Nexus - 0302 - New Times Magazine-pages

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By the age of 14, the effort of combating severe chronic pain and fatigue while trying to keep up normal activities became impossible. I collapsed and had to be hospitalised and removed from school for several months. But even after a huge battery of medical tests and innumerable visits with doctors and specialists, no one was able to diagnose what was causing my problems. After many weeks I returned to school and struggled through the high-school years with the aid of generous amounts of codeine and other strong painkillers that my doctor willingly prescribed. But by the time I left home for college, the symptoms of bleeding, exhaustion, pain and digestive problems became so bad that I often was unable even to leave my room or take part in daily activities. I kept up the Demerol injections and codeine for many years and added to my regimen several other new painkillers and drugs which had been developed for menstrual problems. But the prob- lems continued unabated, and in the ensuing years I developed myriad other serious health problems. During the years from age 18 to 30 | was diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease or ileitis (a chronic, painful inflammation of the colon), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Hashimoto's disease (a disorder of the thyroid gland) and mononucleosis. I had severe chronic kidney infections, two miscarriages, chron- ic cystitis, severe candida and external yeast infections along with marked adrenal insufficiency and serious chronic ear and sinus infections for which | was prescribed antibiotics on an ongoing basis for several years. Food and chemical allergies also became a big problem, and even though I ate almost nothing because of my extreme food allergies, | actually kept gaining weight, which only added to the discomfort of all the other health disorders with which I was dealing. The bottles of drugs I had taken during this time could have filled a small landfill, but none of my illnesses or disorders had been resolved and, in fact, they were more debilitating than ever. It seemed as though I had become nothing more than a walking encyclopaedia of disease, and the worst part about the entire situa- tion was that no matter how many failed drug therapies I tried, any visit to the doctor's office only resulted in another discouraging failure. Another big problem was the drug side-effects. I felt like a ping-pong ball, bouncing from one drug to another as my doctors kept prescribing more and different drugs to counteract the side- effects of the ones I was already taking. By the time I turned 30, the natural health movement was really picking up speed, and, desperate for any solution, I tried out the Adelle Davis nutrition regimen, megavitamin therapy, acupunc- ture, chiropractic care and every herbal preparation and drug-free natural health therapy that I could find. Within two years, my chronic cystitis cleared up and the men- strual pain and bleeding markedly decreased. The ulcerative coli- tis also responded and the sinus infections disappeared. I felt that I was slowly and surely regaining strength and health and even beginning to expericnce a portion of the energy and vigour that ‘normal’ healthy people enjoy—and all without drugs. When I conceived my son at 34 and made it through the first trimester without miscarrying, I felt as though I'd conquered the final health frontier. Unfortunately, in my burst of enthusiasm, I underestimated the impact of pregnancy on my understandably frail health, and the birth for which I had so carefully prepared was a near-fatal disaster requiring emergency surgery. As it turned out, even despite all the illness and pain I'd gone through in the years before the birth, all of it seemed like child's play after I ran head-on into the serious complications of a diffi- cult childbirth. For months after the birth I hounded my gynaecologist, com- plaining of unremitting and severe abdominal cramps, cystitis and horribly painful menstrual periods. My natural health treatments would give temporary relief but, mystifyingly, didn't seem to have the same beneficial and lasting effects that they'd had before my dded to the discomfort of all the other health disorders with — pregnancy. thich I was dealing. I underwent every conceivable medical test, each of which came The bottles of drugs I had taken during this time could have back negative, but the problems just didn't go away. My doctor led a small landfill, but none of my illnesses or disorders had _ flinched every time | walked in the door and then sent me back out een resolved and, in fact, they were more debilitating than ever. again with increasingly severe assurances that the pain was seemed as though I had become nothing more than a walking "unwarranted" and probably all in my head. neyclopaedia of disease, and the worst part about the entire situa- After alienating every doctor in town with my complaints, I on was that no matter how many failed drug therapies I tried, any _ finally gave up and decided to ‘suffer in silence’ until one hot sum- isit to the doctor's office only resulted in another discouraging mer day, almost 24 months after the birth, [ suddenly fell scream- tilure. ing with pain on my living room floor in front of my terrified two- _ ———— year-old. I literally had to crawl to the phone to call my husband. When he carried me, ERG fa a TH. a (Zu) ———= screeching, into my OB's office, the doctor Ly clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Now it can't be that bad, dear. We just checked you out a few months ago," he cajoled. He gave me codeine and sent me home. Forty-eight hours later I was in the operating room having emergency surgery for multiple- tuptured ovarian tumours. A couple of days after the procedure, my doctor sauntered into my hospital room with a conciliatory grin on his face. "Gee," he drawled apologetically, "we had no idea any- thing like this was going to happen. Your ovary looked horrible—engorged to the size of a grapefruit. No wonder you were hurting. Sorry you had to go so long without help but, you know, the tests just never turned up any- thing. And oh, by the way, the pathologist found a little endometriosis in your right ovary." Endometriosis is an incurable women's dis- ease in which uterine tissue for some TY AGEAROE Lf You'Re CREAM. fia SUPPOSED TO RUB iT ON ALL OVER, 22 * NEXUS FEBRUARY-MARCH 1996