The breakthrough came with my test results. ‘It’s all great,’ Dr Silvano smiled encouragingly, as he ran through the list of things that were indeed A-OK with me. (I wanted to cartwheel when he announced my liver was in good shape, and it was a relief to know my bone density wasn’t depleted.) But then we came to food intolerance. ‘This is a disaster,’ he said. He scored over ‘dairy’ with his highlighter pen, and told me that cow’s milk and eggs were likely to be the worst offenders. A light bulb switched on in my head. With my egg-based breakfast and six cups of caffeinated milky tea a day, that must be why I’d been suffering stomach pains. We rushed into the office of nutritionist Dr Katrin Kurz; and seeing the horror on my face, Wassim went into negotiation mode. ‘How about she starts with lactose-free milk to ease into it?’ he asked. ‘What about some enzyme tablets to break the lactose down?’ But no dice. ‘That,’ said Dr Kurz, ‘is like getting a mother to do their child’s homework.’
My final appointment with Dr Silvano was emotional. I’d been sleeping beautifully, my skin was glowing, I harboured zero craving for coffee or alcohol and I’d shed several kilos. Most importantly, he had not only discovered the root of my decade-long digestive issues but – in addressing my nervous energy – had gone where none of his peers had dared. ‘View life like a Monet,’ he said. ‘You can only appreciate it if you stand back, see the bigger picture and reflect. You only have one life, so embrace it. And do it for your children if no-one else.’ At which point, I burst into tears and hugged him.
