My Health Journey – A Puzzle with Missing Pieces is part of the ‘Your Gutsy Stories‘ series.

AGG Note

If you like reading other stories from women in the community, we also just published Sara’s story, How Sara Finally Got SIBO Answers.

I believe these are so important for the A Gutsy Girl community to read and hear because there is nothing better than being able to connect on a deeper level with other women going through the same things.

I welcome your own stories to the website 24/7, and if you’re interested in sharing, please CONTACT ME. Because I think these stories are vital for the overall health and vibrancy of the community, when you share, I’ll offer 25% off any of my courses as a thank you.

My Health Journey – A Puzzle with Missing Pieces

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[The following is Zuzanna’s gut health story.]

For years, I believed I was doing everything right when it came to taking care of my body.

I avoided processed foods, limited my sugar intake, and made most of my meals at home.

My diet was full of vegetables, and I was highly conscious of the food I ate.

I thought I had a pretty solid grip on what it meant to be healthy.

But despite all my efforts, something wasn’t quite right.

Thyroid

My thyroid was gradually shutting down, with my TSH levels creeping up.

I was constantly sluggish, had low energy, and my cholesterol levels were rising.

The confusing part? I had always been slim and fit, and considered my diet healthy. And yet, my body felt anything but.

Constant Bloating and Gas

Additionally, for as long as I can remember, I’d been living with constant bloating and gas.

But I never thought of it as a sign that something was wrong with my overall health.

Back then, gut health wasn’t a hot topic like it is today, so I didn’t give it much thought.

Mood

At the same time, I was struggling with my mood.

I’d become easily irritated, swinging between bursts of energy and deep lows.

Eventually, I was diagnosed with a mood disorder and put on medication.

But still, no one linked my mental health issues with my physical symptoms.

2018

In 2018, I saw a gastroenterologist about my constant bloating.

After testing positive for fructose intolerance and being prescribed a low FODMAP diet, I thought I was on the right track.

However, the dietician I consulted with provided me with a generic, “stomach-friendly” meal plan, which didn’t do much.

I gave up after a month, frustrated and still unsure of what was going wrong.

I felt like a puzzle with missing pieces—my thyroid and cholesterol levels were off, I had gut issues, and my mood swings were persistent—but nobody could offer a clear answer.

2022

Then, in 2022, I went to an orthopedist to discuss numbness and joint pain in my feet, knees, and elbows.

What happened next completely changed the way I saw my health. Without diving too deeply into my medical history, he confidently told me that all my issues—joint pain, digestion problems, and even my mood—were related to my diet.

He claimed my immune system was in overdrive, reacting to foods that were causing inflammation throughout my body.

He handed me a list of forbidden foods, including some surprising ones like blueberries, all soups, onions, garlic, and cabbage, and explained that they were making my immune system “go wild.”

He didn’t elaborate on the science behind it—there were no tests, no discussion of allergies versus intolerances—but I left his office both shocked and intrigued.

What if he was right?

The Diet

I decided to give the diet a try.

For the next few weeks, I followed his strict plan: no tea, no coffee, no herbal infusions, and a limited selection of foods like rice, potatoes, zucchini, and white meat.

I lost my appetite, but to my surprise, I started feeling better.

My bloating disappeared, my skin cleared up, and I even had a painless period for the first time in years.

It seemed like the diet had worked (though my joint pain remained unchanged)!

But I still didn’t know what exactly had made me feel better.

Was it food intolerances I wasn’t aware of?

Or was it something else?

When I tried to reintroduce foods back into my diet, I felt lost.

I was on the verge of developing an unhealthy relationship with food.

At the supermarket, I’d stare at products I used to love—blueberries! —hearing the doctor’s voice warning me that they would lead to autoimmune disease.

I became so overwhelmed with anxiety that I broke down in tears.

I didn’t know what to believe anymore.

Back to the Drawing Board

Soon after that, I sought help from a dietician again, this time determined to find real answers.

I underwent multiple tests, took antibiotics, antifungals, supplements, and herbs, seeing dozens of different specialists and spending a small fortune along the way.

Despite my efforts, the bloating persisted.

I even tried extreme diets like GAPS, which left me malnourished in just three weeks, with thyroid hormone levels at a historic low despite supplementation with synthetic hormones.

It felt like a never-ending, frustrating journey.

Worst of all, I began to see food as my enemy.

I’d never had issues with body image or dieting before, but suddenly, every meal felt like a potential threat to my health.

I hoped advanced and pricey food intolerance tests would give me answers, and while the results suggested cutting out dairy and eggs, it ended up feeling like yet another dead end—nothing really changed.

Even though those tests were a disappointment, I sometimes wonder if that orthopedist was right and I need to dig deeper to finally uncover what foods are really affecting me.

There are moments when I feel a slight improvement, but I can never pinpoint if it’s because of something I ate—or didn’t eat.

Other times, I think maybe my functional doctor had the right idea, suspecting a parasitic or bacterial infection as the root cause.

But even after diagnosing and treating two such infections with targeted medication, I didn’t feel much different.

I felt stuck, torn between these two ways of understanding my condition.

Early 2024

Then, earlier this year, my health took an even darker turn.

On Valentine’s Day, just a day after my 29th birthday, I received a diagnosis: DCIS low-grade breast cancer.

On the same day, my mother was undergoing surgery for a more advanced cancer.

To make matters worse, I was in the middle of planning my wedding.

I was advised to consider a double mastectomy, but with my wedding just months away, the timing felt surreal.

None of the oncologists I consulted would endorse this idea, but I still believe my gut health and the underlying low-grade inflammation originating there are playing a significant role in the origin of this cancer.

Not Giving Up

Despite everything, I haven’t given up.

I still don’t have all the answers, but I believe there’s hope.

After a whirlwind year filled with health challenges, a wedding, and an incredible honeymoon, I feel ready to refocus on my journey to wellness.

My next step? I’ve had my eye on Sarah’s course that might offer the support and guidance I need to finally make sense of everything.

After all, it’s hard to keep going without external help after so many failed attempts.

But I’m determined to keep trying.

My journey may be bumpy, but I believe that with the right support and persistence, I’ll find a way to heal—for good.

And I hope Sarah’s course will be extremely helpful with it!

AGG Wrap Up Note

Zuzanna will be joining Gut Healing: ELEVATED in the next step of her exploration. This is because that course also focuses heavily on lifestyle elements (in addition to the dietary pieces).

After you’ve tried seemingly all dietary interventions, I always beg to ask –> “How much of lifestyle have you considered, tried, changed?!”

This is where I’m hoping she has some brand new ah-ha moments.

Welcome, Zuzanna!

If you liked this article on My Health Journey – A Puzzle with Missing Pieces, you might also enjoy:

1. Best Books for Healing: Elephant (Analogy) in the Room
2. 13 Lifestyle Swaps for the Gutsy Girl
3. 21 Gut Healing Lifestyle Components

Xox,

SKH