I have been on The Diet for more than 4 months now, though not always consistently. Yesterday morning, my wondeful friend April asked, as she was dropping off GAPS approved food for this week, how I was doing. I said, "Inside feels better [meaning my gut] but the joints are the same."
Later in the afternoon, however, one of my students said, "You're walking without your cane!" And she did a little happy dance. I was walking without it because I was carrying something, but it is true that I am able to do that more often.
Then last night as I was changing for bed, I realized my shoulder is more mobile. I have lost significant amounts of weight over the past year (long before this Diet), and I went from a 2x to a 1x, but I also have one polo that is XL. It fits, but I have trouble getting it off because of the loss of mobility in my shoulder. I use my right arm to pull it over my head until my arms come out of it.
Last night I pulled my arm out normally, and I stopped.
I just did that normally.
So there must be improved mobility in the shoulder and elbow.
And then this morning I left my apartment without my cane. I realized it as I was going up the steps, so I didn't get very far, but
WOOT!
That's progress!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Week Number ?
How many weeks has it been? I could look at the first post and that would tell me, but I'm too lazy this morning to look.
I just wanted to share that I have noticed my tastebuds changing. I am eating a croissant this morning -- stopped at D&D -- and it doesn't taste as good as it used to.
I just wanted to share that I have noticed my tastebuds changing. I am eating a croissant this morning -- stopped at D&D -- and it doesn't taste as good as it used to.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
progress
I am still on The Diet, though I am not following it as strictly as I intended. My worst times are in the morning; I can't get going and it is just easier to stop at D&D for coffee and a croissant. Or a pumpkin muffin. I think I am addicted.
I went to the doctor yesterday -- the GP. I'd had blood drawn Friday, so we went over the results. Thyroid and glucose numbers are good, but I am severely anemic. He wants me to take an iron pill twice daily. I talked with him about The Diet; he says yes as long as my lab numbers look good. He also wants me to eat more red meat. He smiled when he said, "You can eat liver, too, but I wouldn't recommend it."
He recommended a rheumatologist, but this doc seems to think it is psoriatic arthritis rather than rheumatoid, because the rheumatoid test came back negative. We'll see what the rheum doc says!
He also had his nurse draw more blood, and he is going to check for celiac disease.
I went to the doctor yesterday -- the GP. I'd had blood drawn Friday, so we went over the results. Thyroid and glucose numbers are good, but I am severely anemic. He wants me to take an iron pill twice daily. I talked with him about The Diet; he says yes as long as my lab numbers look good. He also wants me to eat more red meat. He smiled when he said, "You can eat liver, too, but I wouldn't recommend it."
He recommended a rheumatologist, but this doc seems to think it is psoriatic arthritis rather than rheumatoid, because the rheumatoid test came back negative. We'll see what the rheum doc says!
He also had his nurse draw more blood, and he is going to check for celiac disease.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Blood work
I had blood drawn this morning, for the first time in probably 10 years. The doctor is checking for thyroid, which runs in the family, diabetes, and whatever numbers he looks at for rheumatoid arthritis. My appointment with him is Tuesday. I am eager to talk to him about The Diet. I'll keep you posted!
Monday, October 1, 2012
2 weeks
On The Diet for two weeks -- and not even consistently!
Saturday night I was at a party and walked back and forth without my cane! I have witnesses to back me up!
Alas, today it is gray and rainy and cold. I'm not walking without my cane today. But I'll keep walking!
Saturday night I was at a party and walked back and forth without my cane! I have witnesses to back me up!
Alas, today it is gray and rainy and cold. I'm not walking without my cane today. But I'll keep walking!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Cheating
Today, for the second day in a row, I have cheated on The Diet. I feel slightly guilty. I know what I need to eat and I know why. Of course I have my reasons, but I'm not sure they truly justify my behavior.
But it just underscores my lack of self-discipline and selfishness. My sin. In my mind, because I have made this commitment, my doing-whatever-pleases-me-right-now is sin. I knew this would be hard. No one forced me to this decision. I chose this.
And yet I choose the other. What I know in my head will make me sick. What keeps me from getting better.
It is a metaphor for sin in general. I know my sin is wrong -- any sin: gossip, pride, lying, etc. I know I shouldn't do it, and I know it disconnects me from intimacy with God.
And yet I choose the other. What I know in my head will make me sick. What keeps me from getting better.
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. Romans 7:24-8:3
God has given me what I need to stick to The Diet, and He has given me what I need to not sin:
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1: 3-8
I CAN DO THIS! FOR GOD'S GLORY, for it is not by bread alone that I live.
But it just underscores my lack of self-discipline and selfishness. My sin. In my mind, because I have made this commitment, my doing-whatever-pleases-me-right-now is sin. I knew this would be hard. No one forced me to this decision. I chose this.
And yet I choose the other. What I know in my head will make me sick. What keeps me from getting better.
It is a metaphor for sin in general. I know my sin is wrong -- any sin: gossip, pride, lying, etc. I know I shouldn't do it, and I know it disconnects me from intimacy with God.
And yet I choose the other. What I know in my head will make me sick. What keeps me from getting better.
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. Romans 7:24-8:3
God has given me what I need to stick to The Diet, and He has given me what I need to not sin:
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1: 3-8
I CAN DO THIS! FOR GOD'S GLORY, for it is not by bread alone that I live.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Breakfast
I don't intend to post every meal choice here -- that would get tedious. But I want to write every few days, and there is nothing new to write about, so...
Omelet with diced tomatoes.
Omelet with diced tomatoes.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
The Diet
Disclaimer: Please do not take this post as gospel! It is my interpretation, if you will, of the book by Dr. Natasha Cambell: Gut and Psychology Syndrome. If you think this might be for you, please read the book. I am not a doctor and might be doing it wrong!
As I said in my previous post, I sufer from Rheumatoid Arthritis. I also have psoraisis, another autoimmune disorder. I have always considered myself a healthy person: I've gone to the doctor for antibiotics maybe 5 times since I was 10. I never get sick. Never missed school. Rarely miss work. Why is that? Partly, I've always thought, because my immune system is on overdrive. Isn't that what autoimmunes are?
Over the past year, a friend of mine has talked about fermented foods and how important they are and yada yada. I brushed her off. Someone else mentioned my pain might lessen if I cut sugar out of my diet. Cut sugar?! Are you crazy?!
Then, in the past three months, four different friends -- people who don't even know each other, so I know they weren't conspiring against me -- mentioned this idea of cutting sugar and wheat and eating fermented foods. April even gave me The Book.
I put off reading it.
But I had to admit, four people in a short amount of time -- this must be God speaking to me. OK, I'll read The Book.
I am now sold on the idea of The Diet, and I have been on it (modified) for a week. What changed? As I read The Book, I saw almost every symptom she talked about, things that I had always thought were perfectly normal. Doesn't everyone have bowel irregularity now and then? But the more she explained (and I will warn you, although I am a teacher and consider myself intelligent and fairly knowledgable about the human body, some of Dr. Cambell's information is hard to follow) -- the more she explained, the more I understood the state of my intestine (what she calls "gut") is directly impacting the rest of me.
So, what is the diet? There are three stages. The introductory stage is harsh. For this reason, April, my dear friend who has been doing this diet for years, suggested we start with stage 2. April is not a doctor, either. We will do this for a month, then go back to the intro phase for 6 (I think), then back to stage 2 (for up to 2 years, according to Dr. Cambell), and finally the phase that will take me through the rest of my life.
Stage 2: No sugar, no dairy, no grains (wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice), no starchy veggies.
The idea here is eliminating what the body digests as sugar. Sugar, obviously. Breads, etc, also are broken down as sugar. Dairy, too -- Lactose is a sugar, as is any of those "-ose" words like fructose and sucrose and maltose. Starchy veggies like potatoes and yams are out, but right now I can't remember why! Let me just say, don't bother reading labels. Sugar is in everything.
I CAN eat meat, veggies like carrots and some beans and squash and beets, homemade yogurt and sour cream. There is actually quite an extensive list of what I can eat. The yogurt and sour cream are fermented dairy and therefore the body can digest them differently, but according to Dr. Cambell, they must be homemade because what is sold in the store is pateurized and all good bacteria has been cooked.
That's the other part of The Diet: building up good bacteria using pro-biotics. Somewhere along the way, I had antibiotics that killed off both the bad bacteria invading my body at the time and the good bacteria in my gut that helps digest food. My all-American diet of sugar, processed foods, and pasta (I do love pasta!) provided the perfect food for the bad bacteria that regrew in my gut. Now I have to cut their food supply, and I imagine the little guys aren't going to like it very much, and feed the good guys to make them stronger.
For several days now, for breakfast, I have been eating April's almond flour pumpkin pancakes that are sooooo yummy! They are mushy rather than solid like a normal pancake, almost like cornmeal (not on the list) mush that is fried in little circles. But butter and salt -- and voila! Tonight I will have speghetti squash with tomatoes.
Right now the biggest thing I miss is cheese. I do love cheese!
As I said in my previous post, I sufer from Rheumatoid Arthritis. I also have psoraisis, another autoimmune disorder. I have always considered myself a healthy person: I've gone to the doctor for antibiotics maybe 5 times since I was 10. I never get sick. Never missed school. Rarely miss work. Why is that? Partly, I've always thought, because my immune system is on overdrive. Isn't that what autoimmunes are?
Over the past year, a friend of mine has talked about fermented foods and how important they are and yada yada. I brushed her off. Someone else mentioned my pain might lessen if I cut sugar out of my diet. Cut sugar?! Are you crazy?!
Then, in the past three months, four different friends -- people who don't even know each other, so I know they weren't conspiring against me -- mentioned this idea of cutting sugar and wheat and eating fermented foods. April even gave me The Book.
I put off reading it.
But I had to admit, four people in a short amount of time -- this must be God speaking to me. OK, I'll read The Book.
I am now sold on the idea of The Diet, and I have been on it (modified) for a week. What changed? As I read The Book, I saw almost every symptom she talked about, things that I had always thought were perfectly normal. Doesn't everyone have bowel irregularity now and then? But the more she explained (and I will warn you, although I am a teacher and consider myself intelligent and fairly knowledgable about the human body, some of Dr. Cambell's information is hard to follow) -- the more she explained, the more I understood the state of my intestine (what she calls "gut") is directly impacting the rest of me.
So, what is the diet? There are three stages. The introductory stage is harsh. For this reason, April, my dear friend who has been doing this diet for years, suggested we start with stage 2. April is not a doctor, either. We will do this for a month, then go back to the intro phase for 6 (I think), then back to stage 2 (for up to 2 years, according to Dr. Cambell), and finally the phase that will take me through the rest of my life.
Stage 2: No sugar, no dairy, no grains (wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice), no starchy veggies.
The idea here is eliminating what the body digests as sugar. Sugar, obviously. Breads, etc, also are broken down as sugar. Dairy, too -- Lactose is a sugar, as is any of those "-ose" words like fructose and sucrose and maltose. Starchy veggies like potatoes and yams are out, but right now I can't remember why! Let me just say, don't bother reading labels. Sugar is in everything.
I CAN eat meat, veggies like carrots and some beans and squash and beets, homemade yogurt and sour cream. There is actually quite an extensive list of what I can eat. The yogurt and sour cream are fermented dairy and therefore the body can digest them differently, but according to Dr. Cambell, they must be homemade because what is sold in the store is pateurized and all good bacteria has been cooked.
That's the other part of The Diet: building up good bacteria using pro-biotics. Somewhere along the way, I had antibiotics that killed off both the bad bacteria invading my body at the time and the good bacteria in my gut that helps digest food. My all-American diet of sugar, processed foods, and pasta (I do love pasta!) provided the perfect food for the bad bacteria that regrew in my gut. Now I have to cut their food supply, and I imagine the little guys aren't going to like it very much, and feed the good guys to make them stronger.
For several days now, for breakfast, I have been eating April's almond flour pumpkin pancakes that are sooooo yummy! They are mushy rather than solid like a normal pancake, almost like cornmeal (not on the list) mush that is fried in little circles. But butter and salt -- and voila! Tonight I will have speghetti squash with tomatoes.
Right now the biggest thing I miss is cheese. I do love cheese!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The Beginning
A short history:
I am a 35-year-old single woman who has been dealing with rheumatoid arthritis for about three years. I have not been on medication because I do not have health insurance. I have applied for disability insurance through the state, and I am waiting to hear. I am a procrastinator and live in deep denial -- I've been telling myself "it isn't that bad." My friends and family tell me differently, and I have finally agreed.
It started in my knee and my hands. Within three months, my hands went from "normal" to seriously deformed. I cannot close my left hand nor open my right completely. Makes life quite interesting. Over the past three years, it has settled in my toes, wrists, neck, and most recently my left shoulder and my jaw. I cannot open my mouth more than a few centimeters. I walk with a cane but I don't walk much.
By the grace of God, I am still working. I teach at a small Christian school, and this family has helped me in so many ways! I would not be able to teach without their help and support. Being single, I want to work as long as possible.
Now, the reason for this blog:
I am starting what is called the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet. Several friends of mine follow a fermented foods regimen. One handed me the book (with the above title) by Dr. Natasha Campbell, a medical doctor in England. I have read it and am ready to try it. This blog will chronicle my progress. I will post pics when I can and write as often as possible.
Right now I am very tired, and the students have all gone home, so I will too! More to come...
I am a 35-year-old single woman who has been dealing with rheumatoid arthritis for about three years. I have not been on medication because I do not have health insurance. I have applied for disability insurance through the state, and I am waiting to hear. I am a procrastinator and live in deep denial -- I've been telling myself "it isn't that bad." My friends and family tell me differently, and I have finally agreed.
It started in my knee and my hands. Within three months, my hands went from "normal" to seriously deformed. I cannot close my left hand nor open my right completely. Makes life quite interesting. Over the past three years, it has settled in my toes, wrists, neck, and most recently my left shoulder and my jaw. I cannot open my mouth more than a few centimeters. I walk with a cane but I don't walk much.
By the grace of God, I am still working. I teach at a small Christian school, and this family has helped me in so many ways! I would not be able to teach without their help and support. Being single, I want to work as long as possible.
Now, the reason for this blog:
I am starting what is called the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet. Several friends of mine follow a fermented foods regimen. One handed me the book (with the above title) by Dr. Natasha Campbell, a medical doctor in England. I have read it and am ready to try it. This blog will chronicle my progress. I will post pics when I can and write as often as possible.
Right now I am very tired, and the students have all gone home, so I will too! More to come...
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