Episode 46: Recovering From a Chronic Bowel Condition.

I wanted to share my journey of living with a chronic bowel condition.

I experienced a number of years where not only my physical health was seriously affected, but also my mental health was deteriorating and my anxiety levels were through the roof.

Over time, and by making some consistent adjustments and life changes, I have managed to develop my very own 'personal toolkit' of methods to help bring me back to health and vitality.

Here's a sneak peak of what's in my latest podcast episode:

I remember so many nights I would wake up sweating in discomfort and sometimes excruciating pain, trying not to scream and wake my house mates up. Some days I struggled to bend over to put my socks on! My love for dancing certainly ground to a halt.

I tried my best to hide it from those around me, partly because I found it embarrassing but I also couldn’t accept it myself. I made it through my days at work under immense stress to show up and perform.

Over the years, I went to the GP to be given various medications that had no effect and then to be told I had IBS and there was nothing they could do. I wasn’t taken seriously.

I didn’t feel seen, heard or understood, which just added to the mental torment of a condition that was having a serious impact on my quality of life.

The turning point for me was in autumn 2015 when I totally shut down, I physically couldn’t speak for 3 weeks and my anxiety was uncontrollable. I went to see an ENT specialist who I’d seen 6 years prior for my sinuses and he said everything looked fine. I pushed for him to refer me to see a speech and language therapist, I was absolutely not going home to be left to manage this on my own.

Then came an unexpected turn of events, I found myself preparing to totally uproot and move to Japan for 2 years, to create a new life whilst my husband was working. It was around this time that I was recommended to start yoga, I was unsure and and full of anxiety at first but I kept showing up and after a few weeks I started to settle into it and really feel the benefits.

After a few months of practicing yoga in Japan I came off of my migraine tablets completely and I began to gain more confidence around my digestion. Slowly my health was improving.

Fast forward to 2018, upon my return to the UK, I felt drawn more and more to Ayurveda and dived deeper into this science of life, through reading and research I started to piece together my digestive symptoms, the migraines, the stress and anxiety, along with the arthritis in my feet.

It was a lightbulb moment, rather than looking at my numerous symptoms separately I began to gain a much deeper understanding of the root causes of my ailments and I felt empowered to take steps myself towards greater health and vitality.

For anyone suffering, it's never too early or late to begin making changes to improve your health and well being. Thank you for taking the time to read, you can listen to the full episode here.

Sam.