'I had a heart attack at 42 and looked six months pregnant - now I know reason'

A mum whose bloating was so severe she 'looked six months pregnant' has finally found out why. Gemma Rowley said she was finally free from discomfort after discovering she was intolerant to milk, citrus fruits and wheat. Gemma, from Hastings, had her world turned upside down two years ago when she suffered a heart attack at just 42. Now living with stage two heart failure, Gemma was determined to get to the bottom of the stomach problems that had been blighting her life for years. Fed up with hospital tests, she instead chose to use food intolerance testing company Supply Life and said the results had been 'eye-opening'. Gemma, who works in a metal fabrication factory, said: "I had a scary, scary time two years ago. I've had problems with my stomach for years and about four weeks beforehand I had what I thought was indigestion. "I was very tired, but I just thought it was because I was working 10-hour shifts and juggling family life. The day I had the heart attack, I knew something wasn't right. I was a bit breathless, went into work and the pain that I thought was indigestion wasn't going." Gemma's condition deteriorated throughout the day and she made her way to A&E. She said: "The pain was going up into my chest and into my shoulders and the nurse said 'we'll do an ECG just in case' and that's the last thing I can remember. I woke up in a different hospital after having emergency stents fitted. If it wasn't for that nurse, I wouldn't be here." The heart attack struck unexpectedly for Gemma, who was fit and healthy, regularly walking 10 miles with her dog and visiting the gym twice weekly. She said: "Life has been different since then. I'm on medications which have made me put on weight and I've had to cut hours down at work with a job that I absolutely love. But I'm still here and I'm grateful for every day." With health now her priority, Gemma decided to finally address the stomach issues that had been troubling her for years, including severe bloating and pain. She said: "I just needed to know if there was any other cause for this rather than go down the route of hospital testing, which I've had enough of. My stomach would look like I was six months pregnant and it was quite painful. I'd had that for years and doctors put it down to IBS , but I always thought 'something's not quite right'." Supply Life specialises in tests measuring IgG antibodies in the blood, which identify sensitivity to particular foods. Following a test, results showed that Gemma was intolerant to dairy, nut milks, citrus fruits, barley, wheat and rice. She said: "Since I've tweaked my diet I don't get so bloated, my skin's not as dry and itchy and my hair is actually growing. It's really helped. "The follow-up Supply Life did was amazing. I wasn't just given a list of results. They made a meal plan for me, which was fantastic."