Keep Going!

I've mentioned how the past several months have been exciting for us on the health front because we have had blood test results that brought clarity to what is behind all of these health issues I have been facing for my whole adult life.  Some answers lay in a blood disorder caused by a genetic mutation, some were found in looking more closely at my blood cells and why my body has so much inflammation (blood tests confirmed that there is a strong auto-immune component which my doctors had suspected for years) and some were found in an allergy test.  Years ago when one of my doctors began to wonder if I had something auto-immune going on she told me to read a book called the Anti-Inflammation Diet.  Up to the past few months this was the most helpful thing I had found to reduce some of the joint pain.  I don't even like tomatoes anymore because I know that they make me hurt.  When these resent allergy tests and the genetic testing suggested I should go off gluten and dairy among other things I found that again, diet can be so helpful in managing chronic pain caused by inflammation.  I have been able to function on a much higher level, have gone off a lot of medication, and sleep so great and feel so much better!

Yesterday I decided that I didn't care and that I just wanted to eat the old way - so I had a gluten and dairy day. 

 So NOT worth it!  I was so uncomfortable I couldn't get to sleep until 3 am.  And my joints have been screaming at me all day.  I know that it won't be the last time I cheat on my allergy diet.  But it's exciting for me to see what a huge difference it makes for me to avoid the foods that add to my inflammation!   This diet will be part of my life forever, and I'm actually ok with that.  It's so empowering to know that I can help myself feel better and function on a higher level by being disciplined in what I eat.  At this point it doesn't look like I will ever be totally free from living with a chronic condition - but I can manage it so much better!   I know that I can't control a lot of things that happen to my health - but it is a blessing to know that God has given me the knowledge to help myself in this way. 

I think having to keep going every day with eating healthy, getting sleep, getting exercise is a great picture of the way we have to keep going in our spiritual life.  We can't let our guard down for a day!  We need to be disciplined to spend time in the Word, and in prayer - we need to watch what kind of things we allow into our mind ... It's a continual discipline. 

But it's so worth it.