Shiny and new

Lately it feels like my fibro has gotten worse. I didn't think it possible to be MORE fatigued, in MORE pain, with MORE gastric symptoms, but apparently I was wrong, because I have been. Part of that is my own fault - the holidays were a time of indulgence, and I ate and drank celebratory quantities of things that are normally very well moderated. Since the new year, I've been behaving myself pretty well, but my symptoms have not abated - it's possible that, despite my best efforts, I've even been feeling worse.

So, it's time for drastic measures. Cutting wheat from my diet last summer proved to be a huge big deal, resulting in tremendous improvements in my symptoms and even caused me to lose about 7 pounds (all while on a steady diet of potato rolled tacos smothered in sour cream). Combined with regular visits to the chiropractic and acupuncture, I've improved from a state of "can't do anything at all" to one of "can sometimes do some of the things" - simple things that a person has to do to get by, like cooking, laundry, grocery shopping.

None of the medications commonly used to treat my condition actually work on me - some make me very, very sick; others have no discernible effect whatsoever. So I'm relegated to "alternative therapies," which is perhaps for the best, since the FDA-approved therapies involve pumping toxic chemicals into my body (no wonder they make me sicker!).

This weekend I'm starting an elimination diet, much like the one described here (links to downloadable 'what to eat' lists can be found here). The goal is to determine which foods are aggravating my condition. Nightshades are a likely culprit, which is tragic, because I LOVE peppers! Of course, I've already slipped up - in last night's dinner of caramelized onions, lentils, and brown rice, I put nutritional yeast in the lentils AND I put 'better than bouillon' in the rice, which also has yeast in it. But otherwise I've been very well-behaved yesterday and this morning, having giant green breakfast smoothies (I never imagined I could eat a giant spinach salad, a big handful of collards, a whole apple, half an avocado, a cup of blueberries, and a cup of coconut water for breakfast, but it's much easier when it's all blended together!), and my fridge is FULL of beautiful, green leafy veggies. Tonight I have plans to cook and eat a tasty dinner with C who is vegan all the time and H who is currently on a very similar elimination diet.

I'm excited, and hopeful for some relief. Eliminating all the delicious things from my diet is difficult, but not so difficult as living the way I've been living.