Introduction

Hi All!

yay first post! A couple days ago I moved into my last on campus housing ever. As a Senior I got THE BEST apartment on campus, complete with a HUGE kitchen and tons of storage space. I am really excited!

 having a good apartment will be vital in the search for the source of my IBS, which I was diagnosed with about 6 months ago. This diagnosis came quite late though, because I have been suffering from severe stomach problems for about two years now, and I became a self-proclaimed celiac for a short stint in order to relieve my symptoms. No extensive tests past blood indicator tests have been done, because I seem completely healthy to doctors. I might have more severe scaring in my stomach, but I don't know if I will ever know how badly injured my intestines are. For a while, that made me really upset and stressed. I would eat really well, and suddenly my stomach would be so bad that I thought a rabid raccoon was living inside of my intestines.

The turning point came when my parents discovered the FODMAP diet, an eating plan that eliminates known stomach irritants and then reintroduces them as a way of identifying how much of certain foods a person can tolerate. I have been in the cleansing faze for about four weeks now. I still get pretty bad stomach episodes every once in a while and my stomach is always tender, obviously my stomach has not healed from whatever damage has been done. Luckily I am WAY less bloated. My plan is to go through the reintroduction faze, and if i still have frequent episodes and stomach tenderness I will insist on further tests.

That is my IBS story, which is not the sole purpose of this blog. This is merely an introduction so that other people can relate to what I am going through. I am a college student with severe IBS and no idea of any known allergies or intolerances, I'm posititve I am not one of a kind.

The purpose of this blog is to provide motivation for others as well as myself by introducing low FODMAP recipes and meal ideas I enjoy and other tips and tricks for being prepared.

disclaimer: I don't really follow strict measurements when I cook, my mom likes to criticize me for it but I find it unnecessary unless I am baking.