Gallbladders & God

Some of you already know about my recent problem with my gallbladder and how I have been using food choices in managing my symptoms and pain instead of having the surgery to remove the misbehaving organ. So you may wonder, what does God have to do with my gallbladder or any of my organs? Well, we will get to that in a bit, but first, let me explain to my new friends the history of my naughty organ.

I have never eaten very well. I have always had a big appetite and especially love foods like pizza, Big Mac's, and anything loaded with grease and fat. A few months prior to my first gallbladder attack, I started to dislike the look and taste of my favorite foods, but I continued to eat it anyways because I am brand new at cooking and just don't know how to eat any better.

One day, after eating a fried chicken sandwich with grease-soaked fries, I experienced a stabbing pain on the right side of my upper abdomen. We are not talking about a simple annoying stabbing pain, but a pain that stopped me in my tracks and caused me to gasp loudly. It literally felt like I had been pieced by a knife. The pain did not subside, in fact, over the next 14 hours I screamed and cried in pain and tried everything to make it go away. I had never experienced pain in my upper abdomen before and simply assumed my stomach disagreed with my meal. After 14 hours of pain, my husband took me to the hospital.

When I first arrived at the hospital, my blood pressure was 175/98, which was very alarming to me because my blood pressure is usually in the 114/78 range. They quickly gave me fluids and pain medication so they could examine me and ordered x-rays and an ultrasound. It was determined that I had gallstones and surgery was recommended.

I have no insurance and really cannot afford another payment, so I did a lot of research on the internet on the gallbladder. I also followed the doctor's orders on what to eat and what not to eat. Pretty much, I can eat dairy, mild fruits, and easy-to-digest vegetables. I can also have rice and white flour products, like white bread and flour tortillas. I am not allowed whole grain, anything with nuts or seeds, and cannot have coarse vegetables like celery. I must also avoid all meat, poultry, seafood, and spices.

I have followed this diet for several weeks now and I noticed after about a week and a half of eating properly that I had no more headaches or migraines, I had more natural energy and my mind was more focused. I even noticed that my vision was not as blurry as before and I have lost 15 pounds in the process.

I have not had another gallbladder attack until yesterday. Of course, it was my fault. I took my step-mother-in-law to McDonald's and instead of having a salad, I chose a Big Mac and fries. I certainly paid for it later. I had that stabbing pain once again shortly after eating and it lasted all night. It was not as severe as the first attack, but it was strong enough where I had to take the anti-spasm medication for my gallbladder that was prescribed by the doctor at the hospital.

So, you may be wondering, what does God have to do with all this? Well, I was not taking care of my body the way I should have. I ate nothing but grease and fat and never even drank water. As some of you know, I have an addiction to energy drinks and Mountain Dew, which certainly doesn't help matters. After much prayer, I have discovered that when the Bible talks about our bodies being a temple, that it not only includes our minds and our outside, but our internal organs as well. Most people who have a varied diet can enjoy their favorite foods once in a while because they do not eat them to excess. My favorite foods is all I ate and now I must suffer by avoiding those foods entirely.

God created our organs to work together and certain foods will either help our organs function, or cause them to misbehave. If I only had Big Mac's once in a while, my gallbladder would probably be fine, but I was eating those hamburgers like an alcoholic drinks liquor. I did not have the willpower to stop. This is not to say that God caused my gallbladder to malfunction, but God knows that we not only need to be aware of what we put inside our minds, we must also be aware of what we put inside our bodies.

An alcoholic who doesn't stop drinking or who continues to drink to excess will probably have medical problems like cirrhosis of the liver. Likewise, I continued to eat Big Mac's in excess and now my gallbladder simply cannot handle those types of foods anymore. God could simply heal me, but He knows that I am very stubborn and it usually takes a big event to make me want to change. Healing me and preventing me from experiencing any pain would not teach me anything. He probably gave me subtle signs over the years, but like I said before, I am stubborn and resistant to changing my ways.

He allowed me to suffer from my gallbladder pain in order to teach me about excess. My Teacher, my Father, my Friend has taught me a valuable lesson. He did not do this to be mean or to be a bully, but like a loving parent that must watch their child go through a painful time in order to learn a lesson, He did the same with me and I am grateful, because these dietary changes will not only improve the quality of my life, but will also give me fewer headaches and more energy. These new dietary guidelines may even prevent further medical problems associated with eating a diet of Big Mac's and Mountain Dew.

I am not advocating that someone give up their favorite foods or follow my eating patterns to avoid surgery. Please, always consult your doctor about health issues. Where God is teaching me about my eating, another person with gallbladder problems may need the surgery. Some people with gallbladder problems are not being taught anything, but simply have a health issue with the organ.

We were not all created the same, our internal organs all react differently to foods, and our lessons are different for each of us. As for me, I have learned my lesson well.