#and why when i do suddenly eat more gluten than usual it upsets my stomach

[mynotsosecretdiaries-blog]

I got worse by the second...

Self Experience.

It all began when I had turned 10 years old. The first trigger was my period and  my health never been the same since. 

I would get mysterious pain on my stomach and constant nausea. There was never a day I would wake up without an upset stomach. I would have to threw up and then deal with diarrhea. It was tolerable at first since I would get it occasionally and I bounced back quickly. I would feel perfectly fine after each episode. However that was only one problem. 

The other problem was my time of month. I would get excruciating pain from my stomach to my foot, back and hands. I could not even walk. Pain killers only took away 25% of the pain. The only peace I had was when I was sleeping and so I only slept for the entire day. This pain would last for two, at the most three, days and after I was healthy as a horse. 

We (My parents and I) don’t know if it was a coincidence that I got sick just around the time my first got my period or that it was connected to it somehow. However I didn’t worry about it since I was okay afterwards. Since I was fine and didn’t really care, my parents also brush it off because I kept telling them I was fine, I was okay and nothing was wrong. To be honest, I did feel okay so I didn’t feel the need to worry them unnecessarily. 

This lasted for some years until one of the worst nights of my life.

My watch alarmed signalling it was midnight. I sighed. I twisted and turned. I groaned in frustration. I was nauseous and unable to sleep. Suddenly a feeling of discomfort overcome my stomach. I curled up in a child’s pose and began to take deep breaths. In my head I kept praying and saying “please not now”.

 You see at this point I had gotten used to the agony I would get and this may sound weird but I could differentiate between my period pain and the other weird thing that has been happening to me and this is one of the weird ones. Although, in my head I knew it was the weird pain, something felt off. 

It worsen by the second and so I got up and had to call my mum. I couldn’t have handled it by myself, I was trembling in pain. Hence one of the worst episodes of pain. It lasted till around 5 in the morning and normally it would be around an hour. This time it was 5 hours of pain, vomiting and dysentery and this wasn’t the only different thing. Usually I would bounce back quickly, this time I felt weak, drained, tired and very sick. At first we didn’t care much but still was very worried. We were right to be, I got worse by the second.  

We decided it was time to visit a doctor. Honestly we went by so many I could hardly remember them all. I’ll only state the main ones. So the first set of doctors we went by they all told me the same thing. “There’s a virus going around, you must have gotten it. Don’t worry, here take these and you will be fine.” In my head I was like, There had been a virus going around 365 days a year now. That was the first year of my health deterioration. Endless doctors diagnosing me with some virus and medication took over my life.

Coming into the second year, we went by another doctor once again. This doctor for once told us something different. He said that I was lactose intolerant, that milk could be the cause because of all the processing and chemicals that are placed into the milk before it reaches the cartons. So we stopped all diary. This did help...for a little while and it was back to square one again. At this point I had done so many tests, blood, urine, stool and now probably the biggest test I did. It may sound all that scary but to me I was terrified.

We were recommended to a doctor by one of my teachers at school. The doctor was about 2 hours away from where I live considering traffic. We went and she told us that she needs to see inside my stomach. I was alright fine thinking it was a ultrasound. Boy, did I thought wrong. She said we needed to place a camera down your throat to see inside your stomach, it is called a endoscopy and a camera in another place I refuse to speak of to see your lungs and that is called your colonoscopy. As much as I didn’t wanted to, I had no choice and so the test was done. I asked to be asleep because there was no way on earth was I going to stay awake through that. 

After the test now. The results were, I was indeed lactose intolerant and also there was a gap in my stomach where acid is seeping through and that being the reason why I was nauseous the whole time. Despite all of this and new medication, I didn’t get better. 

At this time my father was really interested into car music, he wanted to make a sound system for his enjoyment only for our car. He met this person who was going to make a battery for his car and just so happens that same person also happens to be a family doctor. Upon learning about this, my parents informed him of my health and he told them to bring me in his office. 

Now this was the start of my healing journey. This doctor was the only one who actually listen to us and really thought about my symptoms. He said for my period problem I might have PCOS. PCOS is polycystic ovary syndrome and it affects everyone differently. We checked and it was that and that was one case solved. Unto the other problem, firstly he wanted me to do a blood test to check if my thyroids are low because that could be partially the cause for my illness. Low and behold my thyroids were dangerously low so that was another discovery made and he began treating for that. 

However he still suspected me of having a gut problem and needed to do more research to pin point the exact issue. Meanwhile he took me off all of my previous medication. It turns out too many different types of medication is very bad for your health and that could have also been a reason why I was getting worse. He started me with a pro-biotic tablet to restore some good bacteria in me and some vitamins c and d because let me tell you I was lacking alot in that area. 

Not only that, he told me that I need to go on a diet of no gluten, diary and soy. Basically treat me like a baby, let me heal and then one by one introduce back proper food in my life and see what agrees with me. This was probably the most hardest thing I ever had to. I could only eat provisions but no potato. Imagine that! But as much as I hated this, I have to admit, it did help. In less than a month I was atleast 50% better and kept improving. 

There was only one problem but we didn’t really care to pay attention to it since we were so focused on me getting better and that was what was wrong with me? What was the reason I was sick? 

Then one day my mum and dad was shopping in the grocery for my gluten free food where they met up with a lady. Her daughter was also ill, she had similar symptoms to me and her daughter had lupus. My parents and I knew I didn’t have that but we still wanted to know. The lady had referred us to their doctor. At first we didn’t bother to go until one night I had a relapse. It was the first time in a short while I ever felt like that. Just when I thought I would never have to feel that pain ever again. Life is quite funny huh? 

So we decided to pay that doctor a visit. Now let me tell you, that was the absolutely the rudest doctor I ever had met. Despite his attitude, I am still wondering how he even got his degree. He told us that the only solution is to operate on me. Cut me open. Why you may ask? Well I am wondering to. When we asked why, he said, you want to find the problem don’t you? Basically what this sorry excuse for a doctor wanted to do was to cut me open to look for something he, himself don’t even know about. 

After that day, I got another relapse and my parents were talking. Honestly we weren’t exactly financially stable, doctors took alot of money and so does medication and this food diet I am on. My dad told my mum that they should take whatever little money they had left and do the operation. At-least  then they can find the problem and take care of it and it will all be over. 

Luckily it didn’t get to that. This is where the real healing began. My dad is a mechanic and he has his own garage at home. He goes by this place to buy parts and one day the owner who doesn’t even know anything about our lives told my dad that he got problems. Now that haunted my dad that for a while he avoided buying parts there. The next time he went the owner said to come to his church Christ Our Banner Ministries, he said to come three times and decide if you want to stay. Every time my dad and mum would go, the owner would leave his business and come to talk to mum in the car. So just to get him off our backs we said we would go.

The very next Sunday we all got dressed but I got sick again and only my dad and sister was able to go as my mum had to stay with me. My dad came home literally a new person. He said the moment he step into that church he felt like all the weight has left his shoulders. The next Sunday I made it my mission to go and I walked out of that church healed. 

Since Pastor prayed for me on that alter, I knew it. I knew I will never be the sick girl ever again. Now I have no pain whatsoever. I can eat anything even diary. I am literally a new person and it just wonderful and I am forever thankful because Jesus healed me. I feel incredibly lucky to receive such a miracle and it is just so amazing. My family and I are happy now and are in peace, all given by our savior.

From then to now, we have been baptized, my mum converted from a Hindu to Christian. My dad was already baptized but over the years had strayed, now he is renewed. My sister and I were only dedicated but now fully baptized in the Lord’s name. 

This is not obviously the whole story, there’s alot more detail, unfortunately I really can’t remember them much and there more aspects to this other than the being sick part. If you have any questions at all or even your own story to tell please feel free to and also your thoughts. I would love to hear what you would have to say.

- Adina Gordon