I feel the warmth....

Summer is among us and it always brings a sense of  rebirth and renewal.  It has been several months, ok 4 months since my last post.  I must say many changes have happened for me.  First and probably the most vital is that I have tested "negative" for my lyme disease.  My dr. is causiously optimistic and I am finally off my antibiotics.......  I can't tell you the relief I feel.  Know I am focused on healing my gut and truely getting healthy again. 

So, what does that mean.  Since May, I have been meeting a friend at the gym and we have been walk/running 3 mornings a week.  I think I only missed one morning over the past 2 months.  I have progressed from 20 minutes to about 1 hour on the treadmill.  I have successfully ran a 5K without stopping and now I am working on walk/sprinting for 5 miles.  I wish I could say that I have lost tons of weight or have dropped several dress sizes but I haven't.  I might be down one size and my weight stays the same.  Not quite sure what to do but I am still plugging away.

February Findings

February has come quickly and is going just as fast.  I can't believe that we are already 2 weeks into the month.

I had my follow up with my new Dr. and he was happy with my progress, but was not happy that I would use a small amount of Splenda in my morning decaf.  He told me I was poisoning my body.  Since I respect my new found Dr., I am kicking the artificial sweetener habit.  Out came my unopened jar of Brown Rice Syrup.

It actually isn't that bad.  It is less sweet than honey and agave nectar but it does have lots of calories.  (150 calories per 2 TBSP)  Not sure I want to go this route too often because I will start packing on the 15 pounds I have just lost.  It tastes similar to honey but I'm not sure I like that particular taste in my morning cup of Joe.

He wants me to continue with the elimination diet and be more diligent about adding foods back in slowly.  He also took me off my vitamin D.  My last set of tests I was in normal range.  (this hasn't happened in over 5 years!!!!   Could it possibly be the new eating style??  I wonder)  So off all supplements and vitamins with the exception of my antibiotic and probiotic.

I still remain gluten, dairy free and sugar free.  I believe I am feeling much better without the gluten in my body.  We'll see how things go.  Now if I can only get my butt to the gym........................

Winter Woes

Winter is definitely with us. 

The month of January here in New England has been a month of snow storms, hitting us with 4 to 24 inches of snow at a time.  I am enjoying the days off due to school closings but my back is chronically sore from all the shoveling and snow blowing.  I look at it as my exercise for the day.


The elimination diet has ended and I have been adding back some foods to my diet.  I'm not quite sure if I would say that I feel fantastic as some allude to after they eliminated gluten and such from their diet.  The first 3 weeks of the diet I had a nasty cold that kept me in bed quite a bit.  I know, you probably think that it's the detox that happens when you eliminate so many foods from your diet but, my soul mate and hubby had been sick for a month.


I have added a cup of regular coffee back into my diet with no ill effects.  I am swaying more towards drinking naturally decaf. coffee with a treat on the weekends of regular coffee.  I am still using splenda because I haven't gotten my nerve up to use stevia (which I think has an awful aftertaste.) or brown rice syrup ( I have a jar bought and it's sitting in my pantry)


I also added wine back in.  This I know is not a good thing for me.  It makes me crave potato chips and other not so good food items.  I will cut back on this and save the wine for special events.


I tried adding oranges back in and the one time I ate an orange, it made me feel very bloated and gassy.  I will try it again to see if it was a fluke or not.


Eggs are back in my life.  I had them a few mornings with no ill effects.  Thank goodness because that was my source of protein for my salads.  There's nothing better than a sunny egg and 1/2 of an Udi's bagel to start the day.



I am remaining gluten and dairy free (with the exception of eggs) along with being sugar free.  Beginning in March, I will go back on a strict elimination diet to see if I will continue to feel better.  I heard that it could take a few months for your body to respond.

Welcome 2011

A new year has begun and not without trials and tribulations.  My goal this year is to be fabulous by my 50th birthday.  That gives me ten months to work on myself.

Thinking back on 2010 brings both tears and smiles.  Tears for Amelia's surgeries and very long long road to recovery, along with my diagnosis of Chronic Lyme Disease.  The Lyme diagnosis was a blessing in disguise.  At least I know now that all the symptoms I have been having these past 3 years or so was not all in my head.  Smiles...for the promise of a great year to come.  Smiles when I watch Amelia return to horseback riding and loving it.  Smiles for the gains I am making by cleaning up my diet and take on a healthy greener lifestyle.

Although I still tested positive for Lyme a few months back, this will not get me down.  Still on antibiotics and now on an "elimination" diet for the month of January, this brings me closer to health.

Happy New Year!

One week down and a lifetime to go.....

I think I've decided to stop "measuring" life.  It seems like every endeavor I attempt has to be a "challenge".  Why should I check off each day that I am "one day closer to finishing my antibiotics" or "anther day down with no drinking of wine", or "another day not eating meat"....I am starting to ask myself why?  Each day should be an adventure, not a challenge.  I am starting to tweak the way I think about and go about living each day.  Just being and making better choices each day.


My cleansing is going well.  I don't feel any great difference and no major bowel changes have taken place.  I joke each night with my family that it's time for me to drink my "sludge".  It's exactly what it looks like and tastes like.   Not very pleasant but it's an important step in my treatment.  At times I get a bit overwhelmed with all the pills, sprays and such I have to take each day.  I even made up an excel spreadsheet to keep myself organized and on track.  My great fear is that at the end of my 3 month antibiotic regime, I will still test positive for Lyme.  I will deal with that when the time comes......for now, positive thoughts and hopes that I can get a fitness routine going.

Oh Happy Day!

30 day cleanse here I come...

Yesterday started my 30 day colon cleanse as prescribed as my next step in treatment.  For the next month, I will be taking a digestive stimulant at dinnertime with a cleansing powder mixture that reminds me of green sludge just before bed.  I mix it with apple juice but it's still pretty nastey stuff.  This is supposed to help me rid all the stuff the antibiotics are killing off.  Plus it will help me repair my poor liver.  It's been on overdrive the last few years.

The next few weeks will be tough.  My plan is to not have any alcohol while I am cleansing.  Good luck to me.

When life gives you lemons.......

Life is an amazing journey.  The first step is to trust that where ever your road takes you, that is the place you were meant to be.  I was determined to re-start my journey several months ago but the road I am traveling on had different ideas.

Let me explain.....  this past year has been a rollercoaster ride.  Our daughter had major surgery, two actually, at the beginning of the summer.  The stress of that event has sent my body into a tailspin.  After many years of not feeling myself, exhausted, stressed, achy, gaining 20 pounds, feeling just really negative about everything, I decided to see a homepathic doctor.  After having my GP tell me that I have been feeling depressed, prescribing an antidepressant (which made me feel even worse) and recommending that I should go to Weight Watchers to lose 25 pounds, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  I found a wonderful doc, I will call him my Angel, who listened to me, actually listened to my concerns, my feelings and my symptoms.  After blood, uring and saliva testing, I was finally diagnosed with Lyme Disease, on top of my adrenal system being pretty much shut down.

Now my focus isn't just to lose weight, which I haven't successfully done in a long time, but to battle Lyme Disease.  I have now been on a very high dose of antibiotics for just over 2 months (which made me sick each morning).  We are hoping that at the end of 3 months, I will be Lyme free.....we shall see.  I have been focused and determined with the help of my angel, to bring my body and spirit back to health and wellness.  Here's my game plan:

1.  Continue antibiotics til November 10 (3 months)

2.  Continue to take Cat's Claw (AM and PM) to help boost my immune system

3.  Continue to take a high dose probiotic (AM and PM)  This I believe has helped with me not getting Colitus.

4.  Continue with my adrenal/neurotransmitter medication.  I can't believe how much better I have been feeling emotionally with this course of treatment.  I am in phase 2 and am starting to feel like the old me again.

5.  Start my colon cleansing this weekend.  This will help my body rid itself of what the antibiotics are killing off. 

6.  Continue to reduce the amount of meat that I eat, substituing organic meats where I can.

7.  Continue to add fresh vegetables and fruits to my diet.

8.  Try to start an exercise routine, even if that just means a daily walk.

9.  Stretch each morning and start the day with a positive outlook.

10.  Be happy.

So there it is.....for now.