And then the chronic sinus infections started.
And then the doses and doses of antibiotics followed, with which I could only stomach plain noodles, crackers, and jam.
And then it happened: I became allergic to dairy. We're not talking lactose intolerant. We are talking hives, itchy ears, oily poo...
And then it happened: I became allergic to peanuts. My throat swelled shut and I began to carry two epi-pens with me at all times.
After peanuts I lost count. My allergies changed constantly. Wheat, melon, bananas, corn, soy... I began suffering from horrific stomach pains. My blood sugar would drop into the 40's. My belly would swell nearly 15 inches from a 26 inch waist to 40, sometimes 42 inches! Diagnosis=depression. Of course. After all, I was a weak-minded woman, deeply saddened by my failed attempt at happily-ever-after. Take Paxil. (Or was it Zoloft?) Don't drink alcohol. Sure.
Doctor number two was convinced I had Celiac disease. He said he could see significant damage to my stomach and to my intestines, consistent with wheat damage. The blood-work repeatedly said it wasn't Celiac, so he gave up. He suggested I not eat wheat, and sent me on my way.
Doctor number three said I had poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. I went in for surgery and had a clump-of-a-cyst removed from an ovary. Her suggestion: Stay on birth control pills, watch out for diabetes, and see an allergist every year.
So I continued living a life of antibiotics, birth control pills, stomach pain, hives and oily poo. Somehow I managed to fall in love again. Zing went the strings of my heart. God bless him for loving me.
Five more years passed and I began to fall apart. I could no longer work as a chef because I never knew what would cause an allergic reaction. I started getting head-aches that would make me dizzy and weak. Then grew a ting-ringerie so loud in my ears I wanted to scream all the time. My skin became disturbingly blotchy and red. I was always puffed-up. Then my weight started upward. In two months I put on twenty pounds. Now keep in mind, this was while I could eat no dairy, no bread, almost no fruit. Eating dairy-free and wheat-free meant I was eating very little, if any, dessert. I suffered from unbelievable cramping. My joints began tightening and hurting when I walked very short distances. I would tear-up climbing the stairs. And my hair was falling out. I gained weight, I lost weight, and I gained weight again. I was planning my wedding and I was surely dying.
Doctor number four told me to go on a diet. Really? The headaches, the blotches... a diet? Never mind that I am a chef, schooled in nutrition, who happened to be working as a fitness trainer at the time. Really? I was angry. I was angry at myself and everyone around me. I thought I should just give in and be fat and miserable. Now mind you, part of all of this hysteria was that I kept thinking I was fat, though my weight never got over 150 pounds. Still, at my heaviest I weighed 20-25 pounds more than I wanted to. And my skin was so puffed and swollen. And you do the math... 10 pounds every month... I was unhealthy. I was outraged. I was... hungry. I was allergic to everything and scared to eat anything.
So I started googling my symptoms. And this word kept appearing... Candida. I found it on a few blogs from Great Britain, one from Canada. Other women were complaining of the same things? But why couldn't I find out about this from my doctor? This blog got me thinking that I had a chance for survival. So I kept reading. And then I found this doctor. I called her and explained my symptoms. I told her I felt out-of-control and scared. She told me that I would feel better soon. She was right.
It took me six months to feel happy and healthy again, and very recently, just two months to blow it. So I am on the road to recovery once again.
This blog is the record of the hostile takeover of my intestines and my fight back. I will detail the power this little yeasty had over my mood, my digestion, my life. Today, sugar is the enemy. Antibiotics (including the ones in our meat and poultry) are the enemy. Birth control pills (and hormones in meat and eggs) are the enemy. Pesticides, transfats, and so many other toxins found in our food are the enemy. Being hard on myself, judging myself is the enemy too. My front line: I am armed with yoga, acupuncture, gentleness, breathing and prayer. Oh, and cinnamon.
As part of my blog (I can't believe I just said that), I plan to include healing recipes. I am saddened to think that I might never eat like "a normal person" again. I do, however, feel confident and assured that I will be eating the way in which God intended. He created this amazing body for me and I wasn't caring for it. Throughout history there have been many groups of people who believed their diets greatly impacted their souls. These people-- fundamentalists, individualists, agnostics, and heretics-- have been both praised and denigrated for their choices of nourishment. Welcome to my feast. "...therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."--1 Corinthians 6:20
(more about the photo here)
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