Adjusting to not feeling like crap

July 5, 2007 10:49 AM

Looking for people who spent a long time feeling crappy but addressed the issue and now feel good.

I recently found out I had a food allergy and changed my diet accordingly. Now that the symptoms are gone, it's apparent how badly the allergy messed me up. I was constantly foggy, tired, and prone to intense anxiety. I managed to function pretty well despite the symptoms, and I'm not quite sure how I managed to pull that off. I basically feel great now, with more energy than I know what to do with.

Although I've always been a fairly motivated /disciplined, it's apparent that feeling crappy all the time impacted the choices I've made, risks I was willing to take, the friends I chose, etc. Getting better in a very short period of time is pretty intense and disorienting. I'm looking for wisdom from other folks who have had similar experiences of getting better after a long time of feeling lousy.

posted by yorick to health & fitness (19 comments total)

I've never had a food allergy, but I did have low grade depression for a good few years. It cleared up just before Xmas, and now I feel better than ever. Like a lion let loose from a cage. I was filled with all sorts of grand ideas about how I was going to change the world. Of course, it didn't work out like that.

On to the wisdom -

Be grateful every day for stuff. It doesn't matter what. I started doing it back in January, and it's changed my whole outlook on life. I've realised just how lucky I am, and it's really elevated my mood way higher than it was before the depression. Looking back over the blog, I can really see a change in myself, and it's always fun to remember the things that happened.

Make whatever changes you want, but make them sustainable. I decided I was going to have the body of a porn star, without actually sitting down at working out just what that entailed. Now, I want to lose a few pounds and get in general shape, which is something I can easily do. I can always build up from there.
posted by Solomon at 11:11 AM on July 5, 2007

I had a similar adjustment when I was first stabilized on anti-depressants, but I don't remember feeling anything other than unbounded delight. It felt like I was in the driver's seat of my emotions, instead of being driven by them, and I was finally able to discover who the real ME was under all the fear and rage.

Sorry I don't have anything more useful to add. :(
posted by happyturtle at 11:16 AM on July 5, 2007

Boy, I can relate to every word of what you wrote. When I changed my diet, instead of dwelling on no longer having the foods that made me ill, I reveled in all the new choices and food explorations I would have at my disposal. I started trying things that I would have never opted for when there was the "bad things" that I craved on the table. Use your extra energy to explore all the stuff you've been overlooking.

This obviously doesn't only apply to food.
posted by iamkimiam at 11:17 AM on July 5, 2007

It takes a long time to re-learn how to do everyday things that you previously took for granted, but now know were tainted by how you were feeling at the time. (And not just everyday things, but all the stuff you mentioned...the risks, choices, friends, et cetera.) But don't worry, it does change! Just focus on moving forward with the awareness that you're in control of your life, having emerged from under that fog, and one day you'll realize that you're where you want to be.

And really, I think that's all any of us can do, in our lives, but it's especially relevant when you have a specific turning point to work from. Best of luck!
posted by lhall at 11:29 AM on July 5, 2007

First, identify what made you feel crappy and stop doing it. Then find things that make you feel good and do more of that.

I say this a Type II diabetic who use to feel crappy all the time. Once I was diagnosed and began educating myself on how not to fall back into old patterns, things have been must better. It wasn't a straight road, there were a few setbacks (damn you Krispy Kreme!), but eventually they were overcome.

You may also feel a shift in your self identity as you realized the crappy feeling you wasn't the real you. Go with the flow and anyone who complains about it doesn't have your best interests at heart and should be dropped.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:41 AM on July 5, 2007

My biggest change, after suddenly not usually being dizzy, was driving some 6 years late. That was a big one! Suddenly my schedule is only limited by when someone else needs me or the car, not by how I feel.

I use 43 Things, now that I'm not afraid of goals, either. If I fail, it's 'cos I was meant to fail, not because of some dumb disease getting in the way. There's also a lot of responsibility in that, though, isn't there? ;)
posted by RobotHeart at 11:45 AM on July 5, 2007

I haven't conquered my health problems, but I did experience some dramatic improvements in my CFS symptoms after taking malic acid and magnesium. (I've since had to back off from the Mag/Mal because of side effects). I went a little nuts, starting lots of long put-off projects. Some of them were really good ideas, but in hindsight, a lot of them were just fluff and I could've spent my time more wisely. I guess the lesson I learned from this is that just because you're functioning at a much higher capacity doesn't mean you can do everything. Resources are still finite. You've still got to pick and choose, distinguish the important from the less so. But since you're in unfamiliar territory, that's not nearly as easy as it used to be. You have to re-learn the whole process, probably through trial and error.
posted by Clay201 at 11:47 AM on July 5, 2007

Last month I noticed I felt exhausted all the time. I increased my daily protein intake (a half a package of tofu IN ADDITION to my regular daily food intake) and started sleeping a half hour longer. Within a week I felt a lot more like myself.

Also I stopped riding my bike to work on days when I knew I had a kung fu class later that evening. My workouts have since become a lot more fulfilling.
posted by hermitosis at 12:00 PM on July 5, 2007

This is EXACTLY what happened to me.

10 years or so of fatigue, anxiety, depression - then, after discovering I was hypoglycemic, everything turned around in the space of a year or so. I'm barely recognizable and couldn't be happier.

So, congrats! Everything gets better from here. Just wait till you discover all the things you can do now.

And this feeling of disorientation - maybe a little regret that you felt bad for so many years - is exactly how I felt. The best wisdom I can offer is this:

No time is wasted time. Every experience colors us as people, gives us texture and character. Your time spent ill will make you appreciate your newfound health all the more, and everything will seem brighter and more new. Many people take these things for granted, but we don't, and that makes us a little bit special.

Also, I will add, this is a beautiful arc of your life's story. Consider one chapter closed and another begun. When you tell this story, it is a more interesting one for it.
posted by milinar at 12:07 PM on July 5, 2007 [3 favorites]

First of all, congratulations. After battling chronic depression and sleep disorder issues for a couple of decades, I also experienced a big relief from my symptoms after getting treatment. They aren't ALL gone, but improved in a dramatic way.

Related to milinar's comment, I went from feeling ecstatic and euphoric to sad and full of regret when I realized all that I had missed. Then I felt angry that no health care providers had put two and two together much earlier when I came to them with symptoms, and generally seethed about the unfairness of a childhood/teenage years/college years lost. Then I realized that, although it certainly wasn't fun and could even be described as excrutiating at times, my health experiences made me a much more compassionate and resourceful person. These qualities added to my quality of life even after my symptoms were reduced.

What I also didn't expect was how much of my self identity up until that point in my life was related to my symptoms. This wasn't to be cast off lightly. I was a survivor of a tremendous battle with my health. Personally, I benefitted from some short term counseling to try to sort out these things. My career choices changed, some of my friends changed, the pattern of my life changed somewhat. I think that these were all positive changes in the long run, but making them wasn't always easy or even clear cut.

Best of luck. Enjoy. Be gentle with yourself.
posted by jeanmari at 12:20 PM on July 5, 2007

How did you find out you had a food allergy?

Others mentioned treatment. Where do you go for this? How did you learn about it?
posted by kookywon at 2:08 PM on July 5, 2007

I discovered the allergy by accident. I recently spent a month in Thailand and felt better than I ever remember feeling.

When I came back to the US, I quickly bounced back to feeling lousy. The difference was very significant, I knew it was more than simply feeling good because I was traveling. I was determined to figure out what variable made the difference.

Took me a while, but I figured out that I wasn't eating any wheat or other gluten containing ingredients when I was there. I tried switching to a gluten free diet and felt better within days. I scheduled a blood test to verify the condition, but found out it only works if I've eaten gluten and are experiencing symptoms. I have no desire to go back to feeling crappy so I canceled. My improved health & state of mind is evidence enough.
posted by yorick at 3:04 PM on July 5, 2007

Just love your life man. Every day. When you really know what that feels like, what it feels like to truly embrace happiness, remember it, because things wont always be great. But if you can remember what it was like to know the embrace of joy then it will never be far from you...so long as you choose it.
posted by baphomet at 4:18 PM on July 5, 2007

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/
I love this blog. The author expresses all kinds of joy related to her recovery after giving up gluten.
posted by melissam at 6:31 PM on July 5, 2007

Getting better in a very short period of time is pretty intense and disorienting

Yes it is, and admitting that to yourself is the first step in the right direction. Don't be too hard on yourself if you can't do _everything_ on your list at the same time, but try to chip away at that feeling of lousiness one day at a time. It will eventually get better.

How did I get better?

I'm still in the process of recovering from a depression of 10 years, so I'm not in a position to do justice to your question, but this last year has been a very hectic one for me with a lot of ups and downs. The only advice I can give you is to not let the depression bug you too much if it ever hits you, and don't listen to the manic phases of your cycle if you have them.

Best of luck!
posted by hadjiboy at 6:44 PM on July 5, 2007

Step 1 - Look at your friends with your new clear eyes
Step 2 - Tell the ones that matter to you that you love them
Step 3 - the ones keeping you down, dont spend that much time with them.

New eyes = new appreciation for how you spend your time.
posted by softlord at 7:31 PM on July 5, 2007

I had a similar experience when I was diagnosed with a thyroid condition. I suddenly realized how many things about my life were not things I had chosen but I that had just allowed to happen. I started thinking about the changes I wanted, talking to friends, and finally was able to actually do it. Although I made huge changes, I ramped up to them over nine months or so which felt like a reasonably quick but not crazy pace. Keeping my good friends up to date on my decision making process was really key for me, just to have someone you trust to bounce ideas off of and tell you that you don't sound crazy.

The changes I made:
1. Went on a diet. This didn't last, unfortunately, but at least I know now that I can do it if it's important to me. I don't feel helpless about it, I'm just not willing to do it right now.
2. Quit my job. It was a steady, dull and hated job in an industry I didn't care about and in a position I didn't feel took advantage of my real talents. Scary to walk away from though.
3. Changed industries and job descriptions. Massive change that required taking a couple steps down to accomplish, and took another couple of years to get back to a supervisory position. This was in my mid 30s, so I was walking away from my career. Still enormously happy to have done it.
4. Moved away. Left my hometown and moved to the city where I had always wanted to be. Again, I love it here and I'm really glad I made the change. I managed eventually to get many of my good friends to move too, having them around me here has been especially nice.
5. Dropped some friends. This was the hardest and most wrenching thing to do, especially since it included my oldest friend in the world. But there was no doubt that she stole from me, manipulated me, etc. and I needed to break away. There were really only two or three people that I lost contact with but there was a lot of history and I miss them sometimes even though I don't want to see them.

I still have plenty of little problems like anybody, but I've made the big changes where they matter most and I'm pretty happy overall. Most importantly, I feel that my life is something I cause and control to a large degree, not something that just happens. Good luck yorick, I hope things continue to go well for you.
posted by cali at 7:44 PM on July 5, 2007

Well, I don't have much wisdom but I can share that I'm going through exactly the same thing - I've had a bit of a drugs and alcohol problem for most of my adult life, which has impacted relationships, made work pretty difficult at times, and I've had a string of shrinks along the way. Then I just... stopped. And what am I doing now with my excess energy? Working out 4x a week and loving it.

Looking back I don't have regrets - I think this was just what I had to do to get where I am now. And the way I see the future is... well really, if I was able to get wasted on wine and vicodin and then go into work the next day and be a fucking programmer, then god only knows what I can achieve without that yolk around my neck. But first things first - I'm getting in shape, so that I'm ready for all the other things I plan to do. Good luck to you!
posted by forallmankind at 9:36 PM on July 5, 2007

I'm a rather extreme example. Very very unhappy (bad life stuff seriously exacerbated by inherited depression) to very very happy.

The answer: meditation. And the best system - the most stripped-down, non-superstitious, non-aggravating, fastest-working system of meditation is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Meditation-Pathway-Personal-Freedom/dp/097646554X

More info (see "Main Lessons" header link) at: http://www.aypsite.org/
posted by jimmyjimjim at 8:26 AM on July 6, 2007