Hi everyone. I've never joined a support group before. I'm hoping this will help calm my anxieties.

About a year ago I experienced my first symptoms. I used to be a heavy drinker (3 - 4 nights out of the week, 6 - 10 beer)

I also used to smoke marijuanna daily, from when I got home to when I went to work the next day... Bad diet (lots of processed foods) and I've suffered from mild to medium bloating almost every day since, I've experienced irregular bowl movements (at times thin, ususally lighter in colour) but other times normal, standard colour. I've experienced constant gnawing under my breast bone and my right side (IE: my colon). 

I have cut out dairy, I've gone light on gluten, I've stopped drinking and smoking (for the most part) and I've started eating healthy. I cook more at home, using little spices, eating lean meats and veggies (steamed usually).

I've been to the hospital and had an xray done on my stomach. It showed I was completely filled with trapped gas. That was about a year ago. I've tried zantac multiple times, although I always ended up drinking or something on the side. This last 16 days I had my wisdom tooth removed and decided since I had quit smoking and drinking now would be the best time to try again. I picked up zantac 150mg, taking it 1 - 2 times daily and went on almost a strictly soup/water/soft food diet. For the first week it was working. I had never felt better and the only pain I suffered from was my jaw.

Then I made a mistake. I smoked (two or three hits from my pipe through the evening). The next day I awoke and experienced a more noticeable dull ache along my right side. My bowl movements are still more or less regular although I am having trouble calming down. It's been a week now and I've stayed on the zantac for all 16 days. I have been hoping the symptoms would withdraw again, but I have been worried. 2 - 4 small hits feels like it has completely relapsed my symptoms. My stool is sort of green which I understand simply means it is a quick transit through the system and can be attributed to the zantac, which has also been making me wonder about small bits of partially undigested foods. 

I eat lots of vegetables, celery, steamed aspargus, broccoli, steamed bell peppers, I eat mostly soup although last night I had turkey breast. I feel myself become bloated again. I drink lots of water, green tea... I have started getting more excercise in but it does not seem to be working this time around. I am afraid the zantac is not going to work this time around or I have taken it for too long (2 weeks, although I have seen some say doctors put them on it for 8 weeks). 

I don't have a family doctor, I have only been to walk in clinics (and the hospital a few times where they constantly tell me it is likely dairy/gluten but I've all but cut those out of my life). They did attribute it to my former drinking and smoking and OBVIOUSLY smoking triggered this episode. I'm going to try and get a family doctor in 9 days to see if I can get some proper checks done. I have had blood work done, all of which came back perfect, several times.

I'm reverting back to the soup/water diet as that helped previously, but I haven't felt this bad since around when it first started... I'm losing my mind. I just want to feel normal again. I spend every day thinking/worrying about this and I have bad anxiety as it is....