Mountains Out of Mole Hills
I am going to discuss a matter that is usually shared with your spouse, mother, father, or close friend. But I am willing to do this because it is the perfect example of making a mountain out of a mole hill and letting my mind madly rummage through the “What ifs”.
Over the last couple of months I have been plagued with symptoms that no matter what I did, they did not go away. I had significantly changed my diet in the past 10 months and attributed them as side effects. However, the side effects were becoming painful, frustrating, exhausting and quite frankly making me cranky. Just ask my husband, Thad.
I had been finding it increasingly difficult for me to get my business moving (we are talking bathroom business here, folks). I had all the sensation, but none of the production. And when I did, it was reminiscent of giving birth. I kept increasing my fiber intake hoping it would alleviate the problem. However, all it did was to produce an inordinate amount of trapped – air. You know- gas, flatulence, air that felt like I was trying to pass it through a swizzle stick! By evening, I looked like I was five months pregnant and a surrogate for my daughter’s next child. Not a good look for someone who is almost 62!
So what was I to do? I spent a lot of time asking God if I was about to embark on another health issue. Was this a new journey and if so what was its purpose? More fodder for my blog on surviving medical adversity, a lesson to be learned or just life happening? The more time I thought about it, the darker my thoughts were and I became more and more assured that something sinister was happening.
Not being able to stand my ‘runaway train of thoughts any longer, I saw a gastroenterologist. Loaded with prayer and every ounce of courage I could muster, I explained my tale of woe. To which he responded that he knew exactly what the cause was and could fix it. Really? Apparently between my high fiber diet and the addition of Fiber One, the gas was creating a blockage making it difficult for evacuation. I was creating my own volcanic eruption! The solution was to discontinue the Fiber One, take an antibiotic to stop and remove the bacteria from growing and add some Magnesium for the malodorous side effects. Wow! That made perfect sense. Why didn’t I think of that?
Maybe because I spent so much time thinking of my medical past and the worse that could happen rather than seeking simple solutions? Jennifer Kunst, PhD tells us “If we study the mountainous molehills carefully, sometimes we can find where the dirt really comes from. Such insight can put things into better perspective. It can help tell the difference between real molehills and real mountains. With such perspective, life becomes a lot easier to deal with.”
The point of this very embarrassing, personal tale is that we often worry about unsubstantiated ideas that give credence to what might be but not what truly is. We fret; we worry, and visualize the worst, when we are merely in need to seek out counsel that will lead us to a sane, logical and simple solution.
Wish I had made that appointment sooner. Anyone need a Costco size container of Fiber One?