Liz (Minneapolis, Minnesota) on 02/21/2010

About 14 months ago I started getting really sick. It began with being constantly dizzy and having a ringing in my ears. Of course I went to my doctor and an ENT and they said this would go away and it was simply fluid in my ears. In the following few months I began to feel extremely fatigued and flu-like. This seemed odd to me because I was a healthy and active 27 year old woman with no health issues. Again, I went to my doctor and I was told it was simply a "viral infection."

This fatigue and dizziness quickly started to spawn out into a multitude of other symptoms including abdominal pain, headaches, tingling in my fingers and toes, muscle twitches, chronic muscle/nerve pain and insomnia. I went to several different doctors wanting second opinions. They tested me for things like MS, Lupus, Lymes Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Finally, I was sent to a specialist and diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

I was not convinced of that diagnosis being it seemed to come on so suddenly and out of the blue so I continued to search for answers. Over the next several months I would see more doctors and specialist yet find no answers. It felt like poison was flowing through my body. I thought my life was over and the vibrant, energetic woman was gone forever. My condition was so bad that I was forced to go on a medical leave from my place of employment while I got my health taken care of. Simply getting out of bed was a huge challenge for me.

Finally I demanded a referral to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. While being treated at Mayo I went through about 30 different tests and procedures again looking for serious conditions such as MS, Lupus, other autoimmune disorders and GI disorders. I also had several MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, endoscopy, colonoscopy and bone scans. The medical bills continue to mount up. Finally, the last doctor I would visit was a GI specialist. We talked about a few things and she really wasn't sure what the issue was either. She did mention something about if I chewed gum or drank diet sodas. I told her I chewed some gum but I blew off that as the cause of any issues.

Over the next few days I was thinking again on her odd question about gum and pop. I thought to myself why would she ask that question? Is there something in gum and pop that would cause such things? I looked at the nutritional information on the pack of gum and it contained something called "aspartame." In this great age of the internet I did some quick research and was astounded at the debilitating effects aspartame can have on someone's body and mind. Yet, I wasn't convinced that my gum could be practically killing me.

After some careful thought I decided I would remove all aspartame from my diet just for a few weeks and see what, if anything, happened. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical. As a side note, I would say that I was addicted to gum sometimes consuming more than a pack a day. So giving up this addiction was hard for me.

Well here I am having completed only a few weeks of eliminating aspartame and I can say I am shocked and in almost disbelief! The very next day I was feeling an improvement. My dizziness started to decrease, my muscle pain minimizing, the fatigue, abdominal pains and twitches all improving. I went through this experiment for several days before telling anyone I knew just so I wouldn't seem to jump the gun.

In all 14 months of my debilitating condition I had seen no improvement at all. I had seen dozens of doctors including chiropractors and natropathic doctors with no help and finally some relief was coming. It makes me passionately ill that our government allows this toxic substance to be added into things that we consume. If this substance is not taken out of items on the market it should at least include warnings or recommendations for consumption. I had no idea that what I was putting in my body was killing me. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars looking for answers when I could have just taken a few things out of my diet. What else is this substance doing to other people around the world without them knowing?