Healthy & Happy.... Finally.
The symptoms started when I was about 23. Food become my mortal enemy and my body didn't act like it should. In fact, my stomach was so bloated on a consistent basis that I was sure that I was growing a tumor the size of a watermelon. I was in consistent pain and doctors would scratched their head and send me on my merry way. I didn't know how long of a fight I was in for.
After one doctor told me to turn to homeopathic medicine to fix my problems, I decided to take matters in my own hands. At this point I was 26 and most nights I was home, moaning in pain. It made dating... difficult. Here I was, in my 20's and supposed to be in the prime of my life and I was weary, exhausted, and had little patience for life because part of my mind was constantly on managing pain.
I prayed for healing, and cried, and prayed some more... and then I thought that God had forgotten me. The idea of living a normal life was beyond my grasp and I suppose that is what propelled me to decide that I better figure out a way to live contentedly by myself. I didn't even want to live with the pain, so I wasn't going to invite anyone else to live that life either.
Always grasping at relief, I pinpointed my symptoms to food. Different foods could make me feel better or worse, however the symptoms never went away completely. It was during my time in Redding where I decided that I was allergic to gluten after watching an episode of House. It seemed to make sense; the more solid the food that I ate, the more miserable I was and bread was so heavy. Not fixing things completely, in the summer of 2009 I was testing a liquid only diet-- anything to make that watermelon feeling go away.
In January 2010, there was one last food test that I had left to try. For 2 weeks (which we'll call The Frightening Fortnight), I weaned myself off of coffee, supplementing with juice, soda, and tea. Slowly, surely, surprisingly... my symptoms went away. A visit with the gastroenterologist confirmed what I was started to suspect. I wasn't allergic to gluten. I had IBS. How embarrassing, right? I have something with the word "bowel" in it. Not doing anything by halves, I started researching this condition. What was the top irritant? You guessed it: coffee. Other offenders are red meats, almonds, some dairies, and strawberries.
Once again, I have rearranged my diet, and when I stick to it, I feel 100%. Now, after almost 7 years of toil and struggle, I cry tears of relief. Daily, I have been thanking God whom I know was holding me through the worst of it all. How else could I have been healed so soon?
I'm sorry, Starbucks. We have to break up. I intend on living a normal life now.
After one doctor told me to turn to homeopathic medicine to fix my problems, I decided to take matters in my own hands. At this point I was 26 and most nights I was home, moaning in pain. It made dating... difficult. Here I was, in my 20's and supposed to be in the prime of my life and I was weary, exhausted, and had little patience for life because part of my mind was constantly on managing pain.
I prayed for healing, and cried, and prayed some more... and then I thought that God had forgotten me. The idea of living a normal life was beyond my grasp and I suppose that is what propelled me to decide that I better figure out a way to live contentedly by myself. I didn't even want to live with the pain, so I wasn't going to invite anyone else to live that life either.
Always grasping at relief, I pinpointed my symptoms to food. Different foods could make me feel better or worse, however the symptoms never went away completely. It was during my time in Redding where I decided that I was allergic to gluten after watching an episode of House. It seemed to make sense; the more solid the food that I ate, the more miserable I was and bread was so heavy. Not fixing things completely, in the summer of 2009 I was testing a liquid only diet-- anything to make that watermelon feeling go away.
In January 2010, there was one last food test that I had left to try. For 2 weeks (which we'll call The Frightening Fortnight), I weaned myself off of coffee, supplementing with juice, soda, and tea. Slowly, surely, surprisingly... my symptoms went away. A visit with the gastroenterologist confirmed what I was started to suspect. I wasn't allergic to gluten. I had IBS. How embarrassing, right? I have something with the word "bowel" in it. Not doing anything by halves, I started researching this condition. What was the top irritant? You guessed it: coffee. Other offenders are red meats, almonds, some dairies, and strawberries.
Once again, I have rearranged my diet, and when I stick to it, I feel 100%. Now, after almost 7 years of toil and struggle, I cry tears of relief. Daily, I have been thanking God whom I know was holding me through the worst of it all. How else could I have been healed so soon?
I'm sorry, Starbucks. We have to break up. I intend on living a normal life now.
Comments
So... there's nothing to say but THANK YOU for working with me through the worst of my "issues." I am optimistic more often these days :)
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Sorry that I had to add a word verification to my site-- I have been getting too much spam. Thank you so much for your comments.