Let me start out by saying that the photo above is false advertising. No one looks that good in a spin class. Sweat is dripping everywhere. It smells. People are grunting. If there is a pause in the music you hear people sucking wind. People’s bangs are sticking straight in the air because the people can’t handle having them on their forehead anymore and there is enough sweat to spike them straight into the air. Oh wait….that’s just me and I don’t care! I have Gastroparesis and am just happy to be there.
Okay, I’ll fess up. Several people are looking like a hot mess in spin class, but only I have the spiked bangs. I think that I might bring back the 80s headband. As I mentioned, I’m just happy to be there. Today I had A LOT of frustration to get out of my system. Frustration over how so many people are fighting Gastroparesis and in constant pain. Frustration over the lack of treatment options for Gastroparesis. Frustration over the lack of knowledge of Gastroparesis. Extreme frustration about how we receive this diagnosis and then basically told to “live with it” with no end in sight.
All of this was going through my head and the more frustrated I got, the faster I went. I was wishing that if I could pedal fast enough that a cure would magically appear for all of us. It is still absolutely mind boggling how in this day in age we are just left to the wayside to fend for ourselves and frequently treated by the medical profession as if we are a bother.
I know that there are A LOT of GPers struggling right now. My heart breaks when I read some of the posts about how debilitating Gastroparesis can be. About how the medical bills pile up. About how our lives have been ripped away from us and we have to sort out a Plan B. I wish that I could give everyone a big hug. I wish that I could pedal us a cure.
However I do know this. My Gastroparesis is mild compared to most (which in and of itself is mind boggling, because I know how bad I get.) This means I have more energy available to fight for us. A fight that I take extremely seriously. I promise all of the GPers having a bad day that I have so much fight in me that I am on a mission to make Gastroparesis a household name so that one day we can have better lives. Do NOT give up hope (I know this is MUCH easier said than done on some days). We are a strong group of people and we are determined to have our voices heard and make a change!
~Millie
This entry is dedicated to Kristi Jewel. You are stronger than you know! 🙂