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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

I Like Lots of Things

I am doing really well. It turns out that most of my nausea and such is explained by a bacterial infection. In my stomach. I am killing it with antibiotics and am already feeling better. Woo! Emotionally, I've been doing amazing. I found a medication that is helpful and am totally taking advantage of affordable psychotherapy while I can. My thyroid is working fine.

I'm excited to start exercising with the upcoming semester. My goal is to attend the gym at the university twice a week. It turns out that I like elliptical machines way much very more much than running. And stationary bikes aren't nearly as jarring as real bikes. And you can totally rock out to your music on those things instead of being paranoid about not hearing a car coming on a trajectory to run you over. You know. Plus, you can prop books on them. Win! And maybe, I might even start lifting itty bitty baby weights. Maybe.

So basically, I am excited to report a medical all-clear. On the minus side, there are going to be lots of check-ups anyway this year. (But not nearly as many as in the last six months... yikes!) I imagine that these will be mostly comprised of "Hi there, doc. I'm still doing well! Woo hoo!" :)

Saturday, December 3, 2011

I Like Veggies

I said in one of my earlier posts that the very fact that I'm posting and telling about my problems is a sign that I'm doing fine despite having some issues. That said, I haven't posted in about a month. And, you guessed, I haven't been doing so well.

The most notable news to date is that James and I are experimenting with a vegan diet for six weeks. I have gotten mostly support for this. Usually I hear something along the lines of "That's crazy. I couldn't do it. But if it helps you feel better, go for it! Hope it helps!" On the other hand, my dad is very pro-meat as a source of protein, iron, and other nutrients, and really doesn't think this is a good idea. I wish people knew more about nutrition before they started giving advice.

James, on the other hand? People are mostly incredulous, because he's already so healthy. They usually get it when he tells them he's doing it to support me. I really didn't expect people (a minority, thank goodness) to oppose his decision to support me so much. To those people (who most likely aren't reading this), I wish they would keep in mind that he is supporting me voluntarily. I'm not forcefeeding him vegan poison. And he'll be okay... we think, anyway. ;)

Anyway, one of the biggest reasons I felt the need to to change my diet and not something else was the whole gastrointestinal problem thing. I never described this online, but I've had incessant nausea with almost daily vomiting for about a month. And let's just say the stuff coming out the other end isn't normal. : / I have an appointment at the gastroenterologist's office in a little over a week.

Also, I'm approaching liver disease. Surprise!

Both these pieces of news almost made me cry... I'm trying to cut down on my medical expenses, not add more and more. If I didn't know myself better, I'd wonder if I was going hypochondriac. (I'm not.)

Despite 58 medical appointments in the last six months, I'm not getting better overall. "Overall" is the key word here--I'm experiencing FAR less pain than I was before and my thyroid is finally acting somewhat normal. Even my antithyroid antibodies have reduced by 90%! And mentally, I'm making a comeback. But, as you may understand, more problems popping up as I resolve others is frustrating.

Anyway, I've made little changes in my diet before in the hopes that I'll feel a bit better. I've added more fiber (helpful), more omega-3 fatty acids (helpful), and cut out wheat (also helpful). Yes, they were helpful, but they weren't worth the extra bother and they didn't help me want to avoid "bad" food. I still wanted luscious cheesecakes and deep fried bacon-covered everything.

So. I figured little dietary changes weren't worth it. Drastic ones? Could be. Plus, a six-week experiment would give me clearer empirical results. I made sure I was well educated before embarking on this so I actually don't do something to make matters worse.

There are lots of drastic diet changes to do, but I decided to shoot for the most drastic one. I recommend Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live as the most informative book written for the layperson. His strictest suggestions were:

1. Eat as much as you want of :
    a. all raw vegetables, including raw carrots (goal: 1 lb. daily)
    b. cooked green vegetables (goal: 1 lb. daily)
    c. beans, legumes, bean sprouts, and tofu (1 cup daily)
    d. fresh fruit (at least 4 daily)
    e. eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, tomatoes

2. Not more than one serving per day
    a. cooked starchy vegetable OR whole grains (1 cup max. per day)
    b. raw nuts and seeds (1 oz. max. per day)
    c. avocado (2 oz. max. per day)
    d. ground flaxseed (1 tbsp. per day)
    e. added oil (1 tbsp. per day)

3. Off-limits
    a. dairy products
    b. animal products
    c. between-meal snacks
    d. fruit juice, dried fruit
    e. added salt
    f. added sweeteners
    g. refined flours

He of course had some less drastic plans, but I figured I could do the strictest one for science's sake. :) Wish me luck, y'all!