I actually had all the signs according to the NIH.
The last month has proved to be a loose operation around here...and by "around here" specifically I mean me, my toilet, and I. Almost a month ago I decided to do a Daniel Fast to pray about some specific things in my life and a lot of people in my life, and also to clean up my body a bit. God put certain people on my heart and my times of study were really rich. It's always easier for me to fast while Jason is out of town and since he was headed to India for a week and a half I chose that time frame. In true anal (huh) fashion, I typed up a schedule of my Daniel Fast, what foods were allowed, pretty much just veggies, and also wanted to be smart and take certain supplements to be sure I was cleaning out impurities as they released over the course of the week and a half. All I know is, after a few days and some research and re-calculating, I "discovered" (since the evidence wasn't enough?) that I was ingesting enough fiber for me and my family of 4...and probably your family of 4, as well.
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| photo courtesy of 4unews.com |
Those are times I'm grateful my husband is out of town...I kid you not, I could barely breathe in bed every night. And I'm not talking about sinus congestion.
Jason got home from India bringing some sort of foreign guest along in his colon. Poor guy was way more worse off than I was, speaking of "loose operations" and all. He finally got some meds and he was back in regular business after a couple of days.
Anyway, with him home, once he was able to eat again, I re-introduced fish and a little more lean protein to my "fast". And, since he got home prior to the weekend and we had a birthday party and I had been solo with the kids for 10 1/2 straight days and I'd eaten clean all that time and lifted, did Yoga, and hit the treadmill each day, I had a glass of wine on date night. And some popcorn. And split a gluten free dessert after dinner, but I was writing a "Trip Advisor" review, so that was important because, of course, no one cares and I'm not getting paid for it...but I was going to go back to clean the next morning.
And I got back to pretty clean/balanced eating but none of my "deposits" had gone back to "normal." In fact, at night my liver was hurting so I'd wake up and flip onto my left side to get back to sleep. This, of course, put Jason in a trapped state, but since he sleeps through most things, I mean, what can you do?
And then there are a few details I'll leave out...
Finally I decided to back off my protein powder supplement laden with fiber, as well as my other fibrous supplements, and just let the regular fiber in my veggies do the trick to get me back to a regular pooping kind of girl...not to mention, I was headed to New York City for the upcoming weekend and didn't want to become familiar, like some old person, with all the restrooms in the City.
This plan worked well. Over the course of the weekend, walking miles and miles, hanging out with friends, hitting gluten-free foodie restaurants and strolling the tulip lined streets all over the City, I realized my bowels and I were, again, at one with the Universe. Except for on Sunday evening when I looked and felt 7 months pregnant, without exaggeration, and could not for the life of me figure out what the culprit was because even though I had indulged a little in the City, I still didn't eat my allergens. I went to bed that night, sleeping on my left side, holding my baby belly, hoping all would be well in the morning.
The next morning was our day to leave. We hit a local diner for breakfast and shared blueberries and an omelet. I don't eat eggs. I haven't had eggs in probably a year and a half because my blood work shows it to be my most extreme allergen. But I thought, "Eh, it won't be that big of a deal...it's cleaner than me eating something like a straight up donut or piece of cheesecake or something..."
We got to the airport, seated on the plane, I fell fast asleep after take off with one of those horrifying open-mouthed plane deep sleeps we've all experienced. All was well with my little world. About a half an hour prior to landing I woke up because I was 7 months pregnant again. My baby was raging mad...kicking...wanting out.
I wasn't quite ready to "deliver" on the plane.
We de-planed and headed to the ladies room, but I guess it was just premature labor.
After a 45 minute drive home, I walked in the door and, let's just say, it wasn't pretty...at all...for four days straight. The first night, in what is shy only a month of 20 years, Jason had to hit the couch for the first time because I was in and out of bed every 4 minutes. "Hi, I'm home! I'm sure you are so happy to have me home from NYC, huh?!"
Anyway, thankfully my sister was here during this time and was so very helpful with the kiddos while Jason was at work and I was "in my office." He said, "I bet you got food poisoning or something." I kept thinking, "I split meals with my friends and none of them are sick so it must just be some hidden allergen."
When things slowed a bit I started doing a little research about bowels and guts. I researched the Mayo's site, several natural health and infectious disease sites, read a few books on Crohn's and colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. I researched the causes, the symptoms, the underlying factors.
Jason said I probably got what he had when he got home from India.
I reminded him of my already tender digestive tract prior to my trip and told him it was more likely a sudden onset of Crohn's...but deep down, I knew it was colon cancer and I was sad because I had heard two stories of people finding out they had cancer only two weeks prior and they left their families prematurely and my grandma had several inches of her colon removed and my parents have gut stuff and so do my sisters and with all my "fasting and cleansing" and eating clean and chocolate and wine binges, I'd probably jacked up my whole system and I was weeping because I wanted to watch Emily and Ryan grow up to love God and live boldly for Him and I had so much I needed to write down so they would know how much I love them and what kind of people they should marry and that they could be whatever they wanted to be if God was at the center of their lives being honored in it, and I wanted to renew my vows with Jason on our 20th, but now we weren't going to Spain until August and would I make it until then and had I really left the world a better place than I found it or had I just wasted space and time and talents and there was so much to do if I was going to die, even though I wasn't afraid of it...
Jason said, "Sweetheart, please just make an appointment with Dr. Snook and Dr. Julie and they can do some tests. You probably just have a virus or something, but you won't ever know until you go. And you need to stop doing research on the Internet for a while. Like, take a 5 day break or something...I mean it." He prayed for me in the kitchen and headed out the door for an overnight to Florida for work.
I got the kids in the car, did carpool, and headed up during rush hour traffic to a last minute appointment my friend had available. The back pain was worse. The cancer has spread. And now nausea. Last stages. I was no longer seven months pregnant but rather, skinny from my week of steady trips to the loo. My doctor friend (who I have known for 10 years and we are very, very close and she knows me all too well) said, "Hey, you look great! What are you doing?" I said, "I've been shitting in my pants all week non-stop...I'm not sure there's a secret to it...you just loose weight?!*&%$#"
She said, "What's going on?"
I said, "I'm a mess! (*Insert BAWLING...) I think I have colon cancer or Crohn's or something..."
She checked me out, did a couple tests and said, "You have a virus..."
And then she said, "You need to take this because this will help, but I'm pulling out the Big Guns..."
And then she prayed for me. Not just for my guts but for my mind and my train of thought and my heart and some of the details I can't share here yet and God gave me His peace.
Life is short and I do need to write a few things down for both Emily and Ryan. But I also need to live right here. Right now, with INTENTION.
And I don't know when my life here on Earth is meant to come to an end because I'm not in charge of that but I trust the One who has my days numbered in His grand plan. I'm taking a break from digestive research even though it's fascinating and I know from self-experimentation and documented research the benefits of clean eating on disease and health.
But for now, I will live with INTENTION.
My thoughts had become cancerous, not my bowels.
I will not allow my head and heart to run on rabbit trails, but when and if I do, I know the One, my loving, steadfast Savior, who remains faithful even when I go darting off.
I guess I just needed the reminder: It's the slow and steady tortoise who wins in the end.
*Ever had a crazy "end of the world" kind of day? You can leave it in the comment section so I don't feel like the only one, or you can NOT and that's okay, too...either way, it felt good to write it out...
Have a good weekend!
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