Monday, March 22, 2010

Heed The Signs

I was quite happily (well not exactly happily, let's say obliviously) living my life the way I was, thinking it was normal to feel that way, until a continuous string of dizzy spells, made me think twice and start to re-evaluate how I had been living.

These were my symptoms:

Mood Swings:

It was like I had constant PMS. My happy moods, which were few and far between, were always closely followed by anger or sorrow. I was a nightmare to live with and the worst part was that I couldn't understand why I was feeling the way I was feeling so this confusion would put me into a worse mood and without realising it I would take it out on the people closest to me, like my boyfriend. I was also an emotional wreck, bursting into tears at the most inopportune times like at work, while in a meeting with my boss. When I started to experience my dizzy spells, I went to a GP and he told me to go onto anti-depressants - at the time I was so out of it and willing to try anything to make myself feel better that I was about to go through with it, until my mother put her foot down and told me we could fix it another way. She introduced me to Dr Davidson and since doing the blood tests and eliminating the toxic foods, I am a much happier person and far easier to live with.

Bloating:

After eating I generally experienced bloating - where I was so uncomfortable I wouldn't know what to do with myself, sometimes I would need to unbutton my pants; sitting down was even a mission. It was always far worse when I went out to restaurants - I know now that the combination of drinking alcohol and eating foods that you are allergic to always makes the bloating worse. I constantly felt fat - I couldn't understand how girls had flat stomachs because no matter what I did or what diet I went on, I never seemed to lose the stomach - it always looked bloated. Since January this year, I have lost 6kgs (I had to restart my diet because in December I went to Europe on holiday, for a month, and didn't follow the diet as closely as I should have, which made me put on all the weight I lost last year) and my stomach is getting flatter and definitely doesn't look as bloated as it did. This weight I am talking about is mainly water retention (when you eat a food that you are allergic to, your body retains water, mainly in your abdomen, which makes you look bloated) that is why I was able to lose the weight so quickly (and also put it on so quickly). I weighed 59kgs when I came back from holiday and I am 5'2. All my life I have been thin, that's another reason why I couldn't understand why I kept putting on so much weight and not being able to lose it.

Stomach Pain and Discomfort:

Together with the bloating, I would experience extreme pain in my lower abdomen - this pain was either a constant dull ache, bursts of shooting pain that would have me doubled over in agony, or a knot in the middle of my stomach that would tighten up as if a fist was clenching it. The pains got worse after I ate or if I was stressed. Most nights I would lie curled up in the foetal position to try and ease the pain. I very seldom get these pains now.

Heart Burn:

Along with the bloating and pain, I experienced excruciating heart burn and acid reflux. In my early twenties I had a Gastroscopy (where they put a camera down your throat and look around in your stomach and intestines to see if you have any ulcers) where they told me I had a Hiatus Hernia and a Duodenal ulcer. I was told that nothing could be done about the Hiatus Hernia (a hole in my diaphragm), that I would have it for life. I was given pills for the ulcer, which didn't work. So, I assumed I would have to live with this constant pain - after eating; I would pop a Rennies or drink a glass of hot water to try and ease the pain. Today, I am virtually pain free (avoiding the foods I am allergic to) - I would never have imagined living my life with my body in comfort.

Gurgling Noises:

The bloating, pain and the heart burn were always accompanied by funny gurgling noises in my stomach and throat - the noises embarrassed me no end. But there was nothing I could do about them - I would just laugh nervously when someone I was eating with gave me a strange look. If I do not eat anything I am allergic to, I do not get these funny noises - what a relief!

Constipation:

To top it all off, I wouldn't even be able to ease my discomfort by going to the toilet - sometimes I'd go days without going to the toilet. I'm sure this also contributed to the bloating. I'm happy to say that these days I am very regular, the majority of the time I even go twice a day.

Sore Throat and Sinus:

Most mornings I would wake up with a sore throat and stuffy nose, which would gradually ease as the day wore on, but it didn't make me feel too great.

Headaches:

After eating a food that didn't agree with me, I'd sometimes get such bad headaches, or migraines, that would make me feel nauseous and unable to operate properly.

Insomnia:

I have suffered from insomnia for the majority of my life. When I was younger I would not sleep for entire nights or I would wake up at 4am, with my mind racing, and not be able to go back to sleep. Later on it developed into fitful night sleeps, which always left me feeling like a zombie the next day. I am slowly getting better at sleeping through the night, but now in the morning I wake up feeling more refreshed than I have for a long time.

Being Dazed and Confused:

For quite a while I lived in my own little world, happy just to listen to the conversation that was taking place because it was too much of a mission to co-operate. It felt as though my mind was cloudy and so was my personality. My memory seemed to be going and I even struggled to remember simple words - therefore having a conversation really didn't make much sense. Yesterday, my friend Kerry commented on the fact that I am a bubblier person than I was and far less blah!

Feeling Sleepy After Meals:

At work, after meals, I constantly felt sleepy. I was so lethargic; I had to force myself to concentrate and to think straight. These days, I have energy througout the day and don't understand how I used to live the way I did. I have so much energy that I now go to gym after work, most days, come home and cook my meals and even find time to write on my blog! I am no longer the couch potato that I was!

Stress:

My life was ruled by stress. Sometime I'd struggle to cope with deadlines and bite fellow co-workers heads off because I was so stressed. My hands used to shake and I used to get heart palpitations as well. These days I am far less stressed, even though I have the same job. I now take everything in my stride and am a far nicer person to work with.

I have begun to listen to my body and look for the signs - as soon as I experience one of the above I know I have eaten something I am allergic to.

Eliminating the foods you are allergic to is hard at first - some days you will want to give up; take it from me, it does get easier as you start to find your feet and learn to adapt. If you have any of the symptoms above - I strongly advise you to go to a homeopath or dietician and to possibly have the ImuPro blood tests done.

Having the blood tests done has really changed my life and now you can see why! (I do not write this blog for any other reason, but to try and help people fix themselves and to start to feel as good as I do.)



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