Busy Staffordshire mum thought her dream holiday was ruined but African doctor's tip has changed her life
A busy teacher whose dream family holiday was ruined by agonising stomach problems has got a new lease of life thanks to a probiotic supplement.
Louise Wheatley, 48 who lives in Stone, had suffered from stomach flare ups for many years, but doctors had never been able to diagnose what was causing it.
Putting the symptoms down to her busy and often stressful teaching role, Louise resigned herself to living with the intermittent condition, but when the flare ups occurred, they had a severe impact on her life.
She said: “The doctors seemed to want to just put me on medications which had a limited effect, I do have a stressful job so I thought that this was the cause. It did get me down but I just thought that it was something that I was going to have to live with.”
To celebrate the 18th birthday of Louise’s niece Hannah and the 16th birthday of her daughter Katie, the entire family planned their dream luxury holiday to Cape Verde, and Louise couldn’t wait for the adventure with her loved ones.
“The holiday was so needed and we had looked forward to it for months, it was for two very special birthdays so we were so excited for a perfect getaway with all of us together.” Said Louise, who has taught at primary and secondary education levels.
But when the family arrived, Louise started to suffer severe stomach symptoms, and the agonising condition left her bed-ridden for days during the dream break.
Desperate to feel better and enjoy the trip Louise sought the help of a Cape Verde doctor, who told her that all of the good bacteria in her stomach had been completely depleted.
The doctor then gave her a probiotic and the symptoms miraculously disappeared. Louise said: “It was like night and day, all of a sudden I could enjoy the holiday again and felt better than I ever had.
“When I got home I was determined to find a probiotic like the one I had been given in Africa.”
Louise found Nature’s Zest, a family-run company which specialises in gut health, and now takes their Saccharomyces Boulardii supplement regularly.
“I tell all of my friends to take some when they go on holiday, and I take it all the time to manage my symptoms. Who would have thought that something natural would work better than any medication.” She added.
Probiotics, which are live bacteria and yeasts, which work to support gut health and other functions in the body such as boosting the immune system.
