be a travel blog, but since the travelling has been delayed, due to my house sale (see past posts for more details about the plan and the delay on the main page), I have been sharing what I have been doing in the meantime. I have to keep busy or I start to dwell on the negatives and I really try to be a positive person.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and then a few months later I was told that my symptoms might not be Fibromyalgia, but they didn't really know what I had. This is one of the main reasons for the move. In England, I have to cope with joint pain and tiredness on a nearly daily basis, but when I'm in a hot country this all improves. Go back to my posts on the trip to Barbados in July last year to see how far we were walking on a daily basis, when I'm in England there are days when I can barely manage 1000 steps. Another symptom that some people have with Fibromyalgia is gastro problems. I haven't had much of this, but when the pain subsides this seems to flare up. Since November I have had nausea most days, with stomach cramps. Not the most comfortable thing to have, but I just put it down to Fibro and tried holistic remedies. I had lots of peppermint tablets, turmeric, ginger, basically anything that is meant to help, but it carried on. There have also been recent studies showing more gastro problems in people who suffered from mild Covid. I had Covid last March so who knows this could also be a factor.

In February I decided to do some research thinking it could be a certain type of food that was causing the problems. I checked the NHS website for some advice. They suggest cutting out the food that can be causing the problem. Well, when you have no idea what is causing it this is really hard. They also say to cut the item out for 3-6 months before you can move on to try something else. Not a quick or simple process.

I had read about sensitivity tests online, but the NHS site says that there is limited evidence on how well these work. But when you are feeling so bad and you really have no idea what the cause is, it starts to sound like a good idea, even if it only gives you a clue where to start. I found a site here in the UK that was having a sale (meaning the test was less than a meal out) and read more about the science behind the tests. I was quite sceptical as it uses hair which I always thought of as dead but this test uses bio-resonance. This type of test is still seen with some scepticism, but some countries around the world have been using it as a testing method since the 1970s. The website shares some of the important factors to take into consideration before buying a test, so I felt they really weren't trying to hide anything. They do warn that some foods that you eat regularly can show as a type of food you are sensitive to (a sort of false positive), but if you remove it for a month or two you can try to reintroduce it again and see if you have a reaction showing you if you are truly sensitive or not.

I bought the test, took the hair sample (quick, simple and painless) and sent it off with my reference number as requested. Just over a week later I received my results by email. I had chosen the higher-level test which looks at 975 foods, environmental factors and metals. They record any reaction of over 85% on the report as a possible reaction (amber) and anything over 95% having a high chance of causing a reaction (red).

Food

In the food section, my highest reactions are below:

Farina Secalis Cerealis (holistic remedy)

Millet

Portobello Mushrooms

Soy Sauce

Basil

E460

Cod

E903

Gin (not a problem I hate the stuff)

E155

The top two aren't things I have in my diet, so shouldn't be a problem, but Soy Sauce, Basil and Cod are all things that I eat quite often. These could either be a false positive or something I have developed a sensitivity to.

I also had amber reactions to the below

Noodles

Button Mushrooms

Spelt/Dinkel wheat

Brown Sugar

Lactose

Evaporated Milk

Red Kidney Beans

Peppermint oil (probably a false reaction due to the amount I had used to settle my stomach recently)

Blackberries

Chicory Lettice

Rocket

Maple Syrup

White Wine (again not a problem I don't drink it)

Pineapple (could be a false positive as I was eating it every day just before the test)

Quinoa

Broccoli

Cardamom

Hops/Beer (still not a problem I hate beer)

Vanilla

At least this test gives me something to work with, which is more than the NHS did. So what have I cut out of my diet? Along with the items in the red section of the report, I have stopped using cow's milk (due to the lactose), noodles, blackberries, broccoli and red kidney beans. Some of these I might try reintroducing after a break from them and see how I feel. I only started removing these items from my diet 2 weeks ago, but so far I have felt so much better. It might be a placebo effect, but even if that is true it was well worth the fee I paid just to not have the issues for now.

Environmental factors

The report shows any outside factors that might cause reactions. This showed some plants, which probably give me the hay fever I suffer from.

Nutrients

The report details any nutrients that might be lacking in your diet and some food you can get them from going forward.

Metals

The report showed some metals that I might be sensitive to. This added some more believability to the report for me. When I was younger I got my ears pierced and often got reactions, which I assumed were from the metals used in the jewellery, even if they were meant to be for people who are sensitive. Turns out I react to Silver and Nickle which are both metals that I would have tried, as they are meant to be the ones that are best.

The report also shows any problems with your gut biome (I don't have any issues here), hormones (Thyroid which I have been told repeatedly is borderline by my doctors after the many blood tests done during the past few years), digestive health (lipase) and gives advice on what steps to take next.

The company do suggest repeating the test after eliminating the suggested foods and then possibly reintroducing some to see if you still have a reaction, but I'm not sure if I will be doing another test. It really depends on when the move to Barbados takes place and how I am feeling. I will give it a couple of months and try reintroducing some food items one at a time and reassess things. At this point, I am very happy with how much better I am already feeling and how quick and easy the whole process was.