In this post I will tell you why I am grateful that I got gastroparesis... seems crazy to say right?!
I'm not going to lie, gastroparesis has made my life painful, exhausting and just completely hard at times but it has also changed my life in so many ways. There's this quote that we all know that goes something like; without bad days how would you know what a good day is? Cheesy in a sense but also completely true. Another quote that comes to mind is "Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s learning to dance in the rain." Let me tell you, gp is one big thunderstorm, but realizing that you need to deal with it is tip number one. I will most likely be dealing with Gastroparesis and Hashimoto's for my entire life... does that make me super happy? No, but it has opened my eyes to so many things and has brought many positive things into my life. You cannot escape this illness so you have to try and live with it to the best of your ability and get all the help that you can.
Here is what this disorder has brought to my life:
I have a better understanding of my own health and body. Two years ago the last thing on my mind was to check in with myself and ask how my body was feeling. I had a killer sinus infection for a month and a half, yet I didn't rest and continued to push myself to school, work and the gym every day. I now know when enough is enough and I can feel it before it's too late.
I have slowed down without guilt. Going along with number 1, I have slowed down. My to-do lists have become shorter and my expectations have lowered (in a good way). I am not rushing around trying to get things done. I don't spend all weekend cleaning, exercising, and rushing to get everything done before Monday and the new week. What I don't get done- can wait. I do not mean that I lack motivation, I just now allow my body to get the rest it needs without feeling any guilt, which is a tough thing to do.
I have learned about clean living and eating. Every single person at some point in their life will have digestive problems. I am grateful that I am still young and have learned so many things to help my digestion so later on in life I don't end up worse. I have learned that eating a salad every day is not healthy - not for your digestion at least. I have also learned other things like women need more carbs than men, that seeds and nuts are only good in moderation and not if you have gp. I have learned more about clean living, clean beauty, environmental toxins and how everything we eat, breathe and put on our skin affects our overall health. It's empowering and scary at the same time to learn all of this.
I know what I want to do career-wise. Because of my health problems I have discovered what I want to do career wise, something that I will be of value in and that will make me happy. That alone has been worth it. I finally have no guilt for not pursuing other things in school and can focus on achieving what I want to do now.
I have a better understanding of the power of meditation and acupuncture. I always felt that both mediation and acupuncture were something that old people did or people that were under a chronic amount of stress or even those who were grieving. While those may be true to some extent, that's is not all acupuncture and meditation can help with. They have both helped me in more ways than I can describe and I think that everybody should use them at some point in their life.
I have learned that I am not alone and have made many friends. Whether in the digestive disorder, gastroparesis, Hashimoto's or autoimmune disorder "club", I know that I am not alone with what I am going through. There are so many of us struggling and I have talked with so many whom have helped me personally and vice versa. Some have it worse, some have it easier but at the end of the day all of our lives have changed because of this stomach disorder. That is comforting in its own way. I have spoken to dozens of people through my gphealh_loreal Instagram who have come to me for advice and I have been honored to give them some.
I have a better knowledge of workplace stress. Every job I have had between the ages of 14 and 20 were terribly stressful. Every job has stress that comes along with it but for years I felt like each job I got was worse. Whether it was a ski resort, retail, a work study job or a law firm... it was getting worse. Once I got sick with gp I realized that something needed to change. I quit my job without a back up because I was desperate and couldn't handle the job anymore. Thankfully I was able to find a great job directly after, that I am still currently at. I am now able to understand that workplace stress should not be chronic and make you physically ill (go figure)!
It has made me eat healthier. I never considered myself an unhealthy eater beforehand, and I still don't quite. I ate just about everything vegetable and fruit wise, I was not picky at all. Now, eating organic along with all of my food limitations, it has made me feel better and healthier knowing that what I am consuming is real, good food.
I know what symptoms are. I now know that bloating, constipation/diarrhea, headaches, fatigue, etc., are not just "how you're just supposed to feel". These are symptoms. Your body is trying to tell you that something needs to change and be fixed. Listen to it.
I now know how to advocate for myself and my health. This is one of the most valuable takeaways from my health journey because it will not only help myself going forward, it will help my future family as well. I was sick for about 4 1/2 months before getting diagnosed with gp, which, for many is a short amount of time. The reason this may seem short to them is because so many people do not know how to advocate for their health. My doctor thought my pain and nausea was purely stress or a food allergy...for months. I knew it was more. I took charge of my health, I asked numerous questions, I researched like crazy, and I saw different doctors! I knew that what I was feeling was not right and I wanted to know exactly what it was.
It's easy to focus on what your health problems have negatively changed in your life, but why not think about things you have learned or things that have changed for the better? Being in a constant state of negativity can be harmful to your mental and physical wellbeing.
We all have off days and I am definitely not going around telling people how great it is that I got this stomach or autoimmune disease. Instead, I have chosen to reflect back now and focus on everything it has helped and taught me.
What have your health problems positively done for you?
Stay healthy,
Loreal
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