Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Gluten & Dairy Free!

My doctor's appt. was wonderful....everything I wanted it to be....thank you to everyone who prayed for me!  : )

He was very knowledgeable, kind, and encouraging.  The first thing he said when he walked in was, "What do you want from me and what can I do for you?"  I just explained to him what had been going on and that I wanted to really "fight" this sickness from the inside.  I said I knew I needed to make some changes to do that and I needed his help.  He said that I had come to the right place and we got started.

So here are a few things I was told and some things I have to change and/or start:

1.  Gluten and dairy free for 6 weeks.  Yes, this was the hardest and still has been for a few reasons.  One is that I have NO idea what I am doing.  He gave me a good resource sheet and I have some recipes but it feels overwhelming right now.  The second is that my children are freaking out because of all the changes in their food intake.  : )  And third is the price.....we went shopping last night for all our "new" food and it was VERY expensive!

2.  I have to take 5000mg of fish oil everyday.  So that is about 7 pills of the concentrated fish oil.  I got the "burp-less" kind and took them all last night.  About 1/2 hour later I burped fish!  Now for someone who has never eaten fish cuz she doesn't like the taste, burping fish oil up is really gross!  I kept saying, "they lied, they lied," every time I burped.  : )

3.  I have to take a B12 supplement and a probiotic....both of those are no big deal.  : )

4.  I also have to relax.  He asked me how my stress had been over the past few years.  I explained about a year and a half ago we moved from Texas (leaving great friends), moved into my parents house for 4 months (very stressful), then moved in our new house last summer, all 5 kids started new schools, my brother moved in with us for 4 months after getting out of prison, I was training for a 1/2 marathon, and then I got sick in March.  He said that he thinks I am under to much stress and that my body is lacking in areas that can handle stress and all that together was like a "perfect storm" which triggered the inflammation in my spine.  So he told me I have to have time everyday to be in my bible, pray, be quiet, and not do anything.  He said enjoy your family and leave the housework alone.  By this time I was crying...not sure why.  I told him that I feel guilty when I sit, but I know that that is not from God but from me.  Anyway, this one is going to be hard also.

5.  I am to still exercise but not let my heart rate get over 130.

6.  He also said that I need to believe I am going to heal.  That everyday I am to tell myself that.  He said that I will get better and that we are going to figure this out and to not get discouraged.  He wants me to stay on my pain meds until we get further along so the pain doesn't discourage me.

7.  We are also going to take the testing slow.  My insurance will not cover all of the test we are going to do and that can be expensive.  He said that he didn't want to add financial stress, so we will just go slow and work our way through it.  That was a big relief!

8.  He could see that my hair was thinning in places but not to worry......he thought it would stop falling out once I started making my changes in diet, etc.

9.  He also explained why my monthly cycle is so painful.  (I hope I explain this correct!)  My body might be low in cortisol, which helps bring down inflammation and pain.  Right before your cycle you produce extra hormones that your body will steal to make cortisol if it's low.  (Which is why I have PMS symptoms such as night sweats because that hormone is not there anymore.)  So when I had the extra cortisol the few day before my cycle started I felt great (even on only 30% of my pain meds).  I thought I could keep coming down off the meds.  Well......last Wed when my cycle started and the hormone levels went down which caused the cortisol levels to also decrease AND I was only on 30% of my pain meds AND I was cramping.....it all came together as one BIG hurt!  : ) 

I am very happy with this doctor.  I am hopeful and I know that God is calling me to live this one day at a time.  When I try to take it all in I feel so overwhelmed that I can't breathe.  That is when I know I have to pray and just trust and know that my Lord is there.....that he hasn't left me and never will....and that even though I am losing lots of hair, He still knows the very number of them on my head!  : )

3 comments:

  1. Never take fish oil on an empty tummy. Take them and then immediately eat a meal to "cover" the pill. That always helps me! : ) So glad you are seeking alternative "medicine." Let me know if I can try to find something through my co-op to see if its cheaper.
    ~Angie

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  2. Thanks for the advice...that taste is pretty gross! : ) If you see any "gluten AND dairy free" food in your co-op let me know...thanks!

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  3. I will! We get mega specials every month. I will look for those products for you!

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