Cheered Up!

It's been bugging me for weeks, actually months now, that I really need to post an update! I've been feeling in much better spirits for most of the year now, and I suspect part of what kept me from posting was an irrational fear of bursting the bubble...

I think it's safe to say now that as the year is more than a quarter over, the time has come, so here goes...

Things are good. The downward dragging arms of depression have let up. I don't have very many down, down days like I used to last year. If that's because the holidays are over, or just because my mood-dictating chemicals are re-setting themselves, I don't know.

I've been taking Epivir for 3 months now, and I noticed the difference, at least in my immune system, almost from the beginning. (Although at the very beginning, I did get sicker, I had a stomach flu, i.e., an Enterovirus flare-up that lasted for almost 3 weeks; I could barely eat solid foods, but happily, I needed badly to lose weight) In late January, or early February I came down with a sinus infection, but unlike last year, when one after another had me stuck in bed, achey, feverish, and feeling completely sick and miserable. This time, I barely felt sick. I only suspected I was because of persistent sinus headaches, and the fact that I was spitting up practically pure blood from my nose when I did my sinus rinses...
Anyhow, once treated, I recovered quickly and haven't been ill since. The only other difference I've noticed is I feel sleepy a lot sincee I started the Epivir, as opposed to just exhausted. Despite that, I think I am very slowly but surely gaining stamina.

The other change I've made healthwise, is starting the Body Ecology Diet.

I started it slowly, first working on incorporating foods from it into my existing lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. But I found it easier than I thought, and noticed the difference. My stomach had been bothering me a lot...besides acid reflux that needed constant acid reducers and antacids, I felt bloated and uncomfortable often, even nauseous at times, and I noticed that this also seemed to affect my Interstitial Cystitis symptoms. Once I started incorporating Body Ecology's "seed-like grains", things got much better, and when I ate my old diet things acted up right away again, so I decided to make it a full-time endeavor, even if minus some of the more expensive, difficult sounding foods, such as Young Coconut Kefir and Culutured vegetables.

Things were going great, I lost more weight and starte feeling SO much better about myself, my stomach flattened out so much that my seatbelt in the car didn't bother me anymore; in fact it barely touched my stomach.

Unfortunately in the last weeks I found myself cheating a bit and right before Easter I'd gone gung-ho, inclucing foods like Kimchi, Coconut Kefir (I made my own using a bottle of store-bought YCK as a starter with my own Young Green Coconut water. It worked like a dream! And way cheaper than buying the culture.) and even Natto. I started itching a bit, apparently from die-off or detox...but I got that under control...until I chated again on Easter weekend, and then the itch got insane, like crazy-making...but I read up on it, and came to the conclusion that it's my liver detoxing, probably must more quickly because of the new foods, decrease in grains, and increase in raw veggies.

The one amazing thing that has occured in the last couple of weeks, is that my allergies seem to be disappearing. They're still there, but instead of in the form of asthma attacks, itchy eyes (which respond to ahti-histamines) and excruciating nasal congestion so bad I can barely breath, and excruciating sinus headaches (which don't fully respond) I find myself with very mild nasal congestion, and an occasionally runny nose!

I find myself loving SALADs (yup, I'm one of those vegetarians who hardly eats veggies, subsisting mostly on grains, albeit whole, and protein) and rediscovering the joys of other veggies, raw and cooked. Sometimes my stomach feels a little grumpy, and I feel it asking me for some raw veggies. I eat a salad, or even a simple celery stick, and it becomes relaxed, light, and happy.

So good stuff lately... I've been keeping to myself, but I've stopped minding it. Trying to have a social life right now is just TOO much work. I'll happily spend my weekend nights at home with the laptop and my cable, or visiting my Mom and taking it easy at her place. I no longer seen the point in going out to drink so I can feel like a normal person for a few hours and feel miserable for 2 days. I haven't give up on living, but I don't mind waiting until my time comes again, as I'm sure it will. In the meantime, thid diet is one thing I can do to take care of me, and I have confidence that it will continue to improve my health. I'm also trying to bolster my adrenals a bit, as I still feel overwhelmed about nothing far too much of the time, and I'm hoping I can at least go back to school in the Fall. To think that it's been 2 years already...2 years in which I could have transfered to the university nearby with the great Writing Program...well, I don't beat myself up or get angry these days. I haven't been up for it, and that's that. One day perhaps but now, I just want to find some kind of peace, and I'm getting there.