Christian Counseling Blog and Podcast

I have digestive problems. I have had them since my twenties, but they have continued to get worse over the past three decades. I have been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Dysbiosis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Dysautonomia, allergies, and migraines. My migraines often occur at the same time as my digestive problems.

A few years ago, my primary care doctor realized that all of these seemingly separate disorders were related. He used to call me the “sickest healthy person he knew” because all of my bloodwork consistently comes back normal. Eventually, he diagnosed me with Dysautonomia, sometimes called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which contributes to many of my other health problems. In reality, it had probably started when I was in elementary school, although I had no idea what it was at the time.

When I was in fourth or fifth grade choir I remember as we were rehearsing getting tunnel vision and needing to sit down to avoid passing out. It would have been nice to know what was causing it because at the time I was pretty sure I was going crazy. And being the tallest person in the choir I was moved from my central location on the bleachers to one of the ends so I could sit down if I needed to. This of course drew extra attention to me in my distress.

Strange symptoms continued to occur over time without anyone being able to tell me what was going on until much later.

My daughter was a dancer who repeatedly injured various parts of her body for no apparent reason. I took her to the pediatrician over and over, and the pediatrician would send us to Nemours Children’s Hospital. They did many X-rays, but repeatedly told us that there was nothing wrong.

I also experience pain in various parts of my body depending on the work or exercise I have been doing. Most of the time, there has not been an actual injury. I have gone to First State Orthopedics many times to have different parts of my body assessed. 

Sometimes they would find a fracture, especially in my feet, but most of the time they diagnosed me with arthritis. I asked whether it was normal for a forty-year-old to have that much arthritis, but I never really got an answer.

My mother and grandmother were both diagnosed with arthritis when they were forty. So, when my daughter injured her foot without any obvious cause, I decided to bypass the pediatrician and take her to my orthopedist/podiatrist. He took an X-ray and said there was no break in any of the bones, but the X-ray did not look right. He said that the bones seemed to be farther apart than they should have been.

We had told the podiatrist about my daughter’s history of injuries and how doctors had never been able to find a cause. They had repeatedly told us, “It’s just that she’s flexible from dancing.”

The podiatrist knew a physical therapist who had been a dancer when he was younger, so he sent us to see him. As soon as he saw my daughter’s “flexibility,” he said, “Oh, no, this is not normal dancer flexibility! This is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS)!”

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is genetic and can sometimes look like arthritis, but it actually involves connective tissue throughout the body. It can lead to injuries and weakness and can affect the heart, digestive tract, and other major organs as well. I told the physical therapist about my own mysterious injuries, and he said he thought I had EDS as well. He also thought that my mother and grandmother may have had it.

In addition to the repeated, unexplained injuries, EDS is likely one reason for my IBS. My understanding is that the connective tissue in my digestive tract does not function as it should, which can interfere with the movement of food through the digestive system.

In my twenties and thirties, I was repeatedly diagnosed with urinary tract infections and given antibiotics over and over again. My current doctor was eventually able to correctly diagnose me with Interstitial Cystitis, which he believes is also related to EDS. By that time, however, I believe my digestive system had been severely affected by all of the antibiotics.

After decades of getting no answers about my digestive problems, and as they continued to get progressively worse, I decided to see an alternative-medicine doctor who had been recommended by a friend. She had digestive problems as well and had not been helped by traditional treatments.

This doctor diagnosed me with dysbiosis, which is a microbial imbalance in the gut. He put me on a regimen of supplements, including neem—yes, the same stuff you can put on plants to kill bugs—which was intended to kill the harmful bacteria in my gut.

The treatment was terrible. It felt like I had the flu for months as the neem treatment affected the bacteria in my gut. At the same time, a friend of mine was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. I remember thinking that the symptoms I was experiencing from my treatment were worse than his.

Over the years, I have had to eliminate a tremendous number of foods from my diet. It started with lactose in my twenties. In my thirties, I had to eliminate sugar. In my forties, I had to eliminate many types of protein, including all legumes and most nuts, pork, turkey, shellfish, and all but very lean beef. In my fifties, gluten became a problem as well. Unfortunately, over the past two months, I have discovered that some fish—although not shellfish, which were already a problem for me—also seem to cause problems.

A friend who has similar digestive issues due to Lyme disease has explained to me that certain fish, particularly bottom feeders such as shellfish, catfish, and flatfish like flounder and sole, can sometimes be problematic for people with sensitive digestive systems. Farm-raised fish can also be a problem for some people.

I am currently recovering from eating some farm-raised tilapia. I have learned that there are concerns about how some farm-raised fish are raised and the use of antibiotics in aquaculture, especially in Asia.

I know that I cannot tolerate antibiotics well. Dysbiosis can occur when the normal balance of microorganisms in the digestive tract is disrupted, including through the use of antibiotics. Many people can take probiotics to help restore that balance, but that has never worked for me.

Today is day five of this latest episode, and I am getting a little better each day. Today, I can at least sit up for a while and get some work done.

Whenever I have one of these flare-ups—whether from a food I accidentally ate or one I did not yet realize was a problem—I become very frustrated that I cannot do the things I had planned to do. Having to lie down day after day is not my idea of fun. I tend to be a very active person, so this is especially difficult for me.

But every time I have one of these flare-ups, I also have a lot of time to talk to God. I beg Him to make me feel better. I express my frustration over being sick. I ask Him to stop allowing these things to happen. It is discouraging to think that whenever I believe I have finally figured out which foods I need to avoid, I discover another food that causes problems.

God uses trials in our lives to show us areas where we are not fully making Him Lord of our lives.

I definitely have a “productivity idol.” It is not an idol made of wood or clay, but it is something that can control me nonetheless. I write down my plans for each day, cross off what I accomplish, and feel good when I have been productive. When I cannot accomplish what I planned, I feel lousy.

Over the years, God has clearly shown me that I often think my plan for my day, my week, or even my life is better than His plan. Yet every time I become sick, I seem to need to relearn that lesson.

I am also learning to give myself permission to rest when I am not feeling well. I think these digestive episodes are one of the ways God reminds me to slow down.

I am grateful for podcasts and audiobooks that I can listen to when I cannot do much else. When I start to feel better and can sit up long enough to hold a book, I begin reading. It is wonderful to be able to use the time when I am not feeling well to listen to Christian podcasts. One of my favorites is from Ligonier Ministries with R.C. Sproul, but there are many other good ones as well.

I have had to stop working for someone else because I need to be able to arrange my schedule around my flare-ups. Working for myself has been a blessing. I do not do it to make money but as a ministry. I am blessed to have the opportunity to write about God’s Word and about counseling, which are both areas of expertise and joy for me.

Often, I cannot make inflexible plans because I never know when I will have a flare-up. Needless to say, this can be very frustrating.

Having these health problems has also led me to look for Bible verses about trusting God—verses that I can call to mind when I am sick. Even if you do not have a chronic illness like I do, I am sure there are ways in which you struggle with trusting God.

One last thought: We tend to think that when we are “out of the game” for some reason, such as sickness, we cannot do anything for God’s kingdom. But that is not true.

We can please God and honor Him even while we are lying sick in bed.

As I mentioned, podcasts can help with this. Memorizing Scripture can help as well. When we are too sick to even open our eyes, we can still call to mind the Scripture we have memorized.

The following are just a small sampling of verses about trusting God and waiting on His timing. I want to encourage you to take some time to determine which ones apply most directly to your situation. Write them on an index card and spend some time each day committing them to memory so that, as Psalm 119:11 says, you will have them “hidden in your heart” when you need them. That’s another good verse to memorize. Actually, there are lots of good ones in Psalm 119. If you haven’t read it, check it out. It’s the longest chapter in the Bible!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.                         Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.                                 Ps 37:3-4

I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.                                        Psalm 27:13-14 

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.                                                       Proverbs 19:21

A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?                        Proverbs 20:24 

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.   Psalm 37:5-6 

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.    Psalm 37:7 

Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.                                                  Psalm 50:15 

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.                        Isaiah 26: 3-4 

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.                             

                                                                     Proverbs 3:7

This is what the Lord says “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 29:10-11

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.                     Deuteronomy 29:29 

One last verse to sum up…. Romans 8:28 says 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose".

This verse can comfort us by promising that God uses every life event in the lives of His people—both happy and hard—to fulfill His ultimate plan for believers.

For the director of music. According to gittith. [1] A psalm of David.

1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!