I have a disease that has no cure. I'm stuck with this one for the rest of my life or until researchers finally figure it out and find better treatments and, hopefully, a cure. Given the slow pace of research and how far behind we are, I'm betting on decades at the very least. Decades of pain, tremors, a daily headache, poor temperature control, GI issues, and more. It's hard not to feel angry or get depressed at the very thought of living like this for years more.
So, I sat down with myself and tried to evaluate any changes (other than in pain level and some new symptoms that are really annoying). We moved this last winter, and that's been a good thing. I love our new house so much and feel so safe here--I hadn't really realized that, before, I hadn't felt safe underneath it all. Now we're in a home that really feels like home, and I'm very, very blessed. The allodynia got a lot better for a couple of months after the move, though it's back and pretty bad right now, and honestly, I'm wondering if is somehow tied to allergies since it's allergy season but my usual respiratory allergies aren't kicking into high gear like normal. We got a new mattress, and when I do sleep, I sleep harder now. Of course, that means more pain when I wake up because I'm not moving as much, but I'll take the trade-off. We got a new dog, and she's a lot of work but worth it in many ways. She's a real cuddler, and on bad days, I need that (as well as the two cats cuddling me, too, though the cats and the dog don't cuddle at the same time).
On the other hand, I have not been eating right for months now. Junk foods, desserts, not enough protein, too much dairy. The carb cravings have been brutal, and while I know that those mean my body is needing protein (found that out years ago), I've been going for the carbs instead. Not enough water, too, and that's even worse. I've been eating out more ever since the move, even though I know about my soybean oil allergy and how darn difficult it is to eat out and not run into that in everything. I've also been more sedentary, mostly due to increased pain levels. At least, I'm not doing all the movement and exercise I should be doing.
I also looked around at my family. My husband's weight has crept back up again (as has his pain level), and my stepson has definitely been getting rounder and having trouble with low energy. My son and daughter aren't eating right, either, though they don't tend to gain weight much at all. If anything, my son's lost some because he's just not eating as much as he needs to and my daughter is eating far too many carbs and nowhere near enough protein.
So, I grabbed my books, re-read my diet spreadsheet, researched things a bit more, and I started thinking it was time for a reset, something like Whole30 or the Gut Balance Phase 1, to get us back on some sort of track. My disease may be for decades, but I can't give up, and diet does have an impact whether I like to admit that or not. While at Costco with my mom right before Mother's Day, I found the 21 Day Sugar Detox book, and I really liked it. The diet plan is sound and not super crazy to follow, the meal plans and recipes look good, and I like the journal aspect of the book.
I talked with my husband about it, and he encouraged me to do it but to consider modifying the diet to make sure it's not too low carb for me. I talked with my stepson about it, and he's actually in favor of it because he remembers feeling better when we were on the Gut Balance diet and wants to feel like that again. I talked with my daughter (that didn't go well) and my son (that went better--he agreed that he needs to eat breakfast and eat more protein, so that's a major win!), and we started the new 21 Day Sugar Detox diet today.
Day one of my modified low carb diet:
I weighed myself and updated my measurements. A couple of my measurements are down from January, even though I've been feeling extra fat and icky lately and my weight went back up. That's interesting.
I weighed myself and updated my measurements. A couple of my measurements are down from January, even though I've been feeling extra fat and icky lately and my weight went back up. That's interesting.
I ate the breakfast I made last night, a turkey sausage frittata from the book, and it was amazing! Where has that been my whole life? I'm looking forward to the leftovers and the next frittata recipe.
I will say, though, that I'm keeping Pepsi as needed since it's one of the only things that works on my daily headache (doctor says it's fibromyalgia caused occipital neuralgia--either way, I can't take anything for it, and I really don't like it). I'm also keeping my sourdough bread since it's fermented and I've tested it and know it works for me. I also know, from having done a stricter version of this before, that I need more carbs than a really strict low-carb diet allows. Basically, the diet I'm doing is no added sugar (other than Pepsi or the sweet tea I've found works almost as well that I substitute sometimes), no breads (other than mine) or gluten stuff, little dairy, lots more veggies and protein.
So, yesterday started the massive food prep, and I was lucky that my husband helped. It was too much for just me with my dang fibro. Today, I am making bread, boiling up some eggs, already put up some shredded chicken I cooked in the pressure cooker, and I need to make something else I'm forgetting.
I can do this.
Pepsi (and drinks of their ilk), help constrict the blood vessels due to the caffeine in them, which in turn decreases the headache. Nicotine helps, too, but try to tell that to a non-smoker.
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