GI Stuff & My Lifestyle Change

***This post contains TMI****

So, now that you have been fairly warned, I will tell you about some good news today.
Part of the reason I am living with this new, quite restrictive food plan, is because of my painful BMs (bowel movements). When I did this food plan before I had lost too much weight and had to quit, but it really improved my quality of life in terms of not wanting to crawl in a hole and die due to the hours of excruciating pain that followed each BM. It was truly a nightmare. Anyway, the good news of today is that I had one this morning and it hurt, but not nearly as bad!! I can't believe it!! Sooo exciting!!

On another good note, I had an appointment with the pain clinic yesterday. I have to say, I was quite nervous. I was nervous about many things: being seen as a "pill seeker," having a provider that didn't seem to care, hear or want to understand what I am going through, etc. Well, none of the above happened!! I am STOKED that the NP I saw there, was super kind, attentive, empathetic, competent, thorough and had a hollistic approach, which is an awesome added plus! We decided on the Lidoderm Patch, Oxycodone (test to see how many I need per day, and then decide if I should try something long-acting-which scares me), and Gabapentin/Neurontin. Soooo, I guess we will see how this new plan goes!!

Wish me luck!

Yoga & Diet Update

So, months ago I purchased, "Yoga Meltdown with Jillian Michaels," on Amazon {which by the way, I am a bit obsessed with the bargains there-click here to buy}. I have always been an athlete and this year it has been really depressing for me as I've become quite sedentary due to the pain. Also, I have always had a great figure. My body has always been lean and toned, and I have been noticing my composition shifting to less tone and more body fat. It has been very difficult! Call me vain, but it's important to me to stay lean and toned and quite honestly it matters to me. Anyway, luckily I'm blessed with great genes {thanks God and Mom!} so laying around hasn't effected me as much as it would some, but ok, I'm rambling... I finally put the dvd in yesterday afternoon and had a FAB-U-LOUS workout! It was great, low impact, and I survived it! I have never been a huge fan of work out videos- they tend to be really cheesy, but this was a good one! I am really excited about this! I am quite sore today, so that on top of the pain, is rough, but sore means progress, so I'll take it *smiles* I am going to do the work out every other day and continue stretching in between. I just really don't want to let my body go completely, and I want to do as much as possible for my personal wellness! Yay for Yoga and yay for self-confidence!

As for the diet, it's going well. A little review... here is what it consists of:

*no gluten/wheat

*no dairy

*no sugar

*limit soy

*no caffiene

*organic meats only

As you can see, this diet is quite intense! It can be difficult to follow without letting myself lose too much weight. I really think I need to stick to it as a new lifestyle since it helped my GI issues so much before, but I can't compromise my health in other ways either. I am trying to eat lots of nuts and avocado since I'm already down 5 pounds {the weight part is tricky for me as I have a hx of anorexia- I have to find a balance of sticking to this but not obsessing}. Anyway, some things I am enjoying are:

*guacamole- I grab a nice ripe avocado and mash it with my favorite fresh, organic salsa. Yum! Then dip with O (organic) blue corn chips. Delish

*Alexia All Natural Oven Fries- you can find them in the O frozen section at the grocery store. I love the garlic, rosemary, olive oil flavor. Since I cant eat bread, I bake the fries and dip them in eeoo and balsamic vinegar. Sooo good! And the olive oil provides some extra calories.


Yay for wellness.

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Diet

So, I have started a diet similar to the "Endo Diet." This is actually something my naturopath put me on a couple of years ago. It really helped me with my GI issues, and I wasn't struggling with the pain so badly. The problem with it was, I lost WAAYYY too much weight and it got me into some old cycles that were not healthy. Well, now I am back into my "healthy" weight range, and I want to start it up again. So I am doing:

No wheat/gluten

No dairy

No sugar

Limit soy

Organic meats

So far it's going quite well. I think I have been on it for about 3 weeks now and yesterday I began seeing results with the GI issues. So far, so good!

One of my favorite things to eat rtight now is avocado!! YUMMY! I make guacamole almost every evening and eat it with my favorite corn chips. SO GOOD!! What food do I miss?? Dark chocolate Snikers bars! Ouch! It's tought to say goodbye to those so I think I will allow myself one a month! OR... maybe once every two weeks. Yeah, that sounds more doable! Haha!

UGH!!!

OMG, I just really need to vent right now! I feel like CRAP today! I had a weekend of trying to relieve myself of a week's worth of constipation- now that problem is "fixed," but I barely slept last night and I am in SO MUCH PAIN today, at work, and running out of pain meds. I am STILL waiting on some blood work so I can figure out why I am so damn tired all the time, why my scalp is flaking off, why my skin is so oily it's disgusting!! This is definitely one of those days where endometriosis is kicking my ass and I'm just too tired to fight back. I am trying to find a specialist in my area because I am just not pleased with my doctors currently. This is so stressful!!

***TMI ALERT*** My recent GI issues. :(

Now, rather than my pelvic pain being all related to my female organs and endo, I have some severe GI issues going on. It has been miserable to go through. Specifically, with constipation. I have had issues with it on and off for about 20 years... I had seen different specialists over the years, and recently had my 2nd lap, which included removal of endo from rectal tissue. Now I am dealing with SEVERE constipation. I spent 3 days in the hospital last week, and I was released last Saturday. There was about 5 lbs of rock hard stool in me and it took them 3 days to get me to pass it. :( Now I am taking Miralax drinks, Senna, stool softeners and fiber supplements. I feel so exhausted because I am having intermittent diarrhea, but the doctors don't want me to let up yet. When I go #2 it is SO PAINFUL even if it's "loose." It sucks- I start shaking and sweating and I have to push forever no matter how much and how soft or hard it is. Sorry for all the yucky details, but I am so embarrassed and IN SO MUCH PAIN. Now the docs don't know if it is more endo or an inflammatory bowel disease such as Chron's. We have to wait a little longer to check because everything is so inflamed. I feel like I'm in hell. :( In the next two weeks or so I will see a GI specialist who will be able to help sort this out. My body is such a mess and now I am constantly obsessing over when I last "went" and when I will "go" again. UGH. I just want to be well again.

Another Post-Op Update

Well, I am 20 days post op now. I am back at work as of yesterday and the pain is moderate. I'll take that over completely debilitating any day! Last week they started me on Depo-provera to decrease chances of endo returning. I am somewhat hesitant about this for 2 reasons:

Not that I have to worry about my weight, but the dr. said it would increase my appetite, so that should help my continued eating disorder recovery. Luckily I am in a place where I don't panic at the thought, but it was still a little scary.

Also, I am lactose intolerant, therefore I get my calcium intake from supplements. I know Depo can decrease bone density and I already have some of the risk factors. Answer: we will test my bone density in one year.

For now, I will trust the docs on that.

The most annoying part of this whole situation is the "bathroom" issue. I still cannot GO! I am sooo constipated all the time and it is just a nightmare, and I am sure a major source of the pain. :( Poor stopped up me. I am working on it... fiber, stool softeners, fruit and veggies and TONS of water!!!

Hope to be out of pain soon, but it's great to be working (through the pain) and not home laying in bed feeling worthless. I continue to praise God for giving me such gracious employers throughout this whole ordeal!!!

Oh, I almost forgot, I had my first ever acupuncture appointment on Friday!! I loved it! I hope it helps. I think I will go back next week. :)