Over the past several years God has healed me of a lot of issues. Physical issues. If you didn't know, I struggle with a lot of digestive problems. The list goes like this:
Chronic Gastritis:
Swelling of the stomach and lower esophagus, possibly bleeding, due to acid reflux. It can lead to polyps and ulcers (which I almost had once)
Acid Reflux:
When acid goes up from the stomach, into your esophagus and gurgles in your throat (nasty!)
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Basically speaks for itself, a bowel that is easily irritated, lots of gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and is usually triggered by certain foods. (for me it's Mexican, Chinese and spicy foods which stinks because I love Mexican and Chinese food!)
Lactose Intolerance
Unable to digest lactose, which is in dairy products. Therefore I have to take Lactaid when I eat dairy. It's a digestive enzyme that helps break down lactose.
For a while there I also thought I had Celiacs Disease, but when I tried to eat gluten free it didn't really do much for me. All of this started in 2006 when I all of a sudden, no matter what I ate, I would get horrible reflux (literally anything I ate!). I ended up seeing a Gastroenterologist, having an upper endoscopy (when they stick a long tube down your throat with a camera on it to look in your stomach) and getting diagnosed with Reflux and Gastritis. They gave me some temporary treatment for it but it never helped so I just kept dealing with it and popping the Tums.
Then, right after Hubby and I got married I was having A LOT of problems. Throwing up, stomach pains, gas, bloating, reflux, and feeling very crummy whenever I ate. The only way to manage all of these issues was to take lots of medication. 2 Omeprazole in the morning, 1 Zantac (which is complete crap and did nothing!) at night, plus Milk of Magnesia for any "lower" issues. And on top of that still popping the Tums when I needed it. Whenever my IBS got really bad I would take the prescription Hyomax to help with those issues. I was convinced that this would be my life from then on and forever more. I would never heal, be taking tons of meds and still suffering. Plus, insurance companies don't help whatsoever with "pre-existing conditions" which meant I would never be able to really figure out what was wrong and try to fix it.
I've done a lot of praying over the years for healing and received lots of prayer, and God has definitely answered some of those prayers. One answer to prayer was learning that I was Lactose Intolerant, which was about 2 1/2 years ago. Learning that I couldn't eat dairy meant I was able to manage my diet by either cutting out dairy all together or taking Lactaid when I needed to eat my bowl of ice cream. This really helped to reduce a lot of my symptoms and now my IBS is a whole lot better. I also have learned to try to reduce the amount of spicy food I eat. Yes this means I have to eat bland tacos/fajitas and avoid eating lots of Chinese food, but my IBS really hasn't been a major issue in a long while!
On top of this I've been taking Probiotics. I know I've blogged about how great Align is and I would definitely still take it if it wasn't so expensive, but being that our family is now on a strict budget I've had to switch to Culturelle. It contains a different type of Probiotic but it works just as good and saves me $5-$10! I also drink a glass of Kefir every day or eat a nice big bowl of yogurt (while taking Lactaid!) to help give me the Probiotics I need. Probiotics have changed my life! Talk about my IBS issues going away, PRAISE THE LORD!
Reflux is still one issue that I struggle with and the Gastritis only acts up if my reflux isn't doing well. After changing my dairy diet and taking Probiotics, I've been able to stop taking the Milk of Magnesia, Zantac, and reduce my Omeprazole intake to 1 pill per day, rather than 2. This is AWESOME! It feels so good to only have to take 1 pill, and it saves money for me having to buy so much of it! I've tried cutting out the Omeprazole all together, but if I don't take it then by 10 a.m. I am feeling the reflux come on. I am trying to explore some natural remedies for Reflux that can help me manage this, like drinking Ginger Tea, Ginseng Tea, taking a Papaya Dietary Supplement, and drinking a glass of warm water in the mornings. We will see how this goes.
In the mean time I am 1. Praising the Lord for all of his help in healing me and giving me the answers and tools I need to cope with all of my digestive issues, and 2. praying for continued healing so that one day I no longer have to take Omeprazole! Wow that would be an awesome day!
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