Tag Archives: fitness

I’m alright.

Posted in Just Life., Keto Diet, Multiple Sclerosis by

As of today, it’s been 2 weeks since I last logged in to either Facebook or Twitter. I got my first, “Are you okay? People are worried about you.” text the day before yesterday.

I was both surprised (a) that anybody was worried (because Depression would have me believe that nobody cares) and (b) that it took 12 days for anybody to miss me enough to check in. (Though, to be fair, I’ve been checking in with a lot of people and making the first move because I recognize my responsibility to maintain relationships that are important to me.)

I had hoped that by posting here about my decision to step away from social media that it would have helped folks to not worry.  And then I found out that WordPress no longer publishes blog updates to personal timelines.  It only works if it’s attached to a Page and not to a personal account.  Adam thinks I should just create a Page for this blog. He’s probably right.

But, if I’m going to put in the work to do that, may as well put in the work to revamp the site and market it to increase readership… to start daily posting again, and hope that by leaving footprints on the path that I walk, that it does anything helpful and good for anyone else.

Thinking about it makes it feel like a lot more work than it is… It also would require me to log in to FB and Twitter and weed my digital garden to curate a better newsfeed experience. Right now, I’m not sure whether or not I have the time or energy for all that. I’ve just started to not automatically reach for my phone every few seconds.

Banality

To be really frank, I’ve dived deep into housewifery and stay-at-home mom-ness in the last few weeks. I’ve been focused on my family’s health and giving Henry the educational and emotional support he needs to grow up smart, kind, strong, and self-assured.

Sure, my house always seems to me to be in dire need of a maid, no matter how often I pick up (an act that feels constant and on-going), but life is happening here in full force. Loads of creativity through messy art projects and loud, often-dissonant, impromptu music sessions. Lots of science and math through baking and cooking and LEGO and video games.

As someone who used to live her life almost strictly for the stories (Cheers to you for being entertaining, 2004-2006 Past Rae), I find myself having a tough time feeling like I have much to gab about on my public, digital diary.

There’s not much excitement to be found in the daily, constant cycle of dishes and laundry, in religiously coupon-ing with multiple apps [Ibotta, Jewel’s app, Fetch Rewards (Use my referral code, 73962, during signup and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points just for starting.), & Coupons.com], meal planning around the weekly promotions at the 3 different grocery stores in walking distance to my house, and, oh yeah, managing my health.

The one remotely interesting thing that I’m doing right now is volunteering with Detention Lifeline, and writing legal briefs is only interesting to me because of the kind of nerd that I am. Truthfully, I’m just grateful that my legal knowledge might help, well, anyone at all.

Back on the Keto Bandwagon

One of the biggest changes of the last few months for me was stopping the keto diet and returning to the standard American diet (SAD for short) while trying to conceive because my high-risk OB wanted me to just do exactly what we did to end up with Henry. (The idea being that since Henry’s pregnancy was uncomplicated and he’s healthier than any of us, I had it right the last time around.)

Well, my 38 year old body isn’t my 33 year old body, and pain and seizures from unnecessary inflammation caused by diet does not make for optimal sexytime.  There’s an order of operations here that just cannot be ignored.

So, I gave the SAD 3 months. I gained 10 pounds and started genuinely struggling with MS, seizures, and depression again. Come to think of it, if it weren’t for the switch in diet, I probably wouldn’t have had the time-travel seizure that created the desire to quit social media. So, yeah. That’s enough of that nonsense.

Do I think I’m going to keep keto throughout my pregnancy?  Definitely not. I want to make sure a developing child has everything it could possibly need while inside me. And morning sickness absolutely begs for carbs. But fertility specialists recommend the ketogenic diet for both men and women who are trying to conceive — and that’s where we’re at. Plus, it helps with MS – both with managing symptoms and with slowing progression. I’m already supplementing with a prenatal vitamin with extra DHA and also take additional folate, so hopefully, everything will work out the way it needs to.

After having a spontaneous miscarriage in August of 2017 and having to end a pregnancy in late November of 2018 due to genetic abnormality, I’m really, really hoping that the 3rd time is the charm. I’ll do whatever needs to be done to help Baby Majka #2 to join our family. We all already feel their absence, and it sucks.

But it is nice to be able to sleep through the night, so I’m not taking that for granted for even a moment.

In that vein of thought, I’m going to get to work on a brief for a guy who is detained in one of our our many American concentration camps, so that he will eventually get to have some good sleep too.

Another month in.

Posted in Keto Diet, Recipes by

It’s been a month since my last entry. It seems like as good a time as any to update.

Adam has lost 30 pounds in the 6 weeks since we started the keto diet. I have lost 10.  I’m not really sure why I have only lost 2 pounds in the last month. I’ve been doing all the things – food journalling, measuring everything, counting calories as well as macros, but I am at a personal plateau. I got stuck around 185 for months when I was losing this weight the first time. Besides, my shape is obviously changing, and I’m sure that I’m benefiting anyway.

How do I know? Because July 11th was my 10 year seizure-versary, and it came and went without me even thinking about it.

I am becoming accustomed to having energy and being able to think clearly.  And, despite having catamenial seizures, I did not cave and order sweet & sour chicken w/ fried rice… no matter how badly my mind thought I wanted it.

But What Are You Eating?

I’ve been getting this question a lot. It makes me think that folks who are considering the diet haven’t been able to really wrap their heads around how the diet works because it’s so different from the one that they’re used to.

For the curious, my day usually looks like this:

Breakfast –

  • bulletproof coffee -or-
  • coffee & a mug cake -or-
  • coffee and scrambled eggs w/cheese

Lunch –

  • leftovers from dinner or
  • a big bowl of spinach and/or lettuces plus whatever I’d have on a sandwich (turkey, hard salami, a slice of cheese, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp mustard, and a diced pickle is a favorite, as is chicken, bacon, blue cheese, & avocado)

Dinner –

  • some kind of grilled meat (chicken, steak, lamb, pork chop) or fish (usually salmon, swordfish, or tuna) w/ a cooked green veggie (asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, artichokes, Brussels sprouts) -or-
  • a recipe I’ve grabbed off the internet or created from family favorites, like
    • Adam’s Hand Pies/Calzones
    • Baked Chicken & Cauliflower “Mac & Cheese” Casserole
    • Homemade Pizza with Fathead Dough crust
    • Zucchini Noodles w/Turkey Meatballs & Pesto
    • Keto Jambalaya

Dessert – almond butter or cheesecake “fat bombs”

Snacks – 

  • baked cheese “crackers”
  • string cheese
  • precooked breakfast meats (bacon, sausage links)
  • pork rinds
  • nuts & seeds

Wherein I whine about whining…

Oddly, friends of mine have been adding me to keto communities on FB, whether or not I have expressed any interest.  I mean, it never hurts to have more recipes, I guess… but I’m getting really tired of  the support aspect of many of these groups.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m all about supporting one another in our journeys, but I’m sick to death of reading people whining about how hard this diet is.  I hear enough whining from my 3 year old and from my inner fat bitch who would prefer for me to subsist on pizza and donuts.  YES, the diet is a tough adjustment from the SAD, but whining is toxic.

I want to tell each of these people, “Listen, you don’t have to be on this diet. You’re making a powerful choice and powerful change. Change is the opposite of comfortable!”

I think part of the problem is that listening to other people complaining does nothing to strengthen my personal resolve. It only amplifies the voice in my head that encourages me to quit or purposefully slip up.

I am well past acknowledging that I have automatic negative thought-patterns whispering in my ear, telling me to harm myself. My full-time job is to tell those thoughts to fuck off.  And right now, one way I do that is by powerfully choosing what I do and don’t put in my mouth.

I think that when it comes to dieting/changing your lifestyle/way-of-eating or WHATEVER you want to call it, it all comes down to one question: What’s your motivation?

It’s okay to admit to yourself that you’re changing your lifestyle in order to lose weight and be healthier. It’s important to be honest with yourself. The real problems that cause yo-yo dieting and will whittle away at your self-esteem come in when your motivation for becoming healthier stems from a place of negativity.

If you’re trying to lose weight because you are sad about what you see in the mirror, it’s easier to get down on yourself along the way because you’re focusing on something that makes you sad.  Your weight loss journey then becomes one of escaping the pain of your own self-flagellation.

The sort of negative self talk that comes from this sort of motivation can sound like, “What’s more important to you? Looking good or tasting a cookie? Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.”  The problem there?  Being unkind to yourself becomes habitual, and habits are tough to break. When and if you reach goal weight, you’ll still have more practice at being unkind to yourself than you have practice at giving yourself credit for your achievements, and you’ll wonder why you still feel sad.

If you’re trying to lose weight because you want more time with the people you love, it’s a lot more difficult to shame yourself.  I mean how can you feel bad about wanting to spend time with people who make you smile? “Would you rather eat a cookie or have more time feeling well with your kid(s)?” makes the choice easier for me, at least.

Of course, it’s absolutely ideal for weight loss to be secondary. I’m extra lucky in that regard.  Seizure control matters to me far more than weight loss — but I’d be lying if I didn’t want to get back to a healthy BMI.   The thing is, I know that in order to achieve weight loss or lasting lifestyle change, I need a happy thought to focus on to get me there. The sad or angry ones don’t help as much, and plateaus are very real.

Anyway, I’ve been really appreciating that I learned in therapy that I can’t control my automatic thoughts, but I can always control my actions.  6 full weeks with no cheating is a big deal for me.

The trick to not cheating? Always have something on hand you can eat. Prepping ahead for grab-and-go eating is the name of the game.

Without further ado, here are more keto-friendly recipes that are worth the dishes they’ll create to make them.

Recipes That Are Totally Worth It

keto mug cake

Eat your heart out, Otis Spunkmeyer.

Here are some recipes that Adam and I have work-shopped and fallen in love with over the last month:

Keto Party Mix – This tastes JUST like Chex Mix. It’s the first time I’ve liked pork rinds. I strongly recommend a deluxe nut mix without peanuts, like the one we got by The Snack Artist.

Rae’s Chocolate Chocolate Chip Mug Cake – I love to split this with Henry for breakfast! Best served with whipped cream and/or coffee.

Rae’s Lemon Blueberry Mug Cake – Another good one for breakfast or just as a treat. 🙂

Adam’s Keto Jambalalya – This one takes time, but yields plenty of delicious leftovers.

fathersdaynutsFather’s Day Trail Mix – This is what Henry and I made for Adam for Father’s Day 2018.  Which reminds me… he’s all out and I need to make him more today. 🙂

Anyway! I have taken a long time writing this out today, and I am frankly amazed that Henry let me get away with it.

I hope that you’re feeling well and are having a good day.

It’s time for me to go do chores, despite somehow being sick with a headcold yet again. (If only Keto also improved my immunoglobulin count!)

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or recipe requests for me and Adam to makeover!

 

Diet and Still-Not-A-Dictatorship

Posted in Just Life., Keto Diet by

Diet first. It’s easier.

Keto’s still going well. I stopped using MyFitnessPal and actually paid for Cronometer. I regret it, since Adam is happier with MFP, and I’ve had to input no fewer than 20 recipes just for myself in the last 2 weeks.

Part of me wants to switch back to MFP because y’all can see my food/activity diary there, but more of me is like, “Dammit, I paid $40 for this program! I’m gonna use it!”  The reason I paid the $40?  To be able to share recipes with Adam. 😐

As far as deciding which caloric/macro goals to go with, I opted for the goals that I originally had in MFP because I don’t want to lose muscle mass.

Calories 1490
Carbohydrates 19 g (5 %)
Fat 116 g (70 %)
Protein 93 g (25 %)

Weight as of yesterday morning: 188.1 (Whaaaaat?)

I’m down 8 pounds since the start!  It’s kind of crazy to think about, since I didn’t lose any weight on paleo, even with exercise, even when I stuck to it for months at a time. What’s even weirder is that losing weight was not really the point.   Seizure control, improvement in depression and anxiety, and more energy was.

Presently, I’ve got more energy than I used to have on a daily basis.  It’s especially significant since I’ve been really sick this week with an upper respiratory infection.  Like on-antibiotics, sleeping-next-to-a-vaporizer, needing-to-put-Vaseline-on-my-nose sick. I haven’t had an appetite, but I’ve made sure to take all my vitamins and everything.  I’m still in ketosis, according to the strips.  Adam even rocked my socks off yesterday by making 90 second keto mug bread and turning it into grilled cheese.

grilled-cheese-1

Not my sandwich, but very similar looking.

What might be the most significant change, however, is that my constant inner negative chatter is conspicuously missing.  The ruminating suicidal thoughts? Gone after the first full week at or below 30g of carbs. The constant fear that I’m doing something wrong and that my whole world is going to crumble to nothing because I’m somehow woefully inadequate in a way that I cannot even grok? Only present when my PTSD has been triggered.

If my experience is normal, I can’t imagine why changing to this diet wouldn’t be part of any regular treatment plan for folks who are chronically depressed and/or suicidal.  Maybe we just don’t understand the brain or nutrition well enough yet. Maybe I’m an outlier. *shrug*

Anyway, I’ve had fewer mood swings, been more patient with Henry overall, and I’ve been more motivated in every area of my life, despite being sick-on-top-of-ill. Altogether bitchin.

But what’s really super cool? The lack of seizures. Don’t get me wrong — I had a harder time last night (at least 4 of them), but I also had a low grade fever. Pseudoexacerbations happen, yo.  This feels like it’s getting the job done.  I hope it is.

But Really Though…

TBH, no amount of food-obsession-to-help-me-feel-in-control can stop me from thinking about the insane shit happening at our border.

I can’t believe that I find myself wondering why the “good guys with guns” would let thousands of children languish in prison camps.

I can’t believe that I find myself wondering — with police, soldiers, and thousands of other government employees also taking oaths to protect the Constitution, why no one appears to be actively protecting it, aside from lawyers and judges — who are working their happy asses off, I might add. (Seriously, my hat’s off to the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Lawyers for Good Government, KIND, and RAICES.)

I wonder how there can be so many millions of us deeply outraged at what is happening, and how we can organize marches that will undoubtedly be attended in record numbers — and yet, we march on peaceful streets rather than storm the camps and free the kids.

I wonder about how people can cheer over the President’s executive order when it doesn’t mandate that the children who have already been separated be returned to their families and specifically authorizes indefinite detention for all families in the future.  Nobody deserves “forever” in jail who isn’t a convicted murderer or serial rapist, whether they’re with their family or not. Innocent children should not grow up in jail. The mere thought of it sets me on fire.

I wonder what our lives are even for if we can’t protect infants from the horrors of the American prison-industrial system. Or from being trafficked by the government into illegal adoptions. (Many of the detained children have been sent to Michigan to be under the care of Bethany Christian Services. It is an adoption agency with ties to Betsy DeVos. The adoption system in America is a multi-billion dollar industry.)

Why are we asking #wherearethegirls? Why are we asking #wherearethebabies? Why are we accepting that the camps are demanding 2 weeks notice from government officials before they’ll allow them to even VIEW what’s happening on site with their own eyes? How can we bear witness to kidnapping and false imprisonment and not take direct action against it to make it stop?

Because these acts are being perpetrated by our government, under our watch, with our money, we, as citizens, have an affirmative duty to mitigate the damage and right this wrong as quickly as possible. We are not bystanders! We are part of this.

Are we, as citizens, really so desensitized, so tired, so weak, and comfortable that we can hear the screams of babies in detention, caused by our government, funded by our labor and wages, and not only not feel culpable, but believe there’s truly nothing we can do to make it stop other than giving money to fundraisers and complaining loudly to people who represent private interests (like the for-profit prisons who line Trump’s pockets) more than they do their constituency?

Can we be aware of rampant (1,224 complaints so far!), horrific abuse and still be too afraid of our government to rise up in any meaningful way?

Yeah, probably, until they start coming for us… which is pretty likely to happen since 2/3 of the population has no 4th Amendment rights when it comes to border security.

niemollerquotemonmouthnj580pxw

The real kicker here, though, is that Congress is already gunning for us. They want to fund our concentration camps by getting rid of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. They want to pay to enslave people who wish they were citizens by killing actual citizens. The irony isn’t lost on me — especially since  our own government’s study showed that refugees don’t cost us money. They bring in money.  My strong suspicion is that Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare are also bringing in money to America by propping up Big Pharma and the medical industry, but that’s just a guess.

Besides, we all know this isn’t about money.

There are members of the disability community who say that we’re literally fighting for our lives now.  I think our lives are already forfeit, and we should go out swinging if we’re not running, but I’m admittedly pessimistic.

My husband’s litmus test for whether or not we should try to leave the country is if there’s a registry that gets started.   But, let’s be real here: I don’t need a registry to be in danger.  I’m disabled and on SSDI and Medicare.  I’ve been on a registry since 2011, and I know how fascism works.

What I wonder is how long it’ll be before America relents and accepts these concentration camps as “normal” and forgets that the government has already “lost”  1500+ children? How long before another school shooting?

If Americans can’t or won’t stand up to make it safe for our children to go to school without fear  of of being shot — to the point that it’s actually more dangerous to go to school than it is to be a solider in an active war-zone, and they can’t stand up in a meaningful way to stop the literal torture of refugee children whose only crime was hoping for a better life in our country — then they’re sure as shit not going to stand up for their aging parents or disabled friends and family.

So, the question becomes “What can we actually do?”  And I think that the elderly and disabled can do a lot more than Congress supposes. We have a lot more value than most folks realize.

Immigrants do too.  Maybe we’ll all be lucky and Melania will save the world… but probably not.

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Ke(y)to Happiness?

Posted in Multiple Sclerosis, Paleo Diet, Science, Seizure Disorder by

The other day, I made a comparison chart for 7 diets that I had considered trying or had actually tried in an effort to improve my MS. It ended up getting featured on Modern Day MS, which is pretty cool.

dietcomparisonpt1

.dietcomparisonpt2

I am almost certain that the diet that I need to be on is the traditional ketogenic diet. It’s ostensibly the best diet for overcoming NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease). This graphic outlines 7 ways that being in ketosis can help you, and I need help with all seven things!  

benefits-of-ketosis-min

Unfortunately, despite my logical brain knowing that this is a good idea, the most of me is absolutely dreading this shift. I will miss the convenience of restaurant food and delivery very much. I will miss comfort foods. I will miss the quiet calm of not having to justify my nutritional choices to others or to myself. (Because, let’s be real, the constant chatter and fretting of Anxiety will happen no matter what, and it’ll do its damnedest to make me question myself every bite along the way.)

friendseatthat

I think one of the hardest things about changing my way of eating at the moment is the fact that I have a precocious three-year-old who survives primarily on Goldfish crackers, peanut butter Ritz Bits, chicken nuggets, French fries, and various fruits. Honestly, reading that, I feel Shame. (“Big S” shame. Toxic shit.) Of course, like anyone seriously considering this diet, I watched The Magic Pill on Netflix, and felt like a terrible parent.

My boy is 39 inches tall and nearly 40 lb. I don’t know that changing his diet is the right thing to do – but, I do know that I will absentmindedly snack on Chex Mix if I’m serving it to him. If I’m genuinely convinced by the science surrounding the ketogenic diet — about it being the optimal way for humans to eat — why would I continue to feed my child a diet that is likely to set him up for type 2 diabetes in the future?

20180506_155410.jpg

My little ham.

Why am I so filled with anxiety over justifying these nutritional choices even to myself? Do I just like sugar that much? And, why is it so damn hard for me to just be part of normal society? Isn’t it enough that I’ve got a majillion chronic illnesses? Do I need more social isolation? Do I really have to make my life even more difficult? 

And will it just make life more difficult, or will it actually work?

If it works, it could make things so much better for us. I want to be able to imagine a future free from complications of NAFLD, hypertension, high cholesterol, and depression and anxiety. I’m honestly a little giddy over the thought of raising my seizure threshold. If I actually believe the science regarding how my physical health should improve, then it’s absolutely worth it…

Unfortunately, I have doubts. And it’s reasonable that I have doubts! Scientists sometimes lie for money. I did everything I was told by my doctors regarding diet for most of my life, which meant eating lots of low-fat, high complex carb food, which has, in part, led to the health that I am currently experiencing.

I feel so hopeless and depressed.  Living in a post-fact society, I have no idea who is trustworthy.  I want to feel empowered and excited. I want to inspire you to come of a journey of health and rebirth with me, knowing that the outcome will be stellar and worth the emotional investment.

The truth, however, is that I’m having a really hard time even being motivated right now, and so I’m looking for as many credible studies as I can find. Like these… and these… and this. It’s easy to find pieces challenging it.

My therapist isn’t much help with my depression these days. She says I have all the tools in my tool box.  It’s all up to me.  Well, either it’s all up to me to take the best possible actions or it’s time to find a new therapist, which may also be one of those positive actions, depending on whether or not I’m able to continue to hold myself together. To be totally honest, the idea that I could have “beaten” my mental illnesses sort of cracks me up when I legit had to do EMDR butterfly hugs just this morning.  

Still, I know meditation and my actions are only part of the equation.  Major depression is a biological disease affected by MS and caused by brain inflammation. Oh, and btw, “[p]eople with depression who [experience] suicidal thoughts … exhibit significantly higher levels of TSPO, … indicating inflammation of the brain.” [source] I’ve only visited that thought pattern a few billion times. 

But, guys — guess what is decreased when you’re on a ketogenic diet? Brain inflammation. [source]

So, I will start this diet on Memorial Day whether I feel like it or not.

I am ready to feel better. I want to be happier and lighter-hearted and thinner and to live longer for my boy. I’m just not looking forward to the hard part.

I’m glad to be reading Barbara Applebaum’s book Be Your Own Superhero. It’s really helping me with motivation right now.

—

Also in a positive direction, I have logged out of Facebook in Chrome on my telephone, and I will not log back in. So, now I not only do not have the app, but I have to actively log in on Chrome or open up my laptop if I want to immerse myself in other people’s opinions, problems, and other random bullshit.

I decided I’m tired of putting myself in harm’s way, and with the knowledge that real life is triggering my PTSD on its own, (Thanks, Dominionists!) I don’t need to poke the bear. I want to use my time better.

So, I’m using that time to craft a month-long meal plan with recipes. I’ll have a plan for ~1400 calories/day for me and one for whatever Adam’s ideal calorie count happens to be. I’m guessing ~1800.

Let me know if you want to do it with us. 

It’s Not Cancer!!!

Posted in Just Life., Music by

The tumors in my liver are benign, likely caused by ~20 years of hormonal birth control. My bone marrow looks good. Chromosomes look good. Doc thinks that the high LDH was caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) — a specific type of fatty liver disease, which we already knew I was dealing with.

So, amazingly enough, there’s nothing new to deal with here — just another situation where I’m being told to lose weight and increase activity. I’m on board. I’m eating less, thanks to gastritis, and I’m almost done meal planning for a month’s worth of AIP. Part of me is looking forward to it.  It’s gonna be my form of Lent.

One great side effect of genuinely believing that I was about to have to fight cancer is that I have a fucking long to-do list, filled with awesome things.  Stuff like, “Record all your original songs, even the ones that you think are mediocre.” and “Remember how to have fun by going on lots of adventures and writing about it.”

are-you-not-entertained-24264909

I will try harder. This health bullshit is boring AF.

I think I’m going to need to hire someone to transcribe music for me. For too many years, I’ve let my distaste for transcription (read: knowledge that my skills are so weak that it’s painful, slow, and often inaccurate) stand in the way of my songwriting.  It’s actually the reason that I dropped out of Songwriting I at Berklee.  I rocked all available lyric writing classes and absolutely loved them, but when it came to actually writing out my own music, to be judged by a guy who has taught iconic songwriters, I cowered. There’s no other word for it.  I felt like I just couldn’t do it… so I couldn’t. And I haven’t. Add the facts that the class was at 9 a.m. and I’d just chosen music business as my major, and dropping the class seemed like a no-brainer at the time.  If ever I wished I had pushed myself harder while in college, it’s then.  Opportunities like Berklee songwriting classes don’t come around every day.

One thing that 2 weeks of wondering about my mortality was good for was recognizing areas where I’ve let myself down, and I’m kind of sick at my stomach over my level of cowardice. I’m gonna work a lot harder on feeling bad about myself for actually making mistakes instead of feeling bad about myself for not doing things that I’m afraid I’m going to fuck up. You can’t fail if you don’t try… but if you don’t try, you’re kinda failing at life.

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#11 is free, right?

Posted in Just Life. by

Looking for Answers

Welp, the ultrasound didn’t show any stones… but it did show fat deposits on my liver. Now, I have to go get an MRI (w/ and w/out contrast) of my liver so that my gastroenterologist can figure out whether or not I have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. I’m 99% sure that I have it, because it would explain the pain in my upper right abdomen… and if I don’t, then who the fuck knows. I’m all about some answers.

For those of you playing along at home, this is my current medical condition.

  1. Multiple Sclerosis
  2. Seizure Disorder
  3. Hypertension
  4. High Triglycerides/Cholesterol
  5. GERD
  6. Gastritis
  7. Colitis
  8. Postpartum Depression
  9. PTSD

I joked with Adam that NAFLD would be #10, so my punch card should be full and #11 will be free.  He didn’t laugh. Probably because I haven’t made a punch card yet… but I might, just to keep myself laughing. I keep looking on the bright side. No stones means no gallbladder surgery.

The first line of treatment both for high triglycerides/cholesterol and NAFLD is to lose weight, a minimum of 10% of total body weight over 6 months. (So, for me, that would be 21 pounds.) In theory, that’s totally doable.  I honestly would *love* to lose weight.  I’ve been trying for years now with no success.  It doesn’t matter if I’m on the paleo diet or not. Or if I’m active or not. Or if I’m both paleo and weightlifting.  Even pregnancy didn’t change my weight by more than 15 pounds.

Fortunately, at the beginning of May, I’ll actually finally be seeing an endocrinologist, and hopefully, she’ll be able to help me figure things out.  I mean, someone’s got to be able to help.  I don’t want to die from a heart attack (triglycerides/cholesterol), a stroke (hypertension), or liver failure (NAFLD) – all of which are caused by my being overweight. I’m willing to do whatever’s necessary.

In the meantime, Adam and I are getting back to the gym starting today. Being active never hurts. We took about a month off because Adam burnt his hand terribly on a hot pan, and I was having tons of seizures because of tummy troubles and hormone imbalances.  I’m not expecting magic or anything, but I’m really looking forward to just going for a 30 minute walk on the treadmill if nothing else. I hate being as sedentary as I have been. I’m tired of my tummy hurting, and I’m tired of feeling gross.

12963873_10209025515017754_2491198053406512411_nOn a totally different note…

I was lucky enough that my mom came in for 10 days to help out and hang out with me and Henry while Adam was in and out of town for work.  I always appreciate my mom’s help, and am honestly flabbergasted at where she gets her energy.  To be honest, I’m ridiculously jealous. The lady’s 22 years older than me, and runs circles around me. She cooks and cleans and gets on the floor with the kiddo and doesn’t bat an eyelash…whereas I have given myself numerous mental high-fives just for remembering to transfer the laundry last night.

She also takes great pictures of her grandbaby. Here’s Henry in his Graco Bumper Jumper. He’s too tall for it, but he still can’t get enough. I’m really looking forward to Mom and Dad putting together his rocking horse for his birthday.

Celebrations

Speaking of… Adam’s birthday is tomorrow and Henry’s birthday is in 2 weeks, and I really haven’t done anything to prepare. Yes, I bought Adam a present, but he already got it – so that’s sorta anticlimactic.   And as for Henry… I have got to get my shit together.

Ilovetrash

Patterned tableware is 50% off at Party City right now.  I just have to force myself to stop being such a lazy curmudgeon. I’m like, “How the fuck are these paper plates this expensive even when they’re on sale? I can get 100 plain white paper plates for the cost of 8 of these ‘Wild at One’ plates, on sale.  Why do we need a tablecloth and paper cups?  Will he even CARE if I make him a smash cake? He can’t eat solids other than purees yet, and he won’t have any memory of it… It’s all just gonna be garbage!”

And then I have to remind myself that this is 100% postpartum depression talking. It’s the same inner voice that has dealt out other helpful advice such as, “Henry and Adam would have more money and be better off without you. You should just kill yourself.” I don’t listen to that voice. I treat it like the mental flatulence it is – odious and ephemeral.

Equally ephemeral… the quiet solitude of naptime.  Kiddo’s been down for almost an hour, so I’m gonna see if I can get a few things done before he stirs, and it’s time for me to feed him lunch.

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My one real talent: Getting Henry to sleep. 

 

Celebrations

Posted in Just Life. by

It’s been quite a Decemberween so far!

danandjeninlove

Mr. & Mrs. Boych

Daniel turned 32 on the second night of Chanukkah. He and Jen got married in beautiful Tamarindo, Costa Rica on the 4th night. It was great to spend almost a week in a tropical paradise at a swanky resort with my family.

MomandDadatDanielswedding

Proud parents

I missed Adam and Henry terribly, but absence truly did make the heart grow fonder. I came back to a husband who appreciates my work at home even more than he used to, and I haven’t been nearly as grouchy about Henry’s shenanigans since I got home. (Truthfully, though, I’m still not a fan of diaper rodeo.)

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I actually missed the kid so much I was looking at baby food at the market.

Nick (my brother-in-law) & I turned 35 yesterday, and we celebrated on Saturday by having free birthday dinner entrees and desserts at Houlihan’s and checking out the closest hole-in-the-wall karaoke bar near my home with Adam & Lizzie (Nick’s girlfriend). I got a free apple pie shot from the bartender and had the chance to sing “Biscuits” to a crowd that appreciated it. Couldn’t have asked for a better time.

I’m not sure what it is about turning 35 that made me ever so slightly melancholy. Honestly, I’m completely stoked that I’m still around. Every year that I make it around the sun again is a victory.

I think that there’s just some sort of arbitrary checklist in my mind that activates when I have a birthday… like some sort of silly, shitty, self-imposed performance review — as though there are metrics to hit. I’ve decided that, while I’m disappointed that I can’t always get everything done, I’ve handled my promotion to “mommy” with aplomb, and I am deserving of a bonus.

decemberween

For my Decemberween gift (aka birthday/chanukkah/christmas all rolled into one), Adam has said that I can do whatever I want to do in order to get back into shape.  He says he wants me to look at myself and feel as beautiful as he thinks I am every time he looks at me. My favorite thing about my husband is that he always wants to support me in being the best version of myself possible. 🙂 I feel very lucky to have him in my life.

Truth be told, the last time I felt genuinely beautiful was before I was diagnosed with MS.  I lost 75 pounds before I started law school and was working out every day. Fitness (and by extension, confidence) was one of the biggest things that seizure disorder took from me, and I’m looking forward to reclaiming it.

So, I’ve decided to take a 2 pronged approach and to both work with a personal trainer and go to BodyLogicMD to get my hormones checked out and balanced. I am convinced that I either have a thyroid issue or leptin resistance.  Regardless of changes in diet and exercise over the last several years (and there was a whole year when I did weightlifting 3 times a week and was 80/20 paleo), I saw no change in weight, so I’ve decided to find out why and do something about it.

Apparently, that’s what a grown-up romantic present looks like… lots of trips to the doctor and the gym. *lol*

finding-true-love

Thursday night, we head over to the in-laws to celebrate Christmas Eve. I’m looking forward to it to the point that I didn’t buy any wine — just a lot of good food and some energy drinks. Without them, I’d never be able to keep up with the kiddos.

All that, and I’ve even sent out holiday cards on time this year! I knew it could happen! 🙂

Hope that you and yours are enjoying the holiday season, whatever holiday you’re celebrating.

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The Quantum Mechanics Of Babymaking

Posted in Just Life., Science by

Basic Quantum Mechanics

For those of you who aren’t brushed up on your quantum physics (or fans of the Big Bang Theory), please let me introduce you to the concept of Schrödinger’s cat in a nutshell.

Schrödinger’s experiment involved putting his cat in a sealed box with a flask of poison and a device that had the potential to break the flask of poison, killing the cat. After a certain amount of time you can’t know for sure whether the cat is alive or dead. Thus, quantum mechanics implies that, for the purposes of making any kind of predictions, the cat must be viewed as simultaneously alive and dead. (Basically, you have to consider both possibilities as equally valid.)

The same kind of thinking applies when you are in the process of trying to start a family. During a month when you’ve had sex with your partner in an effort to conceive a baby, but prior to the pee test showing a positive or you getting your period, you are both pregnant (P) and not pregnant (NP). This presents several paradoxes that can cause anxiety.

Do This, Don’t Do This

Currently, my head is spinning with the number of things that I should do if I’m not pregnant, but should not do if I am pregnant. As I am presently both P & NP, I often am at a loss for determining the correct course of action and am sort of shooting from the hip.

Losing Weight
I am currently overweight. My doctors all want me to lose weight. I want to lose weight. How do you achieve this? By limiting caloric intake and maintaining or increasing physical activity.

What are you not supposed to try to do if you’re pregnant? Lose weight or restrict calories.

What am I doing? Recording every bite I eat in a journal and damn near losing my mind wondering whether I’m eating properly. I’m focusing mainly on having good nutrition and not overeating. I aim for between 1400 and 1600 calories a day. I’m taking prenatal vitamins every day and making sure that I drink enough water.  I’m honestly hoping to continue to lose weight until I have a pregnancy test that comes back officially saying “positive.”

Weightlifting
One of the best ways to increase your caloric burn while also keeping your body healthy is to lift weights. If you are not pregnant, there’s no question that weightlifting is good for you.

If you’re pregnant, the answer isn’t quite so clear. There are people who say that lifting weights while pregnant is a good thing. There are people who say it’s bad.

What am I doing? Following the advice of the camp that is in favor of weight lifting with resistance machines during pregnancy, while listening to my body and not pushing for gains, but rather endurance. I also am avoiding plank pose. (Though to be honest, that’s got way more to do with laziness than anything else.)

Protecting My Nervous System
I have MS. This means that I need to be taking a disease modifying drug (DMD) to slow the progression of the disease if I’m not pregnant.

The only DMD that is acceptable to be on while you are actively trying to conceive is Copaxone, and most neurologists have you quit taking it once you are pregnant. I no longer take Copaxone because my neurologist determined that it was doing absolutely nothing for me, so it’s not even an option.

What am I doing? I’m not taking any DMDs. This leads to a lot of anxiety for me. On the one hand, I want to conceive and carry a healthy baby — and I feel healthier and better because I’m not dealing with the side effects of medications that suppress my immune system. On the other hand, I’m having a marked increase in seizure activity, fatigue, and muscle spasticity.

Fostering Kittens
If you’re not pregnant, fostering kittens is rewarding and fun. It’s something I’ve done for many years that brings me a great deal of joy, not only from my interactions with the kittens but from the knowledge that, despite my disability, I’m making a positive difference in the world.

If you are pregnant, it can be dangerous to deal with kittens because of the danger of toxoplasmosis.

What am I doing? Sadly, even though Adam has said he’ll take care of scooping the litter box for the duration — we’re taking a break from kitten fostering. Better safe than sorry.

Eating Sushi or having Alcohol in Moderation
There are actually scientific studies that suggest that light drinking while pregnant can be a good thing. At the very least, drinking as little as I do and as infrequently as normal will not harm the kid.

If you’re Japanese, sushi is considered good neonatal nutrition.

If you’re American, you’re not supposed to have any sushi or alcohol. And it sucks.

What am I doing? So far, not drinking or having sushi. And it’s making me cranky.

The best things in life are not safe for pregnancy.

I just want to take a moment to recognize the things that I deeply appreciate that I am foregoing while in this quantum state… the things that if I’m actually not pregnant, I’m missing out on for no other reason than caution.

  • Medical cannabis to help with muscle spasms and neuropathic pain… I miss you, bud.
  • Aleve… because Tylenol doesn’t actually do shit.
  • 5 Hour Energy/Caffeine… Naps are just not as effective as you are.
  • Afrin… Nasal washes just aren’t the same, but at least they do something short-term.
  • Soft cheeses… feta, I miss you the most.

I hope this is all worth it.

600th Post!

Posted in Just Life., Paleo Diet by

I’ve wanted to make a post for the past several days, but for whatever reason, writing just hasn’t happened. There’s been a lot going on.

First visit with the high-risk pregnancy specialist

Last week, Adam and I saw the high-risk pregnancy doctor, in the hopes that we’d be cleared to start trying for a family. Unfortunately, my blood pressure was insane at the visit. 174/95. Crazy, right? The doc wants me to lose 20 pounds and get my blood pressure under control before I see him again.

Challenge Accepted.

Doubled the hypertension medication. Got back to the gym. Fortunately, the relapse is over, and because of that, seizures aren’t stopping me from exercising. Yesterday, I was finally able to do 45 minutes of cardio again. We also keep saying that we’re going to go paleo again. We did well yesterday, but tonight, we’re going to a Blackhawks playoff game… so I guess we’re aiming for 80/20 this week.

Awesome Find: Once A Month Cooking

One of my friends introduced me to Once A Month Cooking, which has more than 2 years worth of paleo menus and recipes already made. Talk about a time-saver.

And if that weren’t enough, there are other sites for once a month cooking too, such as this Whole 30 Freezer Menu, and this article about how to freezer-cook in the first place.

Big 600!

And apparently, this is my 600th post here. That blows my mind.

Hope you’re all doing well!

Not Letting MS Win.

Posted in Multiple Sclerosis, Science by

Adam and I have been very committed to fitness over the last year. We’ve changed many of our eating habits for the better, learning how to live without wheat and adding many more veggies to our diet. We also managed, most weeks, to get to the gym 3 times. This year, we’re going for 4 times a week. While I haven’t seen much in the way of weight loss, my body has reshaped, so that’s a step in the right direction. I know I’m building muscle. I tell you all this not to brag, but because it’s relevant.

So Ridiculously Counterintuitive…

Monday and Tuesday of this week, I was dealing with some pretty intense MS fatigue. The idea of going to the gym was ludicrous to me. (Hey, I’m having a hard time walking to the bathroom fast enough. I know! Let’s lift weights!)

Now, you have to understand, MS fatigue is utterly and completely different from being tired. You can be in a great mood, be motivated to do things, and quite literally not be able to make your body move without extreme effort.  You can be extremely sleepy and not able to actually sleep. Sometimes, it’s like wearing a lead apron over your whole body. At other times, it feels an awful lot like turning into a weak puddle of goo.

This graphic perfectly represents what MS fatigue does to you.

This is what MS fatigue does to you.

“The exact mechanism of MS fatigue is not known, but studies suggest that changes in the brain caused by MS may require MS patients to use five times more effort to complete a simple task than a person without MS,” says Julie Stachowiak, PhD, author of The Multiple Sclerosis Manifesto: Action To Take, Principles To Live By.

Never being one to take things lying down (literally!), I had to research ways to combat fatigue.

The most consistent suggestions on the internet were pharmaceuticals (like ProVigil) that I can’t take thanks to hypertension, simplifying your life (which doesn’t help when you’re already in the throes of the beast), treating depression if you have it (check!), and exercise.

That’s right — exercise.  When it’s hard to move… move more. It sounded bassackwards to me. I was actually angry thinking about it.

But it works!

According to the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD), “A study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah demonstrated the benefits of exercise for people with MS. Those patients who participated in an aerobic exercise program had better cardiovascular fitness, better bladder and bowel function, less fatigue and depression, a more positive attitude and increased participation in social activities.”

More recently, a 2013 study conducted by scientists at the Division of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Istanbul University demonstrated that supervised group exercise training is effective in improving balance, functional status, spasticity, fatigue and quality of life in moderately affected people with multiple sclerosis, with no worsening of their clinical status.

So, despite my goo-like status late Tuesday, I cowgirled up and went to the gym. Mind over grey matter. I was honestly shocked by the immediate results.

Sure, I went slower on the stationary bike than I usually do (It was so tough!), but after about 20 minutes of entirely willpower-driven strenuous activity, I was no longer desperately wishing for sleep or even wanting to quit. I felt the heavy, pressing feeling lift. I suddenly had energy like it was a normal day. I was even able to finish up my 30 minutes on the bike and do a 15 minute cool-down on the treadmill. Like a boss.

Exercising = Having Energy

I have a theory about MS fatigue and when it hits me hard.

Last week, we went to the gym 4 times (M,T,Th, &F), and then we took the weekend off. After 2 full days without any exercise, I had some of the heaviest fatigue I’ve experienced… so I took Monday off too, thinking that my body needed the rest. (Wrong.)  Tuesday morning, I was certain I’d been run over by a steam roller in my sleep… but Tuesday night, I hit the gym. Today, after working out regardless of fatigue, I feel significantly better than I did the last 2 days.  If not for the tingling paresthesia in my back, I’d actually feel normal. Then again, I’m so used to the tinglies on my back that maybe this is “normal” for me.

Anyway, my theory is that my body now requires that I work out almost every day for it to function properly. When I take more than 1 day off from exercise, I experience fatigue. And fatigue sucks so much. It’s like gravity is trying to crush both your body and your spirit. Last night, I actually had the thought that cycling was like mining for energy… that cardio, for me, is like plugging myself into a charger. I honestly think that daily cardio exercise is going to be the only way to keep fatigue at bay.

If it really is this simple, maybe this crazy broad wasn’t as insane as I thought she was.

Neither of us is going to let MS win.