Hey everyone!
Ok so I have decided to start blogging. I have so many things going on in life and I need an outlet. A place that I can discuss my issues, inform others about health related things, and most importantly, get out my frustrations. I don't know that anyone will even read this, but it will make me feel better regardless. I am going to start by giving you my background, and hopefully I will be able to help other people find a cure to many of their problems by shining some light onto the unknown problems of this "great" country we live in. (Yes, that is sarcasm if you didn't catch that) ;)
So a little over a year ago I moved to Spain for a semester and it was the biggest roller coster of my life. There were days I loved it and (to be honest) days that I hated it. Overall though, I really had a wonderful time and learned so many things about myself. The most important thing that I learned from it and the thing that I am most grateful for now is that it gave me the biggest clue EVER about my stomach problems. I have suffered with stomach problems for about 7 years. It started when I was in high school and progressively has gotten worse over the years. BUT guess what?! All of my stomach issues went away for the ENTIRE time I was in Spain!! I lived like a normal, healthy 21/22 year old (I had a birthday while I was there) with a perfectly functioning stomach. I didn't know what to do with myself.
I was heartbroken though when the FIRST meal I ate when I got home (Mexican Food) had me running to the bathroom in a matter of minutes and it has all gone downhill from there. I have spent the last 8 months more sick than I ever have been in the past 7 years. I suffered from diarrhea, constipation, headaches, muscle aches, severe fatigue, itchy skin, etc, etc, etc. The list just keeps on going... I have gone to doctor after doctor with the diagnosis being "I hope you can move back to Spain sometime soon"--"It's IBS"--"It's chronic fatigue syndrome"--"It's fibromyalgia"--"It's acid reflux." That's seriously all they had to say and would hand me a prescription and paperwork for labs. No one was helping me. But then I reconnected with someone I met in Spain. A Spaniard to be exact. She married an American and was here in the U.S. She suffered from the same problems that I did and finally found a doctor who correctly diagnosed her problems. A holistic/natural doctor. She told me I was looking in the wrong place if I ever wanted to find relief so I set out to find that type of doctor which puts us at today.
I was unable to find a natural doctor in Lubbock, I had to go to Plano. Even though it complicates things a bit, it's the best money that I have ever spent. My doctor practices "functional medicine." She is a Medical Doctor, however, she decided a little while after starting her practice that what she was doing wasn't helping people. She knew she was just prescribing medications to "bandaid" the problem, but never actually finding the root of the problem to try and help her patients fully recover. She hit the books once again and now handles people with chronic illness and disease. (which is me for those of you who aren't following along!) and I have to say, functional medicine has given me a new found hope!
Ok so back to what Spain taught me... the invaluable lesson that it taught me is that FOOD is my problem. You would think that one of the many doctors I saw before would have thought about this possibility, but no. They definitely did not. It was obvious and apparent to me and even when I have been to the doctor in the past 8 months they would totally ignore what I was saying about it. Dr. Pon did just the opposite. She has diagnosed me with "Leaky Gut Syndrome." A funny name I know, but a not so funny problem and trust me, there will be a blog about it. Get excited. She also believes that I have Celiac Disease aka gluten intolerance (waiting on the test results to confirm it) and possibly other intolerances to soy and dairy. This is a lot to handle. I am on a strict diet for a month to detox my body and it hasn't been easy. I can only eat very specific things once every 4 days. So I have a chicken day, a buffalo day, a turkey day, and a salmon day along with fruits and veggies and that's it. I've definitely been hungry and have cravings like a pregnant woman because I want to eat everything in sight that I can't have. Sigh. The diet is going really well though and I am taking a lot of natural supplements that promote a healthy tummy too. It's definitely been really hard not being able to eat my normal foods such as bread, pasta, carbs... I just want carbs. Oh and a cookie or two. As a result of the things I am doing, I am back to normal. Spain normal. A healthy 22 year old normal. A healthy stomach normal.
My life changed drastically over the 3 hours I spent with Dr. Pon, but I know it's in my best interest. I don't want to give away everything in one blog posting, especially since I have written a novel already, but stay tuned to see all of the fun and healthy topics I am going to be talking about!!
Oh and most importantly.. If you suffer from any of these problems, let me know and I will do my best to point you in the right direction. The direction of the NATURAL cure that is. Always remember to listen to your gut. It can tell you a lot! :)
Besos,
Courtney
