Baby Blues

I wasn't 100% behind the idea of having a baby. I want children, but it just seemed strange to add a tiny person to our family. We've been married over 10 years and have a rhythm going.

Then I got pregnant. Within two days I was having symptoms. I knew very early on I was pregnant. I was so excited. I immediately bought the books and was putting things on my Amazon Baby Registry. I knew it was very early, but I didn't care.

Then I lost the baby. It's not like I could feel it or even had that long to digest that I was pregnant. But now that I'm not, all I can think about is getting pregnant again. I still have to wait until next month, but I'm ready to go. I now have baby fever and want to be nauseous, taste metal, have horrible acid reflux and sore boobies all over again. Come on body....let's do what we already know how to do. 

Long Time No See...

I haven't written in quite some time. I don't have much going on. I'm working hard and studying hard. I haven't worked this hard at anything in my life, it seems. I'm making it, though. I dropped one class this semester. I just wasn't able to take four classes. Three is much more manageable. I'm doing well in all of them and feel as if I have some breathing room.

I've been nauseous again for about two months. They think it is my iron levels. It's always something. The Endo did test my cortisol levels and those are doing really really well. So I'm not on the hydrocortisone and don't need to be. I will still be monitored for Vit D levels and my iron. That's not too bad.

We are about to go on vacation to Puerto Rico. We leave next Saturday. I'm so excited!! We haven't been on vacation which didn't involve going to a hospital in 5 years. We deserve this. I don't even know if we will remember how to completely relax! (Well, except for the small amount of school I'll have to keep up with.)

I'm kind of nervous about going on vacation, though. Last time I went to Puerto Rico I walked a lot. I'm not sure I'll be able to do as much physically as I did before. I know I will just have to take things slower and not be hard on myself. This also means not taking my good camera. I will be missing it the whole time!!!! But I just can't haul it around while I'm trying to just breath and walk at the same time. I know it's better for me to make it and not be suffering than it is to have the best photos ever. I'll live without the photos. I'll just have to take some ordinary ones :)

Coming off Hydrocortisone

My doctors have been stepping me down off my hydrocortisone for several weeks. I'm now only taking 5mg twice a week. I've been getting slightly nauseous, but no headaches. The Endo said if I feel any symptoms at all to take some. I'm waiting to see how it does. It's a balance between taking enough not to crash your system, but not taking so much you aren't allowing your adrenal gland to wake up. If it keeps up this week, I'll go back to taking 5mg every other day and see if that makes it better. At the very least, I can't take it for two days before my testing in a couple of weeks. I also have to keep an eye on my weight. If it starts dropping I have to take more (if I weren't afraid of dying I'd let this one slide for about 20 lbs).

I really don't have time for all this testing. It's the week of my finals and all my projects are due on top of that.  I'm going to be studying and finishing projects the whole time I'm in JAX. Someone didn't think that through well :)

I'm also stressed about classes next semester. The university informed me my probation status will not be removed until the end of this semester. Too late to register for my next classes. I can't apply as a Web Learner until I am off probation. I don't get first priority to register for the online classes unless I'm a Web Learner. UGH! I need FOUR classes to be done with my lower division requirements before I can apply to the Business School for my upper division. So I can either wait until next semester once I'm off probation to register early for Spring and get all my classes, or I can take whatever I can get into this semester AND if it isn't all four of the classes I need, have to take the remainder of those classes in the Spring before I can apply to the Business School (unless they will allow me an override for the 3000 level classes prior to applying). I'm going to try and see what I can get into. I just don't want to wait, but also don't want to pay tuition for not a full load. Then again, am I capable of taking a full load while working?? I don't know. Tuition keeps going up and I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for it. I don't think my funding source was planning on it costing so much. {Head banging desk}

I've been gluten free for a month now. I went off of it this weekend more because we went to a cookout after a very long day and I was starving. I haven't been diagnosed with anything, just trying it out for joint pain and POTS stuff. Anyway, I wasn't sure it was doing any good until I went off. I am in major pain and had GI issues pop up again. Going back on tomorrow and not coming off again. This sucks! 

Day Four of Gluten Free

So, I can tell you that I don't feel any different so far. To be fair, I'm not expecting to yet. I imagine it takes a while to lower your inflammation from eating gluten all these years. And just like medicine, it may take a while to take affect.

Knock on wood, I'm going on two weeks no crashes. Go me! Maybe I'm doing okay with resting enough. I've also been walking some to keep from doing to 90mph, 10mph, 90mph, 10mph cycle. I'm trying to always stay at 50mph. I do this by reducing stress and taking breaks.

I found a good blog noting some of the gluten free breads today:
http://blog.julesglutenfree.com/2011/04/3-days-of-expo-in-6-posts-a-rundown-of-the-latest-greatest-in-gf-at-natural-products-expo-west-5-pre-made-gluten-free-breads/

I'm worried about my trip to the Bahamas. Not because I can't find gluten free foods (I could just do no carbs) but because I'm concerned I may not be able to afford it. It's very expensive in the Bahamas to eat. I've been trying to research it. Here's what I've found:
http://wayoftheceliactraveler.blogspot.com/2011/01/taste-of-paradise.html

The Wheat Belly

Everywhere I turn on the POTS facebook pages or blogs I see people telling me to go gluten free. It was even in the information I read about Adrenal Glands. After the thousandth message I figured it must be coming close to a sign from above. I'm going to try it out.

I actually committed to it 5 days ago. So far, I haven't made it one full day. I'm committed and really really want to, but gluten is everywhere. I'm reading The Wheat Belly by William R. Davis. It's very good at explaining it so us scientific minded folk will believe it and not think it's just some new fad soon to fade. He explains that millions of years of screwing with wheat's genetic makeup have yielded something far different that what wheat originally looked like. We've made the stalk shorter to help support the larger, shaft-less grain. We've made something all together different entirely. On top of that, we add yeast to make it rise.

That's about as far as I have gotten, but like it already. Here's a sample of what we had for dinner:

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
3. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

And here is Bob's Green Drink:

He says you can omit the flax and hemp seeds if you want a lower cal version.

MY Green Drink (398 calories)

Add all ingredients (listed below) to a blender and blend until combined.

Supplements (218 calories)

• • 1 TBSP Ground Flax Seed (40 calories)
  • 1 ½ TBSP Hemp Seed  (80 calories)
  • 1 TBSP Dulse Flakes  (8 calories)
  • 2 tsp Maca Powder  (40 calories)
  • 2 TBSP Protein Powder (50 calories)

Fruits & Veggies (180 calories)

• • 1 Cup Fresh Kale (30 calories)
  • 1 Cup Frozen Spinach (30 calories)
  • 1/2 Cup Blueberries (35 calories)
  • ½ Small Banana (40 calories)
  • 1/2 Cup Frozen Pineapple (45 calories)
  • 20 oz. H20

Great Video

I have been watching these videos from an EDS conference. This is a spine surgeon. He is talking about C1 C2 instability in EDS patients. This is great because he ties in kyphosis and all my symptoms of headache and dizziness. I've discovered in the last two weeks I am dizzy when I turn my head to the left! That's why I noticed it driving because I would check my blind spot!!!

http://vimeo.com/35766087