I started out pretty darn sick two years ago, with some pretty scary digestive symptoms and some pretty scary psychological symptoms. Both of those saw drastic improvement with a gluten free diet and the addition of fish oil supplements. After a year gluten free, I was still much improved but nowhere near healthy. At the beginning of this year, I started the GAPS diet and saw even more improvement! I was so excited.
I've been on full GAPS for over 6 months now, and while I've seen some healing I'm nowhere near where I want to be. It seems like all the symptoms that were getting so much better when I first started GAPS are now getting worse again. Either the symptoms are getting worse, or they're still improved from where they were 9 months ago and it's hard for me to remember just how bad they were- I can't tell.
I'm still struggling with allergies. Not a huge deal, but really annoying. I'm tired all the time. I'm still getting diharreah, but only right before my period. Speaking of my period, most of my worst symptoms seem to be hormonal. Remember the really bad PMS I told you about a while back, and how it was improving? It seems to be getting worse again. I'm having serious anxiety and emotional issues for about a week every cycle. It's so frustrating, and so debilitating. I'm not depressed- I just feel like I am for a week every month. I basically have to stop listening to any messages I'm getting from my brain during that week, because they all turn super negative, and just switch on auto pilot. I feel like I'm missing a whole week of my life every month. Then after I finally come out of that fog, it normally takes me a couple of days to get my equilibrium back again. It's so, so frustrating, and honestly I'm just really tired of dealing with it! I want my life back!
Last month, I got some spotting mid-cycle. I know that's normal for some women, but it's definitely not normal for me. I've been having some nausea and dizziness off and on too. All red flags that are telling me I definitely need to get some outside help.
After looking at all my symptoms, I'm guessing I'm dealing with hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, or both. I'm really not comfortable trying to mess with anything hormonal without professional help. I also want to get some levels checked and find out for sure what I'm really dealing with. I've been able to do a lot to improve my health on my own, but if I can find a professional who knows a lot more than I do and has the tools to help me get better, that would be amazing. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but after feeling bad for so long even just the thought of feeling great sounds amazing. I get a week or two each month where I feel great- if I could feel like that all the time, I can't even imagine how awesome that would be!!!
Yes, there are things I haven't tried yet. I haven't done the GAPS intro. I'm not even sure if I should do the GAPS intro while I'm still nursing. I haven't cut out oxalates. I haven't cut my fruit back drastically. I haven't gotten Pickl-it's for fermenting in. Maybe some or all of those things could help me. But honestly, I just don't have enough energy left to try to figure it out on my own. On the bad weeks, it's all I can do just to make it through the day and attempt to interact normally with people. I don't have enough energy left to keep searching for answers on my own. My first priority now, health wise, is to find someone that can help me get healthy again.
In saying that, there's a part of me that's really nervous about looking for help. I need to find a doctor that can help me. I need to find a doctor that understands about the gut-brain connection and that understands natural healing methods. I'm convinced that my body can heal itself with the right tools and given the right opportunities. I need to find a doctor that will respect all the hard work I've done on my own, that will listen to my incredibly long story, and won't blow off my instincts about my own body. And I have no idea where to start looking for someone like that.
Good for you for knowing it is time for help. You have done an amazing job of helping your body in the right direction, but you are even more amazing for seeking professional help since you have reached your saturation point.
ReplyDeleteThank you! <3
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