Elise's AIP Journal

[floramorada]

I completely fell off the wagon this Easter weekend. Dim sum, ice cream, candy, the works. I feel so terrible today (Monday) that I didn't go to school or even yoga. My entire body feels so inflamed and painful. My joints are stiff (knees, hips, elbows) which scares me because I haven't had that feeling before. My entire midsection feels painful and prickly internally, especially when I move. Even just putting dishes away from the dishwasher was enough to make it flare up worse and make me stop. When I'm lying down whichever part of my body is in contact with the bed feels like there are a thousand tiny needles pricking my skin. And my skin looks blotchy, red, rashy, and inflamed all over.

I guess this is a reminder to myself to not let that happen again. It's NOT worth it.

I slept a lot today. I've been taking epsom salt, ACV, and green tea baths at night, rubbing argan oil on my skin, with hydrocortisone ointment if necessary, and drinking lots of water and bone broth. Luckily I have a few batches made up already.

I haven't finished reading The Paleo Approach, so I haven't taken in all the information, nor am I fully AIP yet. My diet has been pretty paleo for the most part though.

I have no official diagnosis, but I've been seeing many doctors and having many tests done, with more doctors and tests in my immediate future.

It's just so discouraging to have to say no, no, no all the time to everything. This weekend I cried because I had a soy flare up and had to stay home while my visiting family went out to explore the town. Usually in my daily routine I'm fine, but spending so much time around family made it feel much more like deprivation. But it's back to normal life now, just me and my husb doing our thing. Time to get back on track.

[floramorada]

I post food pictures on Instagram under the same username, mostly as a record for myself that there are lots of delicious AIP/Paleo eats to be had.

I am grateful for the Facebook group as well as this forum. It makes me feel much less alone.

[floramorada]

Day 2 after Easter update. Still feeling really bad, didn't go to class again today. Skin is worse, my face is all broken out in a red itchy rash, and my hands have little bumps and bubbles all over the backs and joints.

Didn't eat much because it's hard to leave the couch. Had some plantain chips, leftover steak, some rice, greens and berry smoothie, and lemon ginger green tea. Next, bone broth.

Been resisting using it, but gave in today and slathered hydrocortisone ointment all over my body and face after a shower. Hours later, it seems to have calmed things down a little bit.

PCP appt tomorrow for a physical and pap smear. Hope I make it there.

[Edit]

This one day of bad choices has really thrown me off. I've been doing so well lately, going to class, working out, going to yoga and just living my life. Now I'm just stuck here on the couch in pain and falling behind on everything. Never again.

[TamarE]

Every day is a new day, try not to dwell! I know it's easier said that done.

Have you checked out The Paleo Mom Consulting? I'm sure one of the consultants could really help you get started and stay on track. Each consultant offers a free ten minute intro call. Just something to consider.

Hope you are feeling a bit better!

[floramorada]

Thanks for the encouragement TamarE! Everyday is indeed a new day.

I woke up today feeling so much better. Most of the pain was gone, and almost all of the skin inflammation has disappeared. I'm sure that the hydrocortisone had something to do with that, as well as timing. It usually takes a day or two for flare-ups/reactions to happen, and then the same for my body to run through it. I also had a massage on Tuesday (an expiring groupon), don't know if that helped with "getting it out of my system".

Anyway, I woke up feeling tons better, but certainly not 100%. I still slept for most of the day, only getting up for my afternoon doctor's appt. I'm still having these weird painful internal prickly sensations throughout my midsection, basically from my hips to my ribcage, and my sides. And the sensation grows with movement, especially twisting.

I was able to go out and do things today.

I went to my physical, and had a pap smear done. Going back tomorrow morning for labwork. They will be testing for thalocemia(sp?), a type of anemia, as well as cholesterol. I'm slightly anemic, my hemoglobin levels are low, as well as something else, though my ferritin levels are normal. I should hope so, with all the red meat, dark leafy greens, sardines, mushrooms, I've been eating, as well as cooking in a cast iron pan! My Vitamin D levels are low as well, and I am currently on a D3 regimen for 12 weeks, and will be retested after that. I also recently sent in a fecal immunochemical test and am awaiting those test results.

I then went to my watercolor class, and after that picked up some groceries at TJ's, and got my eyebrows threaded. Then I went to a Hatha yoga class, which was lovely. There was a teacher I hadn't had before, Kasa, and I really enjoyed her class. It was a lot of slow gentle movement and stretching, with focus on staying with the breath and staying relaxed. It was exactly what I needed. Then I went home and did some stuff around the house. For dinner I had leftover grass-fed steak, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and kale sauteed in coconut oil, garlic, and bone broth. Also a mug of bone broth.

Lots of doctors appts coming up. Labs tomorrow, as well as a consultation with a sleep specialist, for my chronic insomnia. Got a referral for a gyno from my PCP today, since I've never had a regular period, even after being on HBC for a couple of years. Also a referral for a psychologist. Going to follow up with PCP in two weeks to discuss lab results. Psychiatrist soon, to see if meds for depression and ADD will possibly interfere with sleep study. Really could use them for school, I'm falling behind. Need to finish sleep info packet. Psych is working on getting me a referral for a gasteroenterologist (sp?). Didn't get my allergy shots this week because I was feeling so bad, but will probably go next week.

I'm sure I'm missing something. Yikes. How do you guys keep all your medical information organized? Thank goodness for health insurance.

[floramorada]

Another thing I have going on - my gassiness and bloating, as well as rashes, eczema, inflammation, and general itchiness, consistently get worse at night. And whatever side of my body is in contact with the bed - back, stomach, side - has that painful prickly sensation that keeps me constantly unable to find a comfortable sleeping position. Both of these contribute to my insomnia. On the off chance that for some reason, these aren't an issue, I just can't fall asleep. I just lay there for hours until I can't take the boredom anymore, then usually read, Internet, or watch something to pass the time.

[floramorada]

Ok, let's do this. A lot happened today.

I fell asleep at sometime past 4am, as usual, but I had to be up at 7:30am to make an 8am appt. Did that, got my blood drawn for more tests. Will be getting those results in about a week, regarding cholesterol and the type of anemia I have, as well as the FIT.

Went to the New Seasons butcher, since it was still morning and close by. They were out of fish heads, which I was looking for to make stock, but they did have a giant fresh halibut skeleton that they had just filleted! It turned out to be about 6lbs - head, tail, bones, lingering meat bits, and they chopped it up into more manageable pieces for me. It must have been three or four feet long, massive! That made me so happy, I was grinning my way out of the store. 

Went back home for a quick breakfast - leftover veggies (kale, mushrooms and onions) sauteed, a little bit of rice, and two pastured eggs. Also a mug of lemon ginger green tea. 

Went to my sleep consultation, showed up early to finish filling out paperwork. I was really sleepy. This visit was really interesting, I learned so much. She thinks that I don't have insomnia, but a circadian rhythm sleep disorder - delayed sleep phase type. I am genetically predisposed (as some asians are, apparently) to a later circadian rhythm than is normal in the West. I can definitely see this in both sides of my family. This was then further entrenched and pushed back when I worked the night shift for three years at UPS. So I am going to try a "circadian realignment." My current sleep cycle is around 5am-1pm, and my goal cycle is 11pm-7am. I will be taking a small dose of melatonin at the same time every day for a week, and then the next week will take it and hour earlier, and so on. Hopefully the result will be pushing my sleep cycle back by an hour each week for the next 8 weeks.  I have a sleep diary to fill out - need to find a place for that so I always fill it out. Also avoid tv/computer/ipad/phone before bed, that's easier said than done. I'm just really hopeful to be trying something, that there is a name to put to what's going on with me there. And if this works for me, it could help my brother, who has basically all of the same health problems as me. 

Then I stopped by the house to grab some snacks on my way to campus for my drawing class. That was fun, we worked with ink today. After that I stopped by Rite Aid, then Fred Meyer to find the recommended type of melatonin. The Fred Meyer close to me has a decent natural/herbal/supplement/vitamin section. Also natural bath and body products. I recognized a lot of recommended products I see floating around the web. It was kind of overwhelming, actually. By the time I got home, it was 6pm.

When I got home, I crashed. I was super fatigued, getting stomach cramps, bloating and gas, and my itchiness/rashiness on my skin flared up. All I could do was lay on the couch under some blankets to hopefully decompress. Stayed there for a few hours. It was then I knew that I had reached my limit for being productive for the day. My body was done. Switch to self-care mode:

Eat: reheated leftover veggies and rice
Drink: heated up a big mug of bone broth with two tablespoons gelatin thrown in, also made a smoothie packed with greens
Meds: took them
Skin: quick shower, apply ointment, put on clean PJs

I don't know if these contributed to tonight's crash/flare - lack of sleep, foods I don't usually eat (larabar jocolat with chocolate, hazelnuts, and almonds; odwalla's vitamin C juice), just a lot of carbs/sugar during the day.

I wanted to do so much more today, cooking and cleaning wise. The kitchen's a mess, laundry needs to be done, and there's food that needs to be cooked. Didn't make it to evening yoga either. But a lot got accomplished today and I'm happy with that. 

P.S. During my pap smear last time, my PCP told me I have swollen lymph nodes. I could feel them, small round hard things near my hip/groin area. Weird! She said they have something to infection/inflammation? I don't know.

P.P.S. Seriously need to figure out how to keep all this info organized. Google Doc?
-My medical history
-Family medical history
-Medications
-Doctor contact information

(X) Call H4L - Doctor's note and next appts, I lost my paper with the dates.
(X) Put new appts in calendar
() Ask for Hydroxazine prescription refill
(X) Set alarm for 12:50am
(X) Call Psychiatrist to set up next appt. Left a message.
() Call Psychologist?
(X) Call old gyno to transfer records. Left a message.

This journal seems to be more of "Elise's Entire Life and Medical Journal," but I hope that's ok. It's a weight off my mind to put all this in one place, and to track my progression, symptoms, and quest for health.

[floramorada]

Today I ate a cookies n cream Quest bar - not at all paleo, but it's gluten free and doesn't have soy in the ingredients. I'd heard good things about it. Now I have to wait two days to see if I will have a reaction. It tasted fantastic going down (probably thanks to the stevia) but had an aftertaste that I didn't enjoy. Afterward my head was kinda foggy, I felt slightly nauseous, and the back of my throat itched a little. Not a good sign. It all passed though, so we'll see.

I've been waking up with really dry skin. I need to drink more water and do a better job of staying hydrated - the occasional bone broth, tea, or smoothie isn't cutting it. Also figure out something to put on my skin in the morning to moisturize - maybe try my homemade body butter again, or avocado oil.

Freezing bone broth in ice cube trays is genius. I don't have to worry about it going bad and can melt enough for one mug when I want it. I store in in labeled and dated gallon ziploc bags. Yay!

Made a bunch of food today. Tried Nom Nom Paleo's pressure cooker lamb shank recipe - so easy and delicious! Also roasted sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Also fried rice with leftover mackerel, shrimp, and fennel. Yummy! Also doing ALL the laundry.

I want to see if I can find argan oil, plantain chips, and coconut aminos in bulk. My skin looooves argan oil, but it's not economical at all to buy those tiny little bottles intended for face use only. I feel bad about all the packaging I'm using when I get so many plantain chips bags from TJ's - it's such a great snack to keep in my bag. If I had it in bulk, I could just refill a container. And the coconut aminos comes in such small bottles and is pricey. If I just bit the bullet and bought a bulk container (like a gallon), I wouldn't be afraid to use it for recipes like adobo.

I slept a LOT today, I guess to make up for my lack of sleep recently. But I felt pretty good, and was able to go to yoga, run errands, and do some things around the house. I had green tea and a smoothie before yoga. Also it was really sunny. Good day.

[floramorada]

My nightly gas issues - "bubbly" gassy stomach, bloating, pressure, ridiculous long repeated belching that doesn't relieve anything - are all way worse tonight than they usually are. It's annoying, uncomfortable, and it's keeping me up. I'm trying a gas relief pill and snacking on some plantain chips to see of that helps. I don't think I'm going to eat anymore of those quest bars.

[Karin]

Good grief, is this still from falling off the wagon with Easter? You've got a lot of things going on! Sending good vibes to you.

[floramorada]

Karin, thanks for the good vibes! Sending some your way too.

I was pretty much recovered from Easter on Wednesday, the rest is just my usual boatload o' health issues. I do have a lot going on! I'm finding it really helpful to post about it all in one place though. Hopefully it will help me track what's working and what isn't, and any progress I make. Onward toward health!

[floramorada]

Because of last night's extra-gassy episode, I didn't fall asleep til after 5am. Luckily it's a Saturday, and I was able to sleep in til about 1pm.

I got the Husb and I out of the house sometime past 2pm. We drove to downtown Portland and rode the aerial tram since we had a Groupon to use, and generally spent the afternoon walking around, exploring, taking in the views and being a tourist. It was a lot of fun, and I'm glad we did it. We've both been stressed recently - me with school, home, and my health issues, and him with his job going through a stressful time. Easter weekend was also pretty stressful (aside from my food issues) because we had family staying with us and were constantly around a lot of people, with both of us being really introverted. Anyway, today was nice and fun and lovely and just the two of us. I crammed my purse full of safe snacks and we set off. When we got back we were both in a really good mood, and got a lot more done, chore-wise. Cooking, cleaning, laundry. I'm glad that we took that time for ourselves, instead of just slogging away at our to-do lists.

I also spent a few hours this evening compiling a list of foods I can and cannot eat. I'm sure I forgot things, but it's pretty extensive, and I formatted it to look all nice. I'm going to print it out to have it on hand. Hopefully this will make it easier to explain to friends my dietary restrictions.

Next weekend a small group of friends are getting together in Seattle for a party. If it's at someone's apartment I'm going to offer to do some cooking, or at least bring a few dishes so I have something to eat.

Today I ate: An Epic bar, plantain chips, a piece of chocolate, and water while walking around downtown. Later, leftover seafood fried rice and two pastured eggs, roasted mushrooms, and sweet potato. Also tea, and a greens and berry smoothie.

Feeling the normal level gassy, itchy, and dry tonight. Otherwise, a good day.

P.S. Ever since my PCP alerted me to the presence of the swollen lymph nodes in my groin area, I've been really aware of them, all the time. I mean, they kind of stick out and are bumpy, I don't know how I didn't notice them before. I guess I've been having a "feeling" in my hip area, and that just put a name to it. I wonder if there's a way to take of them. Or drain them, through stretching or massage or something? I don't know anything about this.

P.P.S. Regarding sleep. I'm trying out my new liquid melatonin today (0.5mg) and my orange goggles. Say no to blue light! I tried magnesium oil before, but that stuff burns. I don't know if it was because I sprayed it to damp skin, but it really hurt, and I'm afraid to try it again! Maybe an eensy tiny bit another time.

P.P.P.S. [3am] Took a shower, and moisturized the left side of my body with my homemade body butter, and the right side with avocado oil. We'll see if either makes a difference in the morning, or if I still wake up with dry skin. Still used argan oil on my face.

[floramorada]

Good morning! Both products did a fine job of moisturizing my skin, but not great. Still flakiness in the inner arms and elbows. The avocado oil increased the uncomfortable "prickly" feeling, I think I'll just use that for cooking. My body butter did the same, but to a much lesser extent. I'm interested in trying out the combination that TPM used - Tallow, Olive oil, and Tamanu oil. I'm also interested in trying out other "healing" and anti inflammatory oils such as Sea Buckthorn oil and Rosehip oil. I've also heard good things about Frankincense and Rosemary for healing the skin.

I rubbed a bit of my homemade tallow from broth on my elbows - I smell a bit beefy.

[floramorada]

Hello, it's me again, your favorite gassy, itchy, night owl. Blahhhhh.

Today was actually pretty nice. I got enough sleep, I did some homework, a bit of laundry, and I went to two yoga classes in a row. Other than that it was a pretty lazy Sunday. I started out the day feeling fine, but as the day progressed, the "prickly" feeling in my skin very gradually increased until it was a really painful almost burning sensation. All the yoga really helped get through that though, so I'm really glad I went. 

For dinner I had the lamb I made yesterday with rice, sweet potato, and mushrooms. Also a small glass of apple cider. My gassy tonight is a different sort of gassy, though just as annoying and uncomfortable. I'm wondering if it's the apple cider or the tomato paste in the lamb. I also took all of my pills tonight - cetirizine, montelukast, fish oil, probiotic - since I'm planning on getting an allergy shot tomorrow. I haven't been taking the pills as much recently and haven't really been experiencing seasonal allergy symptoms, which is quite amazing because it's spring.

Was pretty miserable tonight trying to get to sleep. Just burping and scratching and burping and scratching until I finally got up and took a shower. That helped with the skin at least. I used good old jojoba oil all over my body, since I know my skin won't react to that. (It's what I regularly used on my face until I discovered argan oil.) It's fine for now, but one of the things about jojoba oil is that it quickly absorbs into the skin, then it's like it wasn't there at all. That's great for the face, but I want something richer, more moisturizing, emollient, and protective for the rest of my body. Greasy is good. I haven't been drinking bone broth enough recently, I need to up my intake for sure. When I'm feeling good, I just forget about it. I need to get into the habit of consuming it all the time.

(X) Refill Montelukast at Costco

[floramorada]

Just want to make a quick note to myself. I think I may have candida, my symptoms line up. I want to try taking oil of oregano, but I need to do it at a time when I can deal with the die-off symptoms. (Aka not during the school term.)