When people hear my story and learn how far I’ve come, they want to know my secret. What did I do to go from being a bedridden teen in constant pain, with no hope of ever having a normal life—to having what looks on the outside like a normal life. I wish there was one specific thing I did. Something others could follow to achieve the same results. But the truth is, I have been sick for over ten years now. And throughout those years I’ve seen doctors in almost every specialty, done both western and alternative treatments, taken long-term antibiotics and loads of supplements. There were times I felt better, and then times I felt worse. There are certainly a few home remedies that have helped, and treatments that I did notice a difference with—and I’ll talk about those in more detail in a future post. But mostly I just kept going.

I once wrote about how I feel like I’ve been swimming for ten years straight. At times I’m able to rest for a bit on a nearby rock, but then without notice, the rock gets swept away, and I have to keep swimming until I find another one. I really like that analogy, because it feels very accurate to my situation. Throughout the years, through good and bad, I just kept swimming.

 

For those who prefer audio over text, I’ve recorded myself reading the blog here: