Dad needed the toilet 10 times per morning before food intolerance discovery

Plumbing and heating engineer Liam Hickman, 34, begged doctors for help as digestive issues held a grip over his daily routine.

However, he was only offered tablets and told he had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). One medic even suggested it might be cancer.

After shelling out £20,000 on private healthcare and undergoing numerous scans, Liam finally turned to Supply Life food intolerance tests as a last resort.

The results highlighted his sensitivity to a host of ingredients such as dairy, peas, mushrooms and yeast.

Since eliminating them from his diet he now feels much better – boasting a flat stomach and enjoying regular gym sessions after years of feeling bloated and desperate.

He’s urging other sufferers to take action and wants the NHS to embrace food intolerance tests as a way to improve millions of lives.

Dad-of-one Liam, from Winchester, said: “I have spent more than £20,000 on private healthcare trying to sort out these issues.

“It all started when I was around 25. I suffered from bloating and shortness of breath, had a pot belly and if I had a coffee I would have to go to the toilet around 10 times.

“The diarrhoea was a joke – it was like constantly having norovirus. I even had my poo tested.

“I had to take Sudocrem to work because of my bum. There were times when it all got too much and I was crying. It made me feel depressed.”

Liam says he was put through allergy tests that came back negative and three doctors told him he had IBS.

“They just wanted to pump me full of tablets,” he added. “At one point I was on 16 different tablets, including some for anxiety and depression.

“But the doctors were ruling out intolerance, simply through ignorance.

“I had MRI and CT scans and had a camera in both ends to try to see what was wrong. One GP told me I might have cancer.”

The turning point came when he got talking to a woman carrying out his ultrasound, who had done her own food intolerance test.

He said: “She told me all about the difference it had made to her – I was lucky to meet her.”

The Supply Life test involves a finger-prick blood sample being taken at home and sent to the company’s laboratory in Cambridge.

The results for Liam included red flags for dairy, mushrooms, peas, flax seeds, peanuts and yeast – indicating food and drink he should avoid.

“I gave up smoking and drinking four years ago, and that helped,” he said. “It turns out brewers yeast makes my belly blow up and feel very uncomfortable.

“Before I took the test I would eat a lot of fruit, sweet potato and various meats. But there is so much hidden dairy you never realise is included in things, and that was something I had to address.

“I’m now basically on a vegan diet but adding in some meat, too. I've got a flat stomach again and I’m back in the gym.

“All of this after taking the test. Supply Life clarified what I already thought and life is much better now.”

Liam believes millions of people are suffering due to food intolerance, and he has one handy tip for those who feel they could be sensitive to something they’re eating or drinking.

He explained: “One big sign is if your farts stink. Having smelly wind should be a red flag that you may have an intolerance.

“And if you eat something and within 30 minutes you need the toilet, you should be doing a test.”

Supply Life specialises in IgG antibody tests to identify foods that don’t agree with a person’s body, helping them to lead happier and healthier lives.

For more information visit www.supplylife.com