We Need More Rest…No, Seriously

Two weeks ago, I launched back into blogging with this post: Let’s Rest More

Yesterday, I visited a friend in the psych ward of a hospital. They mentioned how they were just trying to get some sleep and said, “They’re feed us real good. I had salmon for dinner!”

You guys.

The psych ward is this person’s quiet camp.

I re-read my post about my quiet camp experience and discovered that I created my own psych ward. Only I was allowed to walk outside in the green grass and trees. I was also allowed to have my phone, pen and notebook.

But sometimes we need all the things taken away from us so that we can let it go and just rest. It seems that this is exactly what this person was experiencing. A forced shut-down for a short period of time.

But, what happens when they have to re-enter their life? With its hardships and our mental state being only temporarily helped by the rest and nourishment received by the stay in hospital?

Our home lives must be places of rest and rejuvenation. Our regular lives must allow us space and time to heal. Or we are going to end up cycling back to the same place with the same problems.

I’m not about that negative cycle life. I’d much rather work to change and build a new thing, than continuing a nasty cycle of pain and suffering.

I don’t get the point of calling people who need healing and change “crazy” and locking them up in a hospital. Sometimes we need saving from ourselves, yes, but don’t call us crazy. Or, if you do, then we’re all crazy. All of us need rest and nourishment. Some of us are literally driven into a place where we cannot function at all anymore. We are simply done. We have nothing left to give. There is no fight left. And that’s when we end up in hospitals.

But do we find healing there? Lasting healing?

I don’t know.

But what I do know, is this:

Things have got to change.

There is no amount of effort that isn’t worth change. Not for me. I’ve seen what years of working for change can do in my own life. I put loads and loads of my time and money into counseling, retreats, reading books, mentoring, accountability groups and more in order to change myself. In order to transform myself into … me! A joy-filled, peace-loving, unchained version of me.

I lived for many, many years with the chains of other people’s expectations upon me. It took a mental and physical toll on me.

Today, I am a transformed person. And it seems that I will continue to transform as I continue to put time, money and effort into counseling, books, retreats and supportive (as well as challenging) friendships.

The truth is, I am in a good place now. I know what I need and I know how to get it and I do not apologize for my needs.

If I could just get more rest, though…things would be even better! I wouldn’t end up crying and wailing on the couch because I just CAN’T COPE. (Yeah, this was me this morning.) My brain would be able to function. All the “pistons” in my brain would be firing, so to speak.

For years I was on serotonin related anti-depressants and I can tell now that when I don’t rest enough my serotonin levels are affected negatively. (Isn’t that awesome?! I can tell now! I don’t need anyone else to tell me! Like a psychiatrist, doctor or counselor. Yay!!!)

When my brain hasn’t had enough rest, it simply functions tired. Less serotonin gets passed around up there.

Simple and true.

I know because I’ve tested this theory many, many times. I sleep and whatever thing I couldn’t cope with before is much less daunting when I wake. Joy comes in the morning, as they say. For me, it’s true.

So, you can bet your boots that I will be napping later today. Once the kid’s at daycare (and having a BLAST without me, I might add) and I’ve had lunch, I will rest.

Rest and nourishment.

It’s so simple.

At least something in life is simple, right? Whew.

The Healing Power of “No”

Throughout my journey of growth and healing over the past decade, the habit of saying, “no” has been a surprising avenue to healing.

For my mental health and healing, saying “No” when people ask me to do things sends the message to myself that my time is valuable and so am I. There was somehow a connection for me between having to say yes to anyone else’s needs or requests and my sense of self-worth. Underneath it all, I held the belief that other people’s needs were always more important than mine because other people were always more important than me. While it is important for us as humans to value other people, my values were out of balance. It wasn’t that I was being humble or prioritizing serving others. It was that I did not exist in the equation much, if at all.

So, when I started saying, “No,” it not only was difficult, but it also started to transform my value of myself without me really realizing it at the time. And as I started to say, “No,” it freed up my calendar for other things that were self-caring, like grocery shopping and cooking!

And what happens when Diana is in the kitchen more? She’s eating more healing foods! Hallelujah!

Saying no, even to those things that sound fun (which there are a lot of) frees one’s self up for healing activities like going for walks, taking hot baths, reading something just for fun and just generally doing things that bring you energy and joy! Like play the ukulele! 😀

I still struggle with saying no. For me, the hardest task now is saying no when someone offers me something out of kindness and generosity. Often times for me, this has to do with food.

Hearing the phrases “Let’s go out to eat,” and “I made you this _______,” makes me cringe. It is so difficult for me to say no to temptation when I’m out to eat. And not only that, but because I’m eating and talking with people, I often eat too much and get overfull and then guess what? Nausea for the next couple of hours thanks to pregnancy. (Did you know that eating 5-6 small meals a day during pregnancy helps with nausea? At least for me. Such an easy fix!) And when someone MAKES me something?! Oh man. That’s rough. Honestly, this happens very rarely because most people I work with and see on a regular basis know my weird food issues and plan accordingly. (I have the most wonderful co-workers, family and friends!!! Seriously!!! You all are SUPER GREAT!!!) Being honest with co-workers, family and friends and telling them, “Sorry, it’s best if I don’t eat that…” (which is a nicely worded way of saying no) was really, REALLY hard at first.

For me, if someone makes you something or gives you something, you accept the gift. Pretty much without exception. So, breaking this internal law of sorts was almost painful at first. But I had to trust that people would understand and if their feelings were hurt, they would get over it and things would be okay.

And guess what? Now it’s all good. People just have been rolling with it and I couldn’t be more amazed and thankful!!! Even the hubs has learned how to make chocolate cookies that I can eat!

I encourage you to say no and to be honest about your needs, whatever they may be. You are valuable and should be treated as such by others and by your own self. 🙂

XOXO,

Diana

Falling Off The Wagon

There has been a bit of a big pause since my last blog entry. 8 months, to be precise. Oh my! Within that time a lot of things have changed. I moved out of my apartment and into a wonderful house. I met a lovely man as summer was ending last year and by the time spring was just barely peaking its marvelous head around the corner, we were married!

And now, guess what? I’m pregnant! And no, I am not posting a picture of the stick I peed on or a picture of my uterus. You’ll just have to take my word for it. 🙂 The hubs made a joke about how he’s batting 1000. I thought it was hilarious. On a separate occasion, my Dad said, “Nice shot,” which is typical and also hilarious, though I only smiled as if I was slightly amused since I don’t want to encourage the man. HA!

I don’t know if it was all the changes or what, but for about the past month and a half I have been falling off-track of my healing journey. I have been eating things that give me symptoms that make my life less pleasant and make me more grumpy. This on top of the pregnancy just makes me feel out of control and crazy. The hubs says it’s not that bad from where he’s standing, but I feel awful at times and I would really like to change.

In case you’re curious, foods that cause indigestion, headaches and moodiness for me are: bread, sugar (fake or otherwise), dairy products (cheese, sour cream, etc), corn products (like popcorn—OH HOW I LOVE POPCORN), and rice.

Well, my symptoms are back. Skin issues, gut issues, & mental health decline are all upon me. And I tell you what…

I remember now why I chose a different path.

And I am thankful for the divergence from the healing path because it has helped me remember why I choose to eat “weird” and why I take time to shop, cook & meal plan for myself.

I want to live life more fully.

I want to smile really big, with my whole self because I don’t have any nagging itching on my skin, or worries about when the next urge will overtake me and can make it to the bathroom in time?

So, I am getting back in the wagon. I am getting back on the horse. I am making my healing and health a priority, again.

However, I am under no illusion that saying this will magically make my will power return. I have an accountability plan and it involves you. 🙂

Every meal I eat, breakfast, snack or otherwise, will be documented on Instagram from here on out. It might get old for some, but I know lots of folks who post pictures of food on there, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be in good company.

If I have to post on Instagram what I eat, then I will think twice about what I’m choosing to eat instead of ignoring that inner voice of wisdom and driving to Taco Bell anyway. And although it seems like it would be easy to eat something and not post a picture, I won’t hide anything because that feels like lying, which I’m not good at doing.

Feel free to follow me on my healing journey. My Instagram name is dmdbanana 🙂 I will be eating Paleo (scroll down to the “You talk about SCD a lot. What is it and what is the difference between SCD and Paleo?” question) and SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) mostly, perhaps slightly modified since even with these diets most of us still have problem foods among the allegedly “safe” foods on these diets. Every body is different and unique after all! 🙂

School and Food Choices

Whenever I am stressed with the looming of a paper, or am in the middle of writing said paper, I crave the greasiest, cheesiest, fattiest foods! I think it’s a combination of my brain being on overdrive from working so hard and from not being stimulated in any fun ways. Lol. Food is fun, after all! 🙂 At least for me.

However, I was able to get in some healthy eating today!

I ate HALF of that pile of veggies! And the orange stuff in the upper right-hand corner is ranch with a spoonful of Sriracha sauce! Mmm!!! It’s the best way to eat ranch!!! It’s the best way to eat many things, actually. (If you’re in the mood for a chuckle, check out this entertaining comic about the stuff!)

I also had pizza today, but this is still a step up from my normal eating routine when writing papers! Either I don’t eat and am even more grouchy, or I eat whatever I can get my hands on–which is usually greasy, crunchy things or just a quick trip to Wendy’s.

I’ll probably start listing all my foods and all my symptoms at the bottom of my posts, but for now, I am tired and would rather just skip it today.

You all ROCK! Thanks for reading!

I thought you might enjoy this pic from today’s paper writing extravaganza.
My cat, Trixie, shared the chair with me. 🙂
She’s my baby!

Got Sick, Stayed Sick, Am Still Sick…

I got sick on Friday, March 12th. It began with a sore throat. I thought, “Oh, I’ve just been pushing myself too hard and I’ve got a sore throat.” Well, it developed into sore throat, cough, heavy congestion, achy muscles (all of them) and mild fever. I tried to push through all of this for about 4 days before a friend of mine said, “Really?!” and I woke up. Which is a darn good thing because my throat today is still sore, 19 days later!

During week two of this sickness, as I was coughing, another friend of mine looked at me with a knowing look. She told me my symptoms remind her of her daughter who would get very sick and stay sick for long periods of time. She was recently diagnosed with an auto-immune issue and went on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which has helped her daughter IMMENSELY. My friend advised me to take a look at it and follow it, if possible. (In fact she invited me to come over to her house and cook with her so I can see how some of the basic recipes are made, which would be SO HELPFUL and I’m totally going to take her up on that when classes are over!)

Interestingly, I had already had a book about the diet and had read the whole thing months ago. I was starting to suspect that it would help me and this only confirms my suspicions.

During one of the weeks of being sick, I was eating a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches. I used gluten & dairy free bread and soy-cheeses. They were delicious! Grilled cheese is a comfort food for me, so I craved them and enjoyed them immensely!

HOWEVER, I experienced severe bloating and pain in my gut.

What?!

I was eating a lot of fruit salads (strawberries, spinach & other lettuces with no dressing) other than these grilled cheese sandwiches, so I knew that the culprit was more than likely the sandwiches.

So, more eliminations. No soy. No grains. Right…?

At this point, doubly sick and doubly frustrated, I got out my “Specific Carbohydrate Diet” book and my “Eat Right For Your Type” book and made an excel spreadsheet of my safe foods.

In doing so, I have discovered that there are a number of trouble foods that I have been eating all along, detox or no detox. Cucumbers being one of them.

While I am skeptical of these new limitations, I am also hopeful. And I am willing to try almost anything at this point in order to re-gain some semblance of health! I have been sick 4 times this winter! 4 times! That is way more than I usually get sick. Usually, I get sick once a year, maybe twice. But 4 times? Something is wrong with my body. I feel as though I am attempting life, school, family, work, etc, with one hand tied behind my back, a limp in my leg and only one functioning eye.

Needless to say, I am tired of treading water just so I can get by, and barely get by at that. I need energy and health and I am going to find it!

Please send me good vibes, warm fuzzies, or prayers. They’re much needed. I have one more month of classes, then I head to Brazil for 10 days! Exciting, yes! Stressful, yes! 😀

Here’s a pic of me two Sundays ago, sick and home on the couch.

A Mini-Adventure In Juice!

So, first thing’s first. Honesty. It’s one of the strongest values I hold to.

That being said, yesterday and today I indulged in some old fast food favorites. I’ve been feeling pretty icky all day and bloated. Interesting discovery though, I think I have ALWAYS been bloated, or at least since I hit puberty and folks started asking if I was having the PMS symptom of being bloated. This is how I normally feel. I thought I didn’t get bloated because there was no change in the state of things in my gut area, but now I can tell a difference! Quite frankly, I’m glad I indulged because now I know that “normal” for me can be greatly improved upon! 🙂

Last night, my wonderful partner and I watched the documentary film, “Hungry for Change,” and at the end of it, he turned to me and said, “Let’s juice some veggies,” and I said, “Sure!” (You can view the film for free until March 31st, 2013! Check it out here!)

So, I looked up Joe Cross’s “Reboot Your Life” program and we picked one out. Joe is featured in the “Hungry for Change” film and I knew he had some healthy programs on his website that we could use.

First, I was AMAZED that this meat eater would be willing to do just veggies and fruit for one whole day, let alone a whole ten days! I think this says a lot for his real desire, which is to be healthy! And it says a lot for the quality of the documentary, I think! 😀 (I highly recommend the film! Feel free to take some things with a grain of salt, but it also has a lot of information that I, as an average American, had no idea about!)

Second, I think this is going to be fun! I know there will be “bathroom” issues, but it won’t last forever. And besides, I love fruits and veggies! Especially juice! And I drink water like it’s going out of style, so staying hydrated should not be an issue. Also, it’s just ten days. It’s not forever. 🙂

Shaking It Up!

Yesterday was an adventure in smoothies and making my own Indian food! Here’s a pictorial de-briefing of my day:

A superwoman smoothie! At least that’s what I call it. I adapted the recipe from Leanne Vogel’s fantastic website!

Later on, I indulged in this lovely salad:

Soon after, I began to cook up my very first attempt at a vegan, Indian flavored dish!

I think it came out really well! My apartment still smells like an Indian restaurant! Mmm!

I ended my day on this fantastic note!

 

On a side note, one thing that helped jump-start my journey towards health and wellness was the film, “Hungry for Change,” which can be viewed for free until March 31st, 2013! Check it out here!

It gives a good critique of diets, why they don’t work, and what we can do to transform our health. I think they focus too much on loosing weight, but still a good watch!

 

Wednesday, March 20th – Friday, March 22nd

DAILY SYMPTOM LOG 

(My symptoms and diet were virtually the same over these three days, so I combined them.)

SKIN: redness showed improvement, fading; itchy sensation subsided with the exception of one or two areas (stomach and forehead and scalp); raised patches of dry skin remain, but improve greatly with lotion; overall shows improvement; skin actually feels like it’s producing its own oils!

GUT: nearly imperceptible rumblings; generally normal feeling; REALLY normal bathroom experience! Hooray!

OTHER: slightly runny nose/nose congestion & slightly more mucus coating throat than is comfortable

FOOD: allergen-free cereal, organic strawberries, blueberries, chia seeds, coconut yogurt; allergen-free meatballs (ground sage pork, grass-fed lean ground beef, almond flour, olive oil, coconut flour, various herbs & spices) with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce;  Raw Greens Massage Salad (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, curly green kale, endive, romaine, strawberries, cashews, walnuts, sesame seeds); Balsamic Chicken; Organic Banana

 

Saturday, March 23rd

DAILY SYMPTOM LOG 

SKIN: redness showed improvement, fading; itchy sensation subsided with the exception of one or two areas (stomach and forehead and scalp); raised patches of dry skin remain, but improve greatly with lotion; overall shows improvement; skin actually feels like it’s producing its own oils!

GUT: generally normal feeling; nauseous and gurgling burst onto the scene around 5 or 6pm, before the Indian dish that I made. It was so bad I thought I might loose my cookies, but I did not.

OTHER: slightly runny nose/nose congestion & slightly more mucus coating throat than is comfortable

FOOD: 2 scrambled eggs & sea salt with ketchup; Superwoman Smoothie; Raw Greens Massage Salad (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, curly green kale, endive, romaine, spinach, strawberries, sesame seeds, dried cranberries); Indian-inspired rice and veggie dish (long grain brown rice, onions, garlic, tomatoes, yellow pepper, ginger root, peas, golden raisins); 1 organic banana

A Delicious Dinner!

Tonight, I tried two new recipes for dinner and they were great successes! And then, we made dessert! There was lots of chopping and measuring to do and I give a big shout-out THANK YOU to my dear friends who did ALL that work! I really appreciated it! 🙂

Here’s a pic of the veggie-mix salad:

This recipe called for shrimp, but I was feeding a vegetarian and figured it would be just as good without it! I was almost right. Tomorrow I’m going to cook up some Quinoa-based elbow noodles and add them in. Then, I think it will be perfect! 😀 And more filling. This recipe was found in the always delicious cookbook, The Healthy Gluten-Free Life.

 

Here’s a pic of the raw greens massage salad:

This was SO DELICIOUS!!! I cannot express to  you how amazing this was! In the recipe it called for lemon juice, but since I’m quite allergic to citrus, my dear friend suggested we use balsamic vinegar. So she added it and the salad came out PERFECT! Oh my gosh! I am going to make this every day!!! Or every day until the lettuces I bought are gone, anyway. 🙂 Oh, and I added strawberries so the Vitamin C in them (they have more Vitamin C than oranges!) will help the iron in the lettuces be absorbed by my body! I HIGHLY suggest this dish! Here’s the recipe:

Raw Greens Massage Salad

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt

Mix the above 3 ingredients together.

• 4 cups leafy greens (I used curly green kale, endive & romaine, but you could use whichever you enjoy! Spinach and arugula would be good! Probably collard greens, too!)

Wash & cut or tear the leafy greens into bit-sized bits. Add olive oil, vinegar and sea salt mixture and massage (kind of like tossing) with your hands, or tongs if you’re not adventurous or have cuts on your hands, until well combined and leafy greens have “wilted” a bit.

• 1/2 – 1 cup strawberries
• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds

The above four ingredients are all optional and were used because I love how they taste! If you prefer other fruit, add that! I’m sure mandarin oranges would be DELIGHTFUL in this salad! Just try to use fruit that has vitamin C so that your body is able to absorb the nutrients in the leafy greens better. As for the nuts, sliced almonds would be delicious as well! Use what you’ve got! Be creative! 🙂 This recipe was found in this cook book.

 

And here’s a pic of the Mexican chocolate cupcakes!

This cupcake recipe is courtesy of The Flying Apron’s Gluten-Free & Vegan Baking Book. (Find it on Amazon here!) I have a hunch these are going to give me issues tomorrow, but they were so fun to bake with my friends! I decided to damn the consequences and indulge! Other than these, today was a pretty good eating day as far as avoiding known trouble foods goes!

 

DAILY SYMPTOM LOG

SKIN: redness showed no improvement in the morning, but then faded as the day went on; itchy sensation subsided as the day went on; raised patches of dry skin remain; overall shows slight improvement

GUT: nearly imperceptible rumblings; generally normal feeling; REALLY normal bathroom experience! Hooray! 🙂

OTHER: got a slight runny nose & more mucus coating throat after eating the General Tso’s Chicken; general muscle sore/stiff feeling mostly gone; no headache

FOOD: allergen-free cereal, organic strawberries, chia seeds, coconut yogurt; General Tso’s Chicken (pretty sure there’s refined sugar, dairy, eggs and gluten in this stuff, though in small amounts); veggie-mix salad (cucumber, celery, red onion, radishes, black olives, diced garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Italian seasoning, powdered onion, sea salt); Raw Greens Massage Salad (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, curly green kale, endive, romaine, strawberries, cashews, walnuts, sesame seeds); 1 vanilla cupcake; 2 Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes Denied

In recent months, I’ve noticed a roughly 10-12 hour window between when I eat something that doesn’t agree with my intestines and when I will be running to the bathroom. (My skin reactions are much more immediate, though longer lasting.) And guess what! Those cupcakes sent me running to the bathroom roughly 10 hours after I ate them. Process of elimination enabled me to point my finger at the cupcakes. I’d eaten all the other foods before with no issue. It must’ve been the cupcakes.

SO, since there was no dairy, no eggs, no refined sugar, no wheat in those cupcakes, THEN WHAT is causing my intestinal issues? I would be ready to throw in the towel, if not for my dear cousin recommending to me the book, “Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet”. I read HALF of the book last night. I read it voraciously, as if I were starving, in fact! Here is what I gleaned from the book so far:

Basically, my gut is damaged and has been for at least three years. I mean, I remember days when I could eat ANYTHING and have no intestinal issues whatsoever! But now, I cannot put just anything into my intestines. Rather, I need to put things into it that will help it to heal and not do any more damage. This, I had already surmised, but what I had not surmised was the complex science behind the intestines and how foods behave in the intestines when it is and is not already damaged! (For more information, I HIGHLY recommend the book! You can find it on Amazon for pretty cheap! Also, to get a taste of what the book offers, check out their website!)

The damage that has happened and the intestinal flora that are out of balance has taken control of what I eat, but now, I am going to find out how to take control back! I have a hunch that this task will be demanding, but I have been getting worse and I just can’t take it anymore. I’m pretty desperate. I’ll try anything! (almost)

(More info and specifics coming in my next blog post!)

Saturday, March 16th, 2013

DAILY SYMPTOM LOG

SKIN: redness same as yesterday, itchy sensation remains; raised patches of dry skin remain; overall shows no improvement;

GUT: slight rumblings; generally normal feeling; one bathroom issue (from the cupcakes, I think)

OTHER: general muscle sore/stiff feeling mostly gone; no headache

FOOD: 1 large Johnagold apple; Thai-Peanut coated pork loin; Indian dish with cauliflower, peas, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and rice (confirmed no wheat, no dairy, no eggs); Bean Chips & Mango-Peach Salsa; 1 can of Coke Zero

Sunday, March 17th, 2013

DAILY SYMPTOM LOG

SKIN: redness slightly less than yesterday, itchy sensation lessened; raised patches of dry skin remain; overall shows slight improvement;

GUT: generally normal feeling;

OTHER: general muscle sore/stiff feeling very prevalent in neck/shoulders and esp. legs and back (muscles I used heavily yesterday when playing with a 4 month old baby!); no headache

FOOD: Indian dish with cauliflower, peas, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and rice (confirmed no wheat, no dairy, no eggs); 1 banana (organic); mango habanero flavored kale chips; General Tso’s Chicken (pretty sure there’s refined sugar, dairy, eggs and gluten in this stuff, though in small amounts)

More Eating, More Observing

Today, I am feeling pretty darn unwell. I have been nauseated 80% of today, my eyes are overly sensitive to light and now, I have a headache that just won’t quit. I don’t want to take any pain meds in order to monitor the best that I can, how my body is doing and what it is telling me. I know that going gluten and dairy free can cause withdrawal symptoms, but those listed do not seem to be the symptoms I am experiencing.

A friend of mine who cut out wheat said that she experienced headaches and felt very, VERY thirsty. This sounds like what I am experiencing! Perhaps I don’t have as serious of a gluten or dairy issue as I thought, because if I did, then I would probably have the symptoms listed at the link above.

However, I do know that dairy and wheat both create adverse reactions within my body that I would really like to avoid! Wheat/Gluten makes my sinuses run and I get rather bloated–so much so that my wedding ring doesn’t fit! Dairy, especially milk and ice cream, creates a great amount of gurgling in my gut and then has me running to the bathroom multiple times several hours later.

A wise woman told me that I can expect to feel worse before I feel better. I guess this is what she meant. I pray it doesn’t last too long, but this is still not as bad as the alternative of staying where I was and how I was. God willing, I will persevere in this search for health and healing!

 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

DAILY SYMPTOM LOG 

SKIN: redness same as yesterday, shows no improvement; itchy sensation remains; raised patches of dry skin remain.

GUT: slight rumblings; generally normal feeling!

OTHER: Muscles feeling sore/stiff; Pain in shoulder right shoulder runs up through to neck at times (this has been present since Saturday and it just occurred to me that I might want to include these details.)

FOOD: my own sauerkraut creation with apples, turkey sausage, cooking sherry, apple juice (100% juice) & sucanat (dehydrated cane juice, a.k.a. brown sugar); my own potato chowder concoction (potatoes, corn, leeks, onions, red pepper, marjoram, garlic); blue corn chips; raisins; sushi from Kroger (Chef’s special); salad from Chipotle (with black beans, green salsa, tomato salsa, chicken & guacamole); 1 small gluten-free brownie (had dairy & eggs)

 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

DAILY SYMPTOM LOG

SKIN: redness same as yesterday, shows no improvement; itchy sensation remains; raised patches of dry skin remain.

GUT: slight rumblings; small bathroom issue (just 1); feel nauseated

OTHER: Feel very thirsty all the time (only drank water all day & tried to drink lots of it); Eyes very sensitive to light; have not been sleeping well; exhausted; woke nauseated…I may be getting sick…

FOOD: BBQ Chicken Chunks (leftovers my dear partner left in the fridge, hope he’s not mad!); Salad (with different types of lettuces, plus mushrooms, carrots, cucumbers, sunflower seeds, pickled beets; three-bean salad; Chicken Stir-Fry with rice & spicy-sweet sauce (probably has sugar in it, but I’m not totally sure);