I got a lot of stuff that's wrong with me. Allergies. Nearsightedness. Gingivitis. Chronic Prepatellar Bursitis. Insomnia. Anxiety Disorder. IBS. Lactose Intolerance. This week chalked another one onto the list. I think I may be gluten intolerant too.
I started researching on Wednesday. After reading up on it, I went for a run. The list of symptoms circled through my head.
That damn weird metal taste!
Dry skin? Is that why I'm itchy all the time?
Poor tooth enamel! I did think it odd that I've been drinking coffee since the age of fourteen, but I didn't get stains until last year.
Fatigue? Hell yes. I drink 5 cups of green tea every morning. (Having cut the coffee 'cos of the tooth stains).
IBS. Lactose Intolerance. Decreased appetite. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Depression. Don't get me started.
All the while I'm thinking this, I'm chugging up this hill I've chugged up a million times over the past year, feeling like I'm going to die.
POOR MUSCLE TONE AND INABILITY TO LOSE WEIGHT.
Oh. My. God. I stopped in my tracks.
Is that why I've been working out six days a week for the last three years, and barely shaved off five pounds?
So I decided to go gluten-free, just to see what would happen.
Now I know what you are thinking: Shouldn't you go to a doctor, Farty Girl?
Wake up, people. This is America. I don't have health insurance.
For the past three years, I've self-diagnosed myself as a lot of things. Mostly all of these ailments could be fixed through diet. So I played with my diet. Then last year I went to a doctor, who certified that I had done good homework, that I was right with my assessments.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think I am fit to stand in for a doc. Lest I end up like Sylvia Plath's father, who mistakenly diagnosed his diabetes as cancer, and died of a gangrenous leg. I do plan to go to the doctor again. Once I finish my book. Once I get a job. Once I get insurance. Somehow. Somewhere. Someday.
I keep thinking though... Neither the doctor or I was able to correctly diagnose me, as I still have problems. It makes me wonder - is self-diagnosing valuable? Can we poor bastards use it to put off a costly visit, at least for a while? Or is it terribly dangerous and am I an idiot?
I'm going to have to wait and see.
What Stinks?
- Farty Girl
- In 2005, Farty Girl was diagnosed with IBS and lactose intolerance. In 2008, a gluten allergy. Doctors suggested meds. FG decided to heal her explosive gut with healthy food instead. She read the books. She studied the labels. She sampled the indie brands. Today, she wants to pass that info onto you. In easy-to-digest blogs. But remember. Farty Girl is not a doctor or a nutritionist. She's simply a girl on a crusade to stop farting.
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1 comment:
Given the horror stories about medicine we get told these days, as well as the insidious monster of over-medicating all over the world(esp. the States)... I'm all for self-diagnosis. I do it myself, and it works.
But there are some things a doctor is trained to recognize, so seeing one once in a while shouldn't hurt.
Just two things your post made me realize - if you're intolerant to something, figure out the degree of intolerance. And like litelysalted says in a comment, it varies from time to time. Second, listen to your body and stop overanalyzing. Take it in baby-steps, tackling each step as it happens without taking the whole thing as - horror of horrors - a lifetime condition.
I'll wager you'll forget half your illnesses if you keep yourself happier and stop worrying!
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