Health concerns
As some of you know, i've been feeling a bit sick since i've been here. It had been getting progressively worse, and in this last week, it has been reaching worrying proportions. Including twice today doubling over in pain and almost crying.
It's mainly stomach pains. They're a bit like period pain, a bit like upset stomach pain. and i know my bowels arent happy because I don't think I have passed a healthy bowel motion since I have been here, with many being very less than healthy.
I initially thought it might just be the change in diet in general, or hunger pangs because im not fed very much/food digests really quickly here. Including the fact that japanese food consistency is like food that has already been chewed so i thought even though there was nothing to digest by body was trying to still digest like normal, and was therefore over digesting. But i've been here 2 months now, so shouldn't i be used to the food already?
Next thought was a serious lack of fresh fruit and veggies in my diet; most "vegetables" consisting of boiled cabbage and boiled white radish. A few slices of apple at breakfast and the occasional slices of tomato (less than fresh) or a few pieces of broccoli. But the Japanese eat this - why arent they all sick?
So i thought that maybe it was because since i have been here, i have been taking active pills (talking "the pill" here) and skipping sugar ones so I dont have to put up wit having my period over here. The doctor told me to do this and it would be fine, just cycle sugar pills when i get home again and every 3-4 months in general. Well, it's been about 3 months, but the like i said, ive been getting these cramps since the start, when i'd only skipped the one week of sugar pills. i've been spotting a bit too. like what happens at the start of a normal period, so i think my body is telling me i should cycle now anyway. but i'm half way through a month and not up to sugar pills for another two weeks. i'd really like to take them now in hope they help a little bit - can i take them two weeks before i should? or will that throw my body out of whack even further?
my final thought (and possibly scariest) was maybe this was all just stress induced. ive been getting the shakes every now and again, and the excema on my upper arms is flaring a bit. not to mention fucked up sleep. can stress cause me to double over in pain?
I know there's only 2 weeks til its over and 3 weeks til i'm home, but i'm really really worried about this. im worried that it might be something thats going to damage me permenantly. i know thats probably just paranoia but i had been hoping i'd come home and be bouncy beth again. not come home and keep being ill as my body re-adjusts.
does anyone have any idea?
EDIT: I forgot to mention headaches which I've been getting lately (I rarely get headaches back in aus) and I think are cos my neck and shoulder muscles are so tight. And also, the skin around my eyes is quite black (i look like uncle fester's love child) and i remember one of my friends saying that was a sign of malnutrition cos he got them when he moved out of home and lived off shit food for 6 months.
the more i think about it, i think it's stress and the food, with the pill not helping, because i've never had problems with it until now and maybe just a mix of the other two is screwing my pill over.