Answers... Sortof

After the last three weeks of dealing with the inadequacies of institutional medicine, I can't begin to tell you what a relief it was to sit down with a Naturopath yesterday. I ran through the same list of symptoms, with the same timeline, and she immediately began to see patterns that made sense to her.

No throwing up of the hands and saying that it must be a virus, but an actual plan to follow. Felt a little like a miracle.

Thank you for all of your Armchair Doctor suggestions and recommendations. I took all of them to thought. No, it isn't Lyme Disease, and Thyroid problems have also been ruled out by both MD and ND. It appears that I have an imbalance in my Adrenal Glands. She didn't come right out and call it Adrenal Fatigue, because we didn't have any test results to look at. She did, however, give me some supplements to begin taking to help bring the heart rate down and improve my sleep quality. She said to give the supplements 3 days to work, and if there are no improvements at that time to double the dose. So there isn't going to be a magic infusion of health, but already, just the hope of recovery has boosted my well-being.

I have a follow-up appointment in two weeks, and if at that time I am still the same, there will be some more extensive testing done.

We have received meals from our church family and friends, multiple offers for help with laundry and housework and childcare, sweet encouraging cards in the mail, and so many prayers. I appreciate so very much the love that has been poured out on my behalf. It is very humbling to be this far out of my normal realm of ability, and to need to rely on others. But it also feels good. I love people and the spirit of caring that we are able to bestow on each other. Don't ever hesitate, when you hear of someone ill or injured, to send the smallest gesture their way. Speaking from my current experience, every little gift feels like a priceless treasure.

I'll be sure to keep you posted as I continue on this journey.

Late July

I know these are rather late, but my month of July went by in such a flash of memories that it was all I could do to just hold on as tightly as possible. I don't want to think about the imminent end of our Summer break. These days at home with my kids are absolute perfection to me. We don't go out much, or do many exciting things. Its just the pace of life without interruption from outside demands that I adore. Time to slow down and enjoy each other in this life we share.

A few days after our camping trip, I was struck with a harsh case of food poisoning that knocked me out for a few days. The pace of my recovery was so much slower than it should have been, and then I realized that the symptoms I was feeling were all-too familiar. My body is apparently still compromised, and I am once again feeling the effects of the adrenal fatigue that I've battled for nearly two years now. It has been seven months of full strength leading up to this relapse, and the symptoms aren't nearly as debilitating as they have been before, so I'm thankful. I'm reminded once again that I'm not invincible, and am slowing the pace down as much as I can, taking my reserved supplements to help boost me back to normal again. I can't even begin to tell you what a comfort is is to know now what is wrong with me, and what steps I can take to get my system balanced. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, but if I had to choose this over all of the other maladies and diseases I could contract, I'll take what I know, thank you very much.

Here's to a few more weeks of sleepy Summer days with a legitimate excuse to take it slow...

Windflower (Anemone) :: First Tomatoes :: Rain on the Sunroof :: Honey Bee on Gooseneck :: Playing Games :: Mountain Ash :: Popcorn :: Waiting for Patterns :: Wildflowers :: Buttermilk Zucchini and Blueberry Pancakes :: Make a Wish :: Through the Screen :: Black Eyed Susan :: At Day's End :: Still in Velvet :: Blueberries :: Sunset Reflection :: Bean Vines

The Cloud Project

We get a lot of cloudy skies here in the Pacific Northwest. Having lived here my whole life, I've always thought I was immune to getting the Winter blues, but since my first was born, it seems like the darkening skies have been a bit tougher to take. Not because of him... no way... he is my joy and delight. I suspect hormonal changes brought on by a hard pregnancy. And lately, with the return of some adrenal fatigue symptoms, the rainy weather has really pulled me down.

In an effort to change my heart-i-tude, I had an idea... I like taking pictures of clouds, and thought it might be a fun project to try to post daily pictures of my sky throughout this Autumn and Winter. Looking for that silver lining, you might say... a way to find interest in what otherwise might be a gloomy shadow over my poor vitamin D-deprived head (yes, I am taking my daily dose by mouth, but the real thing is always better, isn't it?).

Instead of posting all my photos in my regular blog posts, I added a tab up at the top of the page, where you can click to see the rolling overhead sky. Posts will be simply the date and one picture. Hop on over and say Hello whenever you get a chance.

Adapting

Phase Three of diagnosing what has been ailing me is complete.

Phase One was treating the immediate symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue with an Acetylcholine-boosting protocol of vitamins and minerals along with a careful diet of foods that would help regulate blood sugar levels. And rest. Lots of rest.

Phase Two was testing my reproductive hormone levels. The results being that my Progesterone is (and probably has been for several years) extremely low. This is a rather easy thing to fix with application of cream. And, most exciting of all, may be the root cause of the insomnia I've battled since my Firstborn entered the world. I'm hoping to experience the restoration of normal sleep in the near future.

Phase Three I entered with skepticism, because I didn't feel that it applied to my situation. But I followed my Naturopath's advice and had a full food allergy/sensitivity panel done. Now this panel, when done by a traditional Allergist, would only test for foods that caused an anaphylactic response. When done by a doctor who wants to find root causes for symptoms, it will also include testing for additional antibodies which may indicate food sensitivities.

Results? Across the board, nothing very obvious or life-altering in my case, except eggs. EGGS? But I love eggs! I have my very own herd of chickens that provide delicious good-for-me proteins and amino acids! Well, I guess not good for ME.

Since I was having this test done, I also made an appointment for the First Grader, who has had lifelong tendencies toward allergic symptoms, and who I have long suspected to be somewhat intolerant of dairy products.

Now this is where the ADAPTING from the title of this post comes in. My Firstborn, Son of my Heart, Delight of my Days, is indeed sensitive to Dairy. But also highly sensitive to Gluten and Eggs.

Breathe a big sigh with me, my friends.

Alone, or even together, Gluten and Dairy allergies can be rather easily overcome in this day and age, because of the vast amount of replacement products available in the supermarket. But add eggs to the mix, and it grows infinitely more challenging. Eggs are in everything!

I have already done a lot of research on eating Primal (Paleo), and think that my family will adapt to this way of eating rather easily, even with the exclusion of eggs.

What has me completely stumped, and put my brain into a vortex of calculations that has even kept me away from this blog for a week, is how to feed a First Grader who doesn't like nuts a hearty breakfast to hold him over to lunch while he's at school, and then there's that lunch... They don't allow much time for eating in the public school system, so snacks mid-morning are nearly impossible to provide, and the lunches have to be quick and easy to eat. Most Gluten free breads on the market are either as dry as a piece of toast or have eggs as an ingredient. So sandwiches aren't totally out of the question, but who wants to scarf down dry bread while the lunchroom monitors are hurrying you out the door? I'm not crazy about the idea of just putting a pile of lunchmeat (even the "good" kinds put out by Applegate) into his lunchbox because to me that equals nasty greasy fingers, and way too much processed meat for my preference.

So for now, I'm going to experiment with a couple of bread recipes that I found on Pinterest, and hope to tap into the resource of a few friends that have already started down the same road. And I will try to stay focused on the reason I'm following through... I want my Boy to be healthy. I want the best for him, and if that means extra work on my part, well, that's just me doing my Mama-job.

Feel free to chime in with any suggested resources you may know of from your own personal experience.

The Rest of Summer

Concerts in our small-town forest park, concerts in a well-populated city park, sleeping alone in the guest room because the mattress is firm and doesn't hurt my back, scavenger hunts, a heat wave, watering the plants and then watering some more, charting samplers, working out bass lines, visiting the duck pond with Grandpa and Grandma, front yard picnics, apples in the orchard, the kids and I soaking in as much of our Summer break as one can while being an invalid.

It was a beautiful season, no matter the circumstances. We are continually talking about being thankful in all times, no matter what. When things look bad, we start to count our blessings. It sounds a bit trite, I know, but through my Adrenal Fatigue a few years back, and now the pain of a herniated disc, piriformis syndrome and sciatica, I really have relied on the discipline of thankfulness to keep me positive and yes, even content.

By the grace of God,

"all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." -Julian of Norwich

My apologies for the following, if you're not a fan of needles... I wanted to include this picture for my own memory, plus its pretty fun that my needle ankle tattoo has needles around it.

It would seem that we have been adopted by another black cat. This handsome fella has been hanging around for a few months now, growling and yowling at our permanent felines, Freaky and Strange, but the two elderly fellows have decided to tolerate this new youngster, if at a distance. Socks, as he has been named by the youngest Twist, sneaks meals from the open and always full cat food dish, drinks from the freshly circulated water in the fish pond, and hangs out every evening below the bird feeder. We've been trying to lure him closer with quiet gentle words and have worked up to him not bolting every time we open the door. He regards us with suspicion and won't let us get within six yards, but he lets us talk.