Weird But True

Sunday, September 23, 2007

If only it were that easy.......

Here's a fun game! Go to your kitchen and start reading nutritional labels. Can you spot the milk and artificial sweetener?

Bet you think you can. But think again. Sure - there are the obvious ones but lactose -is milk sugar. Anything that ends in "tol" - an artificial sweetener. Whey, whey protein isolate, butter, butter fats, milk solids.......

Non fat powdered milk is even in granola bars!

Malitol, Xylitol, sorbitol - all fake stuff. Even in most commercial toothpaste!

Be honest - you always seem to swallow at least a bit when brushing - don't you?

I know what you're thinking - C'mon - it can't be that bad. But it's TRUE! And in my case - it's gotten that bad.

After earning of the "cause" of my troubles I made the rec./necessary changes to my diet. Feeling pretty good I grilled some fish, and sauteed some mushrooms, spinach, onions, zucc and cherry tomatoes. Seasoned with the balsamic "vinaigrette" I make myself - and use on my salads.

Half way through dinner - I was "on fire" again - WTF?! Tossed what was left and jumped in the shower. Not the fish - I had the same kind the same way the night before - no troubles. Not the dressing - use it everyday - no troubles. The night before I had a tossed salad with zucc. and tomatos on it. Could it be spinach?! Onions?! Mushrooms?

Thinking back - at the Japanese rest. where I ate the night before the last flare up I had sauteed mushrooms. And onions. We thought it was just MSG that triggered this - but maybe.......

I have onions a lot - but then up until Monday I had cottage cheese daily too. Don't often have mushrooms as they turn too quickly and they usually go to waste. But at the restaurant I ate a lot of them as no one else wanted them - and I (thought) I love them!

Mushroom = fungus = mold = known trigger........

GREAT! Now my veggies are poisonous?! What am I going to do?!
I decide to avoid mushrooms for the short term. The rash keeps progressing - think I'm healing - follow up sched. for Friday - life is going well.

I'm running errands on Wed. I find myself hungry - no food - no fruits veggies for sale. I read the labels and chose a soy based granola bar no chocolate coating, no sugar alcohols.

Not the best tasting - so I only eat 1/3 and toss the rest. This will hold me until I get home.
I wake up Thursday on FIRE again!!!!! Like I was in a tanning bed for 14 days - yet I no longer tan as I'm fearful of skin cancer!! What is going on?!@

Back to the Dr. on my lunch hour. Help - I'm begging. Please.
I explain everything I just did in more detail of course. They want to send me to a dermatologist. Wrong. I can "feel" that this is from it the inside coming out. Creams on the outside won't/'don't help. I feel "polluted". "Toxic". Even if I sit around and do nothing I still feel "grimy" a couple of hours later and need a shower - as if my body has "produced" something.

I explain the mushroom thing, the granola thing. I suggest that I know from my asthma once it's been triggered into a full on attack it takes very little "trigger" to set it off again - and the next attack comes on faster with equal if not more severity.

Could this be what is going on now? Could mushrooms be a trigger? Could I be that sensitive? I had stopped and bought the same type of granola bar that I ate a bite of the day before to show her. Sure enough - lactose is on the label - waaayyyy at the end of the list.

It's possible she agrees - and now I'm going to a food allergy specialist in two weeks. For now I record EVERYTHING I eat - times, amount, any body response. I will beat this - and in time - I will be able to eat a granola bar - but for now - I don't dare even eat at a restaurant for fear that they might cook something with or near butter/mushrooms - or something yet to be determined.

Lucky I like eating this way - clean, healthy, fresh - and that I truly enjoy cooking!



Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Far from alone.....

Hillary - you and I are far from alone in our observations! Since I started talking about the artificial sweeteners - I have come in contact with 9 NEW people effected by this!

AND - keep in mind that I only learned of the diary troubles on Monday - and it is now Wednesday - I have learned of 4 people who now have some sort of adult onset auto immune response due to an allergic reaction to dairy!!!

2 other folks with chronic rashes - one who lost all her hair and a fourth who had lost sensation in her hands and feet then regained it once she made the dietary changes!!!!!

All this while I listen to the news and learn of ANOTHER packaged salad recall involving E coli!!!!!

Makes you wonder what is REALLY in our food - doesn't it?

Monday, September 17, 2007

Day of discoveries.....

As a result of the Summer of rashes - my Dr. took some blood samples and ran a full spectrum allergy screening to see what was at the "root" of all my trouble.

Environmental, airborne, food, you name it - they tested.

Control what you can after all:)

We've determined on our own that artificial sweeteners are troublesome. So no "fake" sweetness for two weeks now - and I'm feeling GREAT! On top of the world! Even when I am so sore I can barely type - or so cold I look twice my size due to the number of layers on me - for the love of GAWD - give me some HEAT - I still actually feel really good - "head wise". Clean, focused, no tummy troubles - it's nice.

I also took it upon myself to eliminate dairy, wheat and nuts while waiting for the results - to recreate the picture prep "two weeks". Figured couldn't hurt.

My tests are in! Came back through the roof for cat - I knew this - followed by a NEAR TIE with dog! Oh dear - I love my puppies! *sigh* Guess no more pets for me. Bummers.

3rd - again not far below cats - was ragweed and household dust. these two scored essentially equal. I knew these triggers too.

4th on the list - DAIRY! I had NO idea! I asked for clarification - should I cut back or avoid completely........her EXACT words - "Better start reading labels. Avoid milk and all by products is my recommendation. No butter, cream, pudding, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, hard cheese - you name it - best avoid it."

So no more whey protein! And bye bye cottage cheese - FOREVER! I haven't had ice cream in two years - so no biggie - but - but - no cottage cheese?!

And there were some other triggers - but they were all in the moderate range. One was a type of tree that grows right outside my bedroom window here at Heaven - FABULOUS! So when it's pollinating - a/c for me:)

Another discovery today - swordfish - I'm enjoying my first piece of steak right now and let me tell you........

MMmmmmmmmmmmmm - this is one GOOD discovery for today!!!!!

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Cookies anyone?

It's that time of year again - the time of year Heaven can be a little less pleasant. With my heat included in my rent - the nice folks here decide when we'll have access to some warmth. We get to chose the temp of course - but they turn off the boiler from May 1 to October 1.

Today is unseasonably cold - 50 and rain ALL day - and the low tonight is supposed to be in the low to mid 30's. Usually don't see this weather until November. In November - I have heat - so while the weather is still not pleasant - at least I am warm and dry.

Now I sit here in sweats - sipping tea I don't really want but somehow need. It was damp and chilly when I came home from work - and I had plenty of leftovers in the fridge - but I needed some heat - took a shower but that only lasts so long.....

SO I made some cookies - that I don't/won't eat. Didn't even lick a spoon. Couldn't care less - just wanted to knock the chill off.

What will I make tomorrow.........

If it's cold 3 days in a row we get heat - the current pattern is 2 freezing - one almost warm 4th normal. This doesn;t get us heat.

Ah well - at least I'll have happy friends and family members:)

Sunday, September 09, 2007

A different kind of Skratch.......

Oh dear - again with a "theme" to my post - I better stop this before someone challenges me to some other foolish project:)

However - as I type this I am trying to distract myself from the new type of scratch - the kind you get when things are healing and drying - but you still just want to claw away....that's what I've got now.

As the last of the chemicals leave my body the rash is now in it's final stage of recovery. However as the rash was weeping/blistering now as it finally dries up I have little scabs on the worst of it. Too much detail I know but it's true. But hopefully these posts may open the eyes of others who suffer from chronic concerns - and cause folks to step back and evaluate what the TRUE cause of the problem is. Seriously - step back for a moment and think about it. How many folks do you know that have IBS? Or migraines? Or claim they simply can't eat "insert anything here" because it hurts their tummy?
Not to mention the bigger concerns - skin conditions....MS......and who knows what else! I couldn't agree with Hilary more - as a teenager with overweight parents one of which was insulin dependent - I was trying to be healthy long before I even graduated high school.

Years of artificial this and diet that. Then as I got older the list of what I could enjoy got smaller and smaller - eventually eliminating some fruits and veggies! It was no wonder I was intolerant - it's just a shame it took this long to FINALLY figure it out!

Anyway - seem to be heading towards clear skin - just have to keep my mits off this last stage - Grrr......

The other Skratch is the new mix tape from my favorite d.j.'s - Skratch n Sniff!!! Best "trainers" I have every had! Another week of good sweats and PB's is in the book!!!!!

Too bad I can't soak in a hot tub this week - heavy lifting week - could really use a good pounding!

I agree Kerry!

I think Blogger determined that my previous post was simply too long - as no matter what font I choose and what size I select - that's all I can get it to display........

Weird.

Where's an eight year old computer whiz when you need one?!

Monday, September 03, 2007

Totally random......

That best sums up my weekend - TOTALLY RANDOM!

Had 2 great gym sessions on Saturday - and while I had more plans than time for some reason - isn't that so often the case on the weekend - especially Holiday weekends - I was still able to pull it together to meet my friends for dinner. We met at a local overpriced, high showmanship, Japanese steakhouse. Good food - in fact delicious - but I find ANY meal hard to justify when my check alone was $25.00! That's one Japanese beer and the en tree! I know how much I can cook for $25.00 - and I'm a pretty good cook - if I do say so myself:) Yes - he can crack an egg open on the edge of his spatula - but I can make shrimp flare too - and I know how to "spit/throw fire" - old bar tending tricks never die:)

Anyway - good time was had - but as I used the rest room on our way out I noticed my face and neck were VERY flush. Odd - but I went home, drank lots of water, took a shower, and some Benadryil - and went to bed. No worries.

Up at dawn - head to gym - more cardio before lifting and breakfast. I notice I'm a bit "itchy" but blame it on dry skin and make a mental note to take t he time to moisturize better later. After cardio I glance in the mirror on my way out and notice I am REALLY red - hmm - must've been a better session than I thought.

More water - another shower - What the heck? I have red bumps all about - and the water feels like razor blades! Quick cool rinse - more Benadryil - more water - try not to think about it. 30 min. later - I'm calling the emergency referral line.

Long story short - I end up in urgent care. Where the random Dr. I get assigned asks me if I have any known food allergies. Not that I know how. Describe my diet - so I do. Do I use artificial sweetener? I try to avoid - but I was so run down from work this week I did have more coke zero than usual. And rather than claw myself silly I had been chewing sugar free gum since the night before - which I generally avoid. I know that since I had e-coli a couple years back artificial sweetener - even one piece of gum - will cause my to become gassy, bloated, and generally uncomfortable.

Did I know that MSG and aspartame have very similar chemical make up's? - she asks. Now that you mention it - I DO know this - I've watched documentaries and read a couple of books in fact. I immediately like this woman - we're on the same page.

She started asking patients about this when she noticed that when she consumed artificial sweetener's she would develop a burning acne on her face. Eliminate the chemicals - eliminate the acne. Her suspicion was confirmed when she started getting the acne again and couldn't figure out why - until she had a closer look at her chew able calcium tablet supplement. They had changed the formula and added - you guessed it - sucralose! Now sucralose is actually Splenda - so she didn't think this was the cause - however - eliminate the tab - acne gone. So it's all natural or nothing for her.

After watching my documentary a while back - my friend was diagnosed with "IBS". HE followed the Dr.'s advice, filled his RX and still suffered. I shared with him my story of the chewing gum and suggested that perhaps this might actually be the cause of his trouble. He rarely drinks anything but coffee, diet soda/tea or beer. He figured I was trying to get him on the "dark healthy tree hugging side" - whatever - call it what you want - what if it works? It took some convincing on my part - but I convinced him to give it up gradually - at least cut back - he noticed an improvement within days. Didn't change his lifestyle, or his coffee/beer - but no diet soda. He still enjoys wings and draft beer while watching the game.

You might remember that I have been battling skin rashes off and on all Summer. I recall the first on my finger back in April, right after my pics, while I was house sitting for XBF. I thought I had pulled the "wrong weed" and had a reaction. But then I remembered that I was drinking diet ginger ale like no tomorrow then.

Since then I certainly don't have an excessive amount of diet soda - most weeks. 1 or 2 cans a day max. But when I get run down - I use it for energy, sad but true, as I don't drink coffee and there is some caffeine in there. By the end of those "heavy" weeks I feel polluted and gross - so I get some extra water, extra Z's and go back to my limited consumption of 1 or 2 a day.

But this random Dr. got me thinking, when do I look/and feel my best? When do my digestive concerns/troubles go away? When do I have so much energy that I simply drive folks mad? When is my head/skin clear? Right around picture time - as my time with Sue seems to have me in front of a camera every 4 - 5 months. I always thought is was 2 weeks without beer - but really - do my 3 weekly beers make that much of a difference?

The other thing that is different is I don't drink diet soda, don't use protein powder, don't use salad dressing. I check the labels. Guess what is in every single one of these items - an artificial sweetener! Both "name brands" are listed in the ingredients of most of my favorites in one form or another!!!!!!!

I know not everyone will agree with this - and not everyone is effected by this. But I ALSO know that I have NOT taken RX steroids, or antibiotics or even hydro cortisone cream to treat this rash. I continued to train hard and sweat this weekend - as sweating is our bodies naturally cleansing system. I have only used medicated corn starch when the itching got bad and Benadryil the first 24 hours. As I type this 72 hours later - the rash is gone. I feel alert, energetic and BEYOND sore - LOL! My head is clear - and while we ate in last night - I did have 2 beers to test my theory - and I do NOT have the polluted sluggish feeling one might expect.

It's safe to say - in my mind - I will NOT be using anything but Stevia from here on out!

But I have one more random act to leave you with on this TERRIBLY long post - as I was leaving for the gym Monday morning I was passing under a tree and was struck square on top of the head by a falling object! The sky is falling!! The sky is falling!!!! It was a 1/2 eaten apple - dropped from a squirrel I must have startled - and it was a DIRECT hit! LOL!

What are the odd's????????:)

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Holiday weekend!

YIPPEE! This could NOT have come at a better time!

Training was GREAT! I found a new way to abuse my favorite machine - AMAZING! My new addiction! The weather has been great and my Summer winds down - I was in a really good "state".........

HOWEVER......
This past week at work has been absolutely AWFUL! The Patients were in the usual Back to School rush mode - which I am used to and have grown to expect. I could deal with them - no worries.

But - there were some OTHER folks who treated me FAR worse! By Wednesday - I felt like a dog who was being kicked around! I will NOT go into details here - but let's just say this was unexpected - and resulted in more than one sleepless night.

And for some unknown reason my Father is in a full on dark phase himself - and leaving the MOST draining voice mails. I was leaving work so drained by Friday - that when I returned home to find these waiting.......

I couldn't even call him back!

So Friday night after work instead of heading to the gym to lift I took the night off and went to bed at 8:30! I feel a bit better this morning - and knowing that I will not have to return to work until Tuesday........

I am certain that this is the beginning of a BEAUTIFUL day!

The sun is rising as I type this - I am off for my new favorite cardio session - and will be able to return in a few hours to make up that lifting sessions - PERFECT!

Not to mention that I have dinner plans with friends for tonight, a "mini" adventure for tomorrow and a BBQ on Monday.

Yes - this weekend couldn't have come at a better time:)