I've Plateaued....and still reacting

[Erica P-G]

So that must mean I have surpassed my gluten intolerance and my body has moved onto something else that I must remove from my list of what I thought was once safe food/drink to probably my flare culprit. I am even taking an antihistamine Allegra 180 during the day and a 25mg Benedryl at night and I still can't get the body to produce a normal BM since April. I know I can't continue with the Benedryl for a long period so I must figure out what is next in line I'm still reacting to.

Here goes another grieving process because I really don't want to have to give up anything I am currently doing as it isn't a crazy food/drink line up at this point.

I will be working on this aspect of things and once I learn what it may be I will be sharing

Thanks for listening everyone.....
Erica

[Gabes-Apg]

hang in there
you have made alot of changes in the past 12 months... diet wise, medication wise for hormones, supplement wise...

it takes time for some.... there is no 'set in stone' time scale for the healing journey
my suggestion is, go with the flow for a bit, dont over think it. stop the genetics research and live in the moment of what is at the moment...
learn to enjoy the now

the only thing i would consider changing, based on vanessa's recent post, if you think you may not be absorbing the magnesium and getting full benefit, consider upgrading to the Dr Dean powder form to optimise absorption.

it is natural to want to progress, improve, do everything that you can. (perfectionists tend to be like that) but sometimes we have to sit and let it happen.

[Erica P-G]

Thanks Gabes....
Gonna put myself on the back burner for a while.....no investigating DNA, no scrutinizing every little thing I'm doing. Maybe I will happen upon a pattern and not realize it after a little more time passes.

I will look into the powered Mag....that must be new.

Time is what I'm always up against....It's only been a year, I've only been thru the seasons a full year now, and I'm bound to change here an there as this healing process continues. Was just hoping the change part could have been having fairly normal BM that were predictable.....will have to wait again for that aspect.

Heat and being more active seemed to exacerbate some of these symptoms I am starting to feel too.

"chuckle" may have to wait until Winter again to see if what I am experiencing had been environment related. Ebb and Flow....don't know where I'm at in all this sometimes.

[Gabes-Apg]

don't know where I'm at in all this sometimes.

and it may never be quantifyable... hence why it might be time to go with the flow and be with what is...
dont try and define it, or set parameters for next stage,

our schooling, our careers, media, etc have created an environment of - move on, keep moving forward, improve, succeed, meet key performance indicators, dont get left behind the others. we have had 30-40 years of this environment. with things like MC in our lives, there are times when we need to pause.
pausing is not giving up, or failure it is embracing what is.

[Erica P-G]

Gabes, sometimes you say things that a person needs to hear at the right time.... I really appreciate you, more than you will ever know.



MC really has a way of knocking us off the ladder when we think we have made it half way up, it's a mighty hard fall. I'm better than I was last year at this time...but on a scale of 1-10 I'd say I crept up to a 6 and have fallen to a 3 now, just a bit better, with no bloating, stomach pain, and better energy. That is something....so I will take it for now.

[Gabes-Apg]

Hey, I wouldnt have got through the last 6.5 years of MC and various health issues without the caring supportive friends I have thanks to this forum...
and i feel blessed that I can be part of your journey..


Suss out Mark Nepo - the book of awakening - daily gratitude type affirmations 5 minutes each day
i think it would be a good resource at this stage of your journey

This is a spiritual daybook woven from my own story, the stories of others’ struggles with their humanness, and truths from the great wisdom traditions. A series of daily reflections, it serves as a guidebook for a journey with the soul. Each entry is accompanied with a practice that helps us face the call to awaken the mind and the heart.

Healing Hugs XOXO


Here is the entry for June 9
These are the Signs
Pain is often a sign that something has to change

Our hearts and bodies often give us messages we fail to pay attention to. Ironically we are all so aware of pain, can hardly ignore it, but we rarely hear what it has to say.
It is true that we may need to withstand great pain, great heartache, great disappointment and loss in order to unfold into the rest of our lives.
But our pain may also be showing us exactly where we need to change.

If we view our bodies as bridges that carry us from our inner life to the outer world, then pain often gives us insight as to where the bridge is experience the most stress.
Pain lets us know where we might crack, where our lives need to be reinforced and rested, in order for us to keep bringing our inner and outer lives together.

During my struggle with cancer, i experienced a variety of deep and acute pains. I learned how to hold on and let go, learned how to endure, that is, let the pain go through without denying its hurt. But the most crucial thing I learned was to listen to the pain.

- Breathe slowly and meditate on a pain that has been troubling you. It might be physical or emotional or even mental.
- Rather than toughening and resisting the onset of the pain, try to let it move through you.
- What is the pain telling you about the piece of your body, or heart or mind that it is moving through
- What might you change in how you move, feel or think that will strengthen this part of you that is hurting?

[LauraAnn]

Dear Erica,

It breaks my heart that you are not doing so well today. You are the one that always has been so positive and up beat. You are always there for every one and I would like to be here for you. You will figure this out...you have done so well so far. I'm about 6 months behind you in this process and I have been amazed at how much you have accomplished and try to follow your lead!

Gabes has given you great advice that I would find comforting, I hope you do too.

Hang in there friend,

Laura

[Erica P-G]

Thank you Laura
I'm humbled by your words, thank you for being here with me....when we are a do'er and a fixer, sometimes we fall apart when trying to put our self back together, and that's apparently what has happened to me at this time. I'll get this figured out, albeit this next phase may take me a while since I really thought I had my 'sh*t' together before April, lol.

Gabes, I have ordered the Mark Nepo book, in just the few pages I have skimmed it has some very uplifting mental aspects that I do believe I need at this time. Thank you again Since I have been flaring with WD for a fairly good amount of time, I must not really be absorbing my magnesium appropriately, so I will need to up my external applications and I will look into the powdered Mag.

Once I have turned a better corner I will be sure to post when that happens
Hugs
Erica

[Martha]

Gabes, thank you for your reminders that MC life is a journey and there will be ups and downs, and we're looking for progress, not perfection.

You and Tex both do so much for the rest of us.

Thanks!

Martha

[Marcia K]

Hello, everyone. This post really made me think about how easily we can slide down that slope. I hope you are soon on your way back up, Erica. You are always very positive and helpful to those seeking help. I can't say enough about Gabes, either. She is just great. I love this group and I am so grateful to have found you all!

[Gabes-Apg]

Marcia the interesting part of these type of conversations, when I went to get the section of the mark nepo book, i realised it applied to me as well!
and it was the reminder i too needed today...

The journey is not so overwhelming when we share it..

[Marcia K]

Absolutely, Gabes! One day I shared with my son what someone shared on here and his reply was "People actually talk about things like that?" I told him that of course we do, we are the only ones who understand what each other is going through. No one "gets this" like we do. I think I will check out Mark's book as well.

[Gabes-Apg]

My Chiro/kinesiologist laughs that I am the only patient that is not embarrassed to discuss my BM's and digestion symptoms - what is going on my poop are indicators of many things.. and I calmly give her an update..

[Rox]

Erica, I feel your frustrations

I'm a bit of a control freak (ok, perhaps more than 'a bit' lol) and one thing that I have learnt in the last year is that we need to let go of that need to control everything. Learning to just go with the flow and take one day at a time has been a huge learning curve for me and it takes conscious effort every day to just let things be. My stomach still isn't normal but it's a million times better than it was a year ago. Some days are worse than others and instead of analyzing the daylights out of it, I now accept that I had a bad day and hope that tomorrow will be better. And usually it is I refuse to let LC rule my life by fear of what my stomach might do tomorrow, next week or next month.

I have the basic's under wrap now (thanks to this great forum, including you!) and I've accepted that I'm now the girl at work who visits the toilet more than others I honestly no longer care what anyone thinks. It is what it is. Of course I hope that one day it will disappear for good (don't we all!) but for now, I'm just living life one day at a time.

You are such an inspiration to many of us on here with all your words of encouragement and I know, without a doubt, that you will get through this xxx

[jlbattin]

Erica,

I'm so sorry that things are still pretty tough for you. Although I'm doing better, I have found that since I've been out of school this summer that I've had more days where things were just NOT right. Am wondering if it's the routine that I am missing? The eating times? Something different? I haven't changed what I'm eating except the day that I tried watermelon.

Who knows? It's a slippery slope and it seems there is always something. I just know that compared to a year ago, in my mind, I'm a 100 percent better because at that time I didn't know what was wrong with me, whether I was going to live or die, and didn't care.................

It definitely is a take one day at a time and go with the flow life now.

Hugs!