Spain made me well
I’ve had more than my share of health problems, thanks to bad genetics. Some of them were dealt with through surgeries and others I learned to manage. Two, however, were life-changing. In a bad way. Let me tell more about them then explain how my move to Spain changed everything.
Migraine madness
Migraines triggered by various foods run in my family. Mine started when I was 16 and quickly became the classic version—zigzag aura and blind spots beforehand, followed by searing pain, toilet-hugging nausea, and turn off that light! sensitivity. I had them once or twice a week. Every week. I can’t count how many times I’d be driving and the zigzag and blind spots would start, compelling me to abandon my car in the closest parking lot and get a ride home before the actual headache hit.
I tried many treatments. Most had terrible side effects (such as dropping my blood pressure to 70/45). After decades of suffering, my doctor suggested Botox Migraine. The 150-at-a-time injections were expensive ($2000) but for five months I’d be migraine-free. When the headaches returned, I knew it was time for another treatment. It was worth the price and brief I walked into a wasp nest discomfort in order to get back my quality of life.
Right after our move to Spain, I had a bad migraine, so I knew I was due for more shots. I found a local neurologist who only charged €350 (about $390). Five months later, to my surprise, the headaches hadn’t come back. I decided to wait and see what would happen. After suffering for 46 years from migraines, suddenly they were just… gone. I haven’t had a headache, or needed the shots, since that first round after moving. Turns out it wasn’t “various foods”—it was… food. Let me explain further what I mean by that.
The mysterious gut pain from nowhere
Another health issue came as a surprise and quickly became a bigger problem than my migraines. First, some backstory. In October 2013 we took the Europe Jewel, a two-week, whirlwind tour of 11 countries. We also added a week on our own, so we were in Europe for three weeks, eating delicious food everywhere we went.
Two days after we got home, we ate at a local bar. It was November 4, 2013. I drank 2 glasses of red wine and ate a hot dog, Frito’s, popcorn, and M&Ms. I remember clearly, because I spent that night in severe pain and vomiting.
At first I was grateful I didn’t get the “stomach bug” during our trip. But I didn’t get well. I got worse. No matter what I ate, it felt like I’d swallowed razors and the food came straight back up. I described the pain as being sucker-punched by Wolverine.
I had no insurance at the time. I knew I needed a doctor—my gut (no pun intended) told me this was serious. Texas wasn’t yet participating in the ACA (aka Obamacare). The only policies available denied people with pre-existing conditions. If I saw a doctor, I’d become one of those people. I applied for a Blue Cross policy and waited.
In an effort to manage the pain, I stopped eating. I lived on broth and soda crackers. A friend cooked some probiotic foods for me. I ate them one tablespoon at a time as a supplement. Just weeks before, I’d been the heaviest I’d ever been. I started losing weight. Fast. (By March 2014 I was down over 50 pounds.) I may look happy in the picture on the right, but I was in almost constant pain, weak as a kitten, and malnourished. It’s not a diet I’d recommend.
When my insurance policy was approved, I made a doctor’s appointment. The first of many. It was November 27, 2013, the day before Thanksgiving, and the beginning of a nine-month nightmare.
Navigating American healthcare as a middle-aged woman
Multiple studies have shown that doctors frequently don’t listen to their women patients, especially those of us in our “golden” years. Between that first appointment and my final referral in August of 2014, I saw nine different doctors. Each ran tests to confirm their “pet” theories, then referred me on to another doctor when their tests came back negative.
I’d done hours of my own online research. I asked every doctor the same question, “Based on symptoms and location of the pain, could it be pancreatitis?” Every doctor said “no” and refused to even do the simple blood test. One doctor literally rolled his eyes at me. (Pancreatitis is mistakenly considered by many doctors to only be an alcoholic’s disease.)
Instead of considering my question, I was tested for kidney disease, gallstones, hepatitis, celiac, IBS, MS, diabetes, lupus, H-pylori (ulcer), heart disease, lactose intolerance, ulcerative colitis, stomach cancer, and more. I had dozens of blood tests, two MRIs, three ultrasounds, multiple X-rays, and two CAT scans. My gall bladder was removed. I was in the hospital eight times for surgical procedures. I had so much general anesthesia, my hair started falling out.
Finally in August 2014 I was referred to renowned gastroenterologist and pancreatic specialist Dr. Sandeep Patel (the Director at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio – Gastroenterology Division). He’s like Dr. House from the TV show— you can’t just go to Dr. Patel. You must be referred to him after other doctors give up on you.
Dr. Patel confirmed what I knew all along. I had chronic pancreatitis with frequent acute attacks, caused by the chemical-shitstorm that qualifies as food in the US. As Dr. Patel said, “There’s very little actual food in American food.” He suggested I consider moving out of the country.
He put me on supplements to help battle my weakness and malnutrition. Every few weeks, he did a celiac block (direct injection of a pain blocker into my pancreas) via endoscopy, which meant more general anesthesia for me. He also prescribed Creon (pancrelipase), an active pancreatic enzyme that cost $1900/month. By then I had insurance through the ACA, but it had a $7650 deductible, so for the first four months of each year, that $1900 was out-of-pocket. At least I could eat again, as long as I was careful with my choices. The picture of pills is only some of them. I actually took eight Creon (blue and white capsules) with every meal, so a total of 24 a day.
Gut pain be gone!
On our house-hunting trip in Spain, I asked if I could get pancrelipase, which I had to special order even in Austin. The pharmacist checked, nodded, then frowned. She said, “Yes, but it is very expensive.” I cringed and asked how much. Her response? €140 (about $150). I couldn’t help it. I laughed. She scowled, so I told her what I was paying in the US. She thought I was lying.
After we moved, I continued taking 24 Creon per day, eight before each meal. Three months later, I felt better, so I experimented. I cut back on my Creon. Then I cut back more. Then I stopped altogether to see what would happen. Nothing happened. Not a single acute pancreatitis attack.
Within 6 months I was off all of my supplements and medications and feeling great. I regained some weight. I felt vital and energetic. Color returned to my face and my eyes no longer looked sunken. I’ve now been here over four years and haven’t had a pancreatitis attack in 3–1/2.
I’m well!
Healthcare was near the top of the list of reasons why we moved to Spain (where both the quality and cost were far better than in the US). The World Health Organization rates Spain as having the 7th best healthcare (the US is down at 37th). And my healthcare costs here are about about 1/8 what they were in Texas (even with Obamacare).
I expected to be “healthier” in Spain, but I never dreamed that living here would literally restore my health, and quite possibly save my life. It’s the main reason why I sometimes tear up when telling people about my life here, and why one friend says she’s never met anyone who loves Spain more than me.
And before anyone asks or comments…
Postscript because I know I’ll likely get comments about these:
- I didn’t live on junk food in the US. We never went to “fast food” restaurants. I cooked and did my best to buy “clean” and healthy food. We went to the bar for dinner that night because it was a pre-planned movie night with friends.
- After I got sick, I tried to buy only 100% organic products. Nothing in the US is truly 100% organic unless you grow it yourself. Not to mention that it more than doubled our grocery bill.
- There are hundreds of food additives that are common in the US that are banned or restricted in the EU, thanks to strict EU food standards and regulations. I eat the same kinds of foods here that I did in the US before I got sick. The difference is what isn’t in the food here vs what was done to the food during growth/processing back in the US.
