The Trouble With Food!!!!

For several years now I've had issues with my stomach. It's a universal issue in my family. My grandmother, my mother, all of my children. We all have issues. Mine are the most severe followed closely by my oldest daughter. I've been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (I always picture a little bowel with an angry face). The usual relief that doctors prescribe is muscle relaxants (but since I have to work for a living rather than sleep all day, I declined). I decided I have to take matters into my own hands.
Over a year ago I decided to cut gluten and all grains from my diet in a last ditch attempt to find some relief. Immediately I felt better. Gone was the grinding pain of cramps, bloating and swelling. I also noticed my skin cleared up and my energy improved. Of course being the silly person that I am, after a year of being gluten and grain free I began to cheat a little. A beer here, a cookie there. Before you know it I was right back to my old self.
Waking up in the morning to a swollen blotchy face, stomach cramps just to name a few, you would think I would get the hint. But no!!!! You see I'm stubborn (and kind of dumb sometimes).
I noticed when I began to run and work out with a trainer, instead of amazing energy and endorphins, I was feeling exhausted, weak and fuzzy headed. So I went back on my gluten and grain free diet. I began to feel worse. I got a cold (I almost never get sick). I got weaker and weaker. Hmmmmmm time to go see a doctor????
Since I haven't had much success with a usual doctor of medicine I decided to see a naturopathic one. Immediately she informed me that what I was experiencing was yeast die off from going off the bad diet. My body was fighting this battle that was kept getting lost by feeding the yeast delicious wine and cookies (gluten free cookies ok).
So began the diet of very little. I immediately had to go off sugar, alcohol, dairy, all gluten and wheat and grain FOREVER!!!!!!! I gave gallons of blood for testing.
At first I thought I would die without dairy but after a couple of days I really stopped missing it. Sugar was a little harder. My body craved madly (those yeast bugs are sneaky and try to trick you into feeding them). I've been eating lots of apples.
Amazingly within a few days my head cleared and I suddenly felt the energy that I had been missing for so long. In another week I'm supposed to be able to add alcohol and sugar back in to my diet (very small amounts) and dairy. But to be honest with you I may just save these foods for special occasions. I'm finding that I like my limited diet. Number one reason, I feel amazing. Number two reason, I don't really have to think about what I want to eat so much anymore. It's funny when you don't have a lot of options how simple eating becomes and how I've stopped obsessing about what I eat. I'm eating healthier right now than I ever have in my life. I eat when I'm hungry. I don't snack endlessly throughout the day.
So we shall see how this all unfolds over the next few months. I'm anxious to get my test results back. But for now, I'm feeling good for the first time in ages. To me it's worth it.

Spring Anyone????!!??

Goodness gracious!!! What sort of spring is this? The other morning my husband came in and told me it was snowing and I laughed at him like "oh ha ha you are one funny guy". Then he opened the bedroom curtains and I beheld a winter wonderland in my spring garden. The last couple of nights have also been a mix of snow and sleet.
I don't know about you but I'm really wishing for a little warm sunshine and a nice breezy day of say around 60 degrees. Not too much to ask for this time of year.
Yesterday I was meeting a friend for a run after work when to my horror I realized I had forgot my knit cap to keep my big ears warm. Of course I had to run out and get one. But seriously. I'm ready for shorts and a tank top kind of run. Come on!!!!
Ha ha of course in a few months when it's 80 degrees and I'm sweating like a piglet I'll be wishing it were cold again. There's just no pleasing you.
Easter Sunday is coming up. I'm having this kids and various family over for the traditional ham dinner. Sometimes I crack myself up at how conventional I have become since the days of my rebellious youth. I'm making Easter baskets and planning an egg hunt for kids who are in their late teens and twenties who will be very disappointed if I didn't do that. I remember one year I had the audacity to suggest that they were getting too old for egg hunts and they turned on me like I was trying to take their cell phones and flush them down the loo. I wonder if I'll still be doing this when they're in their 60's (ha that would be funny).
That's the nice thing about holidays and tradition. You can always count on them to provide fond memories that will last a life time.
I better go Google some recipes so this weekends memories don't come up short.
Ta-ta.
:)

I can say anything I want bwaaa haaa haaaa haaa

I actually don't really think anyone is out there reading my posts except me. Even my mom isn't snoopy enough to read my blog ha ha.
But that's ok. I like to write and make silly each week. Sometimes it's serious, other times it's not. It's sort of like a small snippet of my tiny brain in print.
It's been a funny week. I started out cranky but actually through the power of positive and silly thinking ended up happy and giggling by Friday. It's funny how your mood affects people around you. Other people at work that were glum or grouchy ended up very happy and silly today. I have the power to rule the world bwaaaaaa hhhhhaaaaaa haaaaaaa HAAAAAAA!!!!!! Ok maybe not.
So with that thought I'm off to get my taxes done. We will see how far the positive power of thinking stretches after this.
Bye
:)

Unbreakable

I hate those days where you just cannot find anything good to say about anything including yourself. For the most part I try to be an upbeat person. I suppose it must be hormones that make me feel bad about myself. A lot of it is probably feelings from my past leaking over the huge dam I built around them. Hard to say.
I spent the morning making experimental items on my sewing machine. Of course scarce a single thing turned out well. Most of it ended up in my scrap basket. Normally I would look on this as a learning experience. Of course, not today. Today I am a dismal failure destined to lead this mediocre life surrounded by my wretched creations. Sheesh if you put it that way I may as well end it all now. Of course I know I will totally be over all this tomorrow.
I'm also having one of those days where the mirror is my worst enemy. I find fault in the things that I often find charming about myself. The small chip in my front tooth from snow boarding. The little tweak my nose takes to the left. My 6'1" stature from my ridiculously long legs suddenly is akin to the makings of a freak show.
Good lord I could not imagine feeling like this all the time.
I remind myself we all have these kinds of days. I'm strong and intelligent enough to know my life is wonderful and my looks are charmingly original.
I often remind myself of my mantra. I call it "unbreakable". I'm not sure I remember where I got it from but it plays constantly in the back of my mind. When I am challenged, when I feel bad, when I am sad or beaten down by people or life I remind myself that I am truly unbreakable. I don't say this lightly either. Most people don't know me well enough to know what I have been through in my life. Let's just say the first many decades were a challenge to make it through. I've had many hardships and my life was close more times than I care to think about to ending.
But through the grace of God and wonderful people in my life I turned it all around and became the person that I am today. I am stronger than I ever imagined I could be.
Therefor I say "unbreakable".
I thought about having it tattooed somewhere on my body so I could see it in times of need but I'm not really one for that sort of thing. It's something that I find when I need it. I don't need to be reminded.
So today even though this is a small road block I can remind myself that I am unbreakable and I move on through this. This is very small compared to all I have seen and will see in this amazing story that I call my life.