Progressing towards health
Mar. 16th, 2010 12:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pjthompsonThis has been a very distracted period for me. A lot of health inconveniences going on in my life right now. Nothing major, thank God, but things have conspired to make me low energy and cruddy-feeling.
My chronic stomach condition has been especially bad since the first part of the year, making me feel extremely sluggish and ickoid most of the time. My vitamin D deficiency may be a contributing factor in this, hard to say. But the good news is! I started a new treatment a couple of weeks ago which (fingers crossed) seems to be working and I've got this great influx of new energy. I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. Hope that continues.
Also, I've been on an obnoxious low-iodine diet since March 6 in preparation for a full body scan on March 19. Although I've been cancer-free for decades, I have to do these scans every five or six years as a precaution. I have no reason to suspect this one will be anything other than routine, but you know how it is: there's always a little niggling doubt in the back of my mind. A side effect of being a What If girl, I guess.
So, the diet means no iodized salt, no dairy, no soy, several kinds of beans are out, no seafood, only six ounces of meat a day, organic chicken only (iodine is an important component of factory chicken feed),* and no prepackaged or canned anything. Everything has to be made from scratch to avoid the possibility of getting either iodized salt, or some seafood or soy additive. I actually don't eat a lot of prepackaged stuff anymore because of the stomach ailment, but it would be nice to be able to use canned tomato sauce, bottled mustard, store bought bread and cereal, et al., rather than having to work it from scratch. And man oh man, do I miss my dairy! Plus, I need it for the vitamin D shortage. Dude, it's been so horrible! I've had to drink black coffee! Like, ewww. And no lattes! How can one woman bear so much pain?!? (/irony)
One good thing: I've been able to eat potatoes. I'd largely eliminated them from my diet except as an occasional thing, but it was hard for me to feel full on this diet no matter how many fruits and veg I ate, what with the limited protein, so lentils (one of the few beans I can eat) and potatoes have figured prominently. Oh, and corn meal. The roommate has kindly been making a lot of low-fat corn muffins and corn bread and wheat bread from scratch. She is a saint amongst women and really made this all much more bearable. The good news! is that all this healthy eating has also helped with the stomach issues. I'm going to transition back into South Beach once I'm allowed to eat dairy again.
And even with the irritating diet, this process is ten gazillion times better than it used to be. I used to have to go off all thyroid medications for 2-3 weeks which made me sick as a dog. I'd have to take medical leave from work and lie around the house feeling sick and weepy and morbid (as opposed to my usual just morbid). Now they've developed a process that allows me to stay on the meds and be...well, as close to normal as I ever am.
*Actually, I may stick with the organic chicken. It tastes so much better. Plus, all those chemicals are pretty ick. Bristol Farms has turned out to be cheaper than Von's in the organics. Go figure.
My chronic stomach condition has been especially bad since the first part of the year, making me feel extremely sluggish and ickoid most of the time. My vitamin D deficiency may be a contributing factor in this, hard to say. But the good news is! I started a new treatment a couple of weeks ago which (fingers crossed) seems to be working and I've got this great influx of new energy. I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. Hope that continues.
Also, I've been on an obnoxious low-iodine diet since March 6 in preparation for a full body scan on March 19. Although I've been cancer-free for decades, I have to do these scans every five or six years as a precaution. I have no reason to suspect this one will be anything other than routine, but you know how it is: there's always a little niggling doubt in the back of my mind. A side effect of being a What If girl, I guess.
So, the diet means no iodized salt, no dairy, no soy, several kinds of beans are out, no seafood, only six ounces of meat a day, organic chicken only (iodine is an important component of factory chicken feed),* and no prepackaged or canned anything. Everything has to be made from scratch to avoid the possibility of getting either iodized salt, or some seafood or soy additive. I actually don't eat a lot of prepackaged stuff anymore because of the stomach ailment, but it would be nice to be able to use canned tomato sauce, bottled mustard, store bought bread and cereal, et al., rather than having to work it from scratch. And man oh man, do I miss my dairy! Plus, I need it for the vitamin D shortage. Dude, it's been so horrible! I've had to drink black coffee! Like, ewww. And no lattes! How can one woman bear so much pain?!? (/irony)
One good thing: I've been able to eat potatoes. I'd largely eliminated them from my diet except as an occasional thing, but it was hard for me to feel full on this diet no matter how many fruits and veg I ate, what with the limited protein, so lentils (one of the few beans I can eat) and potatoes have figured prominently. Oh, and corn meal. The roommate has kindly been making a lot of low-fat corn muffins and corn bread and wheat bread from scratch. She is a saint amongst women and really made this all much more bearable. The good news! is that all this healthy eating has also helped with the stomach issues. I'm going to transition back into South Beach once I'm allowed to eat dairy again.
And even with the irritating diet, this process is ten gazillion times better than it used to be. I used to have to go off all thyroid medications for 2-3 weeks which made me sick as a dog. I'd have to take medical leave from work and lie around the house feeling sick and weepy and morbid (as opposed to my usual just morbid). Now they've developed a process that allows me to stay on the meds and be...well, as close to normal as I ever am.
*Actually, I may stick with the organic chicken. It tastes so much better. Plus, all those chemicals are pretty ick. Bristol Farms has turned out to be cheaper than Von's in the organics. Go figure.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 08:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 10:19 pm (UTC)You should have a couple gallons of ice cream wiating for when you get the all-clear.
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Date: 2010-03-16 10:37 pm (UTC)Breakfast at IHop (a deadly sin) followed by either pizza or burritos for dinner. :-)
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Date: 2010-03-16 11:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-17 02:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-17 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 10:25 pm (UTC)I will think many happy thoughts for you on Friday.
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Date: 2010-03-16 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-16 11:45 pm (UTC)I didn't know about the cancer. I certainly hope that this scan confirms, as the others have, that you remain cancer free.
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Date: 2010-03-17 05:07 pm (UTC)I didn't know about the cancer.
It was a long time ago, thankfully. Thanks for the good wishes!
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Date: 2010-03-17 01:59 am (UTC)I'll send the obviously unneeded good juju for your scan!
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Date: 2010-03-17 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-17 09:23 am (UTC)We mostly eat just organic chicken as well, but for taste and animal welfare reasons.
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Date: 2010-03-17 05:14 pm (UTC)Actually, the diet isn't related to the therapy, so I can start eating more normally starting Friday. But the healthier diet certainly has added to the feeling better thing. Which is why I'm going on South Beach after, to maintain that balance.
and animal welfare reasons.
Yes, and that, too.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-17 05:25 pm (UTC)lol
Food, why does it have to be so complicated? No milk in your coffee? The horror!
I hope the new treatment is positive. Yay medicine and it's ever changing nature.
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Date: 2010-03-17 06:33 pm (UTC)It's already been tremendously helpful. I feel better than I have in months and it's a fairly simple therapy. So, yay.