Lately I have been making a great deal of changes in my life.
Positive changes I would like to think. In a short amount of time I will be
graduating from college, will have a degree and have to be a big person.
Nothing about that sounded like a good time to me. A year ago I thought I had
it all figured out, that I would be moved out, going to Albany Law in August
and all of the plans were going to come together. A year ago I was also
extremely sick. I saw nothing that was coming my way. But let me rewind so that
this can make a little more sense.
July 2012 I was plagued with terrible side pain that landed me in the ER. I was misdiagnosed 3 times prior to October 2012 when I underwent a cystoscopy and was discovered to have some big word called Interstitial Cystitis. Now you may that think a diagnosis would bring relief, but it brought the opposite. You see, there is no known cure or one treatment for IC. Instead, it is a series of trial and error treatments and medications. I was on a string of pills and therapies for such a long time. I always felt tired, strung out and was ALWAYS in pain. Finally in June of 2013 I visited a different Urologist who finally began to understand what I was dealing with in my everyday life. It is hard to explain to people the way I constantly felt. I wasn't sleeping well at night so I was always tired and cranky. And the pain would strike at any moment and last for upwards of two weeks. But all many saw was me, complaining, irritated and difficult to be around. I hated the way I was living. I hated the medications I was on, I hated the weight I was gaining and I hated the control this disease had over me. You may find yourself asking what exactly is IC? It is the deterioration of the lining in the bladder to be exact. So when I have a bladder with fluid in it, when it stretches out, my nerves are exposed directly to that fluid and it causes inflammation and spasms. I also have BPS on top of that. Bladder. Pain. Syndrome. And it is exactly like it sounds. Pain. All the time. Last spring, I was determined to overcome this "disability". I ran a 5k in May, but then very shortly after, I tore my Achilles tendon. I was in a cast and crutches for a few weeks and it took me about a year to recover. I became very tired of these limitations because anyone who knows me knows I like to push the limits.
October 2013 the love of my life went overseas. I was dealing with a whole different slew of medical issues at that time and it made my situation even more challenging. At the time, my mother told me that Devin and I would be changing as individuals over the course of the next year. I didn't believe her though. Not for a second. Because I was basically the same person I had been the year prior. But it is now March, and my mom was right. I am a different individual. How? I am in full remission from IC, medication free and 3 jean sizes smaller. I transitioned to an organic diet a month ago and am in the current transition to a plant based, animal product free diet. I am a firm believer that my remission is because of my diet and will to be free of this auto-immune disease. I receive criticism for choosing to gravitate towards a vegan lifestyle, but I understand that many do not understand my situation. No I will not give up meat completely. I am anemic and need iron in my diet, and I also need protein because I lose a great deal of it. My kidney's do not process it correctly and I need to compensate. However, I only allow myself meat once a week now. I am not doing this for moral reasons, or to stand out. I am doing this because for the first time in years, I feel whole again. Interstitial Cystitis is a term I never came across until October 2012. It is understudied, and there are no awareness days or months for it. But it is real. It is real and it is hard to live with. My goal is to raise awareness and to tell people that you do not have to suffer. My fiance stuck by me through my suffering. Held heating pads on my kidneys, applied my lidocain patches on my stomach, accompanied me to my radiation induced testing, held my hair while I vomited, and was the reason I am where I am. Healthy.
Yes we are changing as individuals, but we are changing together.
I have his full support in my new journey and I couldn't be more grateful.
Here's to a healthy diet, life style, and continued happiness. Because I won't
let my name be IC.
