A short thank you letter to my body

March 29, 2016 | minutes read

I’ve been very sick this past week … coughing phelgm, swallowing pain, and battling headaches. Two nights in a row, an uncontrollable cough prevented me from sleeping.

This morning, however, I awoke without a sore throat. It goes to show you how much I take you for granted when I’m healthy.

My elation at regaining my health won’t be short lived. This I promise you.

Ongoing health problems

Despite converting to a plant based diet in 2014, we’re struggling with intermittent stomach pains. Sometimes, the excruciating pain paralyzes me into the fetal position for more than two hours. It’s the same sensation that sent us to the emergency room in 2005.

Doctors can’t isolate the problem. Nutritionists suggest conflicting diets. It’s up to you and I to experiment and create a sustainable diet. I’ll continue to jot down foods that cause problems:
  • hummus (gas)
  • cold drinks (bladder incontinence)
  • honey / maple syrup (bladder incontinence)
  • raw lettuce (severe stomach pain)

I’m fixing more than our diet. I reintroduced mindful eating. This means deliberately counting 60 chews before swallowing. This should help with digestion.

All of this is going to take time. So thank you for being patient. Thank you for keeping me going. Thank you body.

I’m Matt Chung. I’m a software engineer, seasoned technology leader, and father currently based in Seattle and London. I love to share what I know. I write about topic developing scalable & fail-safe software running in the AWS cloud, digital organization as a mechanism for unlocking your creativity, and maximizing our full potentials with personal development habits.

View all articles