Tuesday, May 1, 2012
A continuation.
I'm in considerable pain this week. Something is terribly wrong with my back. It is affecting everything from breathing to digestion. I'm going to the doctor on Thursday to make sure my kidneys are okay. It is Lupus Awareness Month, so there are a lot of support groups popping up, which is great. The meds I'm taking to help control my pain are keeping me up all hours and then it seems like I sleep for way too long. Makes for a pretty crappy schedule.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
First Blog
Hi. I'm Nicole. I'm sick. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but I do know that I have an autoimmune disorder called Lupus. I know people have heard of lupus, probably from the many times it *wasn't* lupus on House. Basically my symptoms are pretty straightforward. I have a sluggish thyroid, which causes me to have low metabolism and digestive problems, including food allergies and intolerance. I also swell. My knees swell, my ankles swell, my shoulders swell, my fingers swell. Anywhere there is a joint, I swell. And it is incredibly painful. I sleep most of the day and haven't worked in two years. I've also had to give up a true joy in my life, performing on stage. I just don't have the energy or drive to put in the hours required to be in a show. So, my life has been at a standstill for the last couple years. So why start a blog about it, you may ask? Because I think I may have found something to at least ease the symptoms of my illness. Juicing.
Juicing? Well, not simply juicing, but an entire lifestyle change. Cut down on the carbs, sugars, caffeines, and everything I love. I don't believe in giving things up because when you cut something out of your life completely you end up falling off the wagon as I did this weekend after a fabulous detox earlier in the week. And trust me, when you take in a lot of refined sugars after detoxing, your body rebels. Right now I'm covered in hives and I just feel awful. Most of all I'm disappointed in myself for wavering so intensely. But I hope I've learned my lesson and won't do it again.
So juicing. Basically juicing is the process of extracting living nutrients and water from fruits and vegetables. The juicing machine separates the water from the pulp of the fruit or vegetable and the end result is concentrated sunshine. When you juice, you are taking in all the things that gave that plant life and vitality. It is the best way to get vitamins (I've always had problems taking suppliments... most people don't absorb anything that comes in pill form) and to get the most benefits out of plants.
I was asked the other day "Why don't you just eat more salads?" My answer was pretty simple. In one glass of juice I can take in 2 cucumbers, 3 or 4 carrots, celery, lettuce greens, and spinach without having to eat until I puke. Also, salad dressings are a secret sugar... and just try to eat dry salad. It isn't very good.
The other day I juiced 4 green apples and 2 lemons to make a delicious lemonade. I will say, two lemons was one lemon too many. It did have to be watered down quite a bit to lesson the bite of the lemons, but it came out really nicely.
So, detoxing. I went through a detox earlier in the week in which my body purged itself of all the nasty things I put in it all my life. The coffees, syrups, sugars, breads, pastas, starches, aspartame... all very toxic things, were completely eliminated from my system. Trying to avoid too much detail, the process of detoxing requires one to have easy access to a bathroom where all the toxic, nasty things are eliminated and the reset button is pushed. It is an amazing feeling. The physical reboot I experienced actually created a mental reboot in me as well. I became more open, more accepting, happier, more energetic... my hair is growing faster, my teeth are healing themselves (according to my dentist), my skin is clearer (after a week of detoxing which resulted in an eruption of pimples that went away after a couple days to reveal healthy, radiant skin underneath), my body temperature is more level, and I'm sleeping normal hours.
Then this weekend happened. I started Saturday off with one of those Starbucks energy drinks. Then I had a soda with lunch. Then a soda in the evening. Then cupcakes because we were at an appreciation dinner and there were cupcakes, so I ate them. Then coffee. Then french fries and cider. Then spinach dip with greasy chips. Then today I was doing so well. I didn't drink my energy drink, I had water instead. I went to my juicing seminar and had a delicious smoothie. I came home and made a healthy, organic dinner with fresh green beans and brown rice drizzled in curry. Then... I had a craving. "Man, I could really go for an Oreo." But WalMart doesn't sell ONE Oreo. They sell lots of Oreoes. And once I picked up the cookies I thought, I really want cake. So I got some cake. Then Hostess called to me. And I was in chocolate heaven. But there is a price to pay. I feel terrible. I can't sleep. I'm jittery. I feel fat and bloated. My skin has erupted in hives since last night. I have hives on my knees and the back of my neck. My whole body is in shock. It is 2:30 am. I have the leftovers of my lemonade next to me on the night stand. I'm sipping it slowly, hoping to get the whole thing down before I have to brush my teeth and get to bed. I have a giant bottle of water, too. I know I'm going to have some serious cravings tomorrow, but I'm NOT giving in. Of course, I am going to a birthday party, so that'll be interesting.
Monday the garbage men come. I think I'll be tossing the rest of that cake, the cupcakes, the white bagels, the drinks with aspartame, the candy, the colas, anything that didn't grow out of the ground or was naturally fed from something that grew out of the ground is getting the boot. I'm putting myself on a lifestyle change. It isn't going to be easy, but I'm going to document my struggles and hopefully that will help.
Please don't expect these posts to be logical or grammatically perfect. Like I said, it is 2:30 and I'm a woman in crisis. I'm itchy and cranky and my tummy hurts. But maybe someone out there can learn from my mistakes. Maybe I'm that person. Either way, it has to be done.
N
Juicing? Well, not simply juicing, but an entire lifestyle change. Cut down on the carbs, sugars, caffeines, and everything I love. I don't believe in giving things up because when you cut something out of your life completely you end up falling off the wagon as I did this weekend after a fabulous detox earlier in the week. And trust me, when you take in a lot of refined sugars after detoxing, your body rebels. Right now I'm covered in hives and I just feel awful. Most of all I'm disappointed in myself for wavering so intensely. But I hope I've learned my lesson and won't do it again.
So juicing. Basically juicing is the process of extracting living nutrients and water from fruits and vegetables. The juicing machine separates the water from the pulp of the fruit or vegetable and the end result is concentrated sunshine. When you juice, you are taking in all the things that gave that plant life and vitality. It is the best way to get vitamins (I've always had problems taking suppliments... most people don't absorb anything that comes in pill form) and to get the most benefits out of plants.
I was asked the other day "Why don't you just eat more salads?" My answer was pretty simple. In one glass of juice I can take in 2 cucumbers, 3 or 4 carrots, celery, lettuce greens, and spinach without having to eat until I puke. Also, salad dressings are a secret sugar... and just try to eat dry salad. It isn't very good.
The other day I juiced 4 green apples and 2 lemons to make a delicious lemonade. I will say, two lemons was one lemon too many. It did have to be watered down quite a bit to lesson the bite of the lemons, but it came out really nicely.
So, detoxing. I went through a detox earlier in the week in which my body purged itself of all the nasty things I put in it all my life. The coffees, syrups, sugars, breads, pastas, starches, aspartame... all very toxic things, were completely eliminated from my system. Trying to avoid too much detail, the process of detoxing requires one to have easy access to a bathroom where all the toxic, nasty things are eliminated and the reset button is pushed. It is an amazing feeling. The physical reboot I experienced actually created a mental reboot in me as well. I became more open, more accepting, happier, more energetic... my hair is growing faster, my teeth are healing themselves (according to my dentist), my skin is clearer (after a week of detoxing which resulted in an eruption of pimples that went away after a couple days to reveal healthy, radiant skin underneath), my body temperature is more level, and I'm sleeping normal hours.
Then this weekend happened. I started Saturday off with one of those Starbucks energy drinks. Then I had a soda with lunch. Then a soda in the evening. Then cupcakes because we were at an appreciation dinner and there were cupcakes, so I ate them. Then coffee. Then french fries and cider. Then spinach dip with greasy chips. Then today I was doing so well. I didn't drink my energy drink, I had water instead. I went to my juicing seminar and had a delicious smoothie. I came home and made a healthy, organic dinner with fresh green beans and brown rice drizzled in curry. Then... I had a craving. "Man, I could really go for an Oreo." But WalMart doesn't sell ONE Oreo. They sell lots of Oreoes. And once I picked up the cookies I thought, I really want cake. So I got some cake. Then Hostess called to me. And I was in chocolate heaven. But there is a price to pay. I feel terrible. I can't sleep. I'm jittery. I feel fat and bloated. My skin has erupted in hives since last night. I have hives on my knees and the back of my neck. My whole body is in shock. It is 2:30 am. I have the leftovers of my lemonade next to me on the night stand. I'm sipping it slowly, hoping to get the whole thing down before I have to brush my teeth and get to bed. I have a giant bottle of water, too. I know I'm going to have some serious cravings tomorrow, but I'm NOT giving in. Of course, I am going to a birthday party, so that'll be interesting.
Monday the garbage men come. I think I'll be tossing the rest of that cake, the cupcakes, the white bagels, the drinks with aspartame, the candy, the colas, anything that didn't grow out of the ground or was naturally fed from something that grew out of the ground is getting the boot. I'm putting myself on a lifestyle change. It isn't going to be easy, but I'm going to document my struggles and hopefully that will help.
Please don't expect these posts to be logical or grammatically perfect. Like I said, it is 2:30 and I'm a woman in crisis. I'm itchy and cranky and my tummy hurts. But maybe someone out there can learn from my mistakes. Maybe I'm that person. Either way, it has to be done.
N
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