Only Me

 
Do you ever feel like something can only happen to you or your family? I feel like this a lot. If it will happen to someone, the odds are I will be somehow involved.

Real life examples over the course of my adult life:

* The store debiting my bank account for $0.01 when the check was written for $11 something. The store had just got a new system that did electronic checks, apparently it did not like my check. I had to write a second check.

* I once drove under a power transformer as it exploded. That was a fun one, I thought something happened to my car as I pulled into my driveway. I stopped the car and jumped out as my neighbor ran over to see if I was okay. The power guy that fixed the transformer said the squirrel didn't make it.

* Three different ladies in the doctor's office had to reset their passwords when attempting to take my co-pay.

* When I was seven months pregnant with my first-born, I was in my workplace bathroom. The underground transformer that ran behind the building exploded about twenty feet from my location plunging the whole card shop into darkness. My co-worker raced to the back room to check on me. The store was closed for two days due to the outage.

* I'm a battery vampire. I can drain a brand new watch battery in two months flat. I gave up wearing watches a few years ago. Our house was broken into two years ago this week, so I no longer have any watches anyway.

* I stepped on a hickory nut husk in our driveway three years ago next month. I ended up tearing two out of three ligaments in my left ankle. My best friend for the next 4-1/2 months was a walking boot (aka The Boot of Doom). 

* At the grocery store, I always seem to find the self-checkout that has a balance issue. It is great when the attendant has to approve each item you scan because the checkout scale is off and tells you to take the last scanned item out of the bag.

* Percentage wise: A typical person has a 0.01% chance of developing breast cancer in their 40s, 0.1% chance of having Chiari, 1.4% chance of having a Chek2 mutation, 1.7% chance of having a child with autism, and a 4% chance of having a food allergy. I must be lucky!

* After my second surgery last year, a freak accident occurred in recovery. I got clipped in the foot by a passing hospital bed. It was a comedy of errors, no one person was at fault. I ended up in the Boot of Doom for about 3-4 weeks due to a possible stress fracture of the fourth metatarsal. The hospital was kind enough to cover the bills. It made for an interesting time, I couldn't use my right arm and was lugging around the heavy boot on my right leg. 

* Every car I have ever owned has shocked me when closing the door. From personal experience, the pinky is the most painful finger to be shocked. My current car also changes radio stations on its own.

* Last year, I had to contact the health insurance company to fix a glitch on their end. Somehow they had that my then eight-year-old had a mammogram instead of me and they refused to pay anything on it. Apparently, someone on their end entered the information in their system wrong.

* One of the most interesting glitches. . . . Somehow the county managed to deposit our property check twice, two months apart. This, of course, overdrew our bank account. I had to dig through our bank statements to figure it all out. The bank fixed everything after I contacted them about cashing the same check number twice.  

Do you have any funny "it can only happen to me" stories?

Elimination Diet 101

Two years ago, I embarked on an elimination diet. I had been diagnosed with Chiari. My doctor suggested that I investigate to see if a food intolerance was contributing to the headaches and dizziness, that I had been experiencing. Chiari occurs when the cerebellum (back part of your brain) is herniated (tonsil) and extends past your skull. The cerebellum tonsil touches your brain stem and spinal cord which can cause a host of different problems. Besides headaches and dizziness, Chiari can also cause issues with eyesight, balance, hearing, speech, swallowing, and much more. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Chiari. Managing symptoms is the best course of action, which is basically trial and error.

Before I get too far into my story, I would like to point out an elimination diet is not a fad diet and the goal is not to lose weight. An elimination diet is a scientific journey of sorts that helps one to access the impact that different foods have on their overall health. An elimination diet helps one to determine if they have any food intolerances. Food intolerances typically cannot be found through allergy testing. Allergy testing only works for true food allergies that can be life-threatening, even then allergy testing is not 100% accurate. A food intolerance can make you extremely sick but is not considered life-threatening and will not show up on an allergy test. A food intolerance can cause a variety of symptoms: dizziness, headaches, weight gain, gastrointestinal problems, sleep problems, breathing problems, and the list goes on.

I researched my options and decided to purchase the book: The Elimination Diet. The book outlines the steps of the elimination diet, talks about what to look for when reintroducing foods, and includes recipes for different phases of the diet. I bought a medium sized notebook and colorful ink pens (you have to have some fun) to record my journey and symptoms. I also reached out to family and friends for help and support.

Here are the nuts and bolts of the elimination diet. The diet consists of three phases. Phase 1 is a two-day detox. There is a limited list of foods for those two days and all foods must be in puree or smoothie form. When foods are pureed, it is easier for your body to break down the nutrients and minerals. The detox days are to reset your body. The 2nd day was probably the hardest day overall for me, due to Phase 1 not allowing any meat. Phase 2 is day three through fourteen. There is a limited list of foods, but meats are included. Phase 3 starts on day fifteen and continues until all the food have been reintroduced. The foods are reintroduced one at a time twice a day for 3 days in a row. I discovered that for me it was best to test during lunch and dinner. If the food passes, you move to the next food on the list. If the food does not pass, you go into a holding pattern until your symptoms subside. That typically took 3-4 days for me. You can eat as much as you want, but you must stay within the safe foods you are allowed. I referred to the Whole Nutrition website Elimination Diet Resources during my journey.

I tested the following foods for intolerances: Citrus, nightshades (I broke this group out into potatoes and tomatoes since I am allergic to peppers), beef, pork, sesame, walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, sugar, chocolate, corn, soy, yeast, eggs, dairy, gluten, wheat, alcohol, and caffeine. The journey took me 15-1/2 weeks to complete. Besides being allergic to peppers (paprika), I discovered an intolerance to soy and sesame. Health-wise, I had fewer bouts of dizziness and headaches afterward. I learned to eat healthier. Before the elimination diet, I had also experienced acid reflux every evening as I laid down to sleep. The acid reflux is completely gone. The removal of soy and sesame from my diet resulted in me losing 50 pounds through eating alone. I am glad that I underwent the journey two years ago and I felt healthier for it.

Last year when I was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, I was unable to cook for about a month. It was another few months before I could comfortably cut produce, open bottles, or lift pans without extreme pain. It took about four months before I could drain a pot of pasta. I had to rely on others to prepare food. Fast and simple meals were the best way to go and as a result, I got out of the practice of eating healthy. I want to retrain my body to eat healthier again. I am also curious if the soy intolerance was extensive enough to mask other potential food intolerances. So, I have come to the decision to do a second round of the elimination diet in January. I learned so much through the first go around that I am looking forward to trying it a second time. I discovered amazing new recipes, how much soy is hidden in foods, and that eating healthy can be fun. 

What new adventure are you planning for January?

Mission: Stay Well

 

Wow! We are in cold and flu season once again. Last year, I had to perfect the art of staying well.

This past week marked the one-year anniversary of receiving my breast cancer diagnosis. In the beginning, I was of the belief that I just needed to stay well for the next biopsy or the next surgery. Little did I know that I needed to stay well for the entire winter season. That seemed like a Herculean feat, especially with how bad the cold & flu season was. My reconstruction doc put the fear of God into me during the appointments just after my first two surgeries. I learned if I got sick, even a cold, that I could get an infection in the breast expander. If that happened, the expander would need to be surgically removed, the tissue allowed months to heal, then the process would start all over again. There was no way that I wanted to try it a second time, so I became a bit of a germaphobe.

Here is how I stayed well:

1) Hand washing- I washed my hands a lot! Every time we walked into the house, I washed my hands and requested that the kids wash their hands. I washed my hands before every meal, too.

2) Sanitizing wipes- I wiped all the door knobs, light switches, handles, and remotes down a few times a week. I wiped down my desk and equipment in my office at work at least once a week (more if others were sick).

3) Hand towels- I replaced the hand towels in our house daily with a fresh one. This one is probably one of the big reasons that my whole family stayed well.

4) Gloves- Anytime that I was out in public, I kept my winter gloves on when I touched shopping carts and doors. I tried to limit my outings and did not go many places besides home, work, and doctor appointments for about 6 months.

5) Clothes washing- I washed all outerwear once a week (coats, hats, gloves, scarves) to reduce germs. I washed all the bedding in the house on a weekly basis.

6) Peppermint Tea- I drank one to two mugs of peppermint tea daily. Peppermint tea is supposed to boost your immune system. 

7) Vitamin C- I took one chewable Airborne tablet twice a day. Emergen-C is good too, but it contains soy and made me quite sick.

8) Supplements- I took JuicePlus+ fruit blend and garden blend twice a day. 

9) Neti Pot- I know this one is a scary one for many people. I used the neti pot twice a day (morning & night). I think that the saline water helps to reduce the number of germs that enter the body through the nose. 

10) Humidifier- We ran a humidifier in our bedroom at night. I tend to breath and sleep better at night with the humidifier going.

11) Sleep- Try to get plenty of sleep. Sleep is so crucial to staying well. If you do not get enough sleep, your immune system can crash.

12) Hands- Keep your hands away from your face. This one is more difficult for me. It was one technique that I had to work on.

I had a sore throat for a few days last winter in about mid-February, which made me freak out a bit. Thankfully, it turned out well. Besides that, I stayed well all winter. I would not say that my tips are the only way to go, but that is how I survived last winter. I hope that the info above helps you this winter season.