I consider myself to be a generally healthy person. I'm good about going to the doctor and dentist, I don't smoke, drink, or do crack (or any other illegal drugs for that matter). In fact, I deal with only two physical ailments (an irregular heartbeat and migraines), which in reality don't bother me too often. I simply learned I couldn't have a lot of caffeine (bye bye coffee and sodas) because my heart doesn't need anymore stimulation to mess with its rhythm, and I learned that for a migraine, I could rely on prescription medicine or I could simply go to bed in a very quiet, very dark place and wake up the next morning, usually without the migraine.
A few months ago, I started having this pain in my upper right abdomen. It honestly didn't hurt too badly, it was more annoying than anything else. I did my research (thank you, WebMD) and suspected it was most likely related to my gallbladder. I saw my doctor, she gave it three possibilities, put me on some OTC medicine, and told me to call if the pain got worse. It didn't, and in fact, it went away after a few days. Until Tuesday.
On the way back from a conference in Kansas City with a few of my coworkers, a sharp pain began stabbing at me in the same location. Only this time, it was pretty bad. My coworkers took me straight home and dropped me off, and I won't lie- I cried it hurt so bad. I know, I'm a baby with a very low threshold of pain.
To make a long story short, Isaac took me to Urgent Care when he got home, I saw a doctor, had some tests done and scheduled an ultrasound for this morning. I saw a super awesome third year resident this morning, went to a different lab for the ultrasound, came back to Super Awesome Resident Man, and found out I had gallstones. I had pretty much expected this, but still- gallstones at my age? In some ways, I feel like it's my fault- like I could have prevented it. Believe me, I've eaten my share of fatty foods. And I'm not always the best about taking care of my body either. So here I am, 25 years old with gallstones, and facing the possibility of having surgery to remove my gallbladder. I would prefer not to part with any of my organs, so I'm going to be implementing some diet changes and restrictions to see if I can avoid future flair-ups.
Truly, the Lord meant what He said when He told us to take care of our bodies. I think living in our culture- one of plenty and extravagance and over-indulgence of everything from food to drink to sex to TV- we often forget about this command. In order for us to most effectively serve Him, our bodies need to be healthy. And who else is responsible for our bodies but ourselves? True, Isaac, my family, and my friends can all encourage me to eat healthily and work out on a regular basis, but ultimately I'm the one who will be making decisions about what I eat and whether or not I will leave my cozy warm bed in the morning to head to the gym. It's good for me to go back and reread the Lord's message to me about taking care of the gift He has given me. It can be quite a convicting experience, I assure you.
So for those of you who see me on a regular basis, I would appreciate your help in holding me accountable to the steps I will be taking to make my gallbladder happy. Because a happy gallbladder equals a happy Jenny, and I really like being happy.
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." -1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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3 comments:
Aww, Jenny, that stinks! I'm so sorry, but I love your determination to do something about it. And you can do it! If I can, anybody can. I avoided exercise like the plague and ate without thought until Jan., so you're not alone. You can do it!!
ugh, sorry to hear that jenny. but the new blog design looks stellar!
That's a bummer. If you make a trip over here, I'll take care of them for you.
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