One Health Dip

or Have You Ever Noticed How Everything Always Happens at The Same Time

Hi my friends!

Some great news and some more-complex-but-ultimately-good news. Great news: Jesse and I got engaged over Memorial Day weekend! We’re so excited, and I can’t wait to share more thoughts and feelings (surprise surprise, I have a few!!).

In other news, the unfortunate backdrop for this wonderful news has been a pretty intense health dip for my body. I recently found out I have SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) which is pretty common, largely treatable, and in general a huge relief! I’ve been experiencing a lot of discomfort and belly distension after eating (see: looking 6 months pregnant after eating/drinking seemingly anything) for the past two plus years, and am so relieved to get some answers and be on the mend. To have the clothes you put on in the morning fit you in the afternoon? A privilege I’ll never take for granted again.

But it turns out the bacterial overgrowth doesn’t want to leave without a final hoorah, and I have been experiencing pretty severe die-off symptoms for the past three weeks. Apparently when bacteria die they can release a huge amount of toxins? in your system? all at once? I’ve had a lot of rough chapters in learning how to help my sensitive body, and this has been one of, if not the, worst. Oh, timing!!! Can’t you let a newly engaged girl be?!?!

I’ve been on a highly-restricted diet that has pretty much eliminated my belly issues (yay!), but the resulting die-off has led to flu-like symptoms, extreme brain swelling, brain fog, aching muscles, and lots and lots of tears. In a word, it’s been dark. My daily pull-it-together points have gone towards working and minimal socializing, and the rest of my time has been pretty low-functioning. Jesse has been the ultimate support and a true angel as we explore the “in brain fog and in health” elements of this arrangement right off the bat.

The die-off clouds parted the other day and I’m feeling a lot better in general (thank literal christ), but my brain is still feeling like an overheated engine, so I’m gonna give it a break for one more week. Thank you all for bearing with me. I often feel uncomfortable kvetching about body stuff because it feels like it’s always freaking something over here- and I want to just be excited about this new life chapter I’m entering!- but hopefully we’re in the last dregs of bad feelings and I’ll be back with a working brain next week.

Love you, really.

xx Olivia