Monday, July 24, 2017

So Much Better

In my post about Being Still I made a reference to my poor health, and in my previous post I mentioned that my health has improved drastically. To understand how drastic, it's time for backstory.

I've had stomach problems, migraine headaches, and fatigue since I was a teenager. In my early twenties I developed joint pain in every major joint in my body. I was almost always in pain, always tired, and at least slightly nauseated most of the time. As a young stay-at-home-mom, keeping  up with the house and baby was a struggle. A lot of stuff simply was not done.

If my joint pain wasn't too bad, fatigue kept me from doing much. Do the dishes, take a nap. Vacuum a room, take a nap. Fold some laundry, take a nap. Cook dinner, and my energy was completely gone and I was ready for bed. I alternated between thinking I was just lazy and the vague idea that something was genuinely wrong with me.

When someone mentioned lupus I started researching. Lupus sounded a lot like what I was experiencing. I had blood tests done, but the only thing that showed up was a vitamin D deficiency. I was prescribed a supplement, but it didn't help much.

I was still hobbling around the house trying to keep up with necessary chores with what little energy I had. It's embarrassing how much of my housework my mom or grandmother did for me when they visited.

Pain was as much a mental battle as it was a physical battle. Some days it wasn't the level of pain that made me cry, it was the fact that I was in pain and I had no hope of it going away. My perception of pain became skewed. It became hard to communicate just how bad it was. I was so tired of living like that. Days without pain weren't even a comfort because I knew they wouldn't last.

But now? I am completely well! I have energy! I don't hurt constantly! I don't hobble around the house! I can do stuff! I'm keeping up with the house, a baby, and a toddler with more energy than I've had since I was a child. It's wonderful!

So what changed? I discovered that nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant) make me horrendously sick and I stopped eating them.

I'll go into more depth on the nightshades in my next post. This has been a difficult post for me to write. I give God the credit for leading me to the knowledge of how to be well just as much as if He had healed me outright.

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Want to read more about my experience with Nightshades?

Nightshades: How I Found Out
Nightshades Where You Don't Expect
Cooking Without Nightshades

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2 comments:

  1. Ashley, I am so thankful that you are feeling well again! We rejoice with you in the miracle of finding the problem and solution. We were glad to see your mom and Levi at Monark. Now, we are home and will miss you as we spend time with family to attend Charles' funeral. We have been with him so much these 2 years and will miss our visits with him and Martha. Love to you and your precious family.

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    1. Wish I could be there with everyone. I know we'll all miss him.

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