I tend towards inertia. I know that’s true in general, but it’s really strong in me. Even if I’m in a negative situation, I will suffer through it rather than take the necessary steps to change. For example–my health. Right now, it’s a hot steaming mess. I’m very bitter because I had almost three years…three? Two? It’s three. Beginning of May, 2017, is when I cut dairy and gluten out of my diet. So, two-and-a-half years of a decent digestive system before it exploded on me again.
I was reading a thread on AAM about Celiac Disease, and the OP was saying she had been gluten-free for two years. Slipped recently, and has had issues since. Doctor said she had to go back on gluten in order to be tested for Celiac. Her question was if it was worth it or not. I had a similar situation in that the last time I talked to my doc, she informed me I’d have to go back on gluten before I could be tested for an allergy/intolerance to it.
One of the commenters in the above thread said that she had to do that and while it was worth it in the end, she felt as if she were poisoning herself at the time. That’s exactly how I feel about it, though I had never really thought about it in that way. I already know that I have a bad reaction to gluten and dairy, so why the hell would I put myself through it deliberately? I’m pretty sure I don’t have Celiac, but it would be comforting to have an actual diagnosis. Also, adding back foods one by one is a way to pinpoint which specific foods make my stomach react. I would love to be able to add cheddar cheese back into my diet, for example, but I’m very afraid of having a negative reaction to it.
Intellectually, I know it’s not the worst thing in the world. Yes, it’s uncomfortable to sit on the toilet for an hour and have a raw asshole by the end. It’s not great to have a cramped and bloated stomach, either. It’s not going to kill me, though, and it’ll be gone in the morning. In other words, it’s an intense feeling, but a transient one. In addition, I’m in the ideal position to do this experiment because I’m never far from the bathroom.
I’m taking the reintroduction phase of the diet slowly, and so far, garlic is a no-go and onion and honey are fine. In the aforementioned thread, the OP asked if an instant negative reaction to any given food was enough or if they should give it time. I was interested in the responses which were varied. They seemed to tilt more to the bad reaction not getting better over time. I would love to be able to keep garlic in my diet, but the reactions were not great.
It’s a question of short-term discomfort versus long-term health. It’s the uncertainty that gets to me, though. If I could know that in a week or two I would be able to adapt to the food in question, then I would suffer through the immediate pain without qualm. I know that’s not the way this works, though, so I have to just deal with the discomfort as it arises. For now, garlic is on the no list. When I’m done with everything else, then I’ll see if I want to try it again. Because garlic!