Posted in Health

I've been trying to clean up my diet, since due to the twins' birthday I kind of got off track with the sugar stuff. There is a difference in my reactions to various foods with sugar, I've noticed. Even though I do better off sugar completely (except for maybe honey or xylitol), there are certain foods that have a much worse effect on me than others. Unfortunately I had been having some of those foods & really took a nosedive physically.

I was already not doing so great, so that was not needed! Lots of aches & pains lately have been pushing me to get those vitamins in, especially to be more diligent with the D3 liquid. I should probably get back on the tumeric as well, to help with the inflammation. Lately I've had a wierd pain/issue with my one ankle & calf; almost feels like it may be a tendon or something but I'm not sure. I've been trying to ignore it, but today had a knee injury (story here), so now i may have to get some attention for those issues.

I feel like I'm falling apart & need to be put back together!

Posted in Health

Well, I'm feeling lousy. Everyday stress & a child's birthday have not helped my giving up sugar & eating better efforts. I'd love to juice again but have not even pulled my juicer out! I liked juicing, but didn't really feel it made a difference in my health (even though I'm sure it was good for me). I would like to start again, mostly because it was really helpful to me last time in transitioning into giving up other things, such as wheat. Once I get going I think I'll be able to go more into an SCD type diet, which was very healing for me before I became pregnant with the twins. It was tough though; yeast die off is real! Going through that helped me experience a little of what my children go through, so I could understand the crazy behaviors a lot better!

I'm concerned about daily life while healing. Last time I felt so off balance with the die off, & I can't take activated charcoal while nursing, so I'm going to have to stick it out somehow. I'm going to stay with a better probiotic this time so maybe that will help.

I have a new book coming in about some "superfoods"; it also lists how many times a week they should be eaten, ideally. It looked interesting & from the little I read nothing I hadn't really heard before, but I liked the idea of a guide. Most of the foods are not SCD "legal", so I'm not sure which way I'll go, but I could use that as a transition too, then maybe do SCD for a while to try to heal the gut, & as I can tolerate them go back to the "superfoods" little by little.

More on that when it comes in...for now I'd like to give up the sugar again & somehow have to stick out the horrible withdrawal, yet again! I'm going to try to keep in mind this is best for the babies; I can usually do things better if it's for the kids & not just for me.

Posted in Health

I'm excited to finally have some helpful things on board for myself at least!

I have started taking D3, but thanks to my good friend friends4tea I'm going to start on drops that are much more absorbable. I ordered them today. I'm also happy to be going on Armour thyroid finally. According to my tests this one is long overdue. It should also help my milk supply as an added bonus for the Ladybugs!

I also started on tumeric the other day, then forgot to take it again. So I have to make sure that is part of my regular vits & supps since it's supposedly good for inflammation, which is a huge issue right now. I hope to add it to Little Guy's stuff as well, but right now I'm trying something else new for him & don't want to do two new things at once.

Today is hectic as the kiddos go for their checkups. I hate going to germy doctor's offices! But I have a few things to discuss with him so we are going.

Posted in Health

As much as I hate sport's analogies, I could really use a "game plan"!

How does one take care of 6 children, 2 babies, 2 severely autistic, homeschool, get the chores done (as minimally as I do), & fit in some time to get myself in order physically, spiritually, mentally (not necessarily in that order)?

I took my vitamins 2 days in a row; wow, banner week! I had to add in Tumeric for the inflammation. I'm going to try to get that one down my Little Guy too soon. I also added back in the CLO for myself. I used to take 3 t of Green Pasture per day; I'm starting back at 1 which is enough for now. So I've got a good natural prenatal, transfer factor, C, garlic, my EFAs (including CLO & DHA), tumeric, Neprinol (systemic enzyme), folic acid, More Milk Plus, & now D3 as well, since my levels are extremely low.

BUT, I again, need to remove sugar from my diet. Two steps forward, 3 back... ugh!

I have some great Christian videos from Praisemoves, which I hope to get into. She has a great Christian alternative for yoga, & in short increments for someone like me. There is another workout video she has that is also short, 10 minutes I believe... I don't know if I can fit it in anyway! But the energy isn't quite there, so hopefully that will lift as I get my vitamins in me on a more regular basis & clean up my diet more. Either full out SCD or BED are necessary here... so I have to make up my mind & crack down. Whatever seems more "doable" at this point I guess. Making it manageable to keep up is tough. Feeding everyone else well is always the priority.

I need to keep up with my Bible readings & try to get some reading in on some of the books I have; maybe a little each day on those. I lost all motivation for a while. After getting my test results back I know it's more then a situational thing; it's definitely physical. I still feel it & hope it lifts soon. I need to get more productive, like, now!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me... Philippians 4:13

Posted in Health

I went to have my blood draw done on Sat, an event in itself. Just getting out of the house these days is monumental (everyone was waiting in the car). A rather cranky lady looked at my sheet & told me the codes weren't on there & that we'd be charged for it & it would be very expensive. I called my practitioner from there but of course there was no answer on Sat (she does work some Sats though so I took a chance). Anyway, I was more then upset being I had tried to get this done once before, met the cranky lady & a room full of waiting people, & actually left saying I'd try another day when they were so busy. This time I didn't want to leave.

So after explaining how I have 6 kids, two severely autistic, can't get out, yadda yadda, boo hoo, she said she would put it in the computer so that they would contact them. She also said my practitioner could call or fax the codes into them the following week (which is what happened).

The results came back fast; I got an email from my pratitioner today. She was not in the office so will have to double check a few things from my previous blood work well over a year ago. But she did say my Vitamin D was extremely low... Apparently 50 is needed for "optimal health" & mine is 12.5. She said this can contribute to autoimmune disease & fibromyalgia (I have symptoms). Needless to say she wants me on vitamin D3 (best absorption) pronto... & a large daily dose at that. (It's fine for me while nursing).

Get out in the sun? Not gonna happen. I can't chase my severely 13yo & 2yo around, hold or push around baby twins & keep track of two other kids besides, not even in the fenced yard! It just doesn't happen.

I have to go back on my CLO as well. Green Pasture is the best; high Vit A & good D. Not enough so I'll still have to supplement the D.

I have other elevated levels such as my CRP; I still have to read the attachment she sent but basically it means there is inflammation. Something's up. I've had this before but I don't know if it was this much. She'll let me know when she checks my previous tests. Right now I'll start on Tumeric herb probably for the inflammation at least.

I guess I really should start trying to get those vitamins in me consistently.

I'm still off "obvious" sugar, but having a tough day & wanting to jump off the wagon... so far I haven't yet.

Posted in Health

I know it's a bit early, & we still have some snow on the ground, but I've never been a winter person & I am ready for Spring to come, so at least it has come to this blog!

I'm still off all obvious sugar, although there has been some as ingredients, mostly in bread products, that I've had, so that needs to go too. I'm a bit sluggish & my EBV is still flaring a bit. I'm tired a lot, have very little endurance & stamina, have aches & pains here & there that shouldn't be, & last night began to have restless legs again interfering with sleep. These are all part of it & probably stemming from yeast issues.

I started drinking a bit of the Cocobiotic I got from Body Ecology, & it is an odd taste but something I can tolerate. It is VERY fizzy! I do believe it has had a good effect on my digestive system immediately. I don't think I could get it into the kiddos though, so I will be trying to make coconut water kefir this week & see if that might work for them.

More on it all soon...

Posted in Health

I went "online shopping" the other day & did not pick out any sweets or treats. I did some meal planning for next week, now it will depend on each day as to what gets done. Yesterday I really wanted to add a treat or two to the list, however, I didn't. I was hungry at the time (nursing two makes me very hungry sometimes) so I just ate a good dinner & felt better. I am eating too much wheat right now, but am allowing it while I transition out of the sugary stuff. I did get a mild headache last night but not nearly as bad as the last time I tried to give up sugar a few weeks ago. Today I still feel mildly groggy but am more upbeat generally, so I think things are getting better.

Now's the time when I could keep going & get over the bad parts & get to feeling good, or I could fall again & go back to the beginning... I teter on the edge at times!

I have to go health food shopping tomorrow (& I actually go into the store for this) & they often have some nice treats there, so I will have to be careful. I plan on getting some blood work done, hopefully before going & will eat a sandwhich after so I don't go in hungry. If I get tempted I will allow myself a plainer salty snack or a natural juice.

I don't think I could handle this any other way. If I didn't have so much going on at home & I could just drop it all I would, but the stress gets enormous here with taking care of my autistic kiddos & their biomed treatments so I do reach for stuff to "get me through". I'm trying to make better decisions of what to reach for, for now.

Yesterday I hit a bad spot so I made a protein shake. The brand is "Jay Robb" & it's sweetened with stevia. I'm okay with stevia as it doesn't "set me off" as much as other forms of sugar. Honey is SCD "legal" & works well too. I hope to be able to make some honey sweetened SCD cookies next week perhaps. I have some "Coco Biotic" from Body Ecology Diet which I hope to try as well. I'd love to get the kids on it. It's supposed to help heal the gut & reduce those nasty sugar cravings. I'll post on how that goes. I also hope to make coconut kefir as soon as my coconut water is delivered.

The depression & overwhelming sadness was getting bad. I feel it lifting a bit as the effects of all the sugar leaves me. I still get overwhelmed. I hear so many bad things about kids being damaged by vaccs (see my other blog for LOTS of info on this), other bad news in our society, & live with the effects of vaccs on my oldest & other meds on my 2yo. Two of my others have yeast issues at the least, so the behaviors get so difficult day in & day out. We also hardly ever get out. It's way too tough with baby twins & a severely autistic 13yo. Today we're going to pick up my food order, but that's easy as they bring it to our car (thank you Lord). It will be good to at least get some fresh air, even if just driving somewhere, even for just a short time.

I also need to offer the Lord more praise & thanks. I haven't "felt" Him here lately but I hope after the sugary cloud goes down I can see things more clearly & in a more positive light. Our feelings aren't always indicative of the truth, as He can be with us even when we don't "feel" it. Getting lost in the trials of life doesn't allow for much time to feel Him either...I have also neglected my Bible readings. Hmmmm... I see a theme.

Posted in Health

My daughter just turned 6, (see my other blog for the pics) so being there was just a birthday I can't say the giving up the sugar thing is going too well... It's interesting how I can limit it for my kiddos, keep their diets pretty clean, give them their vitamins & supplements faithfully (being spectrum kiddos they need it all done), however, when it comes to taking care of mommy, well.. it's not happening!

I'm going to have to try some of the SCD ways of getting around this. I can make jello (yum yum)... it has to be the plain, gelatin, flavored with no sugar juices (Apple & Eve is good). I can also make some SCD cookies; there were some good ones that we used to gobble up when we were on the diet (serious rationing needed on those). Since everyone is on serious yeast treatment, they really can't "dig in" & have fun with the sweets at all right now. Those could get me through the rough spots perhaps, IF I can find time to make them (& the energy!).

Being I'm dealing with yeast myself, I hope to use some of the things I use for my kids for myself. Their probiotic is so expensive that I've been using a cheaper one, but I could double it up (it would still be a LOT cheaper then theirs!). I'm going to be trying out coconut kefir for everyone soon too. Check out the Body Ecology Diet book; very helpful info for people fighting yeast. It's supposed to be very healing, even moreso then probiotics. If someone turns up not tolerating coconut I can give them kefir water. It will be interesting to see if I can get this into them though; that's always the challenge. I like it that I can do this myself too. With nursing twins I often have to be conservative with what I take, but that should be great for all of us.

On another note some self control has to come into play here as well. Isn't that one of the fruits of the spirit? (Galatians 5:22-23). Excuses come easy for me. I really need that chocolate; in fact, I deserve it! I'm sitting here blogging & listening to my kiddos DVD from VeggieTales, Larry Boy and the Bad Apple. It's all about resisting temptation. Coincidence? Maybe as much a coincidence as when the store "forgot" my peach pie... (see previous entry).

It's also interesting to note when the self control doesn't happen some other fruits go out the window as well... where's the peace, patience, kindness, etc, when one is on a sugar crash?

Some organization would help... basic meal planning. The kiddos have to have very plain meals, with little variety. It's kind of a downer actually. But I have to keep in mind that we're healing here, so things need to be done differently at least for now. The occasional treat for some of them is okay, such as for a birthday, but then back on the wagon they go!

Now I need to climb up there with them!

Posted in Health

So I tried, & almost made it, then I fell again.

I went off sugar, just the obvious kind. After the initial lousy withdrawal, I felt better. Then came the downfall.

My parents dropped off gifts for my daughter, & called me later to let me know. (Long story there). When we brought them in there was a bag FULL of candy. I had thought it was well known I don't feed my children candy, but I guess not. If anyone would have been used for the "temptation"... well, anyway...

I fell & ate some of the cookies they had in the bag as well as some jelly beans. Ugh. Now I'm back to feeling droopy. So I guess I learned. I'm going to try again; I'll get back up again. I did feel good for a couple of days. At least I threw everything else out.

I really think Satan does not want me to feel good. When I feel good I'm better for my family. I can do more with my kids; I can handle the stress better. It all goes south with the sugar. I think it's a spiritual battle here. I have so much to do & need to be on top of my game & I'm just not right now. I have to change that.

Lord give me Your strength...

Posted in Health

I created this blog in the hopes it would help keep me accountable to growing spiritually, as a person, as a Christian, & getting in better health as well. So what have I been doing?

Okay, I've got one. I've been Bible reading almost everyday. That online Bible reading program has been a huge blessing. It's helped me in my understanding as well. For some reason reading off the screen helps (maybe because I stare at it so much otherwise).

I have yet to clean up my diet & it just must be done. I keep saying the usual ... "tomorrow". Yeah right. Tomorrow comes & I'm too tired, stressed, the babies are cranky, too much school to do, some problem creeps up, too much biomed to research, behind on laundry, it's Thursday instead of Monday, it's cloudy out, the sun is shining too bright, it's cold out, it's too warm ... well, you get the picture.

The problem is I need to give up sugar, at the very least the obvious forms, then I can transition into giving up the extra in various foods. The problem is withdrawal. Sugar is a very addictive substance. It really messes with the body. I've gone through withdrawal before & it's not a pretty picture. It is never an easy experience. After about a week it gets better though. When I get down to it that week will be a very long one (for all of us I'm afraid).

I usually feel pretty good after that, so it will be worth it. I'll just keep telling myself that.

Then comes more diet clean ups, but that's the biggie that needs to happen first.

I need to lose weight, but I'm not going to be "dieting" in the traditional sense. I can't while nursing twins anyway. They still need the milk & I need the energy so cutting too many calories at this point is not a good idea. Cutting back a bit should make somewhat of a difference.

I have some bloodwork to get done too; I really want my thyroid checked. I have the Rx for the blood draw but haven't done it yet. Over a year ago I was suspect for Hashimoto's, which means it was sluggish. My adrenals were too. I've got to have those checked & get on top of it as hopefully that will help in many ways.

I'm trying to focus on health here... and the health of my babies. If I can start eating better, they will be affected in a good way as well.

Prayer are appreciated so I can get to it... "tomorrow".

Posted in Health

Health-wise I've had some setbacks. The babies are teething & keeping me up more so I'm SO tired. Because I am quite run down at the moment I managed to catch this virus going around my family. At present myself & hubby are the only ones afflicted. I have been taking my vitamins though. I don't take much extra being I'm nursing; I'm a bit conservative there. If it continues tomorrow I may take a Lysine, which is good for its antibacterial effects. I just hope the kiddos stay completely better for this week's chelation round. You can always find that info on my other, main blog.

I have a new book & study coming in this week that I hope strengthens my Christian walk. I'll blog on that as I go along with it. Finding the time to read will be a challenge! I have many books I want to get to... so many books, so little time.

My online Bible reading program has been a huge blessing. So far I'm keeping up well.

My husband commented that our Little Guy is making better eye contact lately. Since I rarely hear anything like that I found it quite encouraging. And thankfully the kiddos have been getting all their vits & supps without interruption. I also think Butterfly has been more amiable lately, which is also helpful.

I wonder if part of the reason I managed to contract this virus has been my own yeast protocol. The Threelac we are all getting is pretty strong. I started off on one whole packet (talk about not easing into it!). Thankfully, I didn't do that to the kidlets. I went into some big die off; I still have a bit of a rash on my arms & a runny nose (aside from the virus). But that's okay. Now if I could give up sugar I might have a chance of actually clearing some yeast for myself!

I am so thankful, Lord, for my Little Guy sitting on my lap giving me great eye contact right now, & that we're going into the week with my lesson plans made & ready.

Now for some sleep, maybe?

Posted in Health

I didn't get quite enough water in today. Considering nursing twins is thirsty business (for me) I need that 64 oz at least. I got a bit more then half that though. I also got my Bible reading in today; had finished Ruth yesterday & read 1 Samuel 1-3 today. I'm really enjoying the online reading program. Why I can digest something better by reading it on a computer is beyond me, but it seems to work better for my brain. (Maybe I'm just staring at computers too much!).

I also took my vitamins today, but again missed my CLO (cod liver oil) & aloe vera juice. Those are both really important, so I need to stop missing them. My diet was, well, not so good today. I've really got to give up the bread & sugar; been feeding that yeast long enough now. It's on my mind often that I need to do that but I just haven't gotten up to the point of actually letting go yet...!

Lord willing, tomorrow is a new day to start again.