It wasn't until December of 2010 that I really knew what this was myself...unfortunately I am well aware of it since I have it...I live with it daily.
I found these two videos to be the best in helping someone who doesn't have to deal with Fibromyalgia or CFS understand just what a day in the life of someone who does is like - they are short and to the point....they cover it really well - I can honestly say that the symptoms outlined in these videos are very true and that I've experienced them all at one time or another, sometimes several all at once but deal with some kind of pain or fatigue daily to some degree.
If you know or love someone who has to deal with this terrible condition, please take a few moments to watch these videos and try to understand them and what they are dealing with better. Although they might look just fine on the outside, which many of us do - we aren't ok...not in the least bit.
Just take a moment and try to imagine yourself in their shoes........
Monday, August 29, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Information overload! Where do I put it....here, that's where!
So much information is available out there on our "information highway" that it's become a bit of an overload on my brain! I can only focus on so much at one time and with all the research I've done over the past year I am finding that I am either reading the same things, just on different sites and/or finding one good bit of information on things then another site to contradict what I just read. I'm glad to be able to find information as well as information that challenges it but it starts to become blurry and confusing after a while.....frustration set in this past week as I've been looking at going "gluten-free" and dabbling with it - it's not as easy as I had thought it would be.
It turns out that really eating "gluten-free" requires the desire to cook, the desire to spend the extra money on the grocery bill and the need to know that it really does make a difference.......as of right now I don't want to cook, I don't have the desire to spend our money on these specialty products that may or may not help me feel better. I was shocked when I saw the prices of "gluten-free" bread......among other things it's not a cheap venture. So, with that, I guess it won't be a huge shock to anyone that I haven't given up gluten in my food although I am more aware of it and what I'm putting into my body.
On another note, it's now been 30 days since starting all the supplements I had talked about in July. So far I'm not really feeling a major impact from them, but I do know it takes a while to build them up in the body, so I'm not going to give up on it. I'm sure they are doing great things for me. I've made a little bit of an adjustment to what supplements I'm taking and currently. In addition to the supplements discussed back in my July posting I am taking the following on a daily basis as well:
*bee pollen (in the loose form) - if you have never heard about the benefits of bee pollen you really need to check it out! I just picked some up at the Vitamin Cottage yesterday and had my first dose today. I'm all about giving it a shot. Bee pollen has been called "natures perfect food" among other things. After reading about it I was eager to add it to my daily supplements. I believe the loose form is best as it can loose some of it's fundamental goodness through processing and manufacturing - make sure you read about it before you go out and buy a bottle of pills or something that could just be a waste of your money....know what you are looking for and getting!
*Adrenal Stress End - This supplement supports your adrenals and helps them function better - I believe part of all the madness is also adrenal stress so this addition is necessary in order to stop the cycle - this one supplement also includes 150mg Vit C, 50mg B6, 100mg Pantothenic Acid (AKA B5), 400mg Adrenal Polypeptide Fractions, 250mg Betaine (helps with digestion), 250mg L-Tyrosine (one of the 20 amino acids that are used by cells to synthesize proteins), 200mg Licorice (among it's many health benefits, licorice has gained a reputation for strengthening the body during times of stress) and 35 mg Adrenal cortex extract (helps to repair adrenal function).
*Metabolic Advantage - I added this one since I firmly believe I have thyroid problems even though my Endo Dr says otherwise - due to the nodules I have and the indicators/symptoms of hypothyroidism I'm certain this is going to be a beneficial supplement for me. This thyroid support supplement that also incorporates 100mg B12, 200mg Iodine, 200mg Magnesium, 6mg Zinc, 300mg cooper, 2.3mg manganese, 248mg L-Tyrosine...both link enclosures have great information for you to explore further.
*Turmeric - I just learned about this spice used as a supplement this week and it's another one that I was eager to get on board with. The benefits of taking this daily are great! Although nothing is scientifically "proven" the responses from people who have taken it are good. When I first went looking for this in the vitamin section I found that the entire row was gone, so people are definitely using it as supplement for health.
*DHEA - 25mg - my PCP had told me to take this a year or two ago for help with the, um, shall we say lowered libido, to which I did purchase it and take it temporarily - I found it in my cabinet so figured I would add it to the list since it does have benefits for people with FMS/CFS according to sources I've read - I can recall where I had seen it listed however, I did see it enough in my reading that I decided it was worth trying again.
So all in all I'm taking 10 pills in the morning, 2 in the afternoon and 2 in the evening - that's the ideal situation - in reality, I take my morning 10, my dose of bee pollen and usually forget the later day doses which are the additional NAC and L-glutamine doses I should take. I am working on remembering to take those though...it's all a process of getting use to taking so many pills throughout the day.
I'm still having a nice big glass of fresh juice every morning as well.
The past 2 weeks I have missed my treatments due to one thing or another - last week was because I was too sick to go and this week because I had to take the kids to the Dr which just so happened to be during my appt time. Due to the fact that my appointments take all day to and from I had to cancel and of course they were booked solid the rest of the week so I couldn't re-schedule. I do however, have my next one this coming up Monday that, as of now is a go.
The one question that is burning in everyone's mind and asked all the time is "Is all of this helping you feel better?" - usually my answer is "I don't know" because honestly, it's too soon to really say either way. I can say that I am not "SICK" in the sense of having a cold, respiratory illness or anything like that, however, each day is still unknown and each day is different - when I start having multiple days of feeling great, you'll know it because I'll be shouting about it anywhere I can! I anticipate that it will take a few more months of supplements and treatments to really get to a point where my body is functioning "normally" whatever that is.
We have to remember that it has taken many years to get to the point of bodily functions failing and falling apart so it's going to take time to fix the problems that are now labeled as "fibromyalgia", "Chronic Fatigue", "adrenal stress" - how much time is not known and is going to be different for each person...but each day we are closer to being better by the things we are learning and doing!
I hope you are doing well on your life journey and finding useful information from my journey. Everyday is a new opportunity to learn more and find the right combination of nutrients, rest and activities to help make all this work to our benefit.
It turns out that really eating "gluten-free" requires the desire to cook, the desire to spend the extra money on the grocery bill and the need to know that it really does make a difference.......as of right now I don't want to cook, I don't have the desire to spend our money on these specialty products that may or may not help me feel better. I was shocked when I saw the prices of "gluten-free" bread......among other things it's not a cheap venture. So, with that, I guess it won't be a huge shock to anyone that I haven't given up gluten in my food although I am more aware of it and what I'm putting into my body.
On another note, it's now been 30 days since starting all the supplements I had talked about in July. So far I'm not really feeling a major impact from them, but I do know it takes a while to build them up in the body, so I'm not going to give up on it. I'm sure they are doing great things for me. I've made a little bit of an adjustment to what supplements I'm taking and currently. In addition to the supplements discussed back in my July posting I am taking the following on a daily basis as well:
*bee pollen (in the loose form) - if you have never heard about the benefits of bee pollen you really need to check it out! I just picked some up at the Vitamin Cottage yesterday and had my first dose today. I'm all about giving it a shot. Bee pollen has been called "natures perfect food" among other things. After reading about it I was eager to add it to my daily supplements. I believe the loose form is best as it can loose some of it's fundamental goodness through processing and manufacturing - make sure you read about it before you go out and buy a bottle of pills or something that could just be a waste of your money....know what you are looking for and getting!
*Adrenal Stress End - This supplement supports your adrenals and helps them function better - I believe part of all the madness is also adrenal stress so this addition is necessary in order to stop the cycle - this one supplement also includes 150mg Vit C, 50mg B6, 100mg Pantothenic Acid (AKA B5), 400mg Adrenal Polypeptide Fractions, 250mg Betaine (helps with digestion), 250mg L-Tyrosine (one of the 20 amino acids that are used by cells to synthesize proteins), 200mg Licorice (among it's many health benefits, licorice has gained a reputation for strengthening the body during times of stress) and 35 mg Adrenal cortex extract (helps to repair adrenal function).
*Metabolic Advantage - I added this one since I firmly believe I have thyroid problems even though my Endo Dr says otherwise - due to the nodules I have and the indicators/symptoms of hypothyroidism I'm certain this is going to be a beneficial supplement for me. This thyroid support supplement that also incorporates 100mg B12, 200mg Iodine, 200mg Magnesium, 6mg Zinc, 300mg cooper, 2.3mg manganese, 248mg L-Tyrosine...both link enclosures have great information for you to explore further.
*Turmeric - I just learned about this spice used as a supplement this week and it's another one that I was eager to get on board with. The benefits of taking this daily are great! Although nothing is scientifically "proven" the responses from people who have taken it are good. When I first went looking for this in the vitamin section I found that the entire row was gone, so people are definitely using it as supplement for health.
*DHEA - 25mg - my PCP had told me to take this a year or two ago for help with the, um, shall we say lowered libido, to which I did purchase it and take it temporarily - I found it in my cabinet so figured I would add it to the list since it does have benefits for people with FMS/CFS according to sources I've read - I can recall where I had seen it listed however, I did see it enough in my reading that I decided it was worth trying again.
So all in all I'm taking 10 pills in the morning, 2 in the afternoon and 2 in the evening - that's the ideal situation - in reality, I take my morning 10, my dose of bee pollen and usually forget the later day doses which are the additional NAC and L-glutamine doses I should take. I am working on remembering to take those though...it's all a process of getting use to taking so many pills throughout the day.
I'm still having a nice big glass of fresh juice every morning as well.
The past 2 weeks I have missed my treatments due to one thing or another - last week was because I was too sick to go and this week because I had to take the kids to the Dr which just so happened to be during my appt time. Due to the fact that my appointments take all day to and from I had to cancel and of course they were booked solid the rest of the week so I couldn't re-schedule. I do however, have my next one this coming up Monday that, as of now is a go.
The one question that is burning in everyone's mind and asked all the time is "Is all of this helping you feel better?" - usually my answer is "I don't know" because honestly, it's too soon to really say either way. I can say that I am not "SICK" in the sense of having a cold, respiratory illness or anything like that, however, each day is still unknown and each day is different - when I start having multiple days of feeling great, you'll know it because I'll be shouting about it anywhere I can! I anticipate that it will take a few more months of supplements and treatments to really get to a point where my body is functioning "normally" whatever that is.
We have to remember that it has taken many years to get to the point of bodily functions failing and falling apart so it's going to take time to fix the problems that are now labeled as "fibromyalgia", "Chronic Fatigue", "adrenal stress" - how much time is not known and is going to be different for each person...but each day we are closer to being better by the things we are learning and doing!
I hope you are doing well on your life journey and finding useful information from my journey. Everyday is a new opportunity to learn more and find the right combination of nutrients, rest and activities to help make all this work to our benefit.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Gluten free, this is going to take some to get use to
So I think I spoke before I really knew what I was getting myself into. Although I understand the reasoning behind the suggestions to eliminate gluten from my diet, it's not as easy, or tasty as I thought it would or could be. I know there are a lot of people out there who swear that living a gluten free life is better for you in many ways and I've even recently read that Gluten can damage your intestines over your lifetime......in fact, I am beginning to wonder why, if gluten is so bad for you, why it's in almost everything we traditionally consume. I've also read many claims that eliminating this one thing from your diet can CURE many illnesses people suffer from! But on the flip side I've also read from others who have tried it and say they notice no difference - so which is it? I believe it's one of those things that can't be measured as an absolute or a definite....it's a personal choice and reaction for each individual.
Now, being that this is all so new to my life, after 41 yrs of eating pretty much whatever I felt like when I felt like it - I'm beginning to see that truly being "gluten free" takes a bit of planning ahead and shopping for specific things that you ordinarily don't purchase or even know exist! This road is going to be an interesting one and honestly I'm not sure where I'll end up on it. I'm not a big fan of cooking these days - especially because when it's time to cook a family meal, I'm too tired 9x out of 10 to cook and end up choosing the not so healthy options or the pre-packaged options. And being that the few things I have tried that are "gluten free" are so different in both texture and taste - I just don't know - I'm not excited about it at all.
Let's take a minute to also talk about the other people in this family of mine. The other 3 in this family are pretty much meat and potatoes - all the time. My daughter does enjoy green beans and broccoli and will try SOME new things....although I think this whole gluten journey won't excite any of them. Especially when it comes to the really good things like ice cream, cookies, chips......all those things that pretty much will be eliminated from my diet if not forever, for a while. With any luck there will be some things I can replace for the entire family like pasta - the pasta I tried is good - both my husband and daughter had some and actually liked it. SO...that's one thing I think I can easily switch on everyone without any problems. Other than that....I really don't know...I guess it'll be one of those things I'll figure out as I'm going. I do know one thing though, if I try to feed them something new and it doesn't look right, they won't eat it...if they do by chance try it, and don't like it, they will be weary of the next time I put something "new" in front of them. I am not going to be cooking 2 meals either - so at some point I'll have to find the middle ground for all this.....right now I'm still in the processing, accepting and figuring out stage of it.
As you can imagine, pretty much anything that is processed is going to have gluten in it. So the majority of MY diet is going to be raw foods and other gluten free items I can find at the store. This isn't a HUGE issue except when it comes to the things I love like ice cream, brownies, cookies.....snacks and sweets is where I'm going to have the biggest problem with this .....in general I eat pretty good already with the exception of my daily indulgence of something sweet - even "sugar free" ice cream still has those blasted "aspartame" or other sugar substitute in it...so it really isn't "sugar free"......
I've been trying those "lara bars" this past week - they are OK - I tried one that was simply nasty, had to throw it out - that was the "cashew cookie" one YUCK! And I like cashews! They are pretty dense and have a very different taste - I can tolerate them but at about 11+g of fat per bar, I would much rather have a cookie or two or 10! UGH......she says with a smile as she grabs a carrot.....
Another issue I've already noticed is the price of "GLUTEN FREE" products - HOLY SHIT! A loaf of bread can put you back close to $6! Seriously...for bread?? Damn...I'm use to getting our bread for $2 or less a loaf! But that of course is the "normal" stuff everyone else can have. The only bread I really will have a problem with NOT having is french bread on nights when we have pasta - really have a problem with it - so I guess I better have a "bread substitute" in the house at $6 a loaf so when the time comes I can grab a piece and toast it and pretend I'm having a nice soft piece of french loaf that was just cooked - oh King Soopers you are not going to help me here with your daily fresh breads at the front door......
I'm planning on taking a "field trip" this upcoming week to my local Whole Foods store to investigate more options for "gluten free". I've also subscribed to a couple blogs that are all about Gluten free living with recipes and such. I've already noticed most of the recipes don't really excite me or even sound like things I would ever consider making and feeding to my family but I'm hopeful that I will find some things that I can sneak in and substitute for us all - I did find a few recipes for cookies that LOOK good, but the true test is in how they taste....we are a family that loves our sweets......for me eliminating gluten, refined sugar and sugar additives is definitely going to be one of the harder things I've had to do.....in fact I'm not sure I can 100%...this is worse than any addiction that someone has to get past.....being that it's been a 41 yr addiction I just don't know HOW I'm ever going to get away from sugar or sugar substitutions........one day at a time I guess! Shoot it's not like you can just say "ok, I quit gluten and sugar" because it's everywhere you turn......everywhere!
So in case you can't tell, I'm frustrated but hopefully will have a great update for you all once I go on my field trip this week and see what all is out there in this gluten free world I'm trying to enter into.......it's definitely not an overnight adjustment that's for sure!
Now, being that this is all so new to my life, after 41 yrs of eating pretty much whatever I felt like when I felt like it - I'm beginning to see that truly being "gluten free" takes a bit of planning ahead and shopping for specific things that you ordinarily don't purchase or even know exist! This road is going to be an interesting one and honestly I'm not sure where I'll end up on it. I'm not a big fan of cooking these days - especially because when it's time to cook a family meal, I'm too tired 9x out of 10 to cook and end up choosing the not so healthy options or the pre-packaged options. And being that the few things I have tried that are "gluten free" are so different in both texture and taste - I just don't know - I'm not excited about it at all.
Let's take a minute to also talk about the other people in this family of mine. The other 3 in this family are pretty much meat and potatoes - all the time. My daughter does enjoy green beans and broccoli and will try SOME new things....although I think this whole gluten journey won't excite any of them. Especially when it comes to the really good things like ice cream, cookies, chips......all those things that pretty much will be eliminated from my diet if not forever, for a while. With any luck there will be some things I can replace for the entire family like pasta - the pasta I tried is good - both my husband and daughter had some and actually liked it. SO...that's one thing I think I can easily switch on everyone without any problems. Other than that....I really don't know...I guess it'll be one of those things I'll figure out as I'm going. I do know one thing though, if I try to feed them something new and it doesn't look right, they won't eat it...if they do by chance try it, and don't like it, they will be weary of the next time I put something "new" in front of them. I am not going to be cooking 2 meals either - so at some point I'll have to find the middle ground for all this.....right now I'm still in the processing, accepting and figuring out stage of it.
As you can imagine, pretty much anything that is processed is going to have gluten in it. So the majority of MY diet is going to be raw foods and other gluten free items I can find at the store. This isn't a HUGE issue except when it comes to the things I love like ice cream, brownies, cookies.....snacks and sweets is where I'm going to have the biggest problem with this .....in general I eat pretty good already with the exception of my daily indulgence of something sweet - even "sugar free" ice cream still has those blasted "aspartame" or other sugar substitute in it...so it really isn't "sugar free"......
Another issue I've already noticed is the price of "GLUTEN FREE" products - HOLY SHIT! A loaf of bread can put you back close to $6! Seriously...for bread?? Damn...I'm use to getting our bread for $2 or less a loaf! But that of course is the "normal" stuff everyone else can have. The only bread I really will have a problem with NOT having is french bread on nights when we have pasta - really have a problem with it - so I guess I better have a "bread substitute" in the house at $6 a loaf so when the time comes I can grab a piece and toast it and pretend I'm having a nice soft piece of french loaf that was just cooked - oh King Soopers you are not going to help me here with your daily fresh breads at the front door......
I'm planning on taking a "field trip" this upcoming week to my local Whole Foods store to investigate more options for "gluten free". I've also subscribed to a couple blogs that are all about Gluten free living with recipes and such. I've already noticed most of the recipes don't really excite me or even sound like things I would ever consider making and feeding to my family but I'm hopeful that I will find some things that I can sneak in and substitute for us all - I did find a few recipes for cookies that LOOK good, but the true test is in how they taste....we are a family that loves our sweets......for me eliminating gluten, refined sugar and sugar additives is definitely going to be one of the harder things I've had to do.....in fact I'm not sure I can 100%...this is worse than any addiction that someone has to get past.....being that it's been a 41 yr addiction I just don't know HOW I'm ever going to get away from sugar or sugar substitutions........one day at a time I guess! Shoot it's not like you can just say "ok, I quit gluten and sugar" because it's everywhere you turn......everywhere!
So in case you can't tell, I'm frustrated but hopefully will have a great update for you all once I go on my field trip this week and see what all is out there in this gluten free world I'm trying to enter into.......it's definitely not an overnight adjustment that's for sure!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Nutrition, diet change, schedule change.......change, change, change
So here we are, a little over half of the year is gone in the dust and what do any of us have to show for it? I know for me I have made some progression in my quest to find answers to my health woes and feel that I'm on the right track to getting back to feeling good - now if only I could find the major energy zapper within me and eliminate it I think I'd be in pretty good shape overall!
This past week I've been free of headaches which has been a blessing. I hate the headaches I've been dealing with and am pretty certain between the massages I've been getting and the chiropractic adjustments they are starting to give me the relief I'm after. Well, that and the multitude of vitamins I'm pushing into my body are starting to build up to have their own effect on me as well.
I am finding some short bursts of energy on occasion, not as often or regularly as I would like but hey, I'll take what I can get when I get it...it's not enough to sustain me all day most of the time but enough to push me through when I need to push. This weekend was the first weekend in MONTHS that I actually had the MOTIVATION AND ENERGY to do the things that a "normal" person can do everyday...it was nice to be out and about without wishing I was in bed or that it was time to go.
(Monday 8/8) I had my 5th and final (for now) massage. It still hurts like a bitch but I think I'm actually going to miss the massages. Starting next week I will be moving into Phase 2 of my treatment which is a more active phase and will start with Soft Tissue work as well as continue with the adjustments. The Dr told me if I find the soft tissue work doesn't help as much as the massage I can go back to massage if I want so there is some flexibility with the treatments. I'm actually looking forward to the Acupuncture part of my treatment which will come in about a month - I'm ready to do it and see what kind of relief it offers. I've heard so many great things about it in helping with CFS and Fibromyalgia pain.
Juicing has been going well - I've been doing it faithfully every morning since starting back up. This past week I've been having what's called "Morning Energizer" - this is made with 1 peeled lemon, 1 peeled cucumber, 4 carrots, 1 in. of ginger root and 1/2 to 1 small beet (include 2 stems and leaves) - it makes a nice kind of mildly spicy drink. If you have never had beet juice, it's a bit earthy tasting, but not bad with the other ingredients all together - too much beet and it's kind of rough going down so if you try to make this, make sure you use only 1/2 of a small beet until you get use to how fresh beet juice tastes. It doesn't bother me but I do try to drink it quickly so I don't have to taste the beet for very long.
I had my nutrition counseling today (8/8) at my appointment. The Dr said I am already doing pretty good with the juicing and with what I normally am eating. She made some suggestions for me to work on such as eating a small handful of baby carrots or an apple before a meal with some water. Also to make sure I'm eating something healthy every 2-3 hrs. She explained it to me in terms of giving my pancreas a "treat" by eating something little and often so my body doesn't have to #1 work hard at processing larger meals that are spread out over longer periods and #2 so my body stops holding onto everything I put into it. She said that part of the problem a lot of people with these conditions face is that their body is always working in a "stress" mode or the "fight or flight" mode so the body is afraid to burn or use up fats, calories and nutrients since it doesn't know when it will get more. Instead the body stores these things making it very difficult to get energy and nutrients from the food we eat. She said our goal is to "re-boot" my system so that it will start to better process the things I eat and with that I will see my weight also change for the better. You see, I've always had trouble with my weight - not wanting to fall off! No matter what I do it seems to just hang on - she explained to me that because I tend to not eat on regular 2-3 hr basis my body won't use what it needs to use for energy, fuel and nutrients and thus I will gain more than I'll ever loose in this cycle, even when trying to drop weight.....and I won't have the necessary energy I need to do the things a healthy woman of my age should be able to do....it's a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. Hopefully by doing this, my body will start using up the things I put into it instead of storing it all away for later use.
So my next challenge is to eat something, not a lot, but something every few hours, eliminate as much sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy, wheat flour and gluten from my diet as I can. I've already purchased a couple things she suggested and am going to give it my best shot at trying to change my diet even further than I already have. I've been watching my sugar intake for many months now, it's been really hard especially for this ice cream and sweets loving girl! I will never 100% eliminate those indulgences from my diet, however definitely choose the lower or no sugar versions when I can and try not to have it except maybe on the weekends or just on a special occasion.
Some suggestions she made are:
*use corn based/gluten free pasta instead of the normal wheat/flour based - pasta is one of those things that can really taste terrible in other forms I think - but I did try it last night and it is actually just fine, tastes pretty much the same with a good sauce on it. The new pasta I'll be using is Quinoa - it's gluten free and corn based, give it a try, I bet you'll like it! The link I've included above has all the products and tons of recipes for using them......I'm excited to try some on my family and see if this is something I can make for them as well without a lot of fussing from them about it.....I bet I can since it tastes good.
*Lara Bars - these too are gluten free and come in many different flavors. I tried one as a snack, they aren't bad and have a pretty good taste to them. I can easily make that addition to my diet so I'll start having those as a snack option.
*Add an Omega3 vitamin to my daily vitamin intake: She recommended the one I linked to as being the best that she has tried - being that I'm not a fish lover, or even eat any fish, those that are fishy or have a fishy taste will turn me off and won't get in my body. In fact she pointed out that any that smell or taste fishy are because it has gone bad.....SOOOO, getting one that is in it's natural trigliceride form is what she suggested.
*Add a Probiotic daily - 12 billion per day/adult 8 strain - she recommended a specific brand but I'll just be sure to grab one that falls into the 12 billion per day category.
*Instead of milk, use unsweetened coconut milk when I find the need to use or drink milk. I'm not a big milk drinker, especially since watching my sugar intake so I already stopped drinking milk months ago other than what I have used in my smoothies which has been a lower sugar, lower calorie version. I purchased some of the coconut milk and it's not bad at all, so this is another easy one to work right into the plan. Cheese and plain yogurt are also ok to have as snacks in small amounts.
So overall I'm already on a good path to changing my diet and will work on the above suggestions to further refine my diet and nutritional intake to help with this process of re-booting my body and helping it work the way it should. This is a 6wk plan and after the 6 wks I can try to reintroduce things into my diet to see how they make me feel - such as gluten. However, if I find things that are gluten free and will work for the family as well, there is really no need to re-introduce it to our diets. I'll have to play it all by ear and see how the next 6wks of changes go.
So I need to make a trip to the vitamin cottage to pick up the additional supplements that she wants me to start taking - these two would be something I should plan on taking for the rest of my life as they are essential to have.
I really need to start looking for a cheaper way to get all the vitamins I'm taking. At the point I'm at now, this is about $100 a month extra for all the vitamins I NEED.
Until next time!
This past week I've been free of headaches which has been a blessing. I hate the headaches I've been dealing with and am pretty certain between the massages I've been getting and the chiropractic adjustments they are starting to give me the relief I'm after. Well, that and the multitude of vitamins I'm pushing into my body are starting to build up to have their own effect on me as well.
I am finding some short bursts of energy on occasion, not as often or regularly as I would like but hey, I'll take what I can get when I get it...it's not enough to sustain me all day most of the time but enough to push me through when I need to push. This weekend was the first weekend in MONTHS that I actually had the MOTIVATION AND ENERGY to do the things that a "normal" person can do everyday...it was nice to be out and about without wishing I was in bed or that it was time to go.
(Monday 8/8) I had my 5th and final (for now) massage. It still hurts like a bitch but I think I'm actually going to miss the massages. Starting next week I will be moving into Phase 2 of my treatment which is a more active phase and will start with Soft Tissue work as well as continue with the adjustments. The Dr told me if I find the soft tissue work doesn't help as much as the massage I can go back to massage if I want so there is some flexibility with the treatments. I'm actually looking forward to the Acupuncture part of my treatment which will come in about a month - I'm ready to do it and see what kind of relief it offers. I've heard so many great things about it in helping with CFS and Fibromyalgia pain.
Juicing has been going well - I've been doing it faithfully every morning since starting back up. This past week I've been having what's called "Morning Energizer" - this is made with 1 peeled lemon, 1 peeled cucumber, 4 carrots, 1 in. of ginger root and 1/2 to 1 small beet (include 2 stems and leaves) - it makes a nice kind of mildly spicy drink. If you have never had beet juice, it's a bit earthy tasting, but not bad with the other ingredients all together - too much beet and it's kind of rough going down so if you try to make this, make sure you use only 1/2 of a small beet until you get use to how fresh beet juice tastes. It doesn't bother me but I do try to drink it quickly so I don't have to taste the beet for very long.
I had my nutrition counseling today (8/8) at my appointment. The Dr said I am already doing pretty good with the juicing and with what I normally am eating. She made some suggestions for me to work on such as eating a small handful of baby carrots or an apple before a meal with some water. Also to make sure I'm eating something healthy every 2-3 hrs. She explained it to me in terms of giving my pancreas a "treat" by eating something little and often so my body doesn't have to #1 work hard at processing larger meals that are spread out over longer periods and #2 so my body stops holding onto everything I put into it. She said that part of the problem a lot of people with these conditions face is that their body is always working in a "stress" mode or the "fight or flight" mode so the body is afraid to burn or use up fats, calories and nutrients since it doesn't know when it will get more. Instead the body stores these things making it very difficult to get energy and nutrients from the food we eat. She said our goal is to "re-boot" my system so that it will start to better process the things I eat and with that I will see my weight also change for the better. You see, I've always had trouble with my weight - not wanting to fall off! No matter what I do it seems to just hang on - she explained to me that because I tend to not eat on regular 2-3 hr basis my body won't use what it needs to use for energy, fuel and nutrients and thus I will gain more than I'll ever loose in this cycle, even when trying to drop weight.....and I won't have the necessary energy I need to do the things a healthy woman of my age should be able to do....it's a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. Hopefully by doing this, my body will start using up the things I put into it instead of storing it all away for later use.
So my next challenge is to eat something, not a lot, but something every few hours, eliminate as much sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy, wheat flour and gluten from my diet as I can. I've already purchased a couple things she suggested and am going to give it my best shot at trying to change my diet even further than I already have. I've been watching my sugar intake for many months now, it's been really hard especially for this ice cream and sweets loving girl! I will never 100% eliminate those indulgences from my diet, however definitely choose the lower or no sugar versions when I can and try not to have it except maybe on the weekends or just on a special occasion.
Some suggestions she made are:
*use corn based/gluten free pasta instead of the normal wheat/flour based - pasta is one of those things that can really taste terrible in other forms I think - but I did try it last night and it is actually just fine, tastes pretty much the same with a good sauce on it. The new pasta I'll be using is Quinoa - it's gluten free and corn based, give it a try, I bet you'll like it! The link I've included above has all the products and tons of recipes for using them......I'm excited to try some on my family and see if this is something I can make for them as well without a lot of fussing from them about it.....I bet I can since it tastes good.
*Lara Bars - these too are gluten free and come in many different flavors. I tried one as a snack, they aren't bad and have a pretty good taste to them. I can easily make that addition to my diet so I'll start having those as a snack option.
*Add an Omega3 vitamin to my daily vitamin intake: She recommended the one I linked to as being the best that she has tried - being that I'm not a fish lover, or even eat any fish, those that are fishy or have a fishy taste will turn me off and won't get in my body. In fact she pointed out that any that smell or taste fishy are because it has gone bad.....SOOOO, getting one that is in it's natural trigliceride form is what she suggested.
*Add a Probiotic daily - 12 billion per day/adult 8 strain - she recommended a specific brand but I'll just be sure to grab one that falls into the 12 billion per day category.
*Instead of milk, use unsweetened coconut milk when I find the need to use or drink milk. I'm not a big milk drinker, especially since watching my sugar intake so I already stopped drinking milk months ago other than what I have used in my smoothies which has been a lower sugar, lower calorie version. I purchased some of the coconut milk and it's not bad at all, so this is another easy one to work right into the plan. Cheese and plain yogurt are also ok to have as snacks in small amounts.
So overall I'm already on a good path to changing my diet and will work on the above suggestions to further refine my diet and nutritional intake to help with this process of re-booting my body and helping it work the way it should. This is a 6wk plan and after the 6 wks I can try to reintroduce things into my diet to see how they make me feel - such as gluten. However, if I find things that are gluten free and will work for the family as well, there is really no need to re-introduce it to our diets. I'll have to play it all by ear and see how the next 6wks of changes go.
So I need to make a trip to the vitamin cottage to pick up the additional supplements that she wants me to start taking - these two would be something I should plan on taking for the rest of my life as they are essential to have.
I really need to start looking for a cheaper way to get all the vitamins I'm taking. At the point I'm at now, this is about $100 a month extra for all the vitamins I NEED.
Until next time!
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