About three years ago, Brandi Rhodes, a yoga and Pilates instructor, and former WWE professional wrestler, was pregnant with her daughter when she felt what she calls an "internal pain." "It felt like something inside, whether it was an ovary or my uterus, just felt really irritated and aggravated," Rhodes, 40, tells TODAY.com.
Her doctor at the time told her that it was simply something that some women feel and it would go away after she gave birth. But that didn't happen. "The biggest shock was postpartum, when this was supposed to be going away, it definitely was not going away," Rhodes says.
Her doctor then suggested , and while the specialists Rhodes saw over the next three years were skilled and knowledgeable, the therapy only helped a little bit. She started to experience other symptoms as well, like irregular menstrual cycles, heavy periods and severe bloating. "One day I'd wake up in the morning and I felt normal and fine and (could see) my abs," she says, "and then another day I would wake up and I would look three months pregnant.
" "Then I found myself back at the doctor again," Rhodes recalls, "and that doctor really waved it off. She didn't really show concern. She really didn't have a lot of questions.
" She was then referred to a nutritionist followed by a gastroenterologist, who said she needed a colonoscopy because her . Rhodes, a fitness instructor and professional athlete who eats a nutritious diet, works out frequently and did not have GI symptoms, did not .
