A woman has shared how bloating and stomach pains made it a struggle to put shoes on but an intolerance test changed her life.

Michelle Faust, from Milnrow, struggled with ‘horrendous’ IBS and eczema on her face for more than 10 years, and tried removing different foods to see if what she was eating caused a reaction.

But her experiments and even visits to the GP never revealed the true cause of her issues.

“My skin was a mess. I couldn't bend over because my tummy was so swollen and I was so tired all the time,” 53-year-old Michelle said. 

“I was getting a lot of headaches, I had quite a lot of knee pain and was struggling with swollen ankles too. 

“I had been to the doctor, but he just palmed me off with a buscopan. Because I said I think it's gluten intolerance and they said that you need to be able to eat gluten for six weeks before we can do any tests. I thought, no, I can't do that.”

Michelle, who works in a pharmacy, is also vegan so had removed dairy from her diet which she thought might have been one of the triggers for her symptoms.

A colleague recommended an intolerance test from Supply Life, to find out once and for all what could be causing the issues. 

The test found Michelle was highly intolerant to coconut, cow's milk, corn, casein (the main protein in milk), peas and gliadin (a component protein of gluten). 

Michelle’s results meant that she had to rethink her diet and make some drastic changes.

 “When I got my results, I had one weekend clearing out my cupboards to start again,” she said.

“I had to pretty much change my diet completely. I'm vegan, and I struggled with not being able to eat pea protein or wheat, so there were no more substitute meats when it came to making things like chilli or a bolognese or even just a basic sandwich with vegan pastrami. 

“I cut out eating pizza and cake and pasties. My diet is basically all fruit and vegetables now, my cupboards are filled with chopped tomatoes, beans and gluten-free rice.”

The intolerance test Michelle took is Supply Life’s at-home blood test designed to identify potential food sensitivities by measuring IgG antibody responses. Users take a small finger-prick blood sample and send it to a lab, where it’s analysed against a wide panel of common foods. 

The test looks for elevated IgG levels, which may indicate that the immune system is reacting to certain foods. Results are returned in a personalised report, highlighting foods that could be contributing to symptoms like bloating, fatigue or digestive discomfort, and include guidance on elimination diets and reintroduction.

Despite the lifestyle changes, Michelle has no regrets. 

She said: “My tummy isn't swollen anymore. I look like I’ve lost half a stone because my tummy isn’t bloated anymore. It used to be so sore I couldn’t bend down to put my shoes on.

“I don't ache, my skin is brighter, I've not got eczema. I just feel very different. My tummy feels happy. And if you're happy from the inside, it makes you happy.” 

Michelle can slowly reintroduce foods flagged in her intolerance test after around nine months of avoidance, as sensitivities can shift over time. Supply Life experts generally recommend reintroducing foods one at a time and in small amounts to help identify any reactions.