is a hard thing. Part of my job is teaching people how to take care of themselves in the short terem and in the long run. I remember years and years ago, I was working with an holistic doctor who helped me get well from all of my ailments at the time. I felt so fantastic, and I looked healthy, people were commenting on how great I looked. I felt fantastic. Then, I went back to my bad habits of the time. Needless to say, I brought back everything that I had been suffering with prior to my work with this doctor. And, I didnt understand why it was so hard for him to get me back again once more. He was frustrated with me and I him. Long story short, I ended up in school and figured those things out for myself. It was a hard and painful lesson that I had to learn repeatedly over the years. When something is precious, something as precious as your health, you have to hold it in the palm of your hand and treat it like the delicate thing it is and not abuse it. almost 20 years later, I am in good healthy balance, and have been for many years. But, I take really good care of myself. I eat healthy food, I dont drink alcohol, and I dont eat processed sugar or unhealthy snacks or drinks. I have learned that things that may be construed as fun are not so fun if they make you sick, and having fun encompasses many things that dont have to include drinking or smoking! Here is a story of a patient who did the same thing I did years before:
I have been a patient of Matia's for over four years. When I first came to her I was very sick and depressed. I was 27 years old and had a two year old son I could no longer take care of. I was lucky because I had a wonderful mother who helped out. I was in so much pain, both physical and emotional. I was lucky to find Matia. When I came to Matia, I asked if she knew someone who was on her way to getting better and was willing to talk to me. She told me that there was a women in New York who was willing and would be giving me a call. She was also from the same country and background which made it even better.
She called me, told me her story and gave me her number. It was so nice to have a person to talk to who understood what I was going through. She told me it wasn't going to be easy but gave me so much hope. Me and Matia went to work and it was anything but easy. I was on a strict diet for over a year. I had pain, burning , frequency, etc. There were days that all I did was stay in bed, eat my food, take my herbs and cry all day. On top of that, one day I called the women in New York and her mom answered and asked me not to call again. I was devestated. She was my only light in a very dark world. Everything went through my mind. What did I do, What did I say, I could not understand what happened. I cried for days.
I now understand exactly what happened. When we get sick with this aweful disease, we change, at least I did. I was so scared that I went from being a fun loving, outgoing person into a very needy one. Let's fast forward.....After a year and a half, I did get better. No symptoms at all. It took a lot of work but I was a very good patient and never once cheated on my diet. It finally paid off and I had my life back. I could eat whatever I wanted, socialize, etc. I didn't have many friends left so I made new ones. I wish I could say I lived happily ever after but unfortunately that was not what happened.
I didn't count my blessings and about 1 year after the treatment I went back into my old patterns. Eating sushi, drinking wine at dinner, a few drinks here and there! My body held out for about a year and then you can guess what happened. Yes, it came back! I have no one to blame but myself and I did that for a very long time. Guilt was eating me alive especially when my six year old son understood that mommy was really sick.
I went to Matia and told her everything. Of course Matia did not judge me. As far as I'm concerned there is no one else like her. Not only is she a brilliant doctor but she is an amazing human being with a heart of gold. After talking to her I came to a conclusion that I need to look at this as a lesson and learn from this. What a painful lesson it is. I know now that no matter what happens i will always take care of my body and count every blessing that GOD ever gives me. As much as I want to be healthy and pain free again, I will say I learned a lot from this. Being healthy is a gift and we need to cherish our bodies and never forget what happened to us.
I learned to appreciate my family and learned who my true friends are. As for the lady in New York, I thank her for her time and even though she never gave me closure I see now how hard it must have been for her. I made her re-live everything that I'm sure she so much wanted to forget.
Comments
Staying in balance
Thanks for posting this Matia. Even though I have only been in treatment for 4 months I somehow worry about this issue a lot... going back to old habits in the future. It makes me scared that we appear so fragile. It's good to read stories like this over and over and know that in order to keep your body in balance you have to take such good care of it! And also that we all struggle with it. I think at 23 my biggest fear is falling into a pattern of going out to get a drink every once in a while with friends, but I have many other passions and am realizing there is no need to drink alcohol however tempting it may become as I improve. I think back to when I was a young kid and we found so many things to entertain ourselves, alcohol was never needed! Life can and will be so full without these things that make us sick! Many days I am actually thankful I ended up in treatment as I would have never known of or found such passions without the suffering. SO, I hope we can all remain strong because a healthy, happy life is definitely worth it :)
Worth it
Yes, it is so worth it, and this is only your beginning. There is so much of life to enjoy without abusing your body. One should worship it and that is the joy.