I was never what you would call a
robustly healthy child. But, I also wasn't what you would call a
tragically ill child. I was like a twilight child - there wasn't a slot I
really belonged in.
My
generation was also born at the dawn of mind blowing medical
advancements our grandparents would have never imagined. We went from
taking sugar cube polio vaccines as children (a great medical miracle)
to seeing outpatient laser surgery performed with ease.
Little
did I know those very, very early ailments, illnesses and odd
sicknesses were road signs to health problems and issues that would
eventually plague me as an adult and eventually alter my whole way of
life. I know now those were red flags for indications or predispositions
for illnesses and disorders; also these conditions tend to cluster in
families, but they can also be set off by different triggers.
By
the time I was in my teens I had chronic stomach problems. Late teens
and early 20s those worsened and over time a whole plethora of health
issues became constant companions.
Could it really be that bad you might be asking yourself. Well, I'll let you be the judge:
- Over the course of several decades I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, spastic colon and acid reflux.
- Eventually I was diagnosed with gastroparesis, also know as slow gut or low motility. (Later, I would find out this was a common symptom of an autoimmune disorder I have.)
- Scoliosis
- At the age of 28, when my son was
18 months old, I was diagnosed with lung cancer (carcinoid) in my right
lung. A tumor and a portion of the lower lobe of my lung was removed. I
had never touched a cigarette, lived with a smoker or been exposed to
second hand smoke, nor was there a family history of lung cancer.
- After surgery I was diagnosed with
depression and OCD. Eventually, years later I was diagnosed with panic
and anxiety disorder and PTSD after being stalked for several years
and...
- Surviving a second bout of non-smoking lung cancer in 1995. 60% of my left lung was removed.
- I began menopause in my late 20s and was post-menopausal by my mid to late 30s. I was unable to have more children.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Raynaud's syndrome
- Neuralgia on the back of my head
- Connective tissue disorder
- Pneumonia
- Chondromalacia patella
- Neuropathy in my right leg
- Hypothyroidism
- Sjogren's Sydrome
- Shingles
- Plantar fascaiits
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Bursitis
- Costochondritis
- Joint Hypermobilty Syndrome
- Migraines
- Osteoarthritis in the knees and spine and degenerative discs
- Atrial Septal Aneurysm in my heart
- Chronic UTIs
- Hypertension
And, that's just the Reader's Digest condensed version.
It
took me years of many false tests, misdiagnosis and doctors who didn't
have a clue to finally get pointed on the right track. How did that
happen?
I found the right doctor and
I decided to become a proactive patient. In other words, don't take
your health, your health care, medications or anything else for granted
or on the word of others. Learn everything you can about you and your health,
what is affecting your body and the medications you are prescribed.
So, over the years, I've become a collector of health information.
At
one point or another I'll write and/or post about the topics above and
many other topics that affect us. My goal is to offer a place you can
come and find information you need and ask questions if you need to,
also.
Let's begin our journey. Welcome to, Give Us Our Daily Health.
© 2015 Beverly Hicks Burch All Right Reserved.
