What to eat...Oh what to eat

Trauma Tuesday
Tuesday before I could decide what to eat I decided to go through my kitchen to remove all I couldn't eat before heading to the store. Or should I say Kayce went into action. Well actually I would have to say she kicked butt because occasionally I had to sit while she went through everything. 

We went through all my food and medicine cabinets, refrigerator, and freezers. Seriously I can't believe how much was expired and how reading the labels opened my eyes. By the time we were done there wasn't much left. We did make a shelf for Phil when he is home. Let's just say the food up there takes a footstool for me to access. In the refrigerator we put rubber bands around bottlenecks and pink duct tape on lids so I could quickly see what I could use. All I have to say is thank goodness for large trash and recycling containers.

 

Now it was time to shop. I really love road trips to Madison usually I stop at Barnes and Noble to see Kat, Panera to see Josh, then head to Whole Foods Market and last but the yummy best Starbucks for the drive home. Surely, one more day wouldn't hurt so I decided to eat foods I couldn't have anymore. Yummy gluten free chocolate muffin with chocolate frosting, mexican food, I got so full that I couldn't get Starbucks.

Whole Foods Market has a great selection of organic foods I use for my anti-inflammatory and gluten free diet when I choose to follow it.  First isle we hit was the salad dressing and as you all know there are a lot of selections. Fifteen minutes later between the two of us we found two bottles that I could use, a type of vinegar and oil based. Really my least favorite salad dressing and now something I have to get use to. 

We spent almost two hours in the store reading labels and putting it back. It hit me hard that this was going to be the hardest thing I have ever done. Serious depression set in with all the things I couldn't do. Which having spent my whole life fostering the belief that I could do anything made me want to lay down and cry. Thank goodness I don't like scenes in public. It was time to go home I was done for this day.

Wednesday I discovered eating at home by yourself isn't hard when you have the correct food available but it is hard to make it taste good. Looks like I’ll be researching the internet and Pinterest for menu ideas and reading blogs to shorten my learning curve.

Later that night was girls bowling league and I wasn’t looking forward to finding something to eat as that was part of our ritual. My BFF, Kathy talked to the kitchen to see what oils they use for frying. No French fries, wrong oil. So after much thought, I got a grilled hamburger patty, lettuce, tomatoes and topped it with ketchup, after I checked out the label. Seriously you can't imagine the people that asked me what I was eating and asked how could I eat it because it was boring. Oh well to be honest it actually tasted good.

Thursday was quit a challenge Kathy and I went shopping to Janesville and out to lunch. Yes I said out to lunch. I decided that Famous Dave's BBQ might work as they had chicken, salad, vegetables. Wow imagine our shocked when I asked to see the BBQ ingredients and she mentioned they had an allergy menu. That was great so I pulled out my paper with the 27 reactive food restrictions and started comparing it with the menu. Who would of imagined it would take 20 minutes to find something I could eat.

This greatly upset me because there was a time I dated a man who was such a picky eater, no one I knew wanted to go out to eat with him. I swore I would never eat with someone like that again. Wow shock of all shocks I am now that person.

So I played it safe and ordered broasted chicken but would pull the skin off with the seasoning that I couldn't have, steamed broccoli and corn. I made sure they didn't put any butter on those. When the food was delivered I noticed the corn on the cob was shiny. I asked if there was butter on it and she said they hadn't put butter on it. I asked her to check because when I touch it, my fingers were slippery. She came back with an apology saying they soak the corn in water and butter. Kathy's husband was happy that day and Kathy was also because she got my corn bread. But seriously, kudos to our waitress Paige, for all her patience and understanding. She earned her 25% tip.

Starbucks was not an option so I drank too much soda before and during lunch. Wow not a good idea. All that sugar made me sick and bloated. I am banning myself from soda even though it wasn’t on my list.

So eating out is a challenge and I will need to look at menus online and see what ingredients are listed. After looking at the allergy menu and believe me they were very thorough, they even had the spices on it, I realized there are so many hidden allergens that we are not aware of in general.

Good things have been going on, I lost over 3 pounds already but Greg increased my calorie intake so I wasn't losing too fast and getting light headed. And dare I mention this out loud. Yes I must. Those who know me know that I don't like displays of body functions, passing gas, burping or discussing bowel movements. So I am breaking my unspoken rule to say, all my life I rarely had one bowel movement in two weeks and was always constipated.  Now I am having regular ones daily. So I am celebrating these two good things that come out of this week.

Smiles sprinkled with love,
Teri


Quote for the day

"Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." Arnold Bennett

Great Awaking - Are you Serious!

In my last blog "Living In A Fog - Catching Up" I mentioned that something major had happened Monday that brought me back to blogging.  I received results on some blood tests I had done and was impacted more then 1999 when I was told I had Sjögren's syndrome, RA, and Lupus. Even more than quitting my job due to my health issues in March of 2010 and was unemployed with no new job to go to.

Since the end of 2011 my health has reached a happy plateau with nothing major, I am working in costuming and loving the travel involved. My family is doing great with everyone healthy and happy. I have an amazing life with the exception that I can't lose weight it keeps fluctuating 5-8 lbs with me reaching my all time high, eating was causing me issues where I'd feel bloated, in pain and exhausted. Oh and the big one....my hair was falling out again. 

This last year I have spent a lot of time talking with my son, Greg and his wife Miranda, who are both chiropractors, about these problems and frustrations. We spent many days trying to figure it out while talking about my eating, sleeping and exercise habits. In January, Greg went to work for The Wellness Way where they specialize in Functional Medicine. After sharing my history with them they setup an appointment to meet me and ordered tests on thyroid, ferratin, hormones, cortisol, Vitamin D, and immuno 88 bloodprint for food reactive sensitivities. So I took my tests and patiently waited for the results. 

Last Friday we got part of the tests with areas we need to work on but nothing that was earth shattering. All of this would be addressed further at my appointment. Then Monday Greg got the results of the immuno 88 bloodprint. 

I love the way he presented my shocking (to me) results. The son I raised became the Dr. filled with understanding, compassion, and encouragement that everything would be okay. With a promise that The Wellness Way and my family would be there to support me. That as hard as this would be in the end I would be the healthiest I have ever been. I don't think he has seen or heard me cry in a long time and it warmed my heart that he listened patiently as I cried. And honestly I wanted to be stronger than I was but I was so shocked to see that I tested reactive to 27 out of 88 foods. Even more heartbreaking to me was the foods that I needed to give up in order to heal my body were the things that I enjoy the most. 

My 27 reactive foods

Almonds, amaranth (heck who knows what this is), banana (My sister Tamie will be happy about this), BEANS - green, kidney, pinto and yellow wax, cantaloupe, celery, cheese (excuse me I live in WI...the dairy state), cranberry, EGG (what no baked products, omelets or frittata), grapefruit, lemon, lime, MILK - cow, goat, almond (again excuse me I live in WI...the dairy state), orange, pineapple, pork, pumpkin (my favorite pie of all time), rice, sesame, tangerine, wheat, YEAST- bakers and brewers (Dang no more homemade cinnamon rolls but I can still bake them).

This is a horrible life change for me. I LOVE Starbucks and the one thing I would never give up is ice cream. Guess again. Also do you realize how many things have gluten, egg or milk products in them. All my candy, baked goods, Starbucks, ice cream, pasta.... BREATH.

My way of dealing with these kind of issues is first to cry so after I got off the phone I cried through the night. Then my second thing I do is talk about it and externalize it. So I posted to my Facebook friends that I was having a meltdown and why, knowing that they would support me and help me to move forward. My Facebook friends have never let me down that way. People started sharing that they had similar eating/health issues, others started praying for me and many started messaging me privately sharing recipes, websites, and some of their experiences. 

While I walk this path of healing it is my greatest desire that I can show others that there is hope and that there is a life on the other side of all of this. It is my mission in life to make a difference in any small way that I can. 

Smiles sprinkled with thoughtfulness,

Teri 

Quote for the day

Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have. - Dale Carnegie

Living in A Fog - Catching Up

Something major happened to me recently and drove me back to my blog. Curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to see what I had written and how much if any my life had changed. I realized I haven't journaled in a few years. My life got busier, sewing costumes was filling my days, I felt better, and somehow the time just slide away into years. I was living in my happy fog. 

Professionally
The last 3 years I have been sewing costumes for entertainment, The Fireside Theatre and Feld Entertainment (Disney Live, Disney On Ice, Nuclear Cowboyz/Cowgirlz, and Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus) as well as other locations. 

The great thing about this is the traveling, working small to medium blocks of time, meeting people from all over the world, and using my creative sewing skills. An added bonus is having plenty of time between jobs for rest and recovery. A great benefit from working is the new friends I have meet. One of them, Kayce, has been instrumental in my life during this last year or so.

Working though has wrecked random havoc on my eating patterns since during these sewing gigs getting to appropriate foods has been an issue. When I travel I have no car and eat what is available which 9 out of 10 times is fast food. Also most of the work we do is under time constraints thus it's easier to eat junk food during the long work days. I love my profession and it is by far the most rewarding time of my professional life but I need to figure out how to eat better during these times.

Personally
My daughter moved to WI to be closer to us, in 2012 I became a grandma and have an amazing grandson by my son Greg and his wonderful wife Miranda, and my husband will be retiring soon. I have spent my time not working reading a crazy amount of books on my addiction, the Color Nook HD+. Best thing about a Nook is you get to take it when you travel. Since I don't always have a car to go buy a book. I can order one at whim via the Nook. 

Recently I started writing reviews about the books I read because seriously everyone needs to read. I am on FaceBook only 5-35% of my time depending on whether I am working. I have an amazing life and am blessed.

Physically
Kayce and I joined Anytime Fitness so we could work out together. We both got FitBits and communicate everyday/week/month on our progress in eating and weight. Wednesday night is bowling with my BFF Kathy and Bear, my dog, walks me daily. 

Though I have been sleeping more, moving more, and eating better, my weight was not going down no matter what I was doing, in fact it was going up and down like a seesaw. I continued to look healthy, felt much better, and love my life. I still suffer from exhaustion, muscle weakness and somedays people touching me feels like they are massaging a bruise.

Medically
For the last almost 3 years after I was hospitalized as being Septic and beat the odds of 50% mortality I have managed to stay out of the hospital.  Only having minor medical issues like a cyst on my thyroid, 9 cavities in few months due to Sjögren’s Syndrome, stomach issues, shingles, and occasional bladder infections. Overall I am still weak and exhausted. 

When I discovered all the cavities in my mouth I had the dentists remove all old fillings and replace with a nontoxic porcelain component. Wow guess what my migraines decreased by 80%. Now I just need money to get rid of my 2 gold crowns.

Over these last years I have spent a lot of time talking to my son and daughter-in-law about eating correctly, sleeping more and exercising. Both of them are Chiropractors and were concerned about me not progressing in getting healthier. For me it is a frustration because I am gaining not losing and my hair started to fall out about the 1st of this year. I am so frustrated because I had revamped the foods I eat plus I was eating very healthy 80% of the time. I couldn't understand why I wasn't losing weight and feeling more energy. I am sure at some point they also didn't understand or thought possibly I wasn't eating better. But I have faith in being able to self heal and I have faith that there are resources out there to help me heal naturally. And even more important is how much better I am feeling today from the last time I blogged in 2011.

Tomorrow I'll update you on what happened to cause my "Great Awakening".

Smiles and love to all,
Teri

Quote for the day
"Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship." Buddha 

From "All or Nothing" to BALANCE Part 1

So I explained in the blog titled "All or Nothing" that Balance isn't a word I am used to but I have started taking baby steps like my family and friends on Facebook recommended.


Medical Balance
The tests came back from my new RA specialist and still showed Sjögren's Syndrome, and Lupus. She also said I most likely had Fibromyalgia and she still hadn't ruled out Rheumatoid Arthritis. So I was to continue the treatments we were on. Okay not bad since the numbers weren't much worse than my previous tests. She had a concern for my liver because it was showing bad. So in a few months I'll have a liver scan. But I am at peace because she is so good, thorough, and professional.

I saw my new Urologist about the CT Scan on my bladder and kidneys. NO CANCER. But....there is always a but.......looks like when I was in the hospital in June the hospital didn't check my kidney function with the bacteria in my bladder and blood and my kidney was infected so it has been beat up pretty bad and now we are trying to stop more damage and see if we can get it to heal some. So all new medicine. They did some other tests on my bladder and they all passed. Including taking a camera into the bladder. Though there is damage there it looks in good overall health and I had another ultrasound on my Kidney/Bladder to see if there is improvement on the damage done. I go in next week for the results. I feel very peaceful after seeing personally into the bladder that all was well and using the preventive medicines are really helping me.


My Thought about it
Having confidence in your doctors goes a long way towards not worrying and starting to take better care of yourself. Something about their confidence and experience rubs off on you and is a calming factor.


Physical Balance
I am eating better and have started walking the dog down the driveway but more importantly I realigned the way I was thinking and live in the "Possibility" that all is right and well.

My Thought about it
Bodies need to move and release pent up energy. I found that in moving the pain seems to ease up some and I started feeling happier and more energetic.


Personal Balance
This was the hardest part for me as I gave up things I really loved doing but were serving nothing to advance me in my business or creativity. I gave admining my Facebook CA group WalHalla and my favorite team AgT. That took up a lot of my time. I am still part of the group but without responsibilities. I am still Guild master of WalHalla Rising but I am proud to say I have 1/3 the responsibilities now and am finally getting use to not being on FB all day and night long.


My Thought about it
It took me forever to do this because it was something I enjoyed. But along the way I realised that it was also a way to escape life and that is not something I wanted to do anymore.


Viola, me and Jonelle

Professional Balance
I did start to totally redesign my website and am currently working on my husbands as well. I hope to have it posted up to the web this weekend. I also worked at the Fireside as a stitcher and then went straight to work for Feld Entertainment as a stitcher. To be honest they were both the best jobs I ever worked and I love the atmosphere. I wish I had discovered this type of sewing years ago. The only problem is they last for short periods of time. Though they are great for me at this time of my life.

My thought about it
What I really like about them is they don't impact my health if I eat right and get enough sleep. Things that I can control. Also both of these jobs are by far the best jobs I ever had because they fill the creative expressive part of me and I get to meet such a wide variety of different personalities that I love.

Though these are very small steps they feel huge to me and I am getting ready to move forward with some more.

Smiles,
Teri


Quote for the day
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."Leo Tolstoy

Craziness

Wow life has been crazy...I will catch up with everyone after I get done working my seasonal job at a local dinner playhouse. I love working in the costume department. I am also in the middle of altering a wedding dress for August 27th. Life will calm down then I will get back to blogging and explain my latest tests and what they found ....

Quote for the day
"Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live." Author Unknown

Hope and a new RA Doctor

Tuesday I went to a new RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) specialist. The 1st one I went to in Wisconsin had a bed side manner that was barely better than my 1st one in Pennsylvania.

One of the things I have learned through all the specialists I have had to see is that I need someone that can explain to me what is going on with my body and will allow me to talk it out with them and not look at me like I am a hypochondriac. These doctors are rare to come by and worth gold when you find one. My internist/GI doctor is amazing and now it looks like my RA will be amazing as well. I am thankful that I now have two that I have confidence in. Oh and I also have a great Orthopedic Doctor. Later this month I'll see how my new urologist is!

I love my new doctor she was a surprise and not the one I originally had an appointment with but she was the one that God had in mind. She spent an hour with me looking over previous tests asking me about how my days go and touching my joints and spine. Amazing the first one never touched me and the second one barely touched me. She was very intent on what and how my body was reacting.

After looking at my last two tests she agreed that according to the tests I have Sjögren's Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Lupus. She also said she thought due to her testing my body and my reported symptoms that I had Primary Sjögren's Syndrome and Fibromyalgia but she didn't feel I had RA and Lupus. So off for more blood work to do the tests again so they had a baseline from their laboratories. Also she wanted to see if RA and Lupus were still positive.

So I am patiently "NOT" waiting for the blood work to come back. Stay turned for my lab update. I am very busy praying that I only have Primary SS. Who knows about Fibromyalgia! There are so many opinions that this doesn't exist. Honestly I know people who have it and they have it rough but control it with diet.

Smiles sprinkled with hope,
Teri

Daily Quote:
“Hope never abandons you; you abandon it” ~ George Weinberg

Pondering about myself

I was going through my documents on my laptop and I found this poem. I don't remember doing it but then again I found a lot of things on my laptop I don't remember saving either... It will take me a week to clean out all my not needed documents but I have a goal to get my sewing website done.

Who is it that I am

By Teri E. Lloyd

August 10, 2008

Who is it that I am

That I do not see but am

Deep, deep, down inside there is a bright white light

It’s there hidden deep inside

Inside that white light is my spirit

My spirit is there inside hidden.

Hidden by my life experiences,

By the experiences of my past, by past generations

Generations and generations upon generations

That is who I am

I am that white light

That white light deep inside that wants to shine bright

That is my spirit

So let’s awaken that spirit that is hidden deep inside

Very, very deep inside

The spirit, the spirit where God abides

Where spirit abides

Where love abides

Some of my pictures I have taken. Another part of me most don't know about.

Now for the sewing part of me....

So many interests and so little time. Off to work on my website.

Smiles, Teri