feeling better

All posts tagged feeling better

Ashamed of Feeling Well

Posted by Mildred Jane on March 2, 2014
Posted in: Diet, Energy, Gastroparesis, gluten free, health, Inspiration, Life, Make A Difference, sugar free, supplements. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

Well…here it goes.  I have REALLY been mustering up the courage to type this post.  The root issue of this post is what has been my mental barrier with writing on a consistent basis.  However, I feel that I need to get it out in the open.  Out in the open like everything else I write about with Gastroparesis.  Today’s topic (which is the hardest thing I have written about to date), the guilt that comes with feeling well the majority of the time in spite of your chronic illness. 

Looking through red curtains

This is how I feel.  I feel like I am hiding behind a curtain because I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or frustrated that he/she is still struggling with Gastroparesis symptoms.  I still have days that I struggle.  I’ll still get random muscle spasms that show through the twisted expression on my face.  However, I have found a way to feel well 95% of the time.  (Let’s hope that I didn’t just jinx myself!)  But with feeling well comes an extreme amount of guilt.  The guilt of knowing how many others aren’t feeling well.  I want so badly to help everyone return to a semi-normal state in life.  I don’t want the fact that I feel well to make others think less of themselves.  I don’t want others to think, what am I doing wrong?  I don’t want others to think, it’s not fair.  Here are the facts:  you are doing NOTHING wrong and it isn’t fair.  It is okay to mad.  Heck, it is okay to be furious to the point you want to throw things at the wall.  (I sure as heck did, but didn’t have the strength to left a finger.) 

It’s this unfairness that causes the guilt.  It is such a hopeless feeling.  However, the side of this equation that I keep forgetting to look at is this:  if I can get better then there is hope.  There is hope for all of us.  There is hope that needs to be shared in the Gastroparesis community.  We need to stop focusing on the gloom and doom and start focusing on hope.  Yes, it is NOT easy.  Yes, during my darkest days I did not want to hear a word about hope because it seemed impossible.  However, I there is hope.  You need to know that.  You need to believe that.  You need to fight your butt off for it.

I don’t want to give false hope to anyone and I definitely don’t want to stray anyone from the advice of his/her medical professionals (doctors, acpunturists, nutritionists, health counselors, etc.)  But I will say this, I have found a few key elements which have helped me tremendously and I recommend them to you. 

1) Acupuncture. I will swear until the day that I day that acupuncture gave me my quality of life back.  My acupuncturist is extremely humble, but he worked so extremely hard to get my digestive system back in order.  Many people with Gastroparesis have found success through acupuncture. 

2) Cutting out negative, non-supportive, self-centered people out of my life even if they are related.  This is just good advice for anyone.  If the person drags you down and sucks all the energy out of you then he/she is an “energy vampire”.  Ditch them.  It is hard but in a few months time you’ll wonder what took you so long. 

3) Cut the chemicals out of your diet.  If you can’t pronounce it then don’t put in in your system.  Eat clean and natural.  I’ll save the GMO soapbox for another day. PS…This includes Caffeine & refined sugar!

4) Eliminate stress.  This is probably the hardest item on the list because this is the most out of your control.  However, the more stress you eliminate the more relaxed your body gets. 

5) Keep moving.  Even if it is only 3-5 minutes a day of walking in place.  Keep those muscles moving because they help in digestion. 

6) Probiotics & Digestive Enzymes.  I notice a HUGE difference in how I feel when I forget to take these.  If you are interested in brands, e-mail me at adventureswithgastroparesis@gmail.com

There you have it!  My 6 keys to hope!  (I will not say success, because we all know that Gastroparesis is a moving target and we all define success differently.)  However, I cannot stress enough…KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!!

What I have learned through this is this:  I shouldn’t struggle with posting about feeling well.  I need to post about feeling well to show others living with Gastroparesis, that it is possible to reclaim your life!

If you are doubting, or saying “Millie, you really have gone and lost your mind this time”, I will give you a sneak peak at tomorrow’s post.  It will be about how last year, when I started this blog, I could barely find the strength to wash my hair.  However, yesterday, I ran 6 miles, took a 2 hour break, and then competed in a kettlebell lifting competition.  I lifted 10 kilograms (22 pounds) a total of 120 times in 10 minutes.  So if you do the math, I lifted 1200 kilograms (2,640 pounds) after running 6 miles.  soooo….THERE IS HOPE!!!

I love you all and thank you all from the bottom of my heart for following this blog!

~Millie

Never Give Up!

Posted by Mildred Jane on August 4, 2013
Posted in: Acupuncture, caffeine free, dairy free, Diet, Energy, Exercise, Gastroparesis, gluten free, half marathon, health, Inspiration, running, sugar free, supplements. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

SAMSUNG

Thankfully there has been wonderful reasons why I have gone M.I.A. the past few weeks.  I have been SUCCESSFULLY training for a half marathon that I will be completing in 2 weeks.  Whenever someone with Gastroparesis goes M.I.A. for awhile, it is always cause for concern.  Are they having a flair?  Are they okay?  Are they regressing? or…sometimes it does happen…Are they living life?!  I am extremely happy to report that the last reason is why I have been M.I.A.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have either been going to the gym or running on the trail.  Friday night, I ran 9.25 miles at my best pace ever.  I am FINALLY able to push through the barrier without being afraid of triggering a Gastroparesis flair and becoming deathly ill.  Friday nights run was one of the best experiences of my life.

Several times throughout the run, I would think back to where I was last year at this time.  Those days were filled with not being able to get out of bed, vomiting for hours at a time, frequent IVs, and wondering if I would ever be able to get my life back.  Those days were also filled with the fear of potentially needing a gastric stimulator (aka…a pacemaker for your stomach).  During my run, I would think of these things and it would drive me to keep moving forward.  It was almost as if I was running away from Gastroparesis and trying to stay out of its reach.

I am here to tell you…NEVER GIVE UP HOPE!!!  Many of the Gastroparesis groups focus on GP being “incurable”.  However, this does not mean that you can’t make changes that will help lead to better days ahead.  Yes, I still have bad days but they are becoming few and far between.  I have worked extremely hard to revolutionize my diet and have seen life changing results.

Below are some of the things that I have done and am undeniably feeling amazing:

  • Almost all chemicals have been removed and I eat all natural.  GMOs are hard to cut out completely due to the lack of labeling, but removing as much as possible has reaped huge rewards.
  • Cow’s milk has been replaced with Almond milk.
  • Coffee is gone gone gone.  Tomorrow I will be 3 months free from its addictive powers and this has been one of the best decisions of my life.  I still have a minimal amount of caffeine through tea, but my daily caffeine intake has dropped dramatically.
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup is removed completely.  This means, no more ginger ale.  I found this to be much harder to give up than coffee and the withdrawal symptoms were significantly worse, but it was worth it.
  • Refined sugar has been replaced with Honey, Pure Maple Syrup, Agave Nectar, & Stevia.  It has gotten to the point that refined sugar will give me horrible headaches.
  • Eating on a strict schedule…breakfast (w/ protein) at 6:45am, lunch at 11 am, snack (w/ protein) 2:30 pm, dinner 5:15 pm.  A snack of berries at either the morning or afternoon depending on when I become hungry.  Eating protein at specific intervals of time has really helped my energy level remain stable throughout the day.  My favorite snack is an apple with all natural almond butter.
  • Replacing sugary sports drinks with all natural ones.  Vega Sport is my brand of choice.  It has helped give me the power to make it through long runs without making me ill.
  • Water, Water, Water, and more Water.  I drink approximately 80-100 ounces per day.  This has helped me keep my system flushed.
  • Going to bed by 10 PM.  Getting the proper amount of sleep has given me better results than I would ever admit was possible.
  • Taking digestive enzymes & probiatics every day.  (Garden of Life is my brand of choice.)
  • Last, but certainly not least.  ACUPUNCTURE!!  I can’t say it enough, acupuncture changed my life.  I honestly do not believe that I would be running 9.25 miles at a great pace without having acupuncture over the past several months.  If there is one thing off this list that I would recommend above all others it would be to find yourself a good acupuncturist.

They last big piece of advice that I could give is the following:  do not try to make all of these changes at once.  It is too overwhelming mentally and too much of a shock to your system.  Pick one or two items and stick with them for a month and then add a couple of additional items the next month.  There are always steps back while you are moving forward, but do not get discouraged, do not give up hope.  It is possible to start to feel better, but it will take a lot of determination, hard work, and staying positive through the set backs.

On another note, this post is not to diminish how hard it is for those individuals with severe Gastroparesis.  However, if you do have a milder case, I honestly believe that it is possible to feel better the majority of days if you make serious changes.

~Millie