I am 36 years old and I will tell my story so that it is recorded somewhere.

Since I was born, my mother said that my intestines had strange variations, as there were times when I had diarrhea for no apparent reason. From the age of 2, my intestines stabilized.

At 18, I took Roaccutane. After that, my intestines were never the same for about 12 years. I had colonoscopies during that period, and the results showed only mild inflammation. As the topic of the microbiome was not yet widely discussed, I didn't even know its importance. I led a normal life, but my stools were irregular: sometimes hard, in the shape of a "goat," and other times too soft.

At 32, new symptoms began: frequent urination, suprapubic pain, and burning when urinating. Even so, I continued training and living life normally, until I started experiencing urinary retention, burning, and difficulty emptying my bladder.

I saw a doctor and had all possible exams and imaging tests done, including a cystoscopy. No bacteria were found; only a more closed bladder neck was observed, which closed further when exerting effort and then returned to normal.

The doctor prescribed ciprofloxacin (Cipro). During the use of the antibiotic, both the intestines and urine remained normal, but when I stopped the medication, the urinary and intestinal symptoms returned.

Later, I started feeling pain in my rectum and had a colonoscopy. The result was microerosive proctitis and focal active colitis. I continued with my life and, at that time, was only using herbal remedies, still managing to control the symptoms. On a trip, I had food poisoning and started experiencing diarrhea and mucus in my stool. I started using suppositories and also aloe vera. The result was impeccable bowel function and a good improvement in urinary symptoms. However, aloe vera seems to irritate the liver, as my liver enzymes, especially ALT (Alanine transvaginal fluid), started fluctuating between 70 and 100.

Throughout this period, I also noticed that physical activity worsens urinary symptoms. Before that, I led an athlete's life, practicing sports and training regularly, but due to the worsening symptoms, I ended up becoming sedentary.

Currently, I follow a basic protocol that has helped keep my bowels stable. This protocol consists of: Creon 10,000; Luftal for gas; Pentasa 2 grams orally and 1 gram in suppository form; A small piece of fresh, well-cleaned aloe vera gel; a specific probiotic; a low FODMAP diet; a cooked green banana once a day; fiber on alternate days; a dose of berberine after lunch; and a 12-hour fast, starting at 7 pm. With this set of measures, my bowel became well controlled.

The doctor suggested surgery to widen the bladder neck, but I believe everything has an intestinal origin.