Elizabeth Lazan: I almost passed out from severe IBS

Being bi-racial (Italian/Chinese), pasta and bread are significant dishes at family gatherings, alongside my favourite dim sum and anything that involves soy sauce. As I grew older, I noticed I would feel bloated and slight abdominal pain after some meals. My stomach would expand to a little pregnant belly after eating. I would think to myself “but I didn’t eat that much”, and brush it off as a reaction specific to that meal or simply food working their way through my digestive system.

When I moved to the US in 2010 for full-time acting school, I was always on the go. A hot dog, pizza or bagel would be my quick fix in a New York minute. Wheat became my staple. That was also when I started getting rashes. I would have small bumps on my left arm, which I later found out was due to my gluten intolerance.

Friends would say: “Oh, you just have a sensitive stomach.” I thought “Okay, nothing I can do about that, so just let it be!” In hindsight, I realised that among the people diagnosed with functional GI disorders, only a minority seek medical care.

When I moved to Los Angeles, I switched to a more plant-based diet. I ate meat on special occasions or when trying a new restaurant. Most of my home-cooked meals were vegetarian or pescatarian.

Fast forward to an evening two years ago, at the start of the pandemic, I had a really spicy fish dish with a group of friends. In the middle of the night, I got up from a stomach pang. The pain intensified with each passing minute. I was curled up like a cocoon, unable to move.

My husband Ivan thought of heading to the emergency department, but Covid was surging terribly in LA, and hospitals were full. With humanity new to this pandemic, we decided not to take the risk. Ivan sat with me till I finally fell asleep at around 7am with a cup of warm water and ginger that eased some of the jolting pain. My primary physician thought it was food poisoning but to be on the safe side, referred me to a gastroenterologist.

The gastro doctor was confused, as my blood and stool tests came back mostly normal. No evidence of parasites or viruses. He decided to dig deeper. I did my first colonoscopy and endoscopy. The results came back normal. The diagnosis? Slight inflammation and gastritis. But “go ahead and live your life and eat as per usual,” he said.

I’m not saying that science can’t be trusted. The data gave me assurance – but in a survey conducted by IFFGD, nearly 2,000 patients reported that they suffered from IBS symptoms for 6.6 years before being diagnosed.

A year later, I was at a party (this time we were all vaccinated!). I had a month-long weekend of celebrations leading up to this evening, eating heavy foods at various events and parties. I felt extra tired, had one drink and went home early. I started to feel some pain around midnight. I remember the sandwich earlier didn’t taste so good, so I drank some hot ginger water to calm my belly before going to bed.

Cut to 4am, I was on my living room floor in excruciating stomach pain – alone this time as Ivan was away on a trip. The pain was so severe, I felt like I was going to pass out. I called 911, crawled to unlock my door and left my ID next to me in case I fainted before the paramedics arrived.

At the hospital, the doctors gave me morphine to relieve the pain. I went through multiple scans, tests and an MRI, and couldn’t move or lift my body without the painkillers. My best friend rushed down and sat with me while we waited for the results.

Again, all was clear. There was no issue detected. Grateful for a positive sign? Definitely. But I was confused and anxious because there was no diagnosis. Upon discharge, I was given antibiotics and morphine. If the pain came back, I was advised to “just get lots of rest and see your gastroenterologist again”.

The experience was traumatising, to say the least. And sharing this gives me some pause. It’s uncomfortable to speak about pain publicly. Another personal motivation for penning this?

Severe IBS accounts for about 20% of IBS cases, and can be a major women’s health issue.

It’s important to note that IBS is a physical, not psychological, condition. Although stress is a factor when considering symptom relief, it is not the root cause of IBS.

As instructed, I did another colonoscopy and endoscopy with a new doctor to get a second opinion. The doctor checked everything possible. However, my tests came back clear – again. This time, I was angry. I found myself advising him to approach me from a symptom-based criteria, instead of a linear model of tests and scans. I wasn’t chasing pain, but at the same time, it is scary when responses in your body come and go without warning. And even scarier, when you don’t know what to do to prevent it from happening again.

That’s when he did a SIBO test, and found out that I was positive for it. A direction, finally. However, he said my symptoms sounded too severe to be entirely attributed to SIBO. At this point, I was eating plain foods and taking painkillers, as my pain still hadn’t subsided. What else could I do?

Then, the magic words from my doctor came: “How about the low FODMAP diet? Some say it’s a solution for SIBO and IBS.” The simple word that often gets forgotten in modern science, nutrition. I had reached the threshold of my body’s nutritional tipping point, and it had paid the price that evening after the party.

The solution isn’t as simple as cutting out one of the main culprits of inflammation, gluten. There is so much information out there about the links between food groups and IBS. I started going down the rabbit hole researching and interviewing naturopaths, dietitians and nutritionists, till I found a match. I’ve heard the phrase, “we are what we eat” and “food can heal”, but I’d never truly understood it until I started working with Jocelyn, my registered dietitian at Pacific Nutrition Partners.

I’ll always remember that first call. It changed everything for me. Jocelyn gave me confidence in eating again, and reminded me the body is a resilient vessel. Though my “red flag” symptoms weren’t visibly found in any diagnostic tests, she wasn’t ignoring my call for help.

Jocelyn’s philosophy is using whole foods to heal. We started on the low FODMAP diet. Because it is restrictive and has to be implemented in stages, do work with a healthcare professional. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the diet reduces symptoms in up to 86% of people with IBS or SIBO symptoms. I would record every meal I had and start doing elimination before reintroducing food groups, all with the guidance of Jocelyn.

I started believing in health as a lifestyle, not a destination. I cut off processed sugar, coffee (this was hard), alcohol, gluten, dairy, eggs and pork. Some people work with antimicrobials, antibiotics and cognitive therapy. My approach might not be universal, so talk to your doctor about what works best.

I expanded my healing relationship with food.

Food was information for my cells, not just a calorie pusher or a palette satisfier.

By incorporating mindfulness, I tried to observe my daily habits with better awareness. It wasn’t easy, but my big motivator was to never experience that debilitating pain again. Something had to change, if not something else would break.

Sometimes we wait for something drastic to happen, before having the motivation to change. It would be ideal to practise prevention before anything bad happens. But a wake-up moment can be as significant as the call to action itself.

I embarked on this healing journey for six months. My coffee runs in the morning were synonymous with my identity and how I shaped my day. So I made minor changes that still gave me joy. Instead of coffee, I would get mint tea from my favourite cafe. I was determined to mindfully move through life, with a goal and a plan. I wanted to honour my mind and body for taking me through, and not judge the vessel that had served me this far.

The silver lining? I was never much of a cook before, but during my healing journey, I started to appreciate time in the kitchen, creating recipes that matched my restrictions. (My husband was definitely happy.) Friends were supportive in choosing restaurants with options and my dietitian was my biggest cheerleader. My pain had subsided tremendously, and my bloating stopped. “Number two” became my number one priority.

The best part: I was armed with more confidence. I stopped taking painkillers. Even when I had mild pain, I better understood what triggered it and knew how to ease the discomfort.

The low FODMAP diet felt like a reset for my gut. Don’t get me wrong, I still indulge sometimes – and feel the effects every now and then. My dietitian reminds me of the 80/20 rule, which is to eat nutritiously 80% of the time, and be free with my food choices with the other 20%.

While I have ruled out some intolerances completely, I still eat what I enjoy when I want it, and always in moderation. The difference now is I have more tools to go back to what works and understand what won’t serve me.

In the journey to heal, be gentle with your body and the adjustments. Being disciplined is necessary, but don’t be an a**hole to yourself. Living your life while you’re undergoing change does not make you weak.

When you practise compassion and stay humble to your body, you’ll find yourself wanting to make these switches automatically.

Also, remember that empowering physical comfort is a mental strategy. Fill the spaces with self-forgiveness instead of shame, and find small actions that support the ripple effect of your patterns. There may be setbacks and missteps as our vessels evolve with time and circumstance, but if you keep implementing the tools needed, your body and mind will thank you for it.

Listen to your body. If something feels off, make sure you get all the necessary checkups and scans with your doctor to rule out any disease. Make a detailed list of your symptoms. IBS is unique for each person, and there are different therapies to assist in your journey. Work with a registered gastroenterology dietitian. Good communication between you and your healthcare providers is essential.

There are tons of links and groups out there for IBS/SIBO support.

Here are some:

https://aboutibs.org
https://iffgd.org/gi-disorders
https://ibs-support.org.sg
https://www.facebook.com/groups/470628319710443/

Catch Elizabeth Lazan on Food To Change The World – S1E4: Food To Connect Us All.

Follow her wellness tips and adventures on Instagram @LizLazan.

Read Next

It took me almost 10 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis

Living with PCOS and lupus: "On the inside, there’s a lot going on"

Living with vitiligo: "I Felt Like It Needed To Be Covered"