Let's start from the very beginning: I think it all started several years ago when I started developing feelings of bitterness and disappointment over the way things were going at work. I loved - and I still love - teaching there, but collaboration with colleagues is almost impossible and at the time I started being very disappointed with the way I was treated. I must say, though, that these feelings were most of the time hidden in my subconscious and came to the surface only in specific circumstances. In reality, these feelings grew and lay hidden in my mind for a long time until just before COVID. Then in the two years before the pandemic, they intensified and started creating a few physical problems. I had no idea of all this going on at the time and even when it reached a peak in 2019, I did not think much about it. The COVID pandemic was the final trigger.
Another event that caused another shock in my life and may have played a part in causing my illness was what happened to me in Munich on 22nd July 2016. You can read about that in another post on this blog.
Last but not least, another shock I experienced in 2013 was the death of a distant cousin that I did not even know but due to particular circumstances, I was really moved by it and it has had long term effects on my person. I've also published another blog post about that, too.
To be honest, I never really had any problems and I never noticed any connection between these events and some physical issues that I had in the two years before the COVID pandemic. Even when I started having the first problems it never dawned on me that they could have been caused by the bitterness and disappointment at work and other life events.
Let's go step by step: the first thing I remember having was what I now know as acid reflux. I had started to eat more bread, especially at the weekend, often too much of it. I was actually conscious of the fact that that was not so healthy and recognized the symptoms, but for whatever reason I did not manage to change my eating habits.
Another problem was the infection that I had in the gum below my wisdom tooth down to my throat. It caused occasional pain and a dry throat. At first, I did not realize the two symptoms were connected and I went both to the doctor and to the dentist. I took some antibiotics for my throat and the dentist removed both my wisdom teeth and the infection disappeared.
Then I had some problems with my right ear and went to a specialist, who removed some ear wax and the discomfort disappeared.
At a certain point, I started having more problems with my stomach in March 2020, but if you have read my previous posts, you know all about it. After some time, I realized that the cause of all my previous symptoms was the same that was causing problems now: gastric acid.
Fortunately, all signs and symptoms have completely disappeared. In the last twelve months I have tested different products and eaten a little bit of everything and I am happy to say that I do not have any kind of symptoms or problems anymore.
As for my psychological well-being, I have never been better. However, it is important to be able to identify and prevent illnesses like the one I had. In the next years, I am going to look for possibilities to help others who are now in the situation I was in at the time or feel that something is wrong and want to do something to prevent it.
Thank you.