I pride myself on my level of care and love I provide my body but even doing all the good that I possibly can, I am not immune to my autoimmune diseases (pun intended). This year has been hands down one of the best so far. Starting in January (or a little before) I decided to stop being so upset with the lot my life had provided for me and start living to the fullest potential that I can. I really have given it my best shot to stop trying to control everything and instead let the universe guide my path. It has been truly a remarkable journey. However, whenever you are trying to make these great changes in your life other things will get in the way as well. My year and world was rocked to the core this past February when I lost my grandmother and had to deal with family drama beyond any possibly imagination. It wasn’t the loss exactly but everything that came with it that shook me.
When huge emotional shifts take place in your body it doesn’t matter how clean your pantry is or how many vitamins you take or the fact that I get 8 hours of sleep every night…it still took a major toll. This past few days I have been too ashamed to admit it but I was hit with a massive flare. One that has taken me down for several days and kept me from doing the things I love. I am trying to find meaning in it all…but maybe, just maybe the whole point is for me to share this experience.
I am on this journey right alongside you all. I am working just as hard as you are to reverse my cell damage and repair what has been taken away. Along the way there are going to be bumps and pain but it is about getting back up and seeing what you can do next.
Monday evening I went home feeling a little off but I figured if I got a good night’s sleep and took my vitamins I would feel better by Tuesday. Tuesday at 2am I woke up writhing in pain with a massive interstitial cystitis flare. One like I have never experienced in the past. Immediately I went through a mental catalog of everything I’d done that past weekend to see if I could pinpoint the culprit. I mentally scanned my food journal, sleep record, activity level, stress level etc., and yes I had worked a little too hard and on Sunday I had 2 glasses of wine instead of my usual 1 and I hadn’t been getting the sleep I usually get…but overall it was the stress that brought me down. This flare brought me to my knees on Wednesday night in tears. I want to be there and encourage all of you that we can get through this. This isn’t the flare that I won’t recover from, this isn’t the time to give up. So after I let myself release some of these emotions, I dried myself off, went to the kitchen and started the next treatment. I made a clay mask for my abdomen, took colloidal silver and an extra large dose of straight chamomile herbs to calm the muscles, put my infrared heating pack on and watched a movie. The point of all of this is to say that we can make it through anything we want. There is no problem that we cannot reverse if we work together and support each other. Trust me when I say, I want to help you too. I am on my own journey right here next to you and I want you to know that I won’t be knocked down by these things and I won’t let you get knocked down either.
Today, is a new day and I am feeling much better. I felt inspired to tell you my story as hard as it is. You all know by now that I have 4 autoimmune diseases and I am not immune to flares. I use them as a reminder to love my body and appreciate all the hard work it does for me and as a reminder to rest. We have too much to be healthy for, we have to be like the bobo doll and just keep getting back up!
Thank you for reading
Be well!
Sharissa Bradley
The post This is my journey too. How to survive a flare. appeared first on Sharissa Bradley’s Blog.
