two more days

My arthroscopic knee surgery is in two days. March 1st. I wish I could push a fast-forward button to March 2nd. My anxiety has been really bad today and I have a headache. I've tried everything: talking to friends, praying, yoga, telling myself positive thoughts. But those of you who also have anxiety know how well that goes (said sarcastically). It's like another entity takes over. *sigh*

In my heart, I know things will go well and that I'll be fine. I've had surgery before (two of them, as a matter of fact.) It's more fear of the unknown.

If you are inclined to pray, please do so for me, OK? I'll also take any good thoughts sent my way. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I truly appreciate it. I will write a post-surgery post as soon as I can!

(Wish I could be as peaceful and calm as Monkey!)

weekend recap and update on FODMAP diet for IBS

Hello! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was filled with good things ~ a lovely wedding, a library book sale, and a friend's annual Fall Day party. 

 I'm still learning as I go about this FODMAP diet ~ there's a lot to learn, both in reading about this food plan and putting it into practice. But it's all worth it because I am feeling unbelievably better. It's such a relief not to have terrible bloating and stomach pain after every meal, not to mention having to run to the bathroom way too many times every day. And just as a little side note, just from giving up added sugar (no candy, ice cream, or baked goods/desserts) last April and eating a clean, healthy diet plus walking and doing yoga, I've lost another five pounds! (Oh - and Brian lost 10 lbs just from giving up sugar - and he wasn't even particularly overweight. Not fair that men can lose weight that quickly!) I think that makes 10 pounds now that I've lost in a year. I don't own a scale. I go by how my pants fit. I can tell if I've gained or lost a couple of pounds. Anyway, when I was at my friend's Fall Day party, I spied a scale in her bathroom. I weighed myself and my eyes bugged out. I stepped off the scale and back on to make sure I was seeing the correct number. I'm now at the lowest weight I've been since before having children 28 years ago! I almost did a happy dance right there in the bathroom. ;-)

 {a stone's throw from my house, right down the street}

 I wanted to share another resource with those of you who may be interested in the FODMAP diet. It's amazing how many people I've heard from who shared with me that they too, have IBS. It's the FODMAP Life Blog. Here you will find expert advice, health news, resources, foods to avoid, recipes, personal stories, etc.

{neighbor's maple tree which, as of today, is now totally red}

Of course, another biggie with IBS is stress and anxiety. You can be eating all the right foods but if you face a stressful issue (and let's face it ~ that's going to happen) or a situation that causes you anxiety, it can trigger an IBS episode. I'll talk about that at another time.

Here's to your health! 

 

a little catch-up, IBS, and the FODMAP diet

I know I've been MIA for a week. Lots going on, but mostly good stuff: meeting up with Tim for a late breakfast and catching up; a visit from an out-of-town friend; meeting up with my niece and talking to her over dinner; shopping for a dress to wear to my best friend's son's wedding next week; shopping for a rug and comforter for our in-progress bedroom re-do (got the rug; no luck yet on the comforter)...and then just keeping up with the everyday stuff with housekeeping, grocery shopping, yard maintenance, little home projects, hair cut appointment, daily exercise, yoga classes, and vet appointments for Monkey. I'm glad to report that he's doing really well.

I know I don't normally mention health issues on this blog, but this medical issue is part of my life and something I felt I should share with you all since it's a common problem. I'm learning a lot about it and figured that perhaps I could help someone else as I go on a new journey and share what I learn.

I have IBS ~ or, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I've actually had it for about four or five years, but it's been getting worse recently. Gut problems and food intolerances run in my family. Also, anxiety can trigger episodes of IBS and yeah, I have pretty bad anxiety, too. I'm not on any medication for my anxiety; I choose to treat it with natural ways such as meditation, yoga, walks in nature, deep breathing, and hot baths with essential oils. I'm not saying this is the right way for everyone; I'm just sharing what has worked for me.

With my IBS getting worse, I've done a lot of research and have read not only about IBS in general, but about diet. I have eaten a healthy, clean diet for several years now ~ meaning no processed foods (I read labels on everything!), no fast food, no foods containing high fructose corn syrup, soybean oil or any other hydrogenated oils, no nitrates or nitrites, no food colorings or MSG, no refined sugar, no excess sugar or sodium, etc. Basically, I stick to real, whole foods as much as I can. I'm not perfect and neither is my diet. I'm not saying I've never eaten any junk food in these past few years. It's more about being mindful about what you put in your body. BUT. That's not enough to help IBS!

I found a great website that has a ton of information about IBS. It's the 

International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. 

You can read about topics such as, What is IBS, Signs and Symptoms, Treatment, and Living with IBS. Each of these sections gets into more related detailed topics.

In relation to food, I started reading about the low FODMAP plan. FODMAPs are Fermentable Oligo-saccharides, Di-saccharides, Mono-saccharides And Polyols - basically, carboyhdrates that are found in foods. According to Stanford Hospital Digestive Health Center Nutrition Services, FODMAPs are osmotic - meaning they pull water into the intestinal tract, and may not be digested or absorbed well and could be fermented by bacteria in the intestinal tract when eaten in excess. A low FODMAP diet may help reduce symptoms of diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, and cramping. Click HERE for the link to the Stanford report. It also gives you the do's and don'ts for the FODMAP plan: which foods are OK to eat (low FODMAP foods) and which foods to avoid (high FODMAP foods). The International Foundation for Functional Gastroinestinal Disorders (link in previous paragraph) also has information about the FODMAP diet and even has a SYMPTOM DIARY where you can keep track of your food intake and symptoms.

I've started this low-FODMAP eating plan today. You're supposed to stick to it for six to eight weeks and then introduce other foods (the high FODMAP ones) back into your diet one at a time, so we'll see how it goes. I hope to share more with you as time goes on.

Disclaimer:

This blog post pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion about health and related sub­jects. The words and other con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked sites, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with their physician.

Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay in seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked sites.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Weather is supposed to be perfect here: warm and sunny. We have a couple of exciting things planned for this weekend, so I will be sharing with you soon. See you then!

monkey mind

 There's a Buddhist term called "monkey mind". It's when your mind is whirling and won't turn off...you're feeling restless and unsettled. That's how I'm feeling today. I suppose it's part of

having anxiety.

All kinds of random thoughts have been going through my head all day...

I need to empty the dishwasher; I still need to put the clothes in the dryer; the kitchen

garbage needs to be taken out; the porch is a solid sheet of ice...I really should sprinkle

some salt there; oh yeah, while I'm outside I need to fill up the bird feeder. I wonder how

L (a relative in the hospital) is doing? I'm concerned about C and B (a couple of

friends who have cancer). Wonder if Tim's car is still pulling to the right when he brakes?

Oh shoot, I really need to bag up all that stuff for donation that's sitting downstairs. And

 then I'll need to load it into my car trunk. We need some groceries...

should I go do that today? Nah, I'll go Wednesday. The well guy is coming tomorrow to

shock chlorinate our well and so we won't be able to use our water for 24 hours. Can Brian

run to the store tonight while I'm at yoga class and pick up several gallons of water?

Which reminds me - better fill up the bathtub with water tomorrow so we can use that to

flush our toilets. Wow, it's January 26 already? Some friend's birthdays are coming up.

I'd better add birthday cards to my shopping list.

 

 And on and on it goes.

 So. This is where I'm writing this post. You can't tell from the view out the window, 

but it's snowing out there. I am watching the flakes dance around in the wind

and it's actually peaceful. Whaddya know. I'm looking at my poor plant by the window

 and willing it to perk up and hang in there. It's actually an outdoor plant from last summer

 that I brought inside when the weather got cold. Warmer weather is coming soon, little

plant. I promise.

 And this is where I'm headed now. My yoga mat. Some deep breathing, gentle

stretches, and...being still. Something that is very hard for me to do, but I'm learning.

It does help to calm that darn monkey mind.

 Check out this short, informative Huffington post article on how to tame your monkey mind.

Namaste! And happy Monday.

 

on leaving ~ and creatures

 I'm leaving in half hour with a couple of friends to travel three hours south to

a women's retreat. We'll be back Saturday night. Sounds good, right? In theory, yes.

But I suffer with anxiety and leaving my home to go out of town kicks my anxiety

into high gear. Why I said yes to this retreat was that one of my best friends from

Canada was actually driving all the way down to Illinois for this retreat and we

wanted to see each other. But she had a family emergency and now is not able

to come to the retreat. But I already committed to going, so that's that.

I know a lot of you are animal lovers like I am, so I thought I'd share some

recent pictures of my kitties before I leave.

Here's Zippo all snuggled up on a quilt next to the "love" pillow...

 And my sweet girl, Clementine...

And Clementine's baby...Monkey. He has such long front legs! Good thing he's

so cute and sweet because he's quite naughty.

 

 A turtle?! This creature was in the road, crawling towards my neighbor's house 

across the street yesterday. I'm glad he made it because I'm too scared of turtles

to pick it up and move it to the side of the road. Look at those claws!

I'll talk to you all again on Sunday! Have a beautiful weekend.