Reduction of hemorrhoids and increase in faith

If you’ve read my article ‘How Hemorrhoids Made Me Healthy, Fit and Sexy’, you’ll know how I treated my condition. Now, find out how a severe bout of hemorrhoids increased my faith in God. Sounds amazing, right? This is what happened.

In early 2009, I was shocked to see how the recession was eating into my RRSP savings. The people he knew were facing the prospect of deferred retirement because of their losses. What I can do? I had two choices: keep losing money and worry, or (deep breath) take the plunge toward home ownership.

I had dreamed of owning a home of my own for years, but life in Toronto is expensive and I didn’t think I could afford it. Despite an uncertain corporate job with an income that would barely meet my financial needs, buying my first home seemed like the right thing to do. In fact, it was my ‘unnatural’ peace in taking this big step that convinced me that it was part of God’s plan for me.

I don’t like to rush important decisions. I emailed a real estate agent friend and explained my finances, my wish list and my wish list. I doubted that I would find something for myself, but I was determined not to buy more than I could afford. We sat together at the beginning of March, just to talk. My friend brought two sample listings to show me. Two months later, one of them was my first house. He had been praying, “Lord, I don’t want to convert (big round number) and keep renting.” My closing date was 7 days before my birthday!

Borrowing $25,000 from my RRSP for a down payment and renovations, I began purging 20+ years of accumulated possessions and buying flooring and a kitchen for my new condo. With the help of my real estate agent, family, and friends, everything went quickly but smoothly.

The next ‘miracle’ was that almost all the renovation work was done in one month. Old floors and kitchen ripped. New bamboo floors and a custom designed IKEA kitchen was installed. Tile was laid in bathroom and kitchen. I even had the whole place professionally painted. It was wonderful! It was expensive. Was I getting in my head?

Before I could worry, I had a more pressing problem. My kitchen counters were in back order. And the plumber insisted on installing the kitchen and bathroom sinks as one job. This meant that I had no water, except in the bathtub, for three weeks!

By July, I had both sinks, the reindeer were ready, and I could enjoy living in my new home. My south facing unit is bright and has a beautiful view of the river. Located in a park-like setting amidst lawns, trees and gardens, my house occupies a quiet corner of the city.

The summer was very busy. He was working full time and unpacking boxes and organizing things at home. She was too tired to cook nutritious meals or exercise much, though from time to time, the thought would come to her: you should go for a walkgold, try the gym downstairsgold, eat more salad and fruit, not just chips, cookies and beer.

All the excitement and stress (buying a house, renovating, moving), plus my recent poor lifestyle choices, took their toll. In October, I had a severe bout of hemorrhoids (a condition I’ve had since I was in my 20s). Usually, after a few days of eating a lot of fiber and exercising more, the veins would shrink, the bleeding would stop, and the pain would go away. Only this time, nothing helped. The days turned into weeks and I continued to suffer.

I finally went to see my doctor and he prescribed ointments and suppositories. I was careful with my diet and started exercising and walking. After 10 days, the bleeding stopped and the pain decreased. What a relief! But within days, it started again and got worse. I used three courses of medication and the doctor said the next step was surgery. Oh! Just thinking about it was terrifying. There had to be another way to treat this condition!

I began to pray: “Lord, have mercy on me. Help me. Heal me.” I found Bible verses on healing, wrote them down, and read them every day. A favorite was in Matthew 8, verses 1-3, about a man with leprosy, who came up to Jesus, knelt down, and said, “Lord, if you want, you can heal me.” And Jesus touched him, said, “I want to. Be healed.” And he went. Later in the same chapter, a Roman official asked Jesus to heal his sick servant. Jesus said that he would come to the man’s house, but the Roman said, “Lord, I am not worthy of you coming into my house. Just say the word from where you are and my servant will be healed.” Jesus was amazed at the Gentile’s faith and praised him for it. He healed his servant. Other scriptures that helped me were Psalm 6, verses 2-3; Exodus 15 verse 26 and Exodus 24 verse 25. I started declaring “Thank you Lord for healing my hemorrhoids” before it happened, believing that it would.

But I didn’t just sit around waiting for it to happen. I continued with my research on the Internet. Rather than desperately buy an expensive “miracle cure,” she was determined to try everything that was reasonable and affordable. Some of the things that helped me included:

– Sitz baths: fill a large tub with very warm water, add some Epsom salts, and literally soak my butt for 20 minutes twice a day.

– White Oak Bark: One website suggested soaking this mixture in your sitz bath water

– Herbal supplements: of several I tried, Butcher’s Broom was the most helpful

– Fiber – three times a day I took psyllium fiber. Inulin fiber was almost as good and much easier to take

– Diet: I changed what I ate and how I ate (see my article ‘How Hemorrhoids Made Me Healthy, Fit and Sexy’ for more details)

– Exercise: I started exercising 3 or 4 times a week in the gym of my condominium and walking every day at lunchtime.

When I went for my annual checkup in early December, I had lost 8 pounds and was toned up nicely. I felt better and looked good. Most days I had very little pain and the bleeding was almost gone. I started believing and declaring that I would be 100% healed by the New Year.

Looking back, I realized that the fleeting thoughts I had over the summer—that I should eat better and exercise more—were God’s way of trying to get my attention. I wasn’t being a killjoy, I had my best interests at heart. I knew my chronic condition would worsen and wanted to help me avoid it. But I did not listen. When it got to the point where I was in severe pain and ready to do whatever it took to stop it, God helped me find the information I needed. And commit to making the changes – in my diet and exercise habits – that would cure my hemorrhoids and get me in shape. I’ve learned that if I don’t respond to God’s gentle ‘nudges’, he applies increasing pressure. Hard love. I wish I had listened sooner! But, because things got so serious, the changes I was forced to make turned into a permanent new lifestyle.

However, I have a confession to make. I am not perfect. Two or three times, on the weekends, I overindulged (chips, ice cream, cakes, alcohol) and my hemorrhoids flared up again. Constipation caused strained bowel movements and the pain of an achy colon reminded me that this condition doesn’t go away, it becomes inactive. Under the right conditions—eating constipating foods and not getting enough exercise to keep your digestive system working—bleeding and pain can return.

These relapses made me thankful that God did not completely heal my hemorrhoids. I think I could have. But he knows that I can be lazy and self-indulgent; that there are times when he may not be as careful as he should be. At family gatherings, where we enjoy large meals with a variety of foods, accompanied by wine or beer, followed by rich desserts and coffee. Or after work, when I’m tired and don’t feel like exercising. It’s easy to fall back into bad habits, so I’m grateful for these reminders that helped me get back on track.

Now, because I learned the hard way, I am convinced of the need to eat balanced meals, with lots of fruit and vegetables, and very little dairy, meat, and saturated fat. I know I have to stay active: walk every day, take the stairs, exercise. Getting stronger and healthier feels great. Staying balanced promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. And that means I can enjoy living a ‘purposeful life’. (Note: This phrase is derived from the book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren.)