My psoriasis was severe, the MS showed its ugly little face daily with naps that lasts 3-4 hours, limped walking, unsteady gait, wall walking on days that were hot and humid, unable to climb stairs, depression galore! I felt lifeless and I am sure he felt wifeless. On top of all of that, we were facing vaginal cancer. Our motivation was high, obviously.
With the knowledge that I needed to be gluten free, dairy free and soy free, there came a great need for change in my life. I do not cook, my beloved husband does all of the cooking in our home, so this change was going to impact everyone. Being the wonderful man that he is, he took this information to heart and to the store with him. What he has done for me is nothing short of miraculous! Wonderful meals, wonderful spices, great variations on a theme, all to get me well.
I began to notice small changes after one week being off the gluten, my skin was less dry, my limbs didn't hurt all the time, nor was I taking Ibuprofen every 4 hours. After two weeks, my skin started healing and I had not had a headache in the two week period. AMAZING and Praise worthy! I was starting to function and the brain fog started to lift. I should also note here that while I was staying gluten free, I was also on a few supplements that doc had thought beneficial to me, mostly oils, essential fatty acids, fish oil, olive oil and something call Beta TCP...love that stuff! I so wish I had photos to share with you so that you could see the dramatic changes in my skin alone. Wrinkles that had been there for a long time were going away. Who wouldn't love that!
After that two weeks, I was convinced that recovery was awaiting me.
More later,
Suzanne
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
My gluten free story, so far
This is going to be a blog that will chronicle my story, so far. I am 54 years old, the oldest of 8 children, have been a nurse nearly all of my life, in one fashion or another, a felt maker, (see my other blog: http://hookedonfelt.blogspot.com/) and a cancer survivor three times. I have always been health aware (Thanks Mom!), very active in my youth and distance runner well into my 30's, a cyclist in my 40 and walker in my 50's and beyond, even today.
I grew up on a farm in the thumb of Michigan, where raw milk, fresh eggs, beef, pork, chicken and rabbit was readily available and abundant. Mom made fresh bread twice a week and we'd devour a loaf the minute we walked into the house....well, actually several warm loaves with 8 children acting like hungry little birds, peeps and all! I was raised on two vegetables per meal, vegetable trays, one fruit, meat of the day, potatoes and lots of fresh vegetables all summer long and canned foods all winter long. I was incredible thin, but healthy.....until I developed strep throat at age 14. After that, life changed drastically for me.
Psoriasis developed on my elbows and knee and then over the course of my life, it covered my entire body, with the exception of my back. It inched out month by month, day by day, in greater and lesser intensity until I was nearly covered in the pesky red-silver patches. Creams and lights, injections, sun therapy, special soaps, special creams, experimental this and that....really I could go on and on about this alone, but I'll not. Suffice it to say, nothing worked.
At 24 I was dx. with cervical cancer and ruptured ovaries. After 6 surgeries in 5 weeks and weeks of chemo, I was cancer free until 7 years ago when a mole appeared and was cancerous again. Removal was enough, Praise God! Then last year, I was again, dx'ed with a rare form of cancer, that required surgery and follow up every 6 months. YUCK!
During the pre-surgical time, my mom wanted me to see a Kenesiologist. What was she smokin'? What did a kenesiologist have to do with the cancer? I had been diagnosed with MS nine years ago, : RRMS
"Relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (rrms) is the most common form of the disease. The title can also be misleading.
I grew up on a farm in the thumb of Michigan, where raw milk, fresh eggs, beef, pork, chicken and rabbit was readily available and abundant. Mom made fresh bread twice a week and we'd devour a loaf the minute we walked into the house....well, actually several warm loaves with 8 children acting like hungry little birds, peeps and all! I was raised on two vegetables per meal, vegetable trays, one fruit, meat of the day, potatoes and lots of fresh vegetables all summer long and canned foods all winter long. I was incredible thin, but healthy.....until I developed strep throat at age 14. After that, life changed drastically for me.
Psoriasis developed on my elbows and knee and then over the course of my life, it covered my entire body, with the exception of my back. It inched out month by month, day by day, in greater and lesser intensity until I was nearly covered in the pesky red-silver patches. Creams and lights, injections, sun therapy, special soaps, special creams, experimental this and that....really I could go on and on about this alone, but I'll not. Suffice it to say, nothing worked.
At 24 I was dx. with cervical cancer and ruptured ovaries. After 6 surgeries in 5 weeks and weeks of chemo, I was cancer free until 7 years ago when a mole appeared and was cancerous again. Removal was enough, Praise God! Then last year, I was again, dx'ed with a rare form of cancer, that required surgery and follow up every 6 months. YUCK!
During the pre-surgical time, my mom wanted me to see a Kenesiologist. What was she smokin'? What did a kenesiologist have to do with the cancer? I had been diagnosed with MS nine years ago, : RRMS
"Relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (rrms) is the most common form of the disease. The title can also be misleading.
During this form of the disease, patients tend to experience an attack or series of attacks (exacerbations) followed by complete or partial remission.
This is where the title, relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (rrms), can prove misleading.
Patients often assume that the remission stage of the disease will mean 100% recovery. While this can be true, particularly during the early stages of the disease, often the remission will only be a partial one, particularly as the disease progresses, thus leaving the patient with residual, usually permanent, symptoms."
I did as Mom asked and went to see the guy. Who knew it would change my life in such a profound way. (THANKS AGAIN MOM!) He began with some testing and then simply sat down and began to tell me my entire medical health from age 15 til present. I'm sure I looked like an idiot with my mouth hanging open as he spoke. I was in total shock, the psoriasis, the cancers, the MS and all of its friends like blurred vision, weakness, headaches, he even nailed my migraines which I'd suffered from in one form or another since I was 15, easily 3-4 disabling headaches a week. And then came the treatment, NO GLUTEN, NO DAIRY, NO SOY!
What?????
More to follow as I have the time.
Blessing and Peace
Suzanne
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