L.A. (Live Away, Leave A-Way!)

5 Things Gastritis Taught Me

At first, I thought it was just because of my habit of skipping out meals from time to time. But the pain became worse and worse. The abdominal pain I felt during that time can wake me up at the wee hours of midnight, disabling me from falling asleep again. My productivity at work became affected due to my lack of sleep and inability to concentrate due to what I am feeling in my stomach. I can't even update my Wattpad stories because of my disturbance regarding the throbbing and burning sensation I was feeling at my abdomen. I even thought that I might get admitted at the hospital due to the times that the ache I was feeling was so much I cannot bear it anymore.

After a series of test and examinations, we were able to rule out that I was suffering from gastritis related to hyperacidity. I am now taking omeprazole and avarin as my medication and maintenance at the same time. Taking maintenance medications at age 24; my how far have I fallen indeed.

With this roller-coaster ride of pain and relief cycling me, I was able to draw out lessons regarding my health condition right now.

1. Being young doesn't make you bullet-proof.

Let's face it; our 20's entitles us with the feeling of invulnerability. Late night party-hopping, drinking till we drop, trying out various and sometimes whack-out vices or activities all became the norm of early adulthood. Thus, all of these somehow became a rite of passage in the adult world.

"I'm young anyway; we only live once, party like it's the end of the world!" I am pretty sure you have used one or all of these statements. Trust me on this: what you sow, you will reap. My gastritis is a product of my previous health and lifestyle decisions when I was younger.

2. You are what you eat, period.

For the benefit of everyone, I am a coffee person. I consume a minimum of 4-5 glasses (around 500 ml using my tumbler) of coffee in the office, excluding my morning and evening coffee at home, not mention my extra cup when I am meeting a client outside of work. I happen to drink a lot of iced tea, soft drink and liquor when I go out as well. I frequented fast food chains and had a particular liking for salty and deep-fried foods.

I happen to like instant noodles and canned goods on a daily basis. I can count the times I was able to eat real food ever since I started working when I was 20. I happen to fancy chocolates as well, especially If I am burned out at work.

I am so surprised right now that my stomach is still intact with the way I am living my life before. It must be made of steel or something, rusted and dented due to my poor choice of food.

3. It pays to get covered with Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs).

This is not a sales pitch for those who are offering HMOs to you guys, but I suggest you talk to one and sit down with them when you get the chance. Review the benefits of your Health Card if you are employed and one is included in your benefit. My overall expense for my check-up, diagnostic procedures and follow-up examination is around 6,000-7,000. That would have been the amount of money I should have shelled out of my pocket if I was not prepared for it.

Good thing I prepared for my health beforehand. I was reluctant at getting a Health Card at first, all because of the reason that I am still too young and I may end up not using it.

My goodness, I was so darn wrong with that kind of thinking. Good thing I pushed through with being covered for my HMO. The peace of mind of being examined anytime, anywhere, when you feel that something was awfully wrong with your body was worth the premium I paid for my HMO.

4. You can lose weight if you want to.

One thing I am thankful for my gastritis is losing weight. I weighed 72 kilograms last October prior to my gastritis diagnosis. As of December 1, I now weigh 67 kilograms. Not bad, losing 5 kilos without any exercise! Well, I do walk from our house to my office then walk around visiting my clients then walk back home, but that's the only exercise I get on a daily basis. Really now, 3 liters of water per day (1 liter after breakfast, lunch and dinner, not counting my glasses of water in-between) and staying away from coffee, iced tea and soft drinks took me a long way. Minimizing fast food, oily foods and canned goods also helped. Most of all, I was able to stay away from bread, especially pandesal, which is so good when you partner it with coffee (also very lethal for hyper-acidic people like me). Should I eat what I should avoid; my stomach will hurt me till Hell freezes over. Exaggerated this may be, doing this is of paramount importance to keep myself well and free from that piercing abdominal pain.

At the end of the day, my commitment to myself, the "enough is enough" mentality helped me stick with my rigorous and 360-degrees diet modification. Next week, I will be celebrating my 2nd month without drinking coffee. It is possible; all it takes is that commitment that will propel you stick with your plan till the end. When I am in a fast food chain, I tell the cashier that I will not order any soft drink with my meal. I take the extra mile of paying for the whole meal with the soft drink included but I do not get it and just stick with water. When there is a party, I deliberately request or look for water, avoid soft drinks and tetra-packed beverages. Though there are exceptions like earlier, our delivery boy did not give the water rations at our office, I got stuck with drinking juice because I am so thirsty after talking for 2-straight hours, but the instances I was able to avoid them offsets the situation wherein I am forced to drink one out of my own volition.

5. It makes you treasure yourself more.

When we get sick, we realize that we are worth more than anything else in the world. Our health truly is wealth. I am now watching what I eat. I am conscious with avoiding drinks I should not take. I now sleep early at 11:00pm-12:00am (versus my precious sleep cycle of 2:00-3:00am). I manage my workload at the office so I won't get stressed out. I politely decline alcoholic beverages at bars even at the cost of being teased by my friends for drinking fruit shakes and water instead. Though these are baby steps, far-fetched from the ideal diet I am aiming for, everything started with the decision that I am choosing to make myself healthy not only for myself but also to the people I care about.

At the end of the day, we do not need to wait and get sick just so we can change detrimental habits and lifestyles for our health. I hope my health story can inspire you to take that first step for a new and better you!