Most Frustrating Thing For Me

[jasonD2]

i feel so frustrated because i know deep down all of my digestive issues couldve been avoided if i took appropriate care of myself years ago. All of my problems started after i was on a course of antibiotics for 5 months and then subsequently contracted a nasty GI virus. The virus lasted 2-3 days and i was fine after that for 2 weeks...then all of a sudden out of nowhere i became severely lactose intolerant and my whole system shut down and turned against me. back then i wasnt eating so healthy and despite having severe digestive trauma from the virus, i continued to eat foods that were bad for me. i shouldve been on a very strict regimen for at least a few weeks and taken probiotics and supplements to heal my gut..but i didnt and now 6 years later im paying the price. im taking care of my situation now and have cut out a lot of foods, but im not even sure if it will reverse all the years of damage from eating foods i was allergic to. very frustrated as you can imagine

[dbmamaz]

Although I was taken off dairy and wheat as an infant due to D, i also was on antibiotics for several years in HS, for acne. I now suspect that those years of taking antibiotics (at my mother's urging) left me with a life-long candida overgrowth which has contributed to so many of my health issues, including current multiple food issues. I believe the body can heal, tho, if we can get to the bottom of the issue. The thought of going on the candida diet is appalling, but I'm hoping with time and a good doctor, I'll be ready to face that. You may also want to look in to the candida issue, since so many of your issues began after antibiotics.

[UR Groovy]

i feel so frustrated because i know deep down all of my digestive issues couldve been avoided if i took appropriate care of myself years ago.

...

Hi,

Just my opinion, based on my history and my Now:

To some degree, I think most of us could beat ourselves up for the things we did because of the choices we made in the past, and also the things that just happened to us. Regret and guilt are pretty useless emotions, since we don't live in the Yesterday or the 5 years ago. And, we can't change the forces that we had no control over either - the things that blindsided us. You can't go back & neither can I (or anybody else, for that matter). If you do manage to find a way to go back in time, could you please pm me? I'd like to go back to High School please.

One choice you have is to live in the NOW. That's where you are, afterall. I mean, you can live for the future, I suppose - you can plan for the future, but cannot change the past. And, even though you feel you may have made poor choices in the past, that's what makes you unique and what molded who you are now. The same will be true 6 months from now. The things you begin to do today will have some influence on who you are in July. My life has improved significantly since I stopped regretting the past. The NOW is not easy, but it's where I'm at, so I may as well do things that will make the future more pleasant. Someday, the future will be NOW.

k

[jasonD2]

Thing is I don't feel unique and special now as a result of what happened to me 5 years ago - i don't like what i've turned into. I'm obsessed with what I eat, cannot eat the things i love anymore and never feel well. Its affected my life so profoundly thats its literally destroyed who I am and everything I wanted to be. I'm not fun to go out with, I have no desire to travel because it will be too difficult, I can't keep a relationship, my family doesnt know what to do with me and my mother thinks i'm suicidal and every day I wake up i feel somewhat hopeless cause i'm not where I want to be in life. If i at least had my health from 6 years ago i would be moving in the right direction by now. i know we cant go back in time and just have to cope with whatever life sends our way, but this just sucks. sorry for the rant and thanx for listening

[UR Groovy]

I'm sorry you're having such difficulties. I've been there ... I really have. I'll not go into the details of my hospitalization for depression, my suicidal past, my medical past, but I think a lot of us have been where you are.

I do hope you're feeling better soon.

(((((((HUGS)))))))

k

[ravenwoodglass]

One thing you need to keep in mind is that celiac has a trigger. For many it was a severe illness, like a stomach virus or bacterial infection, or even something like extreme emotional stress. You DID NOT and I repeat, YOU DID NOT BRING THIS ON. Your celiac was likely triggered by the stomach problems and then your doctor failed to recognize it. It is not your fault. You have no control over your genetics, if you did not have a triggering incident and the genetic predisposition to celiac you would not have gotten celiac even if you gorged on heavy gluten foods for years.

Also please try to remember that gluten is a neurotoxin for us. Many of us have withdrawls from it that can lead to some severe depression. Others have a severe depression and or anxiety set in from even tiny amounts of cross contamination. You could have one or the other going on right now.

You sound very depressed, if you can do something that will help take your mind off things please do. Perhaps you could talk to a freind or go to a funny movie, swim, dance, listen to upbeat music. Whatever works for you. Try to think of this depression as a state that is temporary and will go away, even though it may not feel like it.

Above all try not to be too down on yourself, celaic is not something we cause by unwise choices, it is something that is in our genes.

[RiceGuy]

Boy, do I relate to that! The difference for me is that I despise that fact that nobody would listen to me as a child. I keep thinking to myself "If I only knew..." and "If only the doctors weren't imbeciles...". But I also know that the very things I shouldn't have been eating turned into my favorite things to eat. It seems like anything which is toxic to our bodies can be addicting.

So perhaps would help to ask ourselves if we would have gone gluten-free before we really felt awful. If someone tells you that a food is bad for you, do you take their word and stop eating it if you don't notice the effects?

About the candida issue:

I stumbled into that. Too bad I didn't stumble into the problem with gluten back then, or earlier. Anyway, I solved the candida thing by abstaining from all sugars, yeasts, and by taking caprylic acid capsules. There were cravings at first, but I also was feeling better, to the point where it gave me the willpower to stick to it. So unless your overgrowth is somewhat worse, I don't see the dietary restrictions as so daunting. I did keep fruits very limited for a few years, but now I seem to be able to enjoy normal amounts without any problems. Now, I use Stevia as a sweetener, and I think it's great. The pure extract powder has no discernible aftertaste IMO, but I'd recommend only the one without any added fillers or other ingredients. Incredibly sweet too, so you practically have to measure it with a toothpick.