Hello all,
Hoping someone might be able to chime in.
I’ve been struggling performance wise since 2011. I’ve had multiple tests since July 2012. Negative for Celiac, Crohn’s and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Two allergy tests were positive for gluten, soy and some nuts and seeds. I eliminated those foods, found no relief, so, added them back. I’ve tried many of the usual supplements for GI issues, but received no benefit. Had candida overgrowth from Feb 2017 labs. One GI doc in July 2012 concluded IBS. My intuition tells me it’s not the food, and, IBS is just a symptom. Seeing my 13th specialist who also believes IBS is just a symptom. Currently, my chief symptoms are chronic fatigue****(no matter how much I sleep****), bloated pot belly, stubborn weight gain that diet and exercise will not affect, overall thicker body composition, change in urine and bowel habits, blurry vision, chronic muscle soreness, and gut swelling like a pregnant woman when I drink water, eat and exercise.
Some history:
In Sept 2010, I finished Branson 70.3. I was in the best shape of my life at that time. During the run, my “wheels” fell off. That year, the temps were in the upper 90s. During the run, I got nauseous, bloated belly, water was sloshing around in my gut, felt sore all over and lost my appetite. I went to the medical tent after the race. The EMT gave me an IV of two bags of a saline solution (I assume sodium chloride). My blood pressure was about 60 over 40. EMT said I had diluted sodium levels (hyponatremia). It made sense because I didn’t take enough electrolytes, but kept drinking only water. Had some electrolytes on the run, but, the EMT concluded it was too late. I needed the IV because my digestion was compromised. Within an hour of the IV, I felt reborn. All my previous symptoms disappeared. I wasn’t even sore. My appetite returned, so, got something to eat. The next morning, I felt great, so, did an hour easy bike ride. Returned to WA a few days later still feeling great.
Fast forward to March 2011. I began to feel something off in my gut. Physical exercise was harder. By October 2011, something was definitely not right in my gut. My weight had gradually increased by 15 pounds since Branson (I’ve been between 150-155 from 95-2010). Overall body composition was puffier. I noticed no matter what exercises I did and what I ate (been vegan since 95), my body was not leaning out like before. By 2012, my urine and bowel habits changed.
As of today, my symptoms have worsened. One thing I’ve noticed is when I drink water (up to a gallon a day, with some electrolytes), I don’t have to urinate for two hours. When I do go, it’s not clear and the volume is low. When I was well from 95-2010, I would drink a quart of water, and have to urinate really bad within 30 minutes. When I’d go, it was mostly clear (unless taking a multi-vitamin) and heavy volume. When I drink water now, it feels like it’s sitting in my stomach, but finally evacuates after several hours. It also causes my belly to inflate like a woman four to six months pregnant. My body weight is also heavier. It’s now 25 pounds more since 2010. There’s also a fat roll around the belly that’s impossible to lose. Physical exercise (like SBR) makes my belly bloat more so.
Currently, I’m drinking between 170-190oz of water (with electrolytes) each day. My urine becomes clear and heavy volume only after consuming 90 oz of water. I drink that before I eat breakfast. However, I still have the chief symptoms I cited above in the first paragraph. I thought I’ve been chronically dehydrated since 2011, but, my symptoms are not improving after increasing my water and electrolyte intake.
I had a specialist draw blood last week (waiting for results) He’s checking for lyme among other things.
Hoping someone might have experienced similar issues and found the root cause. Thanks for your input.
