About a year and a half ago, I received a telephone call from my friend Carol. She was on her way to the emergency room. I met her there. Within a few hours she’d been diagnosed with Diverticulitis, an extremely painful, and dangerous infection of the digestive system, specifically the bowels. She’d thought she was “blocked up”, constipated, or something of the sort. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone in such pain. She was in hospital for a week, with a belly distended to the size of a woman pregnant with quadruplets. She was humiliated by the gas, the belching, and was unable to avoid either. She was vomiting regularly even though she was on IV fluids only.
I learned much about Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis from seeing my friend in such pain. I was determined to find out what caused it, and help her prevent another attack in the future. I also wanted to learn for my own good what the root cause and preventive measures that could be taken. Imagine my surprise when I learned that a diet high in fiber, a diet low in fats, was the answer. All those evenings we’d spent in front of a block of cheese and bowls of dip had taken their toll on Carol’s digestive tract. All those cheeseburgers dripping in mayonnaise had finally come home to roost. At that time, I was still eating meat, still consuming mass quantities of cheese – but that soon came to an end when I saw them inserting IV’s in her, saw her barfing and retching for a week. The stench was unbearable for everyone around.
They spoke of possibly “resectioning” her bowel, removing the rotted, damaged part, and reattaching the ends. I’ve got another loved one who had a resectioning like that, except it didn’t work, and now she wears a colostomy bag for the rest of her life, and endures THAT indignation.
Since adopting a vegetarian, and then vegan lifestyle, I’ve noticed a dramatic increase in my digestive health. I’m no longer feeling like I am likely to develop Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the precursor of Krohn’s Disease, and other problems. I’ve got every confidence that much of what I’ve accomplished in the realm of great health has to do with inverting that carnivorous food pyramid and putting what is important in my mouth, and learning that the decaying flesh of dead animals, the products from said animals produced through suffering and deprivation of liberty and freedom, can only cause my body to rebel against the suffering endured. But that my friend would have gotten the same message…. Alas, she’s still parked in front of those cheeseburgers, still getting sick, still blaming it on everything else but what it really is, a reaction to eating death.
