I've Got Something Growing Inside Me

Haha, but no, I'm not pregnant. :) So my friend Megan informed me that when I said my doctor put me on a strict diet back in my post on Lifesavers that it sounded like I was pregnant. haha. I'm here to straighten out the truth. No I'm not pregnant, however I do have little worms growing inside me- aka parasites. Here's the story.

Once upon a time I went to Kenya. It was seriously one of the coolest experiences of my life. However, pretty much starting from the first week there I was sick sick sick. Poor Bridget and Chelsea (my Kenyan sisters) had to put up with my constant laying in bed and frequent runs to the out-house. It was fairly miserable, but I'd do it again in a heart-beat.

Long story short, when I got home from Kenya I went to SEVERAL doctors. I had every test done in the world trying to find the reason for why every time I eat I'd be sick- blood work, stool tests, colonoscopy, even pills to kill parasites. But they never found anything. The last doctor said it possibly could be IBS but didn't want to officially diagnose me with it because it was too weird that it started in Kenya. What's funny is the whole time in Kenya I thought that as soon as I got home they'd kill whatever I picked up in Kenya and I'd be back to my old healthy self within days. Not the case- it has almost been two years now and I'm still fighting for my health.

I had pretty much resolved to having a life where I need to almost be within a few feet from a toilet, when I heard about a homeopathic doctor from my sister's sister-in-law. It took me a while to go see him because I'm a HUGE skeptic about things that aren't proven. However, after one particularly hard week I decided to at least give it a try. Dr. Elmore was located in Sugarhouse so I made the trek up there to find a tall, skinny doctor with his wrinkled button up shirt half tucked in half out. He was definitely the "earthy" type to say the least. However, after laying there while he waved his hands over my body he told me that I had parasites and they are bad. I was still skeptical at that point because there's no way he could just know, until he pointed to a spot on my abdomen and said that's where the majority of them are- that was the exact place I'd get throbbing pains often. So I resolved that he had to know something. Then came the doosey...  he said because I've had them for so long my body has become allergic to dairy and sugar, because that's what the parasites feed on. DAIRY and SUGAR! The two things that I eat the most. I've had to cut them out of my diet until we can kill off the parasites and restore my body's health. It's been almost 2 months now, and while I definitely have not been perfect on my diet I have tried really hard. Things have gotten a little better, but I'm definitely not cured yet. Hopefully a while longer with the herbs, drops, and enzymes he's got me on will fix me. But we'll just have to wait and see.

On a happier note... here's some of the Kenyan goodness-

 

I'm without words! I was just emailed this video through the monthly newsletter of our volunteer program. It has many of our students, Margaret our Kenyan mom, and the village of Nkoile. This movie does a great job at showing others how it felt to live there. I hope that someday I can go back to see my kids.

Working on the school wall, I'm wearing a sock because in Kenya they only had oil based paint- which doesn't come off.

This was quite the project

I heart Chelsea

Bridget and I sporting our Maasai Shukas

Bathroom- bend and squat

Fort Jesus

Coast of Mombassa

I wanted to bring her home

See all the African men in the background watching- we got used to that

Noah's group  to help kids stay out of drugs

Traditional Maasai woman. I taught her son in school

Home sweet home

Ok seriously, how could you not LOVE her

Our little village N'koile

Baby gazelle

See the flies on her face, very normal for African children

Two of my sweet girls

One of our favorite co-teachers just gave me a bracelet for Ryan!

Our closest neighbors was the village preacher and these are his twin boys

Our students

Saying final good-byes at the airport. The lady in yellow is Margaret our Kenyan mom

Hells Gate- where they got their inspiration for Lion King

Donkeys roamed our little town

Left- shower, Right- toilet (but neither were actually there)

Elder Angila, one of Ryan's favorite mission companions