Body and health

Every day we see something on media platforms about our body and health. From fitness to diet or eating habits.

You see every second person, company, and what not telling us that their product is the best, has the most reviews, that their fitness regime gives you the best results. Our social media apps are flooded with ads.

It’s exhausting, isn’t it?

I’ve had some health issues I’ve battled over the last few years. And it can be hard to stop the noise from figuring out what the best treatment is for you.

I was diagnosed with gallstones in early 2022. It was discovered after I had an attack and had me at the hospital with what I thought was a heart problem.

When you have a gallstone attack, your whole chest goes tight, pain radiates from the top of your stomach and across your chest and it feels like it won’t stop until you either pass out or at times I thought I’d die from it.

I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. I’ve given birth twice, and I would rather go through that anytime than go through a gallstone attack. And that is saying something. Just ask someone who has given birth.

I had to learn what my body was going through, what my body needed, and what my health issues were long-term.

I became overwhelmed at one point, by information overload.

I learned that I had a gallstone the size of a ten-cent piece in my gallbladder. I learned that salty foods can create gallstones, fatty foods, and some sugary foods can cause an attack because when you eat these types of food, a signal is sent to your gallbladder to release bile into your intestines to help break it down.

I became aware of the salt, fat, and sugar levels in everything I ate.

You start to question everything you know about food. I remember standing in a supermarket starving and nearly in tears because I wanted something more than a carrot. Because that was all I could trust that wouldn’t send me into a painful gallstone attack.

I feared eating at one point.

So, you read. Everything about food. Everything about your body and health. You learn what you can and can’t eat. I cut everything out that I thought would have the smallest chance of setting it off. I didn’t want to risk it.

By the time I presented to the hospital for the last gallstone attack I ever had, I was already on the waiting list to have my gallbladder removed, so they admitted me. I had emergency surgery later that day.

I don’t even remember what I ate that night that set the attack off. It was very frustrating actually. I had pretty much cut all fatty foods, most sugary foods, and foods with high salt content out of my diet.

So, that left only one category – I looked into a plant-based diet. But you can’t just dive right in. There are even fatty plant-based foods too, and unfortunately, I learned the hard way that hummus wasn’t good for me. So, you have to be careful.

I had emergency surgery at the end of 2022 and have been gallstone and pain-free ever since. Thankfully my ordeal had a fairly quick turn-around. Diagnosed and treated within a year.

Some may not agree that surgically removing my gallbladder was the right solution. I had read into natural ways to reduce the size of gallstones, but with every positive report, there is a negative report alongside it.

It wasn’t that I chose to believe one over the other. Quite frankly, I wanted the damn thing out because it hurt so much to have it in there. I didn’t want to worry, for the rest of my life if I was going to experience another attack, I didn’t want to have to worry about the things I ate.

I still enjoy eating plant-based foods. Although my family no longer likes eating this way with me. I can’t complain, they gave it a go when I needed them to support me.

I have a sister and best friend who have a plant-based diet so I know I can go to them for any new recipes I want to try, I enjoy talking about what they’ve found that they enjoy too.

If I share a meal with mine and my sister’s family, I’ll eat a plant-based meal alongside her. I believe one day; I will go full plant-based. I am becoming more aware of my body’s reaction to eating certain foods. Until then, gimme a cheese pizza. Give me a rib-eye steak now and then.

Health issues can take the breath from you. They can consume you just as badly as mental health issues can. But it would help if you remembered, there is help out there anywhere you look.

I hope one day, someone can find help in the things I share. That’s my goal.

If you need to reach out, feel free to contact me, I’m always here to help out where I can.

Until next time, remember…

Be kind to yourself.