The Journey To Health | Part 1 : In Search of Answers

Remember how we told you that we seem to have more time on our hands now that both kids are out of the house during the school week? With that extra freedom comes the chance to reflect and as parents, we definitely sacrificed a few things along the way during the baby stages. While I managed to hold on to our social life and cultural explorations, I did give up paying attention to my health. Lets be honest, I was never one who enjoyed working out so it wasn’t all that difficult to give up and if I’m being brutally honest, I should probably fess up that I was more lazy than anything else. It isn’t fair to blame the kids but between them and my busy schedule working three jobs I had legit excuses. Chris on the other-hand has been very active working out, doing yoga and he just ran his second half marathon while I had given up on that part of my life. Now that I have all this time on my hands, especially with my decision to hold off re-entering the corporate work space I thought it was time to shine the spotlight on my health and share my story and new journey with you.

Those who have been reading our blog since the start may recall that I used to share my workouts when it was just Little Monkey we had to tend to. One of the main reasons I gave up was because after the arrival of Baby Boy and my 2nd c-section, I had a fair number of complications crop up. Complications that doctors couldn’t really solve. I know many moms will nod in agreement when I say that we seem to live with chronic conditions and learned to ignore and deal with the issues. It’s Baby Boy’s 4th birthday today and I started noticing most of the issues after my 2nd delivery so it’s fitting to start this journey today.

I know I can’t speak for everyone but I will share my chronic conditions with you because every time I mention these to my friends, a handful will voice up that they are going through the same issues. Chris’ family is lined with doctors and nurses and of course my first line of defense was to go to our family doctor and have since visited numerous doctors and every kind of special clinic they have referred me to. Sadly I was either told to double up on my antibiotics or that there was no solution and I had to live with the below conditions. Worst was when my monthly ultrasounds/scans would show different results each time and they finally told me that it’s just a hormone thing most likely and nothing to be overly concerned about. At times I honestly wondered if these were just in my head but of course, that is not the case.

Stomach  – I kid you not I still look 3 months pregnant and when I lie down there’s a lump the size of a newborn’s head that juts out. Apparently it’s a hernia and not a serious one. So life must continue.

Periods – I bled for two months straight and even flooded the bathroom of the ER one day but once again was told that there’s no issues and that the scans are normal. Fast forward a few months and I had sharp pains as if there was a scissor left inside right by my c-section area. Scans would show something spotty on occasion but nothing was consistent so I was told to ignore the irregularity of my period and to perhaps get on birth control to regulate my cycle (something I wasn’t comfortable doing as I was never on the pill).

Skin – What started as dry skin around the eyes and itchy arms has now spread to my leg and my head. I can itch away for days and my entire scalp is always on fire and filled with scabs and eczema/dandruff. Having been to a dermatologist and tried every prescription ointment they can think of, they have given up!

Tonsillitis – I have chronic throat issues and the ENT would like me to have my tonsils removed. Not an easy procedure for an adult and it would require at least a month of rest. I originally pushed off the surgery saying I’ll do it after our 5 month trip but what was surprising was that I didn’t have any throat issues during our travels!! Based on the advice from the doctors in my personal life I have decided to hold off on this procedure in the hopes of finding an alternate solution. Who knows, perhaps it has gone away for ever?

After 4 years of searching for answers, I decided that perhaps it’s time to explore some other options, especially since I now have some time on my hands. Mind you, I may end up empty handed once again but I think it’s time to give it a try and see what happens. Hopefully it won’t be like the juice cleanse I did last year! My biggest fear is that this is mostly driven by my food intake – can we all PLEASE send a plea up to the big guy that I don’t have to cut out gluten, dairy and all sorts of goodness?

I’m not sure who I should turn to; is a dietitian or nutritionist? (perhaps it all boils down to my diet?); is it a physical trainer (do I just need proper exercise? I used to love Bikram yoga); is it a naturopath (I have been to a few prior to my 2nd pregnancy but didn’t really find the right one).

I’m not sure but I plan to explore all the options to see who I feel might help my body return to its natural state. Weight loss isn’t a goal for me though it would be a nice side effect as I still weigh as much as I did at the END of my pregnancies. My main aim is to cool down my body and prevent it from being in what I call “a burning stage”.

I never used to get sick or have allergies, let alone headaches and major skin issues. Now it’s all that I can think about as it’s in overdrive. During our 5 month trip my allergies went away, I mean, we were living with cats and not even a sniffle! As soon as we returned to Canada, everything came flooding back. My skin conditions and stomach issues didn’t go away so I know that it isn’t just environmental.

I promise to share my journey on a monthly basis. I’ll keep you updated and since misery does love company, let me know how you’re getting along  your journey to health!