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Lulu's autoimmune diary


lulucandoit!

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Lulu, it's amazing to read through your log and see how your mood and attitude have changed. In your first few posts, you sounded depressed and maybe a little frantic. Now I'm reading a very positive person who is getting back into health. Congratulations!

Martihana, I hadn't really noticed until I went back and read my earlier entries. I am rather shocked at how much has changed in such a short amount of time. I think physically feeling bad takes such a toll on attitude. The better I feel, the easier it is to have a positive attitude.

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Day 32: I ended up unexpectedly spending the day and evening at the Georgia Organics conference in Atlanta. I attended a workshop on how to ferment veggies and fruit (beet kvass and sauerkraut are happening today!). And another one on herbal tonic cooking. And another on growing herbs. I got to sample herbal teas of all kinds, sample homemade kraut, kimchee and soured fruit. Sanjay Gupta spoke before dinner. He was wonderful about the toxicity of sugar, but also said we needed to avoid fat and all animal products - basically promoted a vegan lifestyle. :blink:

Dinner was all organic and focused on veggies, so that was fine. I ate lots of greens and turnips, avoided the sweet potato mash that might have contained sugar. There was roasted chicken which was delicious. The dessert - chocolate bread pudding with candied beets was easy to turn down. However, I was dehydrated by the end of the night - drank a lot of water coming home and had a cup of coffee before we made the drive back. Had my magnesium when we got back and some sleepy tea. I then could not fall asleep until after 3 and I basically feel like garbage today. My eyes are hurting and I feel hungover. So, no late night coffee. Also, I have to start my AIP over because I had three helpings of homemade kimchee - one at the workshop and two at dinner - and didn't think about the fact that it had red peppers in it. I wonder if that is why I feel so bad today?

At any rate, it was an inspiring day - all about health, good farming and good food. I had been afraid to tackle fermented foods before and now I am not. My sleep hygiene is too important to mess up. I used to feel like this and worse every day and now, I know its avoidable.

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Day 33: Felt pretty bad due to lack of sleep and possible pepper and pecan consumption yesterday. Feel much better after a full day of home cooked meals and plenty of lounging around. Took a 2.5 mile walk in the late afternoon.

Breakfast and lunch were chicken and veggie soup. Dinner was beef heart slow cooked with onions, purple sweet potatoes, thyme and blueberries on a bed of fresh arugula. The heart was delicious. I am pleased that I will be the only one eating the leftovers.

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Day 34, Day 2 AIP: Slept 7.5 hours last night and felt much better today. I love getting more sleep. I love feeling better. I am still tired, but the pain has decreased a lot and I think I will be fine tomorrow. It is a cold, cloudy day here and rain is coming tonight, so I am writing and cooking -

Meal one is coffee with coconut milk, 2 TBS fish oil, olive leaf extract.

Meal two was beef heart, blueberries, onions, purple sweet potatoes. I think eating this last night is why I feel so much better today.

Meal three was a bowl of chicken veggie soup followed by a bowl of carrot and turnip soup with garlic fried sage leaves. I am loving sage right now.

I am drinking tulsi tea and tea made from fresh sage, rosemary and mint in the garden.

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Martihana, I actually cooked it in a slowcooker with fresh thyme, onions, purple sweet potatoes and blueberries. I read about those flavors somewhere. I like the slowcooker because I didn't have to cut it much in advance. Everything got tender and delicious.

I was up at 5:30 this morning because my husband had some outpatient surgery. I had amazing energy considering the hour. Took the dog for a 45 minute walk in the rain. It was lovely.

Today's meals:

Breakfast: coffee with coconut milk, carrot and turnip soup, sardines

Lunch: beef heart, sweet potatoes, onions, coconut milk and coffee

Dinner: Carrot and turnip soup with shredded beef, pink grapefruit

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Ah juzbo, I have been drinking coffee every morning for 30 years. I have given it up a few times when I was having extreme bladder problems. It is probably something I should investigate. I drink two cups of cold filtered coffee every morning right now. I feel better after I drink it and get headaches if I don't drink any. I have thought about tapering down, to avoid the headaches and see what life is like without it. I am working on my sleep hygiene right now. I am using a light box in the morning which I notice really helps. I do not drink any coffee after those first two cups. I am working on shutting off the blue light emitting devices earlier. Natural Calm definitely helps. So does not eating after dinner (I used to be a big night eater).

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Day 36, Day 4 AIP: did not sleep well last night. I was up at 5:30 yesterday and ran around a good bit taking care of my husband, who is thankfully just fine, and our puppy, who has had some new energy. I had a third cup of coffee in the middle of the day because I was so tired. I clearly cannot handle a third cup. Didn't get to sleep last night until 1. Also forgot the light box yesterday, which makes a difference.

Still, feel decent today. And the sun is out, which always brightens my mood. And my mood is generally better. Remembered the light box.

Breakfast: last piece of beef heart, blueberries, purple sweet potatoes and onions. I won't be able to afford grass fed heart very often, but wow, I have felt so good while I have been eating it regularly. Coffee with coconut milk.

Dinner: roast beef, turnip and sweet potato fries, kale salad with apple and homemade dressing. I struggle to eat that third meal when I eat such a substantial first meal.

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Sorry to hear about cancer running in your family. Any diabetes by any chance? I am constructing a personal theory that cancer and diabetes and eating disorders are all related to carb sensitivity causing inflammation. My dad, his brother, mother and grandmother had cancer, my mum had cancer ( and survived), she has diabetes now. My sister got diabetes to and has also had problems with alcohol, depression and disordered eating.

So for me the right diet and exercise are crucial. It's just hard finding what right is sometimes LOL

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No diabetes that I know of, thank goodness. But from everything that I am reading, heart disease and many other things are directly related to inflammation.

Got a good 7 hours of sleep last night, which is amazing for me. Made sure to do the light box again this morning as that seems to make a big difference.

Meal 1: I am starting to cut back on caffeine. First week, I'll drink one cup full strength and one cup 1/2 caf/decaf. We have carafes of both, cold filtered, so it isn't hard. I started today and feel fine so far. Had the first one black, fine and the second with coconut milk. Sardines, avocado, leftover kale and apple salad.

Meal 2: liver and onions cooked in bacon fat - possibly the best thing I have eaten so far on W30. Kale salad with apple and yacon. The yacon, which I put off trying until today, is delicious. Crispy like watermelon, slightly sweet.

I felt sick to my stomach this afternoon.

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W30 day 38, AIP 6: Had a good night's sleep - 7+ hours. My husband can't believe I am regularly going to sleep by 11. I got up early and felt great.

Meal 1: 1.5 cups coffee with coconut milk, sardines, fish oil. I could not eat after I finished the sardines. Not sure why, but I have been nauseated for the last two days.

Meal 2: Oven roasted pork roast on romaine with homemade guacamole, salsa verde and yakon, my new crunchy veggie/fruit

Meal 3: pink grapefruit, coconut flakes

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W30 39, AIP 7: Did not sleep well at all. No idea why, but could not fall asleep until 1. Felt nauseas, had a headache. Had a headache that woke me up super early this morning. Maybe I am coming down with something? I feel great in some respects - more energy, super clear sinuses. I know I have not been getting enough food for the last three days. I have felt sick to my stomach and spent a fair portion of those days trying not to throw up. When I eat, I just make myself and then try not to get sick. I am 1000% sure I am not pregnant. Three is plenty for me. Maybe I am detoxing from the AIP stuff?

The only thing that has truly tasted good is cold pink grapefruit.

I am going to make bone broth today and hope that maybe I am just missing soup.

Breakfast today was cold pickled organic chinese cabbage that I picked up at an asian grocery store near my house that I have never been to. I poured some of the juice from it into my beet kvass, which has been sitting for a week and does not seem to be sour at all. I had my coffee, coconut milk, fish oil. Tried to eat some leftover roasted pork and thought I would heave.

I have a fancy dinner planned: Plantain tostados with cilantro lime pork roast, guacamole and salsa, modified from this recipe: http://zenbellyblog....auce-guacamole/. The pork is already cooked so I am going to heat it up with a variation of that sauce, minus the chilli powder. Can't do the salsa.

Wait. Just realized I had green salsa last night made with some tomatillos. Are tomatillos nightshades? Why yes, thank you Google, they are. I am an idiot. Maybe that is why I felt so bad last night! I read that label twice last night and kept thinking, this salsa verde is too good to be true. So focused on the familiar nightshades that it did not occur to me to check tomatillos.

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I had a good night's sleep, but only 5.5 hours. Still, I woke with no headache, which I appreciate. My daughter came for dinner last night and loved it. My youngest, who had just come home from a birthday party where he chugged two bottles of water and felt sick, changed his mind and ate dinner once he saw the spread. Those plantain things were super easy to make and delicious. I also roasted an acorn squash with coconut oil and salt and my daughter and I loved it. She had two bowls of it (she was going to make popcorn and changed her mind after she tasted it :) ).

Today I am going to focus on eating three meals.

Breakfast: Leftover salad (romaine, lots of carrots, apple, yacon, olive oil and vinegar), leftover pork, butternut squash. Cold food was better in the morning and today I had no nausea.

Lunch: sardines, salad

Dinner: chicken soup with cabbage, turnips and carrots. Husband made it, so it was extra delicious. The first time I haven't cooked in a meal in a while.

I definitely felt better today. My eyes are still inflamed, but other than that, i really felt good today.

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Slept about 6.5 hours. I think I must have had a bug because I woke up hungry today. Yes! Really hungry as a matter of fact. I had a big bowl of chicken veggie soup and am about to have another for breakfast. Read up a bit more on AIP. I have been feeling deprived in the spice department. I miss curry, dammit. However, I am pretty sure that I have a very messed up digestive system. It's so messed up that I don't really think about it. Somehow, over the last 7 years, I have come to accept regular bouts of diarrhea and random bloating that suddenly makes my pants super tight as, well, normal. I was on an antibiotic for over a year. Came off of it to go on a strong antiviral, which I am still taking.

I need to think about AIP for the long haul. Maybe a very long haul. I am going to plant more fresh herbs this spring. I feel lucky to have what I have (thyme, sage, parsley, chives, oregano, a bit of mint). Will have to wait a big for cilantro and basil. Tarragon will come back and so will lemon balm.

I would rather be healthy than eat curry, that's for sure. So, I'm not completely insane. I am going to focus on eating fermented food every day. I forgot about it. I am also going to try and incorporate some yoga into my life more regularly.

We are going on vacation next week, and instead of focusing on treat foods, as I so often did in the past, I need to focus on fun activities and relaxing. And how much better I am feeling overall.

Meal 1: coffee with coconut milk, chicken veggie soup, sardines, fermented cabbage

Meal 2: chicken veggie soup

Meal 3: water buffalo pot roast (!) with carrots, turnips and onions and almonds

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W30 day 42: Messed up the AIP with nuts last night. I felt like I was throwing an emotional temper tantrum. It took much longer for the pot roast to cook than I had planned and I was hungry by 9 pm and had no leftovers. My heart rate went up 40 bpm after I ate them so almonds are out. I didn't even like them very much. This morning I feel achey, especially my legs and feet.

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Ooh, that's no good but useful to see the reaction! I ate the last of my walnuts last night, no more nuts in the house now. And today I will finish the last of the compliant bacon I found which unfortunately has garlic in and causes problems.... Hmm might have one last coffee today since I will be out of sorts anyway.... Then looking for a good stretch without issues!

I wish I could find some fermented foods to have.....

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W30 Day 42, AIP 1:

Argh. I was down for the count yesterday. I would never have guessed that I would have such a strong reaction to almonds. I feel a bit like the princess and the pea. :rolleyes: The only good thing about it was that it showed me how serious my reactions can be to some of the AIP foods. And a reminder that I felt like I did yesterday on a very regular basis. Now that I haven't been for a few weeks, I realize how bad it can be and how easily it can change for the better.

Yesterday I felt like I had been poisoned. I could hardly get out of bed all day.

Meal 1: coffee with coconut milk, fish oil, sardines, whole avocado, grapefruit. I find I do much better with cold food in the morning. It does not make me sick.

Meal 2: borscht! I love homemade borscht and I hadn't made it in a while. It was delicious - full of beets, cabbage, onions and beef in homemade bone broth.

Meal 3: pot roast with water buffalo, onions, carrots and turnips. Meh. Not so happy with my pot roasts. Made this one in the oven to see if it was significantly different than the slow cooker.

Realize, writing this down, that I haven't been getting green veggies and will work on that today. I do feel much better today.

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I wish I could find some fermented foods to have.....

juzbo, I found organic fermented cabbage (ingredients: chinese cabbage, salt) at the little asian food grocery nearby. It's in the refrigerated section. The fancy organic store nearby carries Bubbies sauerkraut, which is also compliant. Reminds me, I have to check my kvass today...

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W30 Day 43, AIP 2:

I feel so much better today. Hungry in the morning, good energy, much less pain. This will make it much easier to be compliant, when I know that certain foods make me hurt.

Breakfast: sardines, fermented cabbage, blueberries, coconut milk, coffee. My husband leaves for work when I pull out the bowl of sardines and fermented cabbage - he hates fish and this combination stinks to high heaven. but it is cold and I can handle it in the morning and it is super easy. The blueberries tasted sinfully good. I haven't eaten anything that sweet in a while.

Finally tried and then decanted my first batch of kvass. I love it. It is a bit salty, but I love salt now, so it's not a problem. It reminds me a little of kombucha. It's a tiny bit fizzy. I also scored 2 pounds of fresh tumeric root at my local Kroger. I had just been reading about it and then found some. They gave it to me for $.99 a pound so I was thrilled. I peeled a couple of rhizomes and boiled them with a bit of fresh ginger and made a pretty strong tea. So I am drinking some super healthy stuff these days.

I had pot roast, turnips and carrots for lunch and dinner yesterday. I also had sweet potato with coconut oil for dinner and a bit of disappointing pineapple. I hadn't had fresh pineapple in quite a while and this was not a very good one.

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