Hi there and welcome to the Digestive Health for Women Podcast. The show that teaches you how to nurture your gut. I’m your host, Ashley StClair, owner and holistic nutritionist at wellness with Ashley today, we're going to talk about my health journey and where my passion for nutrition started.

Okay. So my health journey has two major symptoms. One is migraines and the other is all kinds of stomach issues. So I guess that's just more than two symptoms, but two big categories of symptoms. So in college, I started having daily migraines. I went to the doctor and they gave me some acute migraine medicine.

So I took the meds when the migraine started, but I'd blow through 14 pills that were supposed to be for the whole month, within two weeks. So I was taking pretty much a pill a day. My doctor barely believed me. I was in there very often and kept telling me that I was just the healthiest person in his waiting room, but I didn't feel so healthy.

So the more I kept coming in needing more refills, he finally decided to call in an MRI for me. And when that came back clean, he started me on a preventative migraine medication. So it was great because there were no migraines and I could get through my classes and I was doing well in school, but the side effects of this medication were awful, the brain fog, I would forget words that I'd use often. I was always just so tired. I didn't have an appetite, eating was a chore.

So then life happened. I finally worked through a bunch of these side effects and I found a way to cope with them because I wasn't having the migraines. So I was doing better.

I met my husband and we dated for a while. I had always had a nervous stomach, but while we were dating, I was so, so sick. I would have to know where the nearest bathroom was. And it was really embarrassing. Once we got married, I started going to the doctor to try to figure out what my problem was and why like, how could I fix this?

So my general practitioner didn't have many answers. And after he kept telling me, I was the healthiest person in this waiting room, I got a referral to see an allergist thinking maybe it was a food allergy or an intolerance. So I kept a food log along with all of my digestive symptoms. And we cut out things and added things in, but nothing seemed to work.

So they referred me on to a GI doctor, went to this GI doctor and they couldn't find anything wrong after test, after test, after test. So they decided to do an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. So the day after my 23rd birthday, I had the procedures done. They didn't find anything and told me that I just had IBS and I should manage the symptoms as best I could.

They wrote several prescriptions, one to help me not have diarrhea, but that could constipate me. So then I was prescribed a pill to help me use the restroom if I was constipated. But then if I had diarrhea again, I would need to take the medicine. It was just an endless cycle. So I wasn't sure that I wanted to take all of these medications and the ones that I chose to the side effects were pretty rough

so fast forward a couple of years of just learning to live with the symptoms. And we decided that we wanted to have kids. So with the help of my doctor, I weaned myself off of my medication and I found that I didn't have rebound migraines. So that was a definite win. The side effects that I had learned to cope with were slowly going away.

Now I still have some kind of like memory loss where I can't think of words and it's just really hard to like, grasp. So when we got pregnant, I felt amazing. And then I started the same digestive issues as soon as the baby was born. And then we had a second baby. So that same cycle, I felt amazing while I was pregnant. And then the minute I delivered, it felt like my digestive symptoms were right back where I was.

After the second baby was born, I decided to go gluten-free. And the backstory on this was I took a 23 andme test. And one of the health predictor thingies said that I could be seven times more likely to have celiac.

So I said, you know why not? Let's do an experiment. So I cut out gluten for several weeks to about a month, and then I added it back in. So the first time I added it back in, I had a massive migraine where I felt like I had been drinking alcohol for days. I was foggy and nauseous and my head hurt so bad.

I went gluten-free forever after that. So since going gluten-free completely, I have not had any migraines unless I've been glutened, which is amazing to know that one, just one ingredient can be the cause of all of my migraines and by cutting it out, I have relief.

So what about my digestive symptoms? I started the NTA classes and learning all this new information. I decided to experiment with my diet and I found my triggers for diarrhea, which is sugar and certain types of oil. Once I cut out sugar, I didn't have the urge to run to the bathroom all of the time or immediately after meals. I also found that I didn't have any bloating or that gross feeling.

You've had it. You know what I mean? And there was no more stomach fame. So disclaimer, this is just my story. It may not be yours. Maybe dairy is causing your stomach pain or it might be low stomach acid. Maybe the bloating is being caused by. Needing more pancreatic enzymes your story, maybe completely different to mine.

And that is awesome because it's yours. So here, that's why I decided to become an NTP and get my master's in nutrition. I wanted to help others find their way, help them learn what works best for their bodies. Give them the knowledge and power. And let them make the best choices for their bodies. So that's a little bit about me.

So now that you know all about my health journey and, um, kind of where I am, I want to hear about your health journey. So find me on Instagram or shoot me an email. You can also message me on WhatsApp and let me know, where are you in your health journey? What does it look like for you?

And remember I do have my free guide on how to get rid of bloating! You can find that here! So be sure to check that out.

Also, don't forget. I am growing my free community on Facebook, where you can connect with other ladies, just like you. Who are dealing with digestive issues where sometimes it might be awkward to talk about with friends or family because they're either grossed out or they just don't understand. So my hope is to build a community of ladies where we're working together. You're learning from me and building an amazing community of people who totally get it. So be one of my founding members link is in the show notes and I'll talk to you next week.