I've Been Diagnosed With ROEBBFWDK Disease

R.O.E.B.B.F.W.D.K.

What the heck is THAT, you ask?

Well, that's the official diagnosis on my terrible, troublesome tummy that has been bothering me for two years. I have received some emails from readers asking how I'm doing, and so I thought I would share the news with you....and so there you go. This particular diagnosis is sooooooo long, it's just easier to use the letters....

For those of you who are new to this blog, and you're going, "Huh?" at this point, let me just briefly say that my tummy began giving me much trouble about two years ago. Lots of pain...and about 20-25 pounds of rapid weight loss. Which would normally be something to celebrate - woot! - but in this case, it was too much, too fast. And it left me feeling "like a fool with my pants on the ground" all of the time, because I would forget to wear a belt.

So, after being poked and prodded, shaked and baked, and practically turned inside-out by many specialists at several hospitals, the official diagnosis came down. And it's R.O.E.B.B.F.W.D.K.

Which is short for, we've "Ruled Out Everything Bad, But Frankly, We Don't Know." Yup - that's it in a nutshell.

We've had guesses - Crohn's Disease, Celiac Disease, IBS....but although I show symptoms of each - I don't show enough to officially be put into any particular category. One doctor suggested that I have picked up a foreign "jungle bug" from my travels to 3rd-world countries that has decided to take up permanent residence in my gut. You can imagine the peace of mind on hearing THAT - that I'm possibly harboring an illegal alien in my tummy. The good news, though, was that all of the major internal organ cancers were ruled out.

However - I am on some fabulous medication for the pain. And, through much trial and error (mainly error), I've been able to manage the pain - somewhat - through my diet. I'm learning that there are some foods that act as triggers for the pain - and I'm learning to avoid those foods. Sometimes. Because sometimes I forget, and then that is when the fabulous pain pills come into play.

So - there you go. This will be a lifestyle change - not a temporary one - and I'm still in the learning process of what I can eat and what I can't.

I'm wondering if anyone else has ever had the same thing, though....

...the dreaded R.O.E.B.B.F.W.D.K. disease.

It can be a pain. Literally.

Peace.