In my last 3 posts I grappled with discontentment about moderating my board (Find Truth Get Free). I considered whether I felt appreciated by board members or effective in helping them change their problem eating habits. After chatting (IM) with one member and reading comments to my last 2 posts, I realized my issue was neither appreciation nor effectiveness, but BOUNDARIES.
After treating C-diff with flagyl and suffering those awful side effects, I felt so much better that I didn't want to feel obligated to sit at this computer to moderate my board. I want more time to enjoy our unusually warm summer weather, do gardening chores, bike and take day trips with my husband. During the past few months while I was sick with undiagnosed C-diff bacteria and then suffering through flagyl side effects, I didn't feel well enough to get out and do much. So I loved posting on my board. When I started feeling better, I didn't want to feel so obligated to spend so much time posting (unless I felt tired and wanted to sit). I realized that I just needed to set better boundaries on my time or to decide to post only at certain times of day, like when I didn't feel so energetic.
Ironically on the day I wrote my "appreciated vs. effective" post I began to suffer symptoms of more gut inflammation (irregularity, bloating, cramping pain and passing lots of mucous). Yesterday I didn't feel well enough to do much. I also worried that I still had raging C-diff bacteria. However, I decided to just keep taking my probiotics, getting exercise, drinking lots of fluids and see what happened. This morning, I still had cramping pain but almost no mucous or irregularity. Maybe my good guy bacteria (from probiotics) fought off whatever caused the inflammation. Maybe I unintentionally ate some allergen. Something caused inflammation (indicated by mucous), but I seem to be doing better today.
Some nonceliacs have asked me why I continue to have gut problems, even though I abstain from gluten. Most celiac medical gurus say the intestinal villi (damaged by gluten antibodies) will completely heal in 6 months to 2 years after someone stops eating gluten. Most say people who were diagnosed with CD as adults, may need 2 years, because they sustained long term damage during the years they may have been misdiagnosed (or discounted) by their doctors.
However I recently read an article on Celiac.com "Full Gut Recovery Rare in Adult Celiac Disease Despite Gluten-free Diet" by Jefferson Adams, which suggests that "complete recovery of intestinal mucosa occurs very rarely in patients with celiac disease, despite adherence to a gluten-free diet". From the results of a study, "the research team concluded that complete normalization of duodenal lesions is exceptionally rare in cases of adult celiac disease despite adherence to a gluten-free diet, disappearance of symptoms, and negative blood tests for celiac disease". That could contribute to 'leaky gut syndrome' where larger food proteins leak into the blood and cause food allergies. (I have 6 food allergies in addition to gluten intolerance.) Unhealed duodenal lesions could also explain why I continue to feel pain (not just pressure) when I have bloating or inflammatory reactions to bacterial dysbiosis or food allergies.
OH JOY! I may suffer a painful sensitive gut for the rest of my life, which makes eating less enjoyable. Oh well, at least I can easily resist overeating, because getting too full is PAINFUL for me. So unhealed intestinal lesions will keep me thin, if not healthy. I want to (sarcastically) express my thanks to all those doctors who misdiagnosed my symptoms as IBS for over 10 years, while CD damaged my intestinal villae, which may never completely heal now. GRRRRRR!!!
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