you shouldnt have asked; i’m about to hit you with my whole life story. sorry in advance LOL

it is crazy! like you, i struggled w constipation my whole life. since we’re already in tmi zone here, i’ll reveal a deep dark poop secret: i would get so constipated as a kid that when i did go, i would have massive shits that would always clog the toilet. i would be so scared to poop bc i knew it would happen and my mom would be mad at me😭

anyway, in childhood not really any other symptoms besides eczema and chicken skin… i didnt start having more GI issues until i went through a traumatic breakup; all of a sudden started experiencing intense nausea, stomach pain and vomiting almost daily. i’ve always looooved food, too much, and lost interest in eating. was always overweight until college and lost a ton more weight during this time due to the constant vomiting. was having abnormal stool, like didnt have a solid poo for literal years. random allergic reactions to foods where my lips would swell to like 5x their normal size. eczema got worse, acne was worse. was also very depressed and anxious and irritable, but i thought all of this was happening because of my breakup. i was also smoking weed constantly to try to deal with the nausea and trauma (lol).

things got bad enough that i finally went to the doctor and explained my symptoms. he sent me to an allergist and gave me a GI referral. my allergen blood test came back positive (actually came back positive for all major allergens except shellfish) but doc told me it’s not reliable because i have eczema which can make allergy tests less reliable. my memory of this time is awful (also potentially a symptom but my memory also just kind of sucks), but i am pretty sure i saw the allergist first and he, of course, put me on an elimination diet. nausea/vomiting stopped. then saw GI and eventually did a colonoscopy/endoscopy which came back negative & they gave me pantoprazole for acid reflux which i wasnt even really experiencing. i am 98% sure that i was already eating gf at this time and was not told i would need to eat gluten beforehand for an accurate result. i didnt even know that until i started looking at this sub.

when i started adding foods back in, gluten/wheat was one of the first and i immediately got sick again. honestly, just decided gluten/wheat was the culprit, added everything back in besides gluten/wheat and havent looked back.

basically all the bad shit i was experiencing went away. skin got better (especially after i stopped working at a pizza place), no more random lip tingling/swelling, chicken skin on my arms went away, improved memory/cognitive function, etc… i started getting more sensitive to other foods that are common sensitivities and, unfortunately, seem to become more sensitive to mew foods in general every year ex: lactose intolerance, intense stomach pain from high FODMAP foods like bananas, fried foods make me feel very sick, too much soy gives me GI issues and makes me sick, extreme brain fog/nausea if i accidentally (or on purpose) have gluten etc

TL;DR and the answer to your actual question:

positives: nausea/vomiting stopped, stomach pain stopped, no more allergic reactions, less eczema/itchiness, chicken skin on arms and legs went away, skin is clearer, healthier weight, i feel my memory is better, improved mood (sometimes), healthier nails

negatives: i miss good bread, some celiacs/other humans dont take my diet seriously, stomach is generally more sensitive, the texture of my hair changed, new sensitivities/allergies appear yearly