Lifelong Gut Struggles.... Has anyone else felt like giving up hope?

Has anyone else felt like they’ve done everything right for months… and their gut still won’t cooperate? 🙁

I’m 41, an expat living in China for the past 16 years, and I’ve been on a deep gut healing journey for the last 4-5 months. After receiving a DNA test focusing on gut health and immunity, I discovered I have fructose malabsorption, multiple food intolerances, and allergies to dairy, oats, peanuts, dust, and grass (seriously?!). Honestly, after years of living with daily gut issues—likely worsened by China’s air quality and environmental stress—I finally committed to a total reset.

Since then, I’ve overhauled my life:

- No eating out
- Super clean, unprocessed, anti-inflammatory diet
- Over an hour a day spent de-stressing through breathwork, yoga, mindfulness, and journaling
- No sugar, alcohol, or caffeine

Not a single shortcut—truly doing the work!

And yet... I’m still being teased with moments of progress (a half decent poop), followed by the dreaded return of muddy, broken, floating stools—like The Empire Strikes Back, but in my toilet. 💩

It’s been one of the hardest journeys of my life.
And I’m so so so tired of it!

I’d love your help and insight if you’ve been in similar shoes:
- What could be going on when muddy stool keeps returning despite strict lifestyle changes?
- How did you know when you were dealing with leaky gut vs. IBS vs. possible histamine intolerance?
- Have you found a rhythm with reintroducing foods safely—or does your gut just “decide” when it’s going to turn?
- How did you stay mentally strong when healing felt like one step forward, two steps back?

I’m open, committed, and still hopeful—but it’s getting harder to hang onto that hope alone.

Thanks for reading this and holding space. Just knowing someone else gets it helps more than you know! 🙏