From Prevention

I first began experiencing strange symptoms at the end of summer in 2012. I remember it was Labor Day, and I had the day off from work. That morning around 10 a.m., I felt lightheaded and began to experience severe abdominal pains. I thought I was dealing with intense constipation and menstrual cramps.

I’d felt completely fine the day before. And while I’d noticed that my periods were a little heavier than usual lately, when you get into your mid-40s, they say sometimes your period is light and sometimes it’s heavy. So I didn’t think that was anything out of the ordinary.

As the day went on, though, my symptoms continued to worsen. I drank some coffee, thinking it would help with the constipation, but the pain wouldn’t go away—nothing worked. I started having more GI symptoms including a