I’ve been eating lots of healthy, yummy salads over the last few days & I realized another roadblock that’s been in my way: TIME!!

It takes time to make a salad, even when you buy bagged greens & cherry tomatoes–no cutting.  What with all the other  prep for all the veggies I like it takes me at least 10 minutes.  Then it takes me at least 1/2 hour to eat one (I’m a very slow eater).  So while I was steadily eating a marvelous blend of spring greens, romaine, baby spinach, carrots, cucumber, red cabbage, red onion, an entire red bell pepper, & a large handful of cherry tomatoes (lots of red foods!)  a grilled half of skinless chicken breast (chopped), topped with a smidge of Italian balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing, I had a revelation.  (And yes, I know I make extravagant salads, but YUM!)

So as I was chomping happily away, it suddenly hit me: With the extreme time crunch we’ve had here for the past 3-4 years I don’t make salads that often because it’s so time-consuming.  I’ll get salads when I’m out or at someone’s house–no cheese, heavy dressings, croutins, greasy stuff–but I might make a salad st home once a week, if that.  Plus,  much of the time I’m literally on the move in the car, between teaching sessions, or just cleaning the house & yards.

When I really think about it I still try to make healthy choices, like non-fat yogurt topped with frozen fruit and a few walnuts, or a piece of fruit with an organic, low-glycemic whole-food protein bar, but I choose these types of things most of the time because they’re fast & I realized this sort of fast food has become the norm of my daily diet, not the occasional thing as it should be.

Now I have to make time for:

1. Time to stretch & exercise
2. Time to relax (some ‘me’ time with no work allowed)
3. Time to prepare healtheir food
4. TIme to eat the healthier food
5. Time to clean the kitchen after preparing said healthier food

Whew!  Talk about changes.  Looks like it’s time for me  to figure out how to do this!!

Well, I definitely feel better today! (Sunday) Even though I slept late this morning, when I got up I could stand & stretch! I’m still pretty stiff in the low back/pelvis but SOOO much better. I stretched for a few minutes & I was ready to go.

I was able to do almost three hours of work around the house & garden, being careful not to over-work my back (a past pattern of mine).  Around lunchtime I did have another ‘I’m so tired I’m passing out’ episode & I took a 2-1/2 hour nap,  but then I was up again & felt ready to go do more!  This is definitely progress.

I think the biggest change I’ve noticed over the past few days is that I’ve been hardly drinking any coffee or tea!  (Those of you who know me can pick your jaws up off the floor now.)  I’m usually the gal with a big mug in my hand most of the day–it’s the only way I’ve been able to keep myself on my feet & reasonably clear-headed.  But now I feel a more natural, ‘calmer’ sort of energy, if that makes any sense.  Today I never drank even one cup of green tea and I didn’t  notice until dinnertime!  This is amazing! I’m not having physical cravings for carbs either, just more of a  reflex kind.  I trimmed the the crusts off my son’s sandwich & almost ate them–but instead our dog Jay Jay performed the time honored role of clean up crew.  Whew!

I’ve had so many changes going on with my body over the past week it’s been hard to take time to post an update!!  (Or to sit for very long–my lower back has had me in knots at times.  Fortunately I feel much better now!)  So, where to begin?  I’ve had a very busy six days at Renew Integrative Health Center . . .

First, I had recommendations last week from Jonathon Dodds, L.Ac on eating lots of red foods to boost my intake of fresh antioxidants and other natural nutritional factors, along with changing my iron supplement.  I immediately did both that afternoon and this week I’ve already felt some difference in my energy level and was able to reduce both the allergy and antacid medications I’m taking. Yay!!  Thanks Jonathan!

I also had a meeting last Saturday with Tina Mears, MFT on the obstacles standing in my way of meeting my goals & how to overcome them.  She helped me strengthen my resolve to put time for myself at the top of my daily to-do list. As a wife, mother, educator, and back-up for my husband’s business I end up at the bottom of my list unless I hold my ground and insist on time to do my exercises & prepare healthy meals (sometimes two–one for me & one for them), as well as time for my various treatments at Renew.  I had already begun to carve time for myself but Tina really reinforced how necessary this is for my health–and the health of my family.

Then on Monday and Tuesday I attended two seminars at Renew: One given by Dr. Kamyar M. Hedayat, M.D. on the biological (endocrine) interactions between my mood, the foods I eat, and how these profoundly effect my overall health; The other, given by  Dr. Robert Buchel, D.C. was on the importance of ridding my body of accumulated toxins from my years of over-the-counter pain medications (which I take in high doses), various prescription drugs, and (like Dr. Hedayat’s lecture) the constant cravings for sugar and simple carbs (read: pastry, cakes, bread, chocolate).

These seminars really helped me understand the chains of  biological reactions that are happening within my body and gave me tremendous encouragement! Now I understand why I’ve been feeling such profound exhaustion, light-headedness, fuzzy thinking, and muscle/joint pain.  But even more importantly, this knowledge has expanded my understanding of the interactions between my liver, pancreas, gall bladder, digestive system, brain/mood, hormonal/chemical reactions that drive and serve these structures & their individual processes, & much more.   And this knowledge is extremely helpful in my understanding the approach of the doctors here at Renew.   (I guess I need to understand the scientific basis for everything–even treatments like acupuncture have scientific language that can be accurately applied.)

So, I began my physical therapy Wednesday with Dr. Vanessa Jackson, D.P.T and Adam in the PT suite & boy, did they get my body moving!  Not to say I was running & sweating–they were working hard to unlock my stiff muscles & joints, work on my posture, & go through a stretching & limbering routine for me to do daily at home.  I’m sure glad they have this awesome whirlpool table (trough-shaped table filled with a warm ‘waterbed’ that has whirlpool jets pulsing underneath)–aahh!  Pure heaven for the stiff body!  All this helped me tremendously.

Wednesday I also had my second chiropractic adjustment with Dr. Buchel and he really worked, adjusting my joints from the base of my skull all the way down to my feet!  My spine, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, pelvis, hips, knees, & ankles were checked & adjusted if needed.  Now I was walking much better, although my body wasn’t quite sure what to do!  I actually had to be conscious of my movements as my normal pattern of walking had changed & if I wasn’t careful I felt I might stagger sideways.  Fortunately, my body acclimated quickly & the awkwardness passed in a few minutes.

Finally on Wednesday, I had a full history & examination with Dr. Hedayat. When finished I was so gratified & relieved when he explained that many of the destructive cycles he had spoken of (in his seminar on Monday) were ongoing in my body & causing much of my ill-health.  After being told my HMO they couldn’t find what was wrong with me & I would ‘just have to live with it’, I was excited to have an actual diagnosis & to start a course of action to begin healing!  The most important thing Dr. Hedayat told me was I need to rest my liver, gall bladder, & pancreas right now.

So for the next month or so I will avoid all starchy carbs like pastry, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, & sugar.  (Waa!  Bye-bye chocolate!)  Along with the dietary changes recommended by Jonathan & a few detoxifying supplements, I will eat animal protein with each meal, have lots of vegetables, & before I eat any fruit I will eat 3-4 almonds or walnuts to aid the digestive process.  I will also snack on whole eggs (I like hard-boiled) & of course, drink plenty of water.  I will miss my bread & rice especially but I can do this for a month, or even two if needed.  I understand why I need to do this so I’m not seriously tempted cheat. (But I’ll be glad when I can have some Arroz con Pollo or fresh, whole-grain bread again!)

Then on Thursday I was able to get up in the morning and actually stand up straight & walk without shuffling about!  I look in the mirrior–GASP! My shoulders are back, my pelvis tilted correctly–I look like I just lost 10 pounds overnight!  Thanks Dr. Vanessa, Adam, & Dr. B!!

I’m so grateful–and motivated!!  I’ve never before had all these issues brought together by one person, or group of people working together. Now, having concrete knowledge and a plan for action is the key to my new-found determination.  Before, I was always aware that each practitioner was separate and many times their individual recommendations were incompatible in varying degrees.  The lack of coordination between each modality left me with many doubts.  I would have difficulty trying to pick and choose what parts of which programs to do, and my guesswork was never very useful or satisfying.  Now I have a terrific group of people who are extremely well-trained, have a wealth of experience in their fields, and truly want me to succeed.  Their good humor & grace has already shone through & I know they will be of tremendous help when I hit those stumbling blocks, as surely I will.

Unfortunately, on Thursday I was exhausted all day after my action-packed Wednesday (including 1-1/2 hour traffic each way!).  Then, as I was feeling better, I  had some sort of stomach/digestive crisis that night.  Whether it was food poisoning, a 6 hour flu, or the grocery store rotisserie chicken was too greasy, I don’t know.  But I ended up on the floor for 3-4 hours with pains in my right side like I’ve never felt before.  After ridding myself of that which offended my body, the pain slowly subsided & I was finally able to go to bed about 3 am.

Friday I had to cancel teaching workshops after being up all night but I finally felt well enough to head down to Renew again where Jonathan gave me acupuncture which really helped soothe & calm the last feelings of pain & nausea.  Then Dr. Buchel gave me another comprehensive chiropractic adjustment after a soothing heat treatment.  Then, some gentle stretching on the traction table & I felt pretty good!  (I did cancel my Physical Therapy session though.)  But I headed over to The Broken Yolk & had a terrific 4-egg omelet with tons of veggies & herbal tea (no honey!).  I did look wistfully at the yummy blueberry muffin, but I was good & took it home for my son.  Then I came home & slept like the proverbial log all afternoon, night,  & late this morning (Saturday, I’m just up really late–yikes! It’s 12:59 am on Sunday morning!)

But I do feel much better today.  My muscles are a bit sore but nothing major.  My right side is still tender inside, but I’m fine with eating from my approved list.  I’m standing straighter & I did some stretches; tomorrow I’ll do my full PT routine of assigned stretches & limbering exercises.   Boy, it feels great to start feeling good again!!  Thanks everyone at Renew!

Boy, it’s sure hard for me to stick with a plan some days!   Yesterday I’d planned on a yoga class with my 8 year old son but now he was the one with the bad cold so I ended up staying home and catching up on the piles of housework and chores that were neglected while I was sick over the weekend.   Between tending a sick kid, laundry, and urgent phone calls/emails it was almost 8:00 pm before I even realized it!!

But I was stopped in my tracks by a good call–Lauren from Renew Integrative Health Center.  She’s been assigned as my patient advocate & will be working with me to coordinate Renew’s services & practitioners.  Whew!   I have appointments scheduled next week to see the Physical Therapist, Chiropractor, Accupuncturist, & MFT (Marriage & Family Therapist), and will have an appointment in the next week or so with the MD to do blood tests and other lab work.   Together we’ll map out a treatment plan to address all my medical issues, from strengthening and mobilizing my spine to stress-reducing excercise & meditation.  (And numerous other modalities, I’m sure!)  ;-D

So on one hand, I’m bummed that all I got in was a quick stretch yesterday & I’m very stiff this morning, but then I did reduce my stress by knocking off a lot of things on my must-do list.   ( rationalize, rationalize )   And of course I was excited to be able to get things rolling with the folks at Renew!!  Now I really feel there’s a plan taking shape, & that’s a great stress-reducer too!   (Can you tell I crave order?   <grin>    Probably because our life has been very fluid for years while we’ve done the research & development for our start-up, & then worked to get it off the ground.)

So, instead of being down on myself, I’ll decide to learn from yesterday:

-  Get that timer for the office to make myself get up & stretch !!!!  (Didn’t I say that before?  Oops, I’ve got to get to the store so add that to my list . . . )

-  Completing tasks is good–it reduces stress–but it’s bad when that’s all I’m      doing.  ( . . . must . . . take . . . breaks . . . )

-  I can’t make time for myself if I don’t notice time is passing until I’m too tired to do anything so,  I guess I’ll have to get into a new routine of self-care early in the morning before everyone is up.

(Hmmm, now I wonder how I’ll do that last one??   Hubby’s up early, works a 10+ hour day & comes home late every night,  so we all stay up to see each other.    Well, this is definitely something we’ll have to work out . . . )

Well, I made it through today–Yay!          Yesterday I was really dragging & had such a difficult time with fatigue & joint pain, & then a head cold on top of it all.  But today I was able to get up at 4:30, finish preparing to teach workshops at my home this morning, & then GO SWIMMING!!   Oh man, did that feel good!!

I was actually very tired after classes today but a nice lunch at the kitchen table with a dear friend really helped me recharge. I ended taking her son & mine to the pool so they could test my son’s ‘boat’ he & hubby built (out of an old (clean) cooler, 2×4 ‘outriggers’, & pool noodle /  juice jug pontoons–hee hee!).  While the two of them had a blast paddling about & cavorting like seals, I slowly warmed up my joints & stretched & stretched & stretched.  Then I was able to do do some swimming, play games diving for the boat plug (a large bolt), & swim a few laps doing the crawl.

I swam about simply enjoying myself when it suddenly hit me: I haven’t been in the pool for over a year! As I sat in the hot tub after my swim I asked myself, Why have I kept making excuses not to get in the water? (Excluding the times when the pool &/or weather’s just too darn cold, or I just feel too darn fat!)  My logical mind tells me to do just what I did today: Get in, warm up & move, but not so much as to make myself overly sore or stiff.  Or, just get in the hot tub, darnit, & loosen up my joints & muscles that way!  But I’ve been so physically & emotionally exhausted from the stresses of our start-up business, trying to keep grown-up worries from pressing down on our 8 year old son, & all the everyday financial & personal anxieties so many of us are facing right now that I kept saying to myself, Later.  I’ll do it tomorrow.  I know I have to get back into shape to reduce my back pain, but I just don’t have a enough energy right now to blow out a candle, let alone go for a swim.  Tomorrow.  I’ll do it tomorrow.

I feel bad because my poor hubby has been begging my to take walks with him & my son keeps saying he wants to  “Spend some fun time with you Mom, not just sit around the house with you, or when you’re teaching classes!”   They both want to get up & go with me but my feet, ankles, knees, hips & back all hurt so much I can only be on my feet for 15 or 20 minutes max before I have such severe pain I have to sit & rest/nap.  I think I need some kind of arch supports &/or walking shoes but I’ve put that off too.  Not only do I feel guilty spending money but I just don’t have the energy most days.   (Boy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling exhausted & powerless.)

But, (I remind myself) swimming is an excellent start!!  It’s low-impact & aerobic so I’m resolved to feel good about what I accomplished today–not to dwell on how far I still need to go.  I don’t remember who said this but my hubby is always telling me, “The only way to eat an  elephant is one bite at a time!” Disgusting metaphor, I know, but still very wise.

So, I will pat myself on the back for not falling into my habit of sitting on the sidelines. I will replay many times in my mind how good I felt in the water, how relaxing just swimming some gentle strokes felt to my mind & body, & how totally peaceful and zen-like it felt to simply float in the hot tub.  I feel so happy & relaxed now–a feeling & haven’t felt in much, MUCH too long a time!   

LATE UPDATE!  I got my 1st email from Renew Integrative Health & they will be scheduling my 1st meeting with them for next week–I can’t wait to get their perspective on what’s up with me!

Now, hubby & DS (dear son) have gone for a long bike ride so I’m taking a nice shower & hitting the hay.   Ah, a quiet house–bliss!!

Hi, I’m Dawn! If you’ve checked out my Bio you know I’m a busy mom & wife who is struggling with stress, & pain from fibromyalgia & old back & knee injuries. I’m used to being physically active & having lots of energy so this is quite difficult for me. Between teaching science & math workshops, homeschooling our 8 year old son, helping my hubby with his start-up engineering business, & all the day-to-day, time-consuming tasks that go with runnning a household, I’ve got plenty to keep me running!  I really struggle to get through the day much of the time so I’m SO  ready to work hard & get my life back!!

Yesterday morning I had a great meeting with Trudi, Patti, & David at Ch 10, & even got to meet fellow contestant Connie!  (She’s such a crack-up!)   What a great bunch of people–I can tell that working with them over the next six months is going to make this experience a lot of fun (to go along with all the hard work).  My meeting today really brought it home to me all the support I have behind me–what a gift this Challenge is for me right now!  I still can’t believe I’m a part of this & I’m grateful for the chance not only to make these essential changes in my life, but to share my journey with others who may face similar challenges. I’ve been antsy to have my 1st meeting with my sponsor, Renew Integrative Health Center, & now  Ijust can’t wait to get going on my plan of action!

Yesterday was a full day for me (5 am to 10 pm) starting with my meeting in the morning & by the time I got home & everyone was in bed I was completely wiped out.   :-P     So, no blogging yesterday, even though mentally I was super-energized & ready to get started.  Then today I had another one of my ‘bad’ mornings & couldn’t wake up (I’m not sure, but I think this is part of the fibromyalgia) & I slept intil 12:15!  The cold I’ve been fighting decided to settle in too while I prepared to teach workshops tomorrow out of my home. (I’m teaching science over the summer & two friends are teaching music & Spanish, so I have a full house here for 3+ hours on Fridays).  I’m so disgusted with myself!  Can’t I even have a long day without it totally knocking me on my butt??   :-(

I’m happy though that I did manage to get some quick thoughts down today, & I’ve been even more careful than usual to eat a healthy diet now that I’m part of the Challenge, so I do feel I’m making positive steps even if I’m not working out.  I figure that right now the most important things I can do until I work with Renew on mapping out my health strategy is to rest, eat well, stretch out, & above all, keep my ‘eye on the prize’–the prize being my health!!