a b o u t u s
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Ever since I can remember, I have have been plagued by stomach aches and indigestion. As a child, I would just shrug off the pain, chocking it up to eating too much, or consuming a food with too much sugar. However, in high school after traveling abroad, I came back with parasites. This threw my already fragile digestive system out of control. For the next two years I lost over 30 pounds, was hospitalized multiple times and started losing chunks of hair-- and no doctor could figure out what was wrong with me.
After traditional medicine failed, I began to branch out and try holistic remedies. I have tried about every remedy under the sun including fiber supplements, anti-spasmodics, antibiotics and special diets.
After six years and many trials and errors later, my mysterious illness has found its balance and diagnosis-- I am allergic to gluten and sunflowers, and have IBS-V. After stumbling upon the Low FODMAP diet last year, I tried it out. This diet has helped heal and stabilize my gut and digestive system. After finishing the Low FODMAP diet, I am able to enjoy certain foods again without the inevitable flare up.
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Now, I am entering a new stage of life as I just graduated from college in New York City. I hope to take the lessons learned from my health journey and give people hope that their life can get better. And, that one day they can feel good again.
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SAVANNAH
who are we?
We see SO MANY accounts (fitness, wellness, etc) on Instagram that seem to capture such pretty pictures of what living with food allergies looks like.
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But, we have to be honest. It's a bunch of BS. Yes, we said it. Living with IBS is freakin' hard.
Living with food allergies (especially less common ones!) is hard.
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Living with constant gastrointestinal issues is hard. And, it isn't pretty. You can't just slap a nice filter on it and move on with your life. IBS is a constantly evolving disease.
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And, that's why we started out blog. That is why every post on our Instagram, if you swipe left, has the unfiltered picture.
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Because life with IBS and food allergies ISN'T pretty - and that's why were are here. To show you the truth AND hold your hand through your health journey.
RENEE
how did this blog start?
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Until around 5 years ago, my only allergy was dairy. That all changed when I started experiencing stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting after eating at the college cafeteria.
At first, I thought my symptoms were merely the combination of changing hormones and the typical college diet and lifestyle. I hoped that a low dose birth control would balanced my hormones, and decrease my symptoms. Unfortunately, it did not. I began seeing a gastrointestinal specialist who recommended medication for IBS. This regulated my bowel movements but did nothing for the pain.
Eventually, through a LOT of trial and failure, I found a regime that fits my body and diminishes my symptoms
you aren't alone.
For a class project, I had to create a blog. At that time, I had just began the Low FODMAP diet for the first time and was overwhelmed! Then, I had an idea. Why don't I blog about my own Low FODMAP journey? Throughout the duration of the class, the interest in my blog surprised me. The following grew and, to my surprise, companies began sending sponsored products. After the class ended, many of my friends contacted me asking to continue the blog, and further, branch out on the topics covered. After my sister Renee jumped on board, we decided to go all in . . . and Troubled Tummies was officially born.
- Savannah
WE WANT TO HELP YOU.
Do you have IBS? Celiac disease? A severe food allergy? An undiagnosable condition?
Let's cut through the filters, hashtags and fake smiles of the social media world together!