“I don’t have a cold or flu. I have a chronic long term illness. A nap won’t help, I am not lazy. I am taking drugs that cause weight gain and many other unpleasant side effects.
I fight pain and fatigue almost every day.”
A friend of mine posted this about someone he knows the other day and I finally felt that someone understood me so I thought I would write about it. Please do not change your diet or begin an exercise program without consulting your doctor. I am only going to tell you what has had an effect on me.
Normally our bodies are protected by our immune system however sometimes our system can get off track leaving us in a weakened state.
I have seen every doctor/specialist and had every test run on me only to be told that I have Autoimmune Disease and at any given time, it can flare up. I can do things to make the symptoms a little better, but I will always have this. Many people just don’t understand this and when I can’t get out of bed to make it to work or to take care of my youngest child, it is a real problem. Family and friends learn that they can’t make plans with you because you never know when your life will be put on hold due to illness.
To help the symptoms I began working out and losing 1-2 pounds a week, but every one of my medications has a side effect of weight gain and because I had my thyroid removed years ago because of cancer, it seems like I could work out all day long and still only lose one pound. It is a little discouraging, but the exercise does make me feel better. Still some days I just can’t go for my two mile walk. I have to cut it short if I am so tired and think I can’t make it home. I have a Total Gym in my house that I use several times a week because a trainer is just too expensive for me as a single mom. But the important thing was that I did go to a trainer for several weeks who taught me how to move and lift properly. I am not sure I would be having the same results if I hadn’t gone to the trainer for the first seven weeks.
I live in Florida which is probably not the best state for me to be living in because I get sun poisoning very easily. When I take my daughter to the beach it is early morning and we have a sun shade. We are usually gone by noon if I can make it that long.
My diet you ask? After many years of friends and family begging me to go gluten free, I tried it for a month and felt so good that I now stay away from foods with gluten in them. Gluten really seems to cause an inflammation in my body for example when I eat my favorite pasta, but I can eat gluten free pasta and I feel fine.
I try to eat salad and fish most days. I drink all natural protein shakes and liquid greens for much of my protein and vegetables. I have only been doing this for the last 12 weeks, but I feel so much better and stronger. My migraines which entail weakness on one side and sensitivity to noise and light have gone down from 20-30 a month to 2 bad ones a month. Now that is really something since I have had migraines resulting in hospital care since the birth of my first child over 32 years ago.
If you are not feeling well, I would suggest you keep a journal. Keeping a journal of how you feel and when you feel it, and what you have just eaten will really give you and your doctor an idea of what is going on. I kept a journal in my purse for years and I know that things like lack of sleep, certain foods such as red wine, and stress, are major triggers for my illness.
