You wake up one morning, and pretty much from out of the blue, you suddenly feel better. Your first thought may be "I've already been through this before - I am not getting a false sense of security!" But one day becomes two. Two days becomes a week. A week becomes a month. A month becomes a year..you get the picture.
This is how most Gastroparesis sufferers become "cured" of the disease. (If only doctors and researchers can figure out why this happens - why suddenly a body that refuses to let you live lets you live again - we would be well on our way of figuring out answers that can lead to a real cure)
This entry goes a bit further than that - imagine the joy you have when this happens. You feel great - you feel as if you want to tell the world, because you want to give everyone a sense of hope - that you became "cured", and that it can happen to just about anyone. She contacts Crystal Saltrelli, the biggest Gastroparesis advocate you will ever find, and she shares her story with her. Crystal in turn shares the story on Facebook.
You then read the replies to the post and end up slapping yourself in the head. The negativity is actually painful to read - some people going as far as pretty much saying that it is impossible or that the person who had the disease resolve probably had a different diagnosis. You read people talking about the fact that they are "RNs" and they know this can't really happen. (I have all the respect in the world for doctors, nurses, specialists, etc. At the same time, if the best motility doctors in the country don't understand everything there is to know about the disease and how it operates, then how can I expect anyone else in the medical community to really know?)
Bottom line? Leave your negativity at the front door and don't come outside to play. As you may know, if you are a sufferer or even a loved one of a sufferer, negative thoughts are a major problem with this condition. And for good reason - your life has been stripped away from you. I can definitely understand the feeling of "Why is this person "cured" and not me?", but that should not bring you to post your negative energy in a thread geared towards the positive. There is enough negativity out there about Gastroparesis and motility disorders in general - there are forums and support groups where it is perfectly fine and encouraged to vent, to talk to other people who are sick, and get things off of your chest. For many sufferers, it is their only outlet - as they don't have loved ones willing to talk or understand. And even if they do have loved ones who are willing, the bottom line remains that the only people who understand a sufferers dilemma are other people who are suffering with the disease. My post is not intended to discourage that practice in general - it is a GOOD thing to get things off of your chest. There is just a time and a place for it - when you go to a sporting event and your favorite team wins, your first thought typically is not how poorly someone played. You think about the positive - the team WON - and worry about the negative the next time they actually LOSE. Same thing here - a person WON their battle...so why are we complaining about it?
So, when those rare positive posts are put up, think twice before you decide to lash out. People who suffer with these conditions need to have all of the hope they can get - and reading a success story brings positive energy. And whether or not it cures you or not, there is never anything wrong with some positive energy in your life. The bottom line is that the person who was sick with Gastroparesis - or whatever the motility disorder may have been - now feels CURED of the disease. Nothing you can say is going to change that - saying it is impossible? Well, call her on the phone or tell her to her face that what has happened to her is impossible. Or look in the mirror, and begin to think about the fact that sometimes the impossible is very much possible.
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