The Girl That's Inspired By Quotes (Isn't That What They're For?)

Personally, I love quotes. You can learn a lot about how a person thinks by the kind of quotes that they like and put out for people to see. If a person displays quotes that are self-serving or materialistic, then you know where their allegiance lies--in themselves. If their quotes tend to be about money or "making bank", then you know that person is quite focused on the all mighty dollar (which can be a good or bad thing). Quotes can be snarky, uplifting, mean, you name it! 

With this in mind, I have decided to share some of my favorite quotes and scriptures. Ones that have helped me get through the difficult times, have put a smile on my face, and are sure to do it again for me in the years to come. They come from the Bible, from people who have changed the world, and from various others. My hope is that you'll find something that touches you (or tickles you) amongst them. 

WORLD CHANGERS

BIBLE VERSES

LITERARY QUOTES

FUNNY LIFE QUOTES OF RANDOMNESS

The Beginning of My Journey

My name is Christine and February/March 2010 is when my life changed forever. That is when I first became ill with a mysterious illness that took doctors until September of that year to (more or less) figure out what it was--Gastroparesis. Of course I didn't necessarily care WHAT it was, I just wanted it to STOP!! Little did I know that it (most likely) never would. Let me explain:

In medical jargon Gastroparesis is defined as: a condition in which the muscles in your stomach don't function normally.Ordinarily, strong muscular contractions propel food through your digestive tract. But in gastroparesis, the muscles in the wall of your stomach work poorly or not at all. This prevents your stomach from emptying properly. Gastroparesis can interfere with digestion, cause nausea and vomiting, and cause problems with blood sugar levels and nutrition.

In easier to understand terms: when I eat food, it sits there and makes me feel sick to my stomach because it can't be mashed up properly, so it takes the path of least resistance...UP! Other times, I'm just plane not hungry. A simple sip of water makes me full.

Whichever definition works for you, that (and, really SO much more) makes up Gastroparesis, Because of the challenges of eating and keeping food down, a person with Gastroparesis tends to run into nutritional status issues. I, luckily never have. Dehydration is another possible problem one can face when living with Gastroparesis. I struggled A LOT with that at the beginning, making 2-3 trips a week to urgent care to be hooked up to an IV. Luckily I haven't had to do that in 3 1/2 years!

Early on I had botox injected into my stomach to relax the pylorus, but that only ended up making me sicker! (See, ladies, botox isn't all it's cracked up to be!) I tried a slew of medications over the next couple of years. Some designed to help motility (food to move through the gastric system) along with ones to help me stop vomiting...none of them worked. Some of them even came with some not-so-friendly side effects, so those got pitched pretty quick, let me tell you! Finally, after a year of dealing with this (as well as sudden onset migraines and vertigo [vertigo for a year straight!]), I just put my foot down and said "I am going to conquer this! I am LIVING with Gastroparesis, not suffering from it! I will be fine!" and decided that I would be able to drive and work again. It took a couple of months, but I made it. It wasn't until April of 2011 that I was able to drive and work again, but I did it!

Am I cured, now that I have decided to start this blog 3 years later?! Absolutely not! I have hit some major snags in this road called Gastroparesis, but you know what? I live my life the best way that I know how. I have a new best buddy--Alfred--that I'll tell you about soon and what that's like. And you know, if Gastroparesis is new to you or old to you....Keep fighting! Keep living! All of our experiences are different, but a lot of them are the same too! We're fighting the same fight against a disease that doctors know SO little about and we've got to stick together! God, family, friends, and a good sense of humor has helped me through this. If you need a friend, I'm here, just leave me a note!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.-Jeremiah 29:11