8th June

I’m really stressed with my bloating problem at the moment. It’s got worse than ever before. Normally I always wake up with a flat stomach and it only starts bloating after I’ve eaten but recently it’s been looking like a pregnant troll 24/7! OK, so that’s a slight exaggeration but it does make me feel horrible about myself. It’s a nightmare for anyone, let alone a model! I had some tests done a couple of months ago called an autonomic function test. It’s very complicated and I don’t exactly understand what it is myself. I was referred to have them done by the tummy specialist I’ve been seeing (I’ve forgotten the technical name for him). The tests have only just been developed and not many doctors know much about the whole thing. I had to do a load of random things such as putting my hands in a bucket of freezing ice water whilst being attached to a machine measuring my heart rate and oxygen levels. Very complicated and strange! Anyway, apparently the guy doing the tests found a big problem with the nerves that send messages to my organs. He is still studying the graphs produced to find out more. It’s quite worrying and I just want to know what’s wrong and what can be done now. Also he said my organs can’t absorb a sufficient amount of oxygen and that all these problems are most likely to be caused by an allergy, which would explain my bloating. The problem is, most allergy testing is very unreliable and therefore the best way to find out your allergies is to cut things out of your diet and see how you react - trial and error basically. I’ve been told to start by cutting out dairy for 3 weeks and then wheat for 3 weeks. What a nightmare!