My Elimination Diet Plan

Even though Mardi Gras was at the beginning of the month, this weekend was my Fat Tuesday. My friend Renee and I took a little road trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, to stay at the Hotel Hershey and enjoy a day of chocolate themed spa treatments at The Chocolate Spa (thanks to our wonderful husbands who treated us to gift cards for Christmas). We literally bathed in chocolate while snacking on chocolate and enjoyed invigorating cocoa scrubs and luxurious chocolate massages between relaxing in cool aromatherapy rooms and toasty warm quiet rooms. It was the perfect way to indulge and relax before cutting myself off from everything. I feel refreshed and full and ready to begin my elimination diet today.

My day started off with a nice icy glass of Ensure with a side of VSL #3 (my probiotic), Cymbalta (my fibro medication), and strong cough syrup (because I have a crazy cough right now and this cough syrup is finally doing the job). For the remainder of the day, I will alternate bottles of Ensure or Boost, water, and sugar free gum. My day will be the same for the next three days. The goal is to drink about 7 bottles of Ensure a day to get the right number of calories for my weight with one or two more on more active days. It's important to drink a ton of water to help flush the system and prevent constipation which is why I start my day with a glass of water and drink a glass of water between each bottle. Ensure is packed with nutrients but completely lacks fiber!

I know, from previous experience, that my body tends to react to new foods in about 8 hours, but the reaction to a new food can take as long as three days. So, when I introduce something new, I will eat it all day, with every meal that day, then wait three days to gauge the reaction. This week I will not introduce new food, but will incorporate my Vitamin D supplement (my Vitamin D levels are low) and multivitamin on Thursday.

Next Monday, I will start to incorporate foods while reducing the amount of Ensure I drink until I feel like I'm eating enough and getting enough nutrients to stop drinking it. Luckily, I think it tastes good otherwise this might feel like torture! As I test new foods, if I don't react, they will stay in my diet. If I do react, I will try them once more at the end of the incorporation just to make sure it was the food causing the reaction and not something else, like a cold or strenuous workout, etc. As I continue to add new foods, I will decrease the amount of Ensure.

I'm kind of designing this plan myself based on what I know I can handle, what my body needs (potassium! protein!), and what foods commonly cause reactions. In the past, I think the categories of food I used were too broad. For example, there are so many different kinds of dairy! Reacting to pasteurized yogurt with sugar in it does not mean you will react to unpasteurized cheddar! To be the healthiest I can be, I feel like I really need to take it slowly.

For now, I've come up with a reintroduction schedule to cover the next 3+ months. Starting Monday, I will add the following foods one at a time, every four days, in this order:

• bananas
• brown rice (made with water)
• olive oil
• eggs
• cruciferous vegetables
• chicken
• berries
• sweet potatoes
• nuts/nut milk (w/o added ingredients)
• citrus
• corn
• fish
• tree fruit
• lettuce
• grass-fed pork
• melon
• allium vegetables
• quinoa
• grass-fed beef
• one-seed fruit
• gourds
• seeds
• herbs
• coconut/coconut oil
• honey
• decaf tea
• peas
• oats
• white rice
• beans
• buckwheat
• chia
• white sugar
• pasteurized skim milk

There will be more to add to this list (butter, wheat, grain-fed meats, tomatoes, peppers, salt, brown sugar, spelt, etc.) but that gets me through the middle of July to Jenn and Ryan's wedding which will be followed by our summer vacation. I don't think it's a good idea to test new foods during such an important event and what should be a fun and relaxing week!

I'll keep you posted on my progress! With me luck!

Elimination Diet to Find Food Sensitivities

One of the first things I learned when diagnosed with fibromyalgia was that all autoimmune disorders have triggers -- things in the environment that make symptoms worse. These triggers don't cause autoimmune disorders but they certainly make them more uncomfortable and they are different for everyone. In addition to lack of sleep and stress, I have learned that food is a big trigger for me. I went through an elimination diet process a year ago when I was diagnosed. It was recommended that I eliminate all food for a few days and stick to diet of Ensure or Boost and water before reintroducing foods. Within 3 days of eliminating everything I noticed big changes. It had been weeks since I was able to cross my legs while sitting or walk to and from work without major muscle cramps and suddenly, I could cross my legs again and didn't have to take breaks on my walk. I knew that something I had been eating was causing me pain.

At the time, I reintroduced foods in pretty broad groups. For example, I reintroduced all vegetables at the same time not realizing that some vegetables, like bell peppers and tomatoes could cause inflammation. I also learned, during the dairy week, that I could eat processed "cheese" like velveeta but reacted to good cheese like real mozzarella. The biggest triggers were white potatoes and gluten. The day I ate hash browns at breakfast and french fries at lunch I found myself in bed, barely able to move, with muscle cramps up and down my legs by dinner time. When I ate gluten, my bowels reacted strongly. This may be too much information, but gluten makes me ridiculously bloated and causes me to pass gas and poop all day! Without the advice I received to do an elimination diet, I don't know if I would have ever realized that eating what I thought were perfectly normal foods was causing me so much pain. 

Over the last few months, my pain has been increasing. Last week I learned that I now have pain in more tender points than I did when I was diagnosed. Part of a fibromyalgia diagnosis comes from having pain when gentle pressure is applied to at least 11 tender points. A year ago, I felt pain at 12 points and now I feel pain at all 18. I think this is attributed to lack of sleep, stress, the horribly cold winter we have had, and to foods I may have missed during my first elimination diet. I've learned that there are several foods that are known to contribute to inflammation and pain. Combining that with the knowledge that I react to weird things, like white potatoes, makes me think I need to spread out the foods that I reintroduce.

These are some of the foods that are known to cause inflammation:

• Artificial colors
• Salt
• Monosodium glutamate
• Soy
• Dairy
• Gluten
• Corn
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Eggs (egg whites may be ok while yolks may not)
• Nightshades (peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, paprika)
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Beef
• Pork
• Yeast
• Vegetable oil
• Caffeine (in drinks, tea, and chocolate)
• Alcohol
• Sugar
• Citrus fruits

Quite a list, right?! Guess how many of these foods I have been eating without realizing they could be causing me pain? I need to come up with a whole new food reintroduction plan so I don't miss anything. Who likes to be in pain? I certainly don't! If I can reduce pain be avoiding some very specific foods, I'm going to do it. 

I'm going away for an indulgent child-free and husband-free weekend this weekend and plan on savoring the last bites I may ever actually enjoy of some of these pain-causing foods. My new elimination diet starts Monday with a week of my trusty favorites: Ensure and Boost. After that, I will stay on Ensure and Boost while I very slowly attempt to reintroduce a new food into my diet every three or four days. I know that I can have a reaction within a few hours, but it can sometimes take a few days, so I have to be patient otherwise I may miss something again. I'm still tinkering with my new plan, but once I have it figured out, I will be sure to post it!

Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken and Oven Baked Brown Rice

Yes. it's Saint Patrick's Day, but I can't eat potatoes or drink beer or eat bread, and since today was so snowy and I am so over it, I decided we needed a tropical meal instead of an American Irish meal. Tonight's dinner came 100% from my stockpile and only cost about $5 for all of the ingredients! There is plenty left for tomorrow's dinner as well, so it's really only $5 for 2 days!

I used this recipe from crockpotladies.com for the crock pot Hawaiian chicken drumsticks. My only change was using ground ginger instead of fresh and blending my canned pineapple chunks in the blender because I didn't have crushed pineapple. 

Baking my rice in the oven is my new favorite thing! I am horrible at making rice. Even when I had a rice cooker, I burned it every single time. When I made it on the stove, it always boiled over and made a huge mess! Making it in the oven is mess-free and hard to burn! You can use an 8x8 or 9x9 dish. Pour 1 1/2 cups of brown rice into the dish. Heat 2 1/2 cups of either water or low sodium chicken broth in the microwave for about 3 minutes (this speeds up the cooking time). Add the water or broth to the dish. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for one hour. Check to make sure all the water has been absorbed and enjoy! 

To finish the meal, I topped the chicken and rice with the glaze from the chicken and added some canned green beans on the side. It got the Logan seal of approval!

First time eating chicken off the bone!

Things I think about on Family Vacation

Even in situations that are supposed to be relaxing and fun, I have a hard time just turning things off and letting my thoughts go. Sometimes my mind wanders to places I would prefer it not go. I haven't always been this way. (I am an optimist generally, so I blame naive optimism). Now it makes me paranoid! We spent the weekend visiting family in New York which used to always be fun, but now it is both fun and a bit stressful. The best thing about being there is family of course followed closely by the food and the fun. The more and more I read about emergency preparedness and take steps toward preparing my family for basic emergencies, the more I feel that cities like New York and our own city are just too crowded. Too many people and not enough resources. I keep our car well-stocked for most emergencies but once we hand our keys to the valet, we have no idea where it goes. Likewise, the view from the 32nd floor of our hotel is lovely but what if the power goes out? I always pack an emergency candle and lighter in my suitcase just in case, but it's only one candle!

To further my paranoia, we passed a huge shipping yard as we drove away from the city and that just added to my worries. We need so much infrastructure to get goods from point A to point B and points beyond. Our ships, our roads, our trucks, and our trains are all essential for feeding, clothing, and housing America. They've served us well so far, but we've seen what can happen when the structure breaks down, even temporarily. During Hurricane Katrina, gas stations in and around the Gulf were without gas for weeks. During Hurricane Sandy, flooded subway stations kept people from work for several days. This winter, several ice storms left roads impassable to trucks delivering food to neighborhood grocery stores. Outdated water mains and gas lines break on a regular basis.

How prepared are American families for temporary breaks in our infrastructure? Could you get to work without gas? If your home was without power, could you feed your family for at least a week? If your home was without water, would you have enough to drink for a week? And where would you poo?!

These are now the things I think about all of the time and it probably contributes to why I have a hard time falling asleep. I could just ignore it and hope these things never happen but they happen all the time. I'm proud to say my family is more prepared than most and I'm committed to continuing to simplify our lives and prepare for all types of emergencies. I hope you will continue (or begin) to prepare as well!

Ryan spotted some great ads while wandering around in search of bagels with lox and the perfect slice of pizza: Winging it is Not a Plan. The suggestions recommended there should help you get started.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Today was one of those days that I cried at least four times before going to work and an additional time on the way to work. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about a year ago and was reminded of that at an appointment with my rheumatologist appointment this morning. Today's appointment revealed that more of my tender points are now sensitive to pressure, I am obviously in more pain than I was six months ago so I cannot stop taking my medication like I had hoped, and I have to go back for a nerve study in two weeks. I'm not 100% what that is, but I think it's a test to measure how long it takes for my nerves to send pain messages from their ends to my muscles or my brain.

I am so disappointed. I want to feel better. I don't want to hear that things are worse and that they may continue to get worse. I might not have reached the peak of what this disease will be. I also don't want to hear that the only way I will feel better is to stop doing all of the things I need to do and want to do. I am not a weak person but this disease makes me feel weak. I am not a lazy person, but this disease makes me feel like I need to be lazy. I don't like feeling like I need to be on medication either, especially medicine that makes me feel emotional! As you can see, I'm a bit of a roller coaster of emotions lately. My doctor even recommended increasing my dose, but I've been on a higher dose in the past and literally became dizzy every time I yawned, which, as a person who is always exhausted, is quite often.

Today sucked.

Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired

Back on December 22, Logan came down with a fever, was sweaty and clingy for two days, and was back to his normal self for our flight to California on Christmas Eve. I could tell he was winning a fight against a virus which meant I would be losing the fight to that same virus within a few days. I should have put money on that fight, then at least I would have won one good thing! On Christmas Eve, I woke up sick, had to fly sick, and was so sick for days I could only muster the energy to go out to the pool at the beautiful resort we were staying in on our last day. I was sick the whole vacation and have literally felt sick every day since then. It's been driving me crazy! I've been sanitizing my house like it's a hospital (even my baseboards and windowsills are dust-free) and washing my hands so often my skin is cracked and bleeding (Logan notices every time we get a new soap in the bathroom). It's making me want to stay at home because of all the nasty people out there who don't wash their hands after they pee or fail to smother their coughs.

I'd heard from friends with fibro that being sick with fibro can last a lot longer because our immune  system likes to attack itself. It is an autoimmune disorder so we fibros are a bit compromised. I already feel like I have a cold every day, so when I do actually get a cold, it feels like the flu. My energy is completely depleted and it feels like no amount of sleep is enough. Despite knowing that, I still couldn't wrap my head around the idea of having a cold for three months. I've been to my GP and two urgent care physicians over the last few months and left without a diagnosis every time. They'd say it was just a virus and to get more rest, take cough medicine, take mucinex, etc. Today, I decided to do some more reading to find out if there was some trick or some secret to kick this cold. What I learned today floored me. This whole time I have felt like I was fighting a cold, but maybe it hasn't been a cold, maybe it's been a flare. A flare is when dormant fibromyalgia symptoms suddenly flare up for any number of reasons. I found a comprehensive list of symptoms and every single thing I have been feeling for the last three months is on this list. In fact, there are very few things on the list that I haven't been feeling. So all of this time I thought I was crazy and somehow caught a cold that was lasting three months, but really, I'm probably not getting enough rest to allow this flare to subside. I'm my own virus!

Here is an expansive list of many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia from the website linked above. Just in case you're interested, all of my present symptoms are listed in red. I don't experience all of these red symptoms every day, but I do experience most of them daily and have had them more often the last few months.

• PAIN - diffuse musculoskeletal pain and fatigue. The syndrome is defined by the presence of musculoskeletal tender points on physical examination. Pain is often described as aching, burning, throbbing, gnawing, shooting &/or tingling. It can be localized, generalized, can feel like muscle spasms and can be scattered throughout the body. It may be migratory, with pain presenting in one or more areas on one day and other areas on another day. Pain is often experienced very quickly after any repetitive movement - even something as simple as holding arms up to brush or comb hair etc.

• Due to the lack of Stage 4 sleep, muscle repair does not occur properly and therefore muscles take longer to heal and regenerate after micro injuries or trauma, as is experienced by everyone in day to day life. Micro trauma during exercise is not repaired in FMS patients in the same manner as it is in normal people - thus the muscle stiffness causes much more distress in fibromyalgics or FMSers and takes longer to subside, therefore exercise is not refreshing but continuously causes pain making patients reluctant to engage in an exercise routine. 

• Fibromyalgics have 3 times the amount of Substance P in their bodies than do normal people. Substance P is the vehicle that carries pain stimuli to the brain. The brain may also interpret the pain improperly and respond inappropriately. What might be experienced as a "tickle", itch or annoyance normally - is often experienced as pain in those who suffer with FMS. There are often more pain receptors in FMSers, therefore pain is magnified. 

• Bilateral Pain in various points in areas throughout the body. There are 18 TPR’s - Diagnosis of FMS is made if pressure on 11 of these 18 points causes pain. Areas throughout the body may feel "bruised" when touched. The tender point is considered to be positive if an approximate force of 4 kg. of pressure causes pain when applied to the specified points. Widespread pain must have been present for at least 3 months with the associated tenderpoint pain in order for Fibromyalgia to be diagnosed. 

• FMS patients may bruise more easily than others and some may experience excessive bruising. 

• Temporomandibular Joint Disorder: in many FM patients, problems are encountered because of the abnormal tone in muscles around the joint, not because of abnormalities in the joint itself. 

• Pain in the face and jaw.

• Grinding of teeth at night.

• Clenching of jaw at night.

• Headaches: tension &/migraine. Visual Migraines may also be experienced. (Search Visual or Ocular Migraines for more information)

• Recurrent sore throat.

• Chest Pain: Non-cardiac pain that may simulate cardiac disorder. This may be Costochondritis which is pain in the sternum or breastbone where the ribs attach. (Search Costochondritis for more information.)

• Heart murmur: may be Mitral Valve Prolapse. (MVP occurs in up to 75% of fibromyalgics. Search Mitral Valve Prolapse + Fibromyalgia for more information.)

• Heart palpitations.

• Heartburn and digestive problems.

• Esophageal dysmotility or reflux.

• Back Pain: usually low back pain - may be exacerbated by muscle spasms in this area. A pillow placed under the thighs to tilt the pelvis while in bed may help, as it flattens the low back against the mattress. Pillow should not be under the knees as this might contribute to causing blood clots.

• Sacroiliac instability and pain. 

• Joint Hypermobility and Laxity: lax ligaments or what is commonly referred to as being "double-jointed". People who have this condition often ache and are more susceptible to osteoarthritis later in life. Studies suggest that joint hypermobility and fibromyalgia are associated and that the hypermobility can play a role in the pathogenesis or development of pain in fibro.

• Arm and Shoulder pain: Often burning type of pain - often between the shoulder blades. May go across shoulders and down arms. Neck may also be sore &/or stiff. Arms may ache or pain may be severe in them. One side may be more painful than the other. A small pillow placed under the arm to elevate it slightly when lying down is often helpful, as arms tend to drop down on the bed and pull on the neck and shoulders. When riding in a car, it is often helpful to place a pillow over your knees and rest your arms on it. This helps elevate the arms and shoulders and can alleviate the "drag" one them and stop arms from going numb if this is a problem.

• Postural Changes: shoulders hunched forward or rounded, head thrust forward with neck kinked forward, chest sunken, low back pushed forward causing abdomen to protrude, knees locked, muscles in back of thighs flexed - all a mechanism to find a comfortable position.

• Painful lymph nodes: under the arms and in the neck.

• Carpal tunnel syndrome: numbness, tingling and pain in wrists, hands and/or fingers. Pain in hands makes writing, typing, wringing out dish cloth etc difficult. Pain when plunging hands into cold water (also pain maybe experienced on entering the water if swimming in cold water).

• Paresthesia: Numbness or tingling (non-dermatomal) numbness in arms and legs.

• Raynaud's - like symptoms - numbness and tingling in the extremities especially in fingers, exacerbated by the cold. 

• Many fibromyalgics feel cold even when it is not particularly cold inside or out. Often hands & feet are very cold. Sometimes the sensation of cold seems to cause pain as well as giving the sensation of cold. A warm shower will usually help to alleviate this sensation whereas turning up the heat in the house does not.

• Tennis Elbow: Pain in elbow and forearm.

• Dry, itchy, blotchy skin &/or skin rashes. Especially on the face by ears and jaws and on forehead.

• Ridges: may develop in finger nails and toe nails. Nails may split. Nails may break off easily. If they do grow they may curve or curl under.

• Restless Leg Syndrome: Aching in legs especially at night causes legs to be moved constantly in an attempt to ease the pain or aching.

• Weak knees and ankles. Cramps in legs.

• Foot Pain: Plantar arch or heel pain, may be plantar fasciitis or just "fibro feet". Orthopedic shoes and orthotics may help.

• Muscle and joint aches.

• Severe muscle weakness.

• Muscle spasms: may feel like tight knots or charlie horse or lumps. Muscles contract but do not release properly. Muscles apparently may contract without receiving stimulus from the brain.

• Twitching: can be muscular - may experience eye twitch or a facial twitch.

• Burning sensations in muscles throughout the body.

• Nausea: may be caused by overload of pain stimuli bombarding the brain - nausea may also be experienced when moving from a horizontal to a vertical position.

• Recurrent flu-like illness with muscle pain and aching.

• Weight change: - usually gain - a feeling of swelling or puffiness might be experienced. May experience retention of fluid for a few days and then return to "normal". May "feel" swollen even if inflammation and swelling are not actually present. Weight gain may also be due to various medications used to treat fibro.

• Hair loss: hair may come out in great "gobs" when combed or brushed. May notice hair coming out when it is being washed as well.

• Sleep disturbance/non restorative sleep: may be described as not being able to fall asleep, not being able to stay asleep or more common, "I feel like I haven't slept at all". May awaken frequently and be unable to return to sleep for some time. May wake up "full" of pain and feel "more tired" than on going to bed.

• Frequent, unusual nightmares or being unable to dream - "black" heavy sleep may be experienced if medication is taken to aid staying asleep.

• Night sweats: wake up drenched in perspiration, then become very cold and maybe even start to shiver.

• Intolerance to cold: muscles contract in response to exposure to cold - cold weather, cold drafts, ice packs etc. Sometimes referred to as muscle jelling as in jello - jello is fluid and liquid when warm and jells when chilled. Extreme sensitivity to seasonal changes, climatic changes - rain and impending storms. Most Fibro patients find that their muscles respond to the application of warmth but that application of ice packs or cold intensifies pain.

• Body temperature fluctuations - hot one minute and cold the next. Perhaps inner "controls" (thermoregulatory system) are out of whack.

• Fatigue - can be described as feeling tired to being extremely exhausted after minimal physical exertion. Sometimes a short nap in the afternoon may help relieve the feeling of fatigue, yet some people require frequent rest periods to get them through the day. Sometimes the fatigue can come on suddenly for no apparent reason and can be very debilitating. Short periods of exertion can require long periods of rest to recuperate. Can be severe and have a sudden onset even with minimal physical exertion. May experience sudden debilitating fatigue that makes it necessary to immediately stop whatever one is doing and go and rest. May be experience as a sheet of fatigue descending over one. It is so debilitating that patients are often left wondering how they can carry on - "I'm just too tired to keep on living"

• Lightheadedness

• Vertigo

• Disequilibrium - impaired co-ordination: misjudge distances - bang into door frames, walk into furniture, walls etc.

• Cognitive function problems: such as attention deficit disorder, calculation difficulties, memory disturbance, spatial disorientation, difficulty with concentration and short-term memory. These things are commonly referred to by FMSers as "fibrofog".

• Neurogenic inflammation: rashes and hives, inflammatory sensation, with rashes that may be severe, severe itching with inflammation - initiated by nerves.

• Alteration of taste, smell, hearing. Some odors may make one nauseous.

• Sensitivity amplification: may be more sensitive to smells, sound, odors, lights, pressure and temperature fluctuations, vibrations and noise etc. - the buzzing from fluorescent lights, hum of computer, buzz of overhead hydro lines may become almost unbearable to an FMSer at times. FMS hyper-sensitizes nerve endings.

• May develop food intolerances, allergies and chemical sensitivities.

• Changes in visual acuity: impaired function of smooth muscles used for focus as well as skeletal muscles for tracking. May experience blurred vision &/or double vision. Some people require two or three different eye glass prescriptions as their needs change with the Fibro symptoms. May experience Visual or Ocular Migraines.

• Exaggerated nystagmus: involuntary rapid movement of the eyeball.

• Intolerance of bright lights/sunlight.

• Dry eyes and mouth: dry mouth can cause dental problems - dry eyes may cause inability to wear contact lens, may cause other visual problems, may require eye drops to keep eyes moist and free from infection. Eyes may be very dry at times and water at other times.

• Hearing Loss: low frequency, sensorineural hearing loss.

• Decreased painful sound threshold. Sometimes normal everyday noises become very irritating. May not tolerate radio or television well.

• Ringing in the ears - ringing and sounds like the rolling ocean or whispers may be experienced.

• Allergies: Severe nasal and other allergies and patients may also have a deep sinus infection.

• Environmental sensitivities may develop.

• Enhancement of medication side effects.

• Intolerance of medications that were previously tolerated.

• Intolerance of alcohol.

• Intolerance of caffeine.

• Intolerance of processed white sugar and most artificial sweeteners.

• Premenstrual Syndrome: swelling, tenderness and lumps in breasts are often experienced with PMS, painful periods as well as mood swings, exaggerated emotional responses etc. etc. as common in PMS.

• Fibrocystic Breast Disease: may be experienced by FMSers especially prior to period. Breasts may become very swollen and sore and be full of cysts or lumps that disappear after period.

• Frequent vaginal yeast infections.

• Vulvar vestibulitis or vulvodynia.

• Interstitial cystitis.

• Irritable Bladder/Frequent Urination: might be uncomfortable or painful. Also bladders spasms may feel like a bladder infection.

• Foul or strong smelling urine: May smell like green hay. May be dark in colour.

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome: alternate between constipation and diarrhea. Frequent abdominal pain, gas and nausea.

• Depression: may be reactive or clinical. Often pain and feeling ill all of the time causes the depression. FMSers are depressed because they hurt. They do not hurt because they are depressed.

• Anxiety: may include panic attacks.

• Emotional lability or mood swings. May be tearful at times because life seems overwhelming.

• Irritability probably due to pain and inability to do the things that you need to do and want to do.

• Personality changes: usually a worsening of a previous tendency. People who have FMS sometimes have a hard time accepting their limitations and the loss of the person they "used to be" - they may actually go into the mourning process. Because FMS is an "invisible" sort of illness - and patients often see many Doctors before being properly diagnosed, they often begin to doubt themselves.

• Fibromyalgics desperately need support and understanding from those closest to them but they often feel alienated because of their illness and inability to participate fully in many common activities of daily living. Many are unable to continue working at the jobs they love and thus lose part of the identity that their job may give them. They begin to lose their sense of independence and productivity and their sense of value.

• Anger and resentment towards lack of understanding may alter FMSers personality drastically and cause even further alienation from family and friends. Along with this sense of helplessness and worthlessness that may develop, they may begin to feel guilty for not being able to be the person that others need or expect them to be. They may become extremely depressed and begin to lose interest in life altogether.

• Fibromyalgia does not usually respond to anti-inflammatory medications. Initially there may be a positive effect but often this initial response subsides. Low doses of anti-depressants are often administered in an attempt to modify sleep patterns and serotonin uptake. Analgesics likewise often become ineffective once the body has become accustomed to them. Doctors are sometimes reluctant to prescribe narcotic analgesics due to the possibility of addiction. Various herbal remedies are found to have some positive effects by some fibromyalgics as are various vitamin and mineral supplement preparations. There are special herbal combinations specifically for FMS.

I have a lot of work to do to make this flare subside. If this is my new normal, I don't like it!

Semi-Homemade Gluten Free Pizza

A few weeks ago, Harris Teeter was running their super doubles deal and I managed to get my hands on Rudi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust for FREE. Gluten free anything is almost never really free, so I was super excited! I was even more excited to learn they were also free of potato flour and potato starch -- double win! In most restaurants or fast food pizza places, the first ingredient they use to substitute wheat flour is potato flour.

Tonight, Logan and I made two pizzas for dinner to try out this new crust. He was such a good helper! He oiled the pan, spread the sauce, piled on the cheese, and spread the pepperoni, pineapple, and ham, munching on the toppings along the way of course.

Normally, a meal like this, especially using gluten free crust, would cost a family $15 to make, but I only spent about $2.50 on all of the ingredients. With coupons, the crust, ham, and pepperoni were free. The pasta sauce was $0.40, the pineapple was $0.10, and the cheese was $2.00. Not bad for a gluten free meal! And, we wolfed it down!

 

The crusts come in a pack of two and I'm happy I have another pack in the freezer for our next easy gluten free pizza night (I'm thinking spinach, tomato, and chicken alfredo... and, yes, I already have all the ingredients).

Learning from my Little Seedlings

I planted my first batch of seeds on February 10 and was completely surprised to see growth from most of the seeds within one week. I started a second tray the following week. Since then, I've observed that the plants grow at completely different rates. For example, cucumbers are gigantic and they grow really fast! I had to remove the cover from the seed tray in just a few days which might have prevented other seeds, like rosemary, from sprouting. I've moved the cucumber and some of the squash to a bigger container. Next year, when I start with seed trays, I'll need to make sure to start seeds that grow at the same rate in the same trays. I will also need to start some of these giant seedlings like cucumber, spaghetti squash, zucchini, and sunflower in much bigger seed trays. Their roots quickly overtook the little starter cups.

Giant cucumbers and squash:

Totally towering over the other seedlings in the little trays behind them:

The majority of the herbs are growing at about the same rate, as are the lettuces and spinach:

Overall, I am so excited to see my little plants growing! My confidence in my ability to develop a green thumb is also growing.

My Oma and Opa and all of my great aunts and uncles in Germany have always had gardens. In fact, in Germany, the backyard is not even called a yard, it's called a garden. Some of my favorite childhood memories are picking blackberries in Tante Ilse's garden and climbing up to the top of my Opa's walnut tree with a nutcracker in my pocket, showering shells down to the ground below. Growing your own food, or at least some it, and using all of your food scraps for compost is an everyday part of life. The more I learn about food security and read articles like the one linked below, the more I feel compelled to grow our own. For now, I will continue to work on developing my skills and overcrowding our little balcony with veggies and herbs. In the future, when we have our own home and a real garden, I hope to be able to grow and store many of our family's favorite fruits, veggies, tubers, and nuts.

Crop Diversity Decline 'Threatens Food Security'

Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum!! Sometimes switching from wheat flour to an alternative flour can make a recipe really complicated. With this recipe for chocolate chip cookies, that's not the case! This delicious recipe is found on the back of the Arrowhead Mills Organic Spelt Flour package. The difference in flavor is noticeable, but it's still really good, especially if you are itching for a chocolate chip cookie.

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup Turbinado Sugar (Raw Sugar) -- I used regular sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 3/4 cup spelt flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips (or a little more!)

Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with the sugar, egg and vanilla.  Blend in the flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir well.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Drop onto an greased (I used butter) baking sheet by teaspoonfuls and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until done.  

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies.