Hi Lori,

So glad you enjoyed it. I figure laughter is the best medicine and if I can laugh about things, then I'll just keep getting better and better. Gracious, Ive had enough poop trauma and all other sorts of challenges that at some point you just have to laugh about it all.. its too unreal and your like "nobodys gonna believe this" so you at some point just have to laugh. Yeah, IBS is one of my diagnoses.. I got that diagnosis at age 17 which has been eons ago. (yikes!). Over the years, Ive been diagnosed and misdiagnosed with a lot of stuff. It's been a trip! Mayo is my 3rd research hospital and light-years different from anything I've experienced so far. Its been a great experience so far. It feels like my life has been one long process of physical challenges.. Ive experienced lots of bad medical care along the way but also some really great medical folks and care for which Im grateful. In the meantime, Ive also done everything I can think of to support health - you name it, I feel Ive done it. Clay baths, supplements, detox whatever, vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, grass-fed meats, sweat baths, etc etc. When your told over and over that you are "complicated" and "hard to figure out the medical" you tend to try anything you can on the side to help. When you also collect a gazillion diagnoses its like "forget it, I'll figure it out myself" (which is a joke). It was my stepbrother and physical therapist who encouraged me to give the medical field one more go of it and they suggested Mayo. So, my sister and I packed up the car and I called Mayo and was like "here I come ready or not". 🙂 For my upcoming third trip to them, I have a muscle biospy and in the meantime, after seeing 4 other departments there, Im working with the Integrative department. My challenge is gaining and keeping on weight. Mayo did figure out I have EILO (exercise-induced laryngospasm) and working with the speech therapist at Mayo, Ive got that more under control now which has been life-changing. Apparently my left vocal cord is smaller than my right which is quite the fun... The muscle biospy will tell us if there is a neuro component going on and if not, then the issue lies in the gut field. In the meantime, theyve had me start on the elemental diet and from there I'll transition to the SCD diet. Thats to get my SIBO under control. I keep struggling with SIBO which keeps me in a constant state of malnutrition. The bright side out of it is that Ive learned to become a really, really great alternative cook. I can make some mean mouth-watering meals. I will do anything to keep weight on.
I found Mayo Connect through the Mayo website. I tend to get crusty when folks try to tell me the latest "cure" or thing I should do. Im like "um, no way. Unless youve dealt wtih it yourself and are completely legit you just take your crazy ideas and head back the way you came". I figured people who post on Mayo connect are real patients who actually deal with the stuff so that was a plus. And I figured they were legit with it being Mayo and all. That was a huge draw. So here I am, pouring through the different forums and posts and gleaning info.
In the meantime, I enjoy writing. If I can write something from my experiences that makes me laugh and others laugh, then I figure the holy heck of whatever that experience was had some silver lining to it...
Cheers to you and thanks for the welcome. 🙂

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