Living with Gastritis
Inuli Subasinghe (she/her) - UNSW international postgraduate student with Sri Lankan, Sinhalese nationality
When I was 12 years old, I began experiencing a pain in my chest. Initially, I was confused and frustrated because I didn’t know what my body was going through. But as time passed, the pain intensified to the point where I vomited blood. This prompted my family to consult doctors and specialists to figure out what was wrong with me. Unfortunately, nobody could provide a definitive answer, and the prescribed painkillers didn’t help with the pain.
The nature of the pain is like severe acid reflux, causing excruciating pain in my chest and stomach that often leaves me bedridden for days.
Finally, after seeing several specialists, one diagnosed me with gastritis. At first, it sounded scary because they told me it could lead to cancer and ulcers, but he explained that lifestyle and dietary changes could help manage it.
At 17, I moved to Australia, and for the first time in my life, I was alone. When the pain struck, I had no one to turn to, and I remember calling my mom in tears because she couldn’t be there in person to comfort me. I've now been living with this pain for over a decade, and while I've learned to manage it better, I still grapple with daily anxiety, never knowing when the pain might strike. Self-care has become an important part of my day-to-day existence helping me balance work, uni stressors, and my social life.
I've adapted to living with this chronic pain, letting it pass through me and feeling the pain if it does come on. As there is no cure, I don’t have any other choice than to just deal with it.
Living with chronic pain is a journey, and it's important to acknowledge the emotional and physical effects. But it's also a testament to our resilience and strength when we find ways to carry on despite the pain.
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