Fitness influencer and personal trainer Alexia Clark started 2021 withpainlots of pain.
After throwing up for the third time, I was in excruciating pain, Clark tells SELF.
I was on the floor curled up.
Alexia Clark
On the way to the hospital, it was unbearable.
I almost passed out three times, Clark says.
I 100% thought I was going to die.
But volvulus can also present suddenly even without an underlying condition.
In Clarks case, the twisting also cut off blood flow to that part of the intestines.
SELF: What has your recovery been like so far?
What does it look like long-term?
Clark: Every day gets easier.
As far as recovering from surgery, I have to be careful with what I eat right now.
Starting out, I could only eat clear liquids.
Then I could start graduating myself into fuller liquids, very soft foods, like purees and mashed potatoes.
So Im eating smaller meals more times throughout the day.
As far as the physical aspect, I have to be careful with how much weight Im moving around.
Even with groceries and things around the house.
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How are you staying positive after starting the year off with such a traumatic emergency experience?
With COVID, I couldnt have any family or visitors.
I couldnt go outside.
So being alone in there was really hard.
Im having to start from scratch again.
Its about looking at every day that passes as one day closer.
Its looking at it as Im getting closer rather than That’s so far away.
Its all about small wins and being proud of yourself each day.
Its not like its an easy thing to just wake up and be positive.
Its not going to be easy to stay positive every single day.
We will all have some sort of setback at some point.
Nobody has gone through a journey thats gone perfectly well.
We all hit speed bumps, and we all have things that happen, sometimes unexpectedly.
But what makes those things so beautiful is that you come back stronger from them.
You learn something that you didnt expect.
[I also learned about] the power of having a community around you.
Were told so often these days that the right foods or the right wellness products can keep us healthy.
How does it feel to go through something like this that isnt necessarily preventable?
It can happen to anyone at any time and they dont know why.
Its such a scary, scary thought.
But thats how life is.
Nobody is going to have a perfect life, a perfect journeyit doesnt exist.
So its all about taking it just one step at a time.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
