A New Year.
It's here. 2019. The year where all our dreams come true, right? I'm definitely going to keep trying to make that happen.
The last time I wrote I explained the elemental diet I was going to be starting. I am on day 15 of 21! So that's exciting. The end is very near. I knew it was going to be challenging and that has held true. I am, however, so thankful that my doctor allowed me to try eating some food still throughout this. Most people strictly do the drink throughout the full 3 weeks. So each day for a few hour window I am able to eat... from a very limited menu. At this point I'm not even phased by how limited it is, it's food and I get to it eat. Doing this through the holidays definitely heightened some frustrations. Watching people eat whatever they wanted and walking past those darn treat plates. But I got through it and I'm so freaking proud of myself.
The first day doing the drink my gut already felt so much better. The constant boating, discomfort, gas, and cramping subsided. And I was like holy bananas, this is amazing! So the first few days were good and I was kind of on cloud 9 about it. Then by like day 5 I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks. My overall body aches/pain increased, the exhaustion worse, and so on. But.. my stomach still felt pretty good (so yay). It's been pretty rough since day 5. Christmas Day I managed pretty well (thank you, Jesus), but otherwise it's been challenging. This may be due to a herxheimer reaction from the bacteria dying off or my body just not feeling nourished enough (though the shakes should provide enough of that). I'm not really sure, but other people who have done the elemental diet have had similar experiences. I was hoping since I was still eating some food that maybe it wouldn't be as brutal. I'm close to the finish line though and I'm praying this will pay off. It will be interesting to see how adding more foods back in goes.
About 4 weeks ago I started drinking celery juice every morning. This was recommended by my nutritionist. I tried this out back in September on my own, but wasn't consistent with it. It sounds a little bizarre, but I'm up for anything if it helps. A few days ago I ran out of juice and just couldn't muster up the energy to make any. You're supposed to make it fresh everyday, but that's just not going to happen for me so I do enough to last a few days. Juicing is more work than I want it to be. Anyhow, my gut was so off that day and I couldn't figure out what was going on since everything was pretty much the same as the days before. Then the next morning I didn't make any either. When I woke up my stomach felt great, but by mid-morning it was garbage again. Finally it dawned on me that I didn't have celery juice those mornings. No way that was it, right? So late that afternoon I pulled it together and made some celery juice and drank a glass. An hour or so after that my stomach started coming around again. WHAT! The next morning I got back into my routine of drinking it first thing in the morning. Just like that it felt great again all day. So like any food they all have different nutrients, but what's so special about celery? Celery has been found to have over a dozen different antioxidants, some of which protect us from oxidative stress. It also contains unique non-starch polysaccharides that have anti-inflammatory effects, especially for our gut. One nutritious food may work well for one person and not for another though. Everyone's experience is unique. We have to find our potions and our poisons. For instance, ginger has lots of great health benefits, but it gives me a terrible stomach ache and makes my skin break out in hives depending on how much I consume. And clearly bone broth was not my friend this past month. Cutting out high histamine foods has proven to be very beneficial for me as well. Doesn't mean it will always be that way, but everyone has to find what works for them in that moment even though it can be a painful process.
I recently posted a request on Facebook for some positive vibes. I was blown away with all the love I got. THANK YOU! It truly does help. Many days are hard, but there are a few that are beyond that. Where the mental optimism is completely broken and you need a recharge. I appreciate all of the support from all of you! Between the memes and a float I was back on track. I'm still in awe of how helpful floating is for me. Like I seriously forget sometimes. Then I go and leave a whole new person. If anyone ever wants to try it out, let me know and I can try to get you in rotation for a free float. Or if you want to go like right now, my referral code is mr-833395 for a discount on your first float.
I'm not a once a year goal planner... I always come up with new things along the way I want to achieve. But in this moment I have a few short-term goals.
• Transition back into eating full-time successfully (this sounds so silly writing it out!)
• Keep improving my stamina throughout the day (I feel like I'm making baby steps with this already)
• Start getting some 4's on my daily food/mood log (currently my energy level is in the 1-3 range throughout the day on a scale of 1-10)
• Continue on with healthy and consistent digestion each day
• Continue on with very minimal intestinal discomfort
We'll start with that and adjust in a few weeks. Obviously, getting back to work is a major goal and if I can make the above happen I will get there. Another thing I've really seen change in the past weeks is my skin clearing up. YES! This makes me so happy and I'm starting to see me again when I look in the mirror. It's hard to explain, but if you're close to me I'm sure you know what I mean.
Last, but not least, cheers to a fabulous January! This month is full of much to celebrate in the Suker household. Lots of birthdays and our wedding anniversary. Violet turns 4 in less than a week! And I turn a year younger a week after that ;) Then followed by our mother's birthdays and of course, our anniversary. 11 years of marriage and 17 years of being together. I still think it's magical even through all the challenges. Ben is my rock and brings me joy every single day!
Happy New Year! Love to you all!
Ashlee
work update: I'm forever grateful to everyone who donated PTO to me. I wish it wasn't anonymous so I could thank each person individually! So if you're reading this and you donated... THANK YOU (with a giant hug)! The long term disability is still in process. After some issues with communication I'm hopeful we are finally getting this sorted out and the insurance company is getting the paperwork they need from everyone.
The last time I wrote I explained the elemental diet I was going to be starting. I am on day 15 of 21! So that's exciting. The end is very near. I knew it was going to be challenging and that has held true. I am, however, so thankful that my doctor allowed me to try eating some food still throughout this. Most people strictly do the drink throughout the full 3 weeks. So each day for a few hour window I am able to eat... from a very limited menu. At this point I'm not even phased by how limited it is, it's food and I get to it eat. Doing this through the holidays definitely heightened some frustrations. Watching people eat whatever they wanted and walking past those darn treat plates. But I got through it and I'm so freaking proud of myself.
The first day doing the drink my gut already felt so much better. The constant boating, discomfort, gas, and cramping subsided. And I was like holy bananas, this is amazing! So the first few days were good and I was kind of on cloud 9 about it. Then by like day 5 I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks. My overall body aches/pain increased, the exhaustion worse, and so on. But.. my stomach still felt pretty good (so yay). It's been pretty rough since day 5. Christmas Day I managed pretty well (thank you, Jesus), but otherwise it's been challenging. This may be due to a herxheimer reaction from the bacteria dying off or my body just not feeling nourished enough (though the shakes should provide enough of that). I'm not really sure, but other people who have done the elemental diet have had similar experiences. I was hoping since I was still eating some food that maybe it wouldn't be as brutal. I'm close to the finish line though and I'm praying this will pay off. It will be interesting to see how adding more foods back in goes.
About 4 weeks ago I started drinking celery juice every morning. This was recommended by my nutritionist. I tried this out back in September on my own, but wasn't consistent with it. It sounds a little bizarre, but I'm up for anything if it helps. A few days ago I ran out of juice and just couldn't muster up the energy to make any. You're supposed to make it fresh everyday, but that's just not going to happen for me so I do enough to last a few days. Juicing is more work than I want it to be. Anyhow, my gut was so off that day and I couldn't figure out what was going on since everything was pretty much the same as the days before. Then the next morning I didn't make any either. When I woke up my stomach felt great, but by mid-morning it was garbage again. Finally it dawned on me that I didn't have celery juice those mornings. No way that was it, right? So late that afternoon I pulled it together and made some celery juice and drank a glass. An hour or so after that my stomach started coming around again. WHAT! The next morning I got back into my routine of drinking it first thing in the morning. Just like that it felt great again all day. So like any food they all have different nutrients, but what's so special about celery? Celery has been found to have over a dozen different antioxidants, some of which protect us from oxidative stress. It also contains unique non-starch polysaccharides that have anti-inflammatory effects, especially for our gut. One nutritious food may work well for one person and not for another though. Everyone's experience is unique. We have to find our potions and our poisons. For instance, ginger has lots of great health benefits, but it gives me a terrible stomach ache and makes my skin break out in hives depending on how much I consume. And clearly bone broth was not my friend this past month. Cutting out high histamine foods has proven to be very beneficial for me as well. Doesn't mean it will always be that way, but everyone has to find what works for them in that moment even though it can be a painful process.
I recently posted a request on Facebook for some positive vibes. I was blown away with all the love I got. THANK YOU! It truly does help. Many days are hard, but there are a few that are beyond that. Where the mental optimism is completely broken and you need a recharge. I appreciate all of the support from all of you! Between the memes and a float I was back on track. I'm still in awe of how helpful floating is for me. Like I seriously forget sometimes. Then I go and leave a whole new person. If anyone ever wants to try it out, let me know and I can try to get you in rotation for a free float. Or if you want to go like right now, my referral code is mr-833395 for a discount on your first float.
I'm not a once a year goal planner... I always come up with new things along the way I want to achieve. But in this moment I have a few short-term goals.
• Transition back into eating full-time successfully (this sounds so silly writing it out!)
• Keep improving my stamina throughout the day (I feel like I'm making baby steps with this already)
• Start getting some 4's on my daily food/mood log (currently my energy level is in the 1-3 range throughout the day on a scale of 1-10)
• Continue on with healthy and consistent digestion each day
• Continue on with very minimal intestinal discomfort
We'll start with that and adjust in a few weeks. Obviously, getting back to work is a major goal and if I can make the above happen I will get there. Another thing I've really seen change in the past weeks is my skin clearing up. YES! This makes me so happy and I'm starting to see me again when I look in the mirror. It's hard to explain, but if you're close to me I'm sure you know what I mean.
Last, but not least, cheers to a fabulous January! This month is full of much to celebrate in the Suker household. Lots of birthdays and our wedding anniversary. Violet turns 4 in less than a week! And I turn a year younger a week after that ;) Then followed by our mother's birthdays and of course, our anniversary. 11 years of marriage and 17 years of being together. I still think it's magical even through all the challenges. Ben is my rock and brings me joy every single day!
Happy New Year! Love to you all!
Ashlee
work update: I'm forever grateful to everyone who donated PTO to me. I wish it wasn't anonymous so I could thank each person individually! So if you're reading this and you donated... THANK YOU (with a giant hug)! The long term disability is still in process. After some issues with communication I'm hopeful we are finally getting this sorted out and the insurance company is getting the paperwork they need from everyone.
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