Health Update

Well, my youngest son has now started showing signs that he is ALSO having digestive distress.  He is having very similar symptoms as me and my other 6-year-old son.  If you need details, he has a lot of excess gas (no matter what I eat) and loose stool.

After our doctor visits last week (for each of us), we found out lots of good information; but, we are still left with the frustration of "trial and error" processes.

We had suspected I had IBS-D.  Now, they are saying we all have, "leaky gut syndrome" and it tends to be hereditary.  One of the most frustrating things about this diagnosis is that we are pretty healthy and we have always eaten really healthfully--mostly whole foods, made from scratch.  Nothing fake.  Not much processed.  So frustrating. 

Anyway, what I learned this time around is...

• Inflammation holds fat.  Ah!  So, that is why I have had such a hard time "whittling my middle".  Interesting.
• If I wasn't doing anything to repair the damage to my gut, my body would continue to attack more and more foods.  I feel like that has been happening over time...even before I saw major symptoms.
• Your food doesn't get chewed anymore after you swallow.  Yes, yes, yes.  I knew this.  I know this.  I need to chew better (because I have a harder time grinding my food with my cross bite).  I have been concentrating on chewing thoroughly these last few days.  It's hard with three kids; but, I know it is very important
• I am sustaining my digestive system by taking probiotics and enzymes; but, I am not accelerating healing of my gut.  So, for that, my doctor suggested a pure form (because of all our allergies) of L-Glutamine.  I will let you know how that goes.  She said it would likely take a few months to see results.
• My son's doctor mentioned the homeopathy method of desensitizing our bodies to foods.  I have to do some more research on this; but, basically, it is taking a tiny bit of the foods we are allergic to, over time and increasing the amounts as our reactions decrease.  Need prayers for this process!
• I was off of my probiotics and enzymes for a week for my 9-month-old nursling.  Ugh!  I had a heck of a time.  Now, I am trying to find the right balance for my body and I have to be conscious of any reactions my son might have.

I already knew how much your gut is connected to your emotions.  But, these past two weeks have been so hard...trying to get my body in balance has really wreaked havoc on my emotions.  On bad days (and not just recently), I find myself quick to anger, at times sad, at times elated and peaceful.  This crazy emotional roller coaster is directly caused by the "war" going on in my gut...most often an imbalance of bad bacteria to good bacteria and inflammation and me not getting enough nutrients.  Sigh. 

Dear Lord, please give me wisdom and patience for this process of bringing me and my family to complete health.  Amen.