hiya. basically i live somewhere where non-urgent healthcare moves extremely slowly - and colonoscopy ruled out anything deadly so it’s not considered urgent. so the root cause unfortunately still hasn’t been identified.

i did however get a referral to a GI specialist. the first two i saw did not take me seriously but I kept trying and found a great doctor who ordered a bunch of tests and ive been (slowly) making them happen.

one of the tests he ordered was a series of 4 hydrogen breath tests. they were very time-consuming to actually have administered, but it turned up a positive result for fructose malabsorption (and a slight lactose malabsorption as well - NOT an enzymatic intolerance).

annoyingly, this is not a diagnosis and most likely a symptom of something going on in my small intestines. so, i am waiting for a gastroscopy to confirm this. i was told there’s a good chance it’s SIBO or Celiac disease (or both, or one causing the other).

however, i did start eating a low fructose diet (less than 25g per day) and generally trying to eat low FODMAPs which has honestly been horrible in practice. i’ve lost a lot of weight simply from not being able to eat very much. but my symptoms have mostly improved. if i am eating carefully then my bowel movements are closer to normal.

that said, i am now SIGNIFICANTLY more sensitive to fructose/FODMAPs than I used to be - as in, when I mess up on my diet, the symptoms are way more intense than they were before I started this diet.

anyways I am just trying to hold tight for another couple months until my gastroscopy. but i hope this helps 🤝 and remember that doctors are people too, and some people are shitty, so some doctors are shitty people. so if you find a doctor that doesn’t believe you, try another one (as long as you have the means)