Not feeling well
Yesterday I wasn’t feeling well at all, and today’s not looking so hot either. That’s the way it goes for us fibrochicks sometimes. So a quick chow recap:
Sunday night dinner: sushi delivery. I think everything was fine, but wondered later about the seaweed salad. So I need to do more homework.
Monday: GF toast with butter and honey for breakfast; a banana, small cheese (Bonbel - love the smiling cow!), GF crackers for lunch; chipotle veggie burrito bow, chips ad guacamole for dinner. A couple cookies before bed with my meds.
I don’t think not feeling well has anything to do with the GF experiment. Mostly, I think it’s because I haven’t worked out regularly for a couple weeks - I was sick two weeks ago, got out of my routine, and now I’m having trouble kick-starting it again. This is the cycle lots of us fibrochicks go through: we know that working out will help, but we feel so crappy the idea of working out seems impossible. I’ll go today, and it will suck, and will likely suck every day this week, but I’ll go and by the weekend I’ll feel better. Eating well will help.
OK, back to bed for this babe. More later…
Marge O'Connor said,
June 12, 2007 @ 10:55 am
Hi Jenni
This is very interesting and reminds me of my pursuit of what was causing me problems. I stayed gluten-free for quite a while and it didn’t help. Took the celiac test and found I didn’t have the disease. Last year I had another test that showed sugar in all forms was my problem. This includes the ‘natural’ sweeteners such as honey or rice syrup (which is still syrup), both of which are in most “gluten free” products. Your case may not be the same but I’d say it’s worth avoiding sugar for more than one reason. Your best bet is fresh foods. If it comes in a box, a can or is frozen or fried, stay away from it. A snack of fresh berries and nuts (not roasted or sugared or salted), eaten slowly to enjoy the flavors is incredibly good tasting and soothing! YES it’s very hard to break the habit of relating food to stress relief. There’s validity to it, however…if you eat the right foods you’ll get enough of the right vitamin combos to calm you and give you steady energy. BUT none of it is easy to accomplish. Hang in there and keep trying.
rachel said,
June 12, 2007 @ 1:21 pm
Hi Jenni
I’ve got celiac disease and fibromyalgia, and sadly I got fibro from Lyme Disease after being gluten-free for 3 years, so unless I would be in even *more* pain if I ate gluten, being gf doesn’t make a difference in pain.
I have a whole gluten-free recipe blog, in addition to my regular blog. It’s called Rachel’s Recipe Box - the gluten free family.
http://ourgaggleofgirls.com/recipes
It’s filled with mostly easy stuff for families, but it is also good for cooking when sick because you can make a large amount in advance (crock pot or casserole), and then freeze individual servings for later. I have a section on starting GF on my site, too.
Best wishes on your journey! And I’m happy to offer any help - I leaned on people a LOT 4 years ago, and so I need to repay the karma!
Clover said,
June 12, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
Hi Jenni,
Unless the seaweed salad had soy sauce in it, it would not be an issue. What GF toast did you try? Is it any good?
Hope you feel better soon!!
Joann Mitchell said,
June 12, 2007 @ 7:39 pm
Hey Jenni ~
I have had fibromyalgia for around 16 years. I have had folks from the medical field tell me that it is in my head to just take pain killers. I have gone into remission for years at a time but it kicked in full force again around Nov. 2006. I have also been diagnosed with Celiac for almost three years. I will tell you that it has been quite a journey and I learn something new everyday. I will say that going gluten free seems to be so difficult at first and not worth the struggle. But for me it has been a blessing! It took several months for me to figure out the whole GF thing perfectly, and I know from experience that each person heals differently. So while it only takes a couple of weeks for one person, it may take another a couple of months and others years. And while everyone will have you believe that this way of eating is so incredibly hard, it is only hard if you don’t care about your health. You do need to find support and other people who can eat GF with you and share experiences, etc. Not to mention, really investigating Celiac and gluten free and educating yourself. But this is far from impossible. It is just going back to basics. Fresh fruit, fresh vegies, meat, rices, rissotto, potatoes, etc. That part is not rocket science, but the baking can be made easier by looking for GF cooking classes and joining a Celiac support group. They can help you to learn where to find the best products, the best prices and some of the best recipes. Plus, they have the understanding and compassion that often the very people who are our best friends and loved ones can’t even fathom. Plus many people will just expect you to be cured and that only a little can’t hurt. People in Celiac support groups understand because they have been there.
Gluten free did help with some of many of my fibro symptoms but not all. I have anemia, and some other things going on, but I know for me that I could never go back to eating the rotgut that the Food and Drug Administration would have you believe is good for you. It is definitely easier, and more convenient but when I was growing up in the 60’s my mom cooked everything from scratch and at the time there was not a whole lot of frozen foods or foods in boxes. I started getting more sick in the 80’s when many more foods that could stay on store shelves for months at a time were introduced. More additives, more food colorings, more artificial and “so-called” natural flavorings, more preservatives, stabilizers equals more chemicals being added to our food. To me it makes sense. Now I have many recipes and would love to share with you. I just want you to know that just because something is gluten free does not mean it has to lose visual appeal, lack flavor, or texture. That my friend is up to you. Let me know if you are interested, what types of foods you are looking for and the types of recipes you would like. I can give you a great list of vendors, and some pretty awesome recipes. For me my goal is to just be healthier. That is my wish for you too. I love to cook and bake and I love fooling people with my great Gluten free recipes. They never can tell.
As far as fibro I have finally agreed to take an anti-depressant (Cymbalta) that works on your pain receptors in your brain. I figured what the heck! Well, low and behold, I am feelig almost “no” pain. I can’t believe what it is like to wake up and not have any pain. To actually lay on my bed or sit on my couch or to stand and not feel excruciating pain. We are working on the dosage and it is really working!! With no pain and working on my anemia I am getting around better, feeling better about myself, and am able to do my regular workout. It is truly amazing. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I sure hope it doesn’t. Wish me luck! I really wish you well. I look forward to hearing from you.
Joann Mitchell said,
June 12, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
Oops, I forgot to mention that if you are going to get tested for Celiac you should be eating tons of wheat and gluten in order for the test to have any sort of accuracy. But just because you test negative does not necessarily mean that you don’t have it. There are many false negatives with the blood tests. Check out Dr. Fine’s website. What you really need to make sure is that you not only change what you eat (gluten free) but what you wash your hair and body with, your tooth paste, make-up, etc. When you have checked all of these areas, really pay attention to how you feel. Not just your gut, but your whole body. But as I said healing is diffeent each person and you should try it for at least a ear or so. Go back on gluten and then see how you feel again. Also check out your local Food Co-op, some grocery chain stores that have extensive health food dept.s, and health food stores for GF cooking and baking classes. Also check out the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness NFCA, and Celiac Sprue Association CSA csaceliacs.org for local support, education, research, vendors, and recipes. Good Luck!