Combatting Inflammation with a LOW CARB Diet

Well I got through the Holidays. Ate way too much junk. Gained a few pounds and payed the price with lots of inflammation.  I had the ALCAT Blood Test done per my Pain Doc.  The results made me sad. It took me a couple of months to accept the reality that I was sensitive to Sugar, Gluten, Garlic, Onions, Peppers, Artichokes, Coffee and a host of other beloved foods. I am now ready to give the new diet a shot.  I decided to do a high protein, low carb diet. This choice seems to fit best.  Having Chronic Lyme throws the immune system out of whack. Inflammation runs ramped. I was reading that not only do these food sensitivities cause inflammation, but Lyme bacteria feeds off sugar.  So I believe this approach may be an answer.  I have been on the diet for five days. It's tough!  I didn't know I was a sugar addict until I began.  The cravings are brutal. I also get headaches and increased body aches.  I read that this is all normal because I'm DETOXING.  I actually have moments that I feel like a true addict. I have to talk to myself and convince myself not to eat the gorgeous cupcake sitting on my counter.  I never looked at myself to have an addictive personality.  But man, this is hard work.  I take one day at a time. I draw on the support of the 4 F's.  Faith, Friends, FB and Family.  I need to do this. Not only for the weight but for my health. If it proves to work then this will need to become a lifestyle.

Being Thankful Regardless.

I couldn't get out of bed for a few days. When I mustered the energy, I went to see my primary physician who is also my Lyme doctor.  I told him the brief history from the summer months on. I explained about the oral surgery, the steroids and the antibiotics.  He totally agreed with me. Man, how often does that happen? We as patients can usually figure things out for ourselves. We live with the pain and symptoms every day.  Anyway, he told me that steroids are one of the worst things a doctor can give to a Lyme patient. It makes sense, because it shuts the immune system down and the bacteria go on a growing spree.  That's exactly what was stirred up in September.  After starting this second round of Doxycycline for the re-infected bone graft, the Lyme started to die off  and at the same time overloaded my body with toxins. This is what causes the classic Herxheimer reaction.  It basically feels like your body got rolled over by an 18 wheeler.  It's brutal. I just need to rest and keep flushing with fluids. So, at the very least, I know it's not the food sensitivities causing me to have this extreme pain. Although, I am sure my immune system will be much happier if I eliminate and cut back on certain foods especially sugar.   Now I just need to stay focused on getting through this flare.  Been down this path many many times.  Thank God I am going to my brothers for Thanksgiving.  I know I couldn't handle the holiday myself.  With all that goes on in a chronically ill persons life, there is always something to be thankful for. We have to work very hard to turn our thoughts away from our aching and broken bodies and look to all our blessings.  In doing that, it offers a bit of pain relief because our brain is only capable of  focusing on one thought at a time.  So count your blessings despite how crappy you feel.  ;)

A name for my other Mysterious Disease?

I know it's been a long time since I've blogged.  I was quite busy planning my daughter's wedding. It was a good distraction. The wedding was beautiful and the couple is very happy.
My "Lyme " pain persisted and the herbs did not work. I tried to ignore it and threw lots of pain killers and muscle relaxers at it. The warm weather moved in and I felt pretty good.  In August I needed a bone graft for a tooth implant. An infection eroded the bone in my jaw.  For 2 1/2 weeks post- op I was symptom free for the first time in like FOREVER!  I had no idea why but I was so incredibly excited. That excitement soon turned into disappointment when I figured out that the oral surgeon had given me dexadron.  Dexadron is a steroid. Steroid's reduce inflammation.  All my inflammation was gone, at least temporarily. But when the steroid wore off, the pain was back with a VENGEANCE!  I couldn't move my shoulder or elbow. At first, I wasn't thinking Lyme.  Lyme does not tend to stay to one joint. It tends to jump around.  The pain persisted and grew in intensity. Not even my pain meds were working.  I went to see my pain doctor. After talking and crying to him, he said he really felt I had EDS ( ELHERS DANLOS SYNDROME). It would explain a lot of the problems I've had all my life. All the crazy undiagnosed signs and symptoms. It's a genetic disorder. No surprise there. The collagen (the stuff that gives skin and tissues its elasticity and strength)) does not form properly. This explains the tethered spinal cord, the intestinal bleeding, the enormous amount of scar tissue found during my brain and spinal surgeries, my pre-mature old looking hands and a host of other problems like my stomach and esophagus issues.  BUT, my doc said it does not explain the severity of my pain in the joints. He felt the pain was too severe for EDS. So he was thinking that perhaps it's food sensitivity.  He sent out blood work (ALCAT) for testing.  Well, I almost started to cry when the results came back!!!! I actually didn't cry, but I wined for days!!!! I'm still whining.

Lyme Disease...It's Baaaaaaaaaaaack.

I had been feeling pretty good and seemed to be making some strides and then it happened.  I awoke with pain in my elbow.  What in the world could I have done? I thought maybe I just pulled a muscle. As the days went by, the pain began to creep. It moved to my back and then leg muscles, and then my knee and ankle joints started to hurt. The fatigue started to take hold. It was getting more difficult to get out of bed in the morning. That all too familiar stiffness snuck it's way back into my life. I tried to ignore it, but it persisted. After two weeks of not feeling any better, I drove to my Doc.  Yup....The Lyme was raring it's ugly head again. I had been symptom free for 3 years. I asked the phyician, "could my stomach problem possibly be caused by Lyme also"? To my surprize, he asnswered "yes".  He explained that there was a co-infection called Bartonella and that they are just beginning to explore this tricky little bacterium.  He said it can hide out in the mid-spinal region and reek havoc in the stomach.  I wonder if this is part of my problem.  I just had a bout of constant stomach pain and needed to have my esophagus dilated again.  It seems to be feeling better since the procedure.  I wasn't interested in taking antibiotics again. Been there, done that. Plus, antibiotics are so tough on my already cranky stomach. So, my Doctor put me on some Chinese herbs that are known to kill Lyme.  One of which I took years ago.  Today I started  taking the herbs again in hopes that the Lyme will leave me alone!  For those who are curious as to what I am taking....Houttuynia Cordata, Artemesia and Magnesium Malate.  Let's hope it works.....

Walking in the Windy City....

I really am happy. Although my pain is not completely gone, it is now tolerable and that is an awesome step in the right direction. I was very pleasantly surprised to have been able to walk as much as i did when I went to Chicago. My husband and I flew to the windy city to meet up with our son for "parent's weekend". We had gotten bus passes and what I thought was a hotel close to my son's apartment..... Our hotel was 5 blocks away!! I panicked slightly. I thought it was going to be too taxing on my body. I could not believe the amount of walking we did. But what was even more amazing was that I was capable of doing it. I think we must have walked at least 5 miles each day for 3 days! Now that may not seem like a big deal to you, but just months ago I needed a wheelchair to get through our small airport. I was in such bad shape that I couldnt even walk around the block without agonizing pain. Although I still had to take a little pain medicine, I was able to do it. In fact, my husband complained more about aches and pains the next day than I did! I am now down to Physical therapy every other week. I am riding my stationary bike daily without any discomfort. I have definitely made some pretty amazing strides and I pray I continue to do so. The surgery was a Godsend and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The Negatives always seem to stand taller than the positives.

So this is my first post in over a month.  Things have been going quite well for me overall. I decided to write because I've been feeling like crap for 5 days now.  It's important to document the bad days so that others going through this aren't taken by surprise.  The Negatives always seem to stand taller than the positives, don't they?  Anyway, my body has been experiencing shooting nerve pain everywhere. This morning I awoke with an all too familiar feeling. My body hurt so bad that it even hurt to take a deep breath.  I have not felt that way in quite some time.  I am hoping that this is just a temporary setback and that it is simply a result of the crazy weather we have been having.  I have always been a barometer and I doubt that will ever change.  The other contributor might be that I have spent an enormous amount of time in my car.  I forgot to put my "Tush Cush" pillow on the seat and maybe the positioning threw me off.  I hate driving!  It causes me more pain than any other activity.  I do feel bad for my kids though, because they never really understood why I had to refuse them when it came to driving them here and there.  The weather is much dryer today so I am hopeful I will begin to feel better. I may never be completely healed and that is something I will just have to accept. I am just grateful for all the things I am able to do now that I have not been able to do in almost 20 years!

The Beginning of the End?

Well it's been a little while since my last post.  Life has been crazy. Probably the busiest summer I have ever had in my life.  Getting ready to bring my son to Chicago to start college.  Bitter-sweet. Well, actually more bitter!  I am NOT liking this stage of life right now!  The hustle and bustle of the summer has set me back just a bit. Of course slipping in my bathroom and landing in a half split hasn't helped either.  A lot of major stressors have been thrown at me lately and I do believe that when one is bothered mentally or emotionally, then it effects the physical body too.  So, I am going to give myself a  pass here and just wait it out.  Still going to PT and that helps tremendously.  I am starting to feel the difference in my strength.  On the days I feel crappy, I just take it easy and try to free up my calendar. I still need the pain medicine more than I'd like, but I need to be patient about that too.  Being anxious never helps any situation.  I started walking a few times a week. It's not painful anymore. That is definitely a milestone for me. Some of the fatigue came back, but I have to believe that it's related to the stress.
I also had some lower back pain which kind of freaked me out. Come to find out, it's a scar tissue build up. So my PT is squishing and squashing it until it breaks up. Such Bliss!  Well, it is a necessary evil. It has to be dealt with because it has the capacity to torture for life..
Anyway, I want to lose weight now. Not easy when you cant exercise and you LOVE food.  Especially good food. I just don't want to put all the effort into it. It's too much work and I always eventually gain it back.  I KNOW that is a bad attitude so I think I will need to start a weight loss Blog.  I have a year to take off the weight. My daughter will be married next September and I refuse to look like a chubby, dowdy Mother-of-the-Bride! Not that I am the center of attention, but those pictures will be FOREVER!
Until my next BLOG...........................