{STONED}

About a week ago I was awakened by some major discomfort in my back and upper/center stomach. Right under my sternum, around my rib cage and all the way around. First I thought "ah man, not this again." See, it's happened to me before, for YEARS actually. I've probably had 20-25 of these episodes in the passed 5 years or so. They're not small, they're very painful and keep me up all night. This attack was a little different though then the ones before. In the past they were mainly annoying. Still painful but I could tolerate it until it subsided. This one was so painful that I was just about ready to go the ER because I thought I was about to die from internal combustion... okay a little dramatic... but that's just where my mind takes me! So what does someone do in the middle of the night with a sleeping family and not quite ready to go to the hospital? Of course turn to Dr. Internet. I looked up all my symptoms on The Google and I was surprised that my exact symptoms actually had a reasonable explanation tied to it! The answer, I was having a gall bladder attack! (I'm not excited about it, just that I figured it out). So then I ask all my friends if they know anything about this, had any experience with gall bladder issues, etc etc just trying to get as much information as I can. Of course I scheduled an appointment with a REAL doctor. When I told her my symptoms she agreed they sounded gall bladder related and then I had an abdominal ultrasound. That confirmed it. A gall stone(s).

Now I needed to research. Why/how/when did I this happen? How do I make it go away? IS THIS ALL MY FAULT? Well the answer to the last one is pretty much YES.

Turns out eating greasy, fat, processed foods can do a whole number on your gall bladder. It has trouble properly breaking down the hydrogenated and processed oils/fat in the crappy food I ate and formed gallstones. Lovely huh? These pains I got frequently, I blamed on other things. Like the back pain-- I have a large chest, so that explains that. Stomach pain? Well for one I ate crappy food and knew it, and had indigestion...Everything was so easy to blame on something else and I just never realized that these specific symptoms were related and there was a reason.

You might be confused as to why I was having this attack in the first place since I don't eat fast food or any junk really anymore. So how did this happen? Well, you're right, I don't eat that crap any more...BUT. A few weeks ago we had some friends over for game night, ordered pizza. Then it was mine and Joel's 5 year anniversary (awwww <3) and we went out to this great Mexican food restaurant. The next day (this was a Saturday) was RSBC's camper appreciation pizza party. The next day was a dear friend's wedding. So the events of 2 weeks had all taken it's toll on me. Monday night was when it happened.

Just like that.

Not only have my poor choices with food throughout my life made me gain lots of weight, they've also effected my organs in a way that produces physical pain. It's so easy to eat a piece of pizza and not realize the negative effects because usually you don't feel yourself gaining weight. But now, for me, eating a piece of pizza means disrupting my gall bladder and sending me into an attack.

So that's it. No more for me. Except on very rare special occasions, I just can't afford the pain and damage it's doing to my body.

If you're still reading, I'm sorry if this was all TMI!

Since figuring this all out, I've made some changes in my food plan. We've upped the vegetable intake even more, cutout most red meat, and even are trying to limit the amount of chicken we eat too. We're doing this "vegetarian during the week, lean meat only on the weekends" thing. Only because it's easy to remember. So far I feel great. My doctor wants to just cut me up and take out my gall bladder but Joel found a natural non-invasive gall bladder flush that I'm going to try. It wont hurt and most of the reviews have said it worked. So we shall see.

Oh and did you know that some research has said that gall bladder dysfunction can slow down and hinder weight loss? Since I've  been changing things around, the weight has started dropping off again. I'm "smaller" than I was before my wedding :)

I'll be doing the gall bladder flush next week. You probably won't want to know how that goes, but I'll tell you... {if you ask}