My Leaky Gut Journey: Three Years of Struggle and Finally, Answers
The Beginning of My Struggles
It all started in mid-2021, though at the time I didn’t quite realize what was happening. I noticed my bowel movements became more frequent, and I had difficulty gaining weight. At the same time, I was eating mostly vegan, doing a ton of cardio (especially surfing) developed skin issues and started experiencing hair loss, which only added to my growing list of concerns. I also felt like my immune system was constantly running on empty.
But the physical symptoms weren’t the only problem. This was a stressful period in my life—my fiancé had just moved to Australia, and I was dealing with visa issues that left me stuck in Bali for several months. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement.
I brushed it off, thinking maybe it was just stress, living standard in Bali or changes in my routine. When I finally got my visa sorted, I traveled to Europe in March 2022 to visit my family after two years. But as soon as I arrived, I got really sick and had the worst lip herpes outbreak, I have ever had. I didn’t connect the dots between these health problems and what might be happening inside my gut.
Returning to Bali was when it all really hit me. I had Bali belly twice and couldn’t shake it, eventually ending up in the hospital. I experienced constant diarrhea, cramps, and couldn’t eat for days, just before my wedding. My fiancé was shocked at how much weight I had lost, thankfully he married me anyways lol- In October 2022 I did my second yoga teacher training in Bali. But I was feeling terrible—lethargic, with occasional digestive problems and another shingles outbreak. If you’ve never had shingles, it’s the worst nerve pain, and I had it three times between 2020 and 2023. I somehow made it through the 300 hours of training.
After I moved to Australia permanently, I hoped that the higher hygienic standards would help me feel better. For a little while, it did. I even reintroduced meat and animal products into my diet, hoping it would help me gain weight and feel more balanced. But, things only got worse. I started going to the bathroom three times a day, mostly dealing with diarrhea. No matter what I ate, my digestion was a mess. I couldn’t gain weight, and on top of that, I was experiencing extreme pelvic pain, severe depression, insomnia and anxiety (hello, panic attacks).
Desperate for Answers: The Road to a Diagnosis
I visited multiple doctors, did countless blood tests, stool samples, and tried every possible remedy. Every time, I was told I was fine—it was all in my head. As you can imagine, hearing that over and over made me feel like I was going nuts.
When I went back to Europe to visit my family in 2023, my insomnia reached new heights. I went for a whole week without sleep, and no matter what I tried to eat, my digestion just kept getting worse. It was honestly madness. I had enough and just couldn’t deal with it any longer.
That’s when I decided to see a naturopath in Berlin. She didn’t waste any time—she immediately suspected that I had leaky gut and recommended a series of tests: blood tests, hormone panels, and a stool sample. While these tests were expensive, I was willing to do whatever it took to find the root cause.
And guess what? The tests came back confirming that I had leaky gut—and it was pretty bad. My gut was not absorbing any nutrients from the food I was eating. The food intolerance test also showed that I’m allergic to eggs and reactive to gluten, which explained a lot of the issues I had been dealing with for years.
To top it off, my hormone panel revealed that my progesterone levels were incredibly low, which explained my intense depression, mood swings and Insomnia. When I heard the results, I actually cried. After three years of suffering, I finally had answers. It felt surreal but also incredibly validating.
The Healing Journey Begins
I was prescribed a comprehensive treatment plan, which included several medicines and supplements. I had to follow the plan for about six months. -Hello Elimination Diet. The healing process wasn’t easy, but I’ll dive deeper into that in another blog post. The important part is that I finally found a roadmap to recovery—and for the first time in a long while, I felt like I was on the path to healing.
Takeaway
If you’re struggling with unexplained digestive issues, fatigue, skin problems, or hormonal imbalances, you might be dealing with leaky gut (or something similar). My journey was long and filled with frustration, but the key is that I didn’t give up. If you feel like something’s not right in your body, trust your instincts and seek help—whether that means visiting a naturopath or looking into alternative tests and treatments. Keep pushing forward, and never stop seeking answers.
Stay tuned for the next post where I’ll dive into the supplements and treatments that have healed my leaky gut.
