This week something massive happened.
After years of suffering with asthma, allergic
rhinitis and chronic congestion I finally found some answers.
I saw an Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist (ENT)
who confirmed that I have massive nasal polyps.
A nasal polyp is an outgrowth, resembling a peeled
seedless grape, protruding from the mucous membranes that line the nasal
passages and sinuses. Invisible to others, nasal polyps make breathing through
the nose a challenge, and can really affect your quality of life. Symptoms include
pain, blockage and mucous discharge.
He prescribed a steroid anti-inflammatory drug
called Prednisone which I have to take for 7 days and an antibiotic. He’s
hoping the drugs will reduce the polyps enough so that they don’t cause me any
more suffering but he’s not confident that I’ll be able to get away without
surgery. However, even if I do get surgery, the likelihood of the polyps
growing back is very high.
As a person who’s only very recently come around to
accepting that perhaps Western medicine can work alongside Eastern and holistic
medicine; for the first time in my life, I can honestly understand how people
can become addicted to prescription medicine.
I haven’t even been taking Prednisone for a full
week yet, and I’m feeling like a brand new person.
I can’t honestly remember ever feeling this good
before. I am clear-minded, focussed, driven and courageous. I am
performing and taking risks at work like I’ve only ever dreamed about previously.
I am having powerful conversations and articulating my thoughts in ways I never
thought possible.
But I know that it is a double edged sword.
So far, the side-affects are minimal compared to
the benefits: nausea in the mornings and insomnia at night.
However, I know that this cannot go on long term.
My body won’t cope with inadequate sleep for long and I don’t believe my
digestive system would be likely to hold up to prolonged use of this powerful
drug.
I may go backwards when I come off the Prednisone,
but it has given me some hope. It’s shown me a glimpse of what my life
can be like when I am fully healed.
I’m confident that I will find my answer to
long-term healing and I believe that it lies in my diet.
My ENT appears to agree that it could be diet
related and he suggested that I may have a Salicylate intolerance.
Salicylates are chemicals that occur naturally in
many plants – they're a kind of natural pesticide – to protect the plants
against insects and diseases. Salicylates are found in most fruit, some
vegetables, herbs, spices, tea and flavour additives. For example, citrus
fruit, berries, tomato sauce and mint flavouring are naturally high in
salicylates and so are processed foods with those flavours. For more
information about salicylates, look here.
Over the last 18 months I have made so many changes
to my diet: gluten free, dairy free and low carb; and each change has seen
marked improvements in my condition.
I’m now looking into seeing a nutritionist and I
believe that I may have to go on an elimination diet in order to pinpoint my
intolerances. An elimination diet is used to identify foods which a
person is intolerant of, in which all suspected foods are excluded from the
diet and then reintroduced one at a time. Sure it will be a pain in the
ass, but I’m willing to do what it takes.
This drug has shown me how good I can feel, and my
wish is to feel this good all the time (well most of the time at least) so I
cannot stop searching. I must do what it takes and
I must go on.
Quote of the Day
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”
