But I think I have an excuse - not a reason, but an excuse.... I haven't felt well! In fact, I haven't felt well in 10 years and it's been getting worse - and the past few months have been the worst. I had gotten to the point where I could hardly function. I definitely couldn't keep up with my daily 'stuff' anymore. I was sleeping 10-12 hours a night and being sleepy all day. I couldn't think. I was definitely having memory recall issues. I hurt all over all the time. I was gaining weight. I knew that weight was because I ran out of one of my meds, but I felt horrible. I was swollen and just dragging myself through each day.
I am always searching online for some help. I've done the doctor thing all these years and have gotten some answers and some help, but still felt horrible. I couldn't exercise or I would get a migraine after even just 10 minutes. I walked some, but even that would wipe me out for hours. I was always hot and could sweat up a storm just setting up a little bit at church. I was getting scared.
I found a few things and tried a few things.
One of my biggest issues is inflammation. I'm always inflamed. My hands are always swollen. My knuckles are always white. When they aren't, I try really hard to think of what I've done differently to try to figure out what I can continue to do!
Then, in an innocent conversation with my mom, she says that there is a talk-show doctor saying that all heart disease can be cured by treating the inflammation - that it's all about inflammation, not plaque. That cholesterol and such are just issue if the arteries are inflamed. That is you can get rid of the inflammation, the BP would reduce.
Back a few years I had been tracking my diet - along with an inflammation score. Yes, inflammation factors for food are out there. So, I tried something new - to eat not only a net score of positive inflammation factor (which is a good thing - the idea is to shoot for +50), but to go even higher and see how well it works.
WOW!
I am a new person!
I wasn't perfect about it at first, but I did try really hard to stay in the positives and I felt good. Then on Monday I did great, and Tuesday, too. Both days really great. So that made 4 days of good to great and then I went to Zumba on Tuesday night.
Now remember - I haven't been able to exercise much at all. I have even been through a Zumba session at the church and couldn't do it all.
Not Tuesday!!! I did ALL of it - with the exception of a few higher leveled moves that required more strength than my muscles had to give, I did all of it! No headache!
Wednesday morning I exercised with no headache! And I hadn't taken my BP meds yet either! So when I got home I cooled all the way down and took it - it was LOWER!!! Significantly lower! And this morning before we went to work out I took it and it was still low! (Yes, I'm still taking my meds!)
I was a bit cautious about the workout on Wednesday but today I went all out and sweated up a storm! What fun that was! No fear of pain! OK, yeah, I am sore, but it feels so GOOD! I don't like feeling bad and in pain. I don't like being tired all the time. I've missed my energetic self!
I had felt much better when I started taking a progesterone hormone that I don't make, but it only went so far. Still couldn't exercise. It helped with the weight a little, but not much. That's the weight that went back on when I stopped it.
But this - this is awesome! Still feeling a little tightness in my hands that might be some inflammation, but maybe that is residual. Maybe it's the weight and will go away in time. Maybe it's more muscles because I'm using them more....
So - after some more searching, I'm now on a very strict diet for 2 weeks to get rid of all inflammation foods and all carbs. No dairy. No eggs. No bread or sugar or anything with either of them in it. No grains. No fruit. Only veggies, fish, and some poultry at times. Two weeks. That's all.
Then I will start introducing some food back into my diet. I will start with the yogurt and work my way through the dairy stuff. They have no carbs but they have fairly high inflammation factors. That should tell me if it's the inflammation factors I need to watch or the carbs.
If it's the carbs, then I will continue and add grains back in slowly. I will start with the non-glutens and then into the glutens. I will need to be careful, though, not to eat grains with sugar, so no bread at this point. (Then there's the yeast issue, but I will get into that if I have no reactions to the other stuff)
Fruit will be the last thing I try to add back in. Or, if I react to the grains (I would think I might react to the gluten grains like wheat if I react at all) I will take those back out and try fruit instead.
I think it's the sugar.
God's been telling me for years to cut out all sugars.
He can't heal me if I don't do what He says.
So when I finally do what He says, I get a healing....
All those prayers. All that pain. All those years... Just because I didn't follow directions.
I didn't want to! I like sugar! I love my Coke! I love my Reese's PB Cups!
I learned my lesson!
How often I get into a situation like this with God and I feel like a little kid all over again getting caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
Shame
I supposed to be leading and teaching others how to listen and follow God's directions and I just ignore them for years because I don't WANT to follow them.
I need to be grounded. LOL
Actually, the punishment is much worse than that for disobedience to God - but I serve a merciful and gracious God who will forgive me and give me wonderful things now that I chose to follow His directions.
Thank you, God, for knowing what I needed even when I wouldn't listen. And thank you for not giving up on me.
