My Darkest Hour? OVER!!!!!

SO... Where do I begin?! 


Last time we spoke, I mentioned my problem with that addictive snack we all know as peanut butter. Inflammation was slowly engulfing my entire body (literally; even my toes were swollen) & removing peanut butter from my diet seemed like the most logical thing to do. Mission accomplished! The funny thing is that my inflammation didn't budge... I drank a glass of water with 35 drops of liquid turmeric as often as I could stomach it; I walked/ran everyday to break a sweat; I even started thinking like a 'typical' young woman & tried to go down the starvation route, knowing in the back of my mind that it wouldn't be sustainable. NOTHING WORKED!!!! No matter what I did, the inflammation stayed put. That's when I started to think outside of the box. 


Perhaps it was the drug I took in January? That stupid pill to jumpstart my period. GRRRRRRRRR!!!!! Did it change the biological make-up of my body? Were the 11 extra pounds of inflammation here to stay? TOO many questions left unanswered. 


Magnesium became my best friend for a while. At one point I was taking enough to be labeled a magnesium addict; yes, that's the truth. (I was desperate!!!!) You can take a wild guess as to how that went over with my body. It didn't work out too well... One too many trips to the bathroom convinced me to back off the stuff. I figured this vicious cycle was becoming more harmful than helpful. GREAT. Still searching for answers. 


Then, when I wasn't looking, the bottom fell out; I hit a brick wall. Nothing was changing no matter what I did. I was extremely depressed as a result. My joint pain shot through the roof; my stomach refused to cooperate; my intestines were either silent or violent; my heart ached; my mind went into hiding; my emotions were a mess; my life was upside down. I even had to buy bigger blue jeans which is never fun when you feel like the scum beneath the earth. Oh, & did I mention I was sweating through t-shirts within seconds? Or that my face was battling acne? How about acne on my legs, too? :/ It was time... to call a doctor: a Naturopathic doctor. 


We went to see a Naturopathic doctor hoping he could help me. Crohns Disease was his best guess. I was not the least bit surprised. My trip to the E.R. from a flare-up & my hellacious kidney stones episode last year helped him draw that conclusion but, the horrible history of my gut was a red flag as well. The drug I had taken in January COMPLETELY WRECKED my insides. Drugs + Crohns= epic disaster. He said the drug could easily be the reason my body has been malfunctioning. Can you believe it?!?! :( I would have never taken the drug had I known it would turn my life upside down. He said I'd have to be patient because healing would not occur overnight. Although, I was at the end of my rope folks. I had been feeling like crap since the beginning of January: every damn day. Waiting was the last thing I wanted to do. But time had run out; I did not have a choice. 


After that appointment, I geared up & prepared myself for major healing. It was time to bring out the big guns & fight this to the death! :) I messaged all my close SCD friends & asked for their help in conquering this severe inflammation. I was willing to do anything. I started by making raw veggie juices with celery & cucumber. I even forced myself to eat teeny tiny meals all throughout the day so as not to have problems with digestion. THEN, I eliminated eggs. Thanks to my detailed food journal, I was able to see a correlation between feeling horrible & eating eggs. I went a step further & stopped all my supplements. Apparently some of them are known to aggravate Crohns symptoms. Unreal! Things were slightly improving but not enough to jump for joy. The big kicker was when I removed the only food I depended on: CHICKEN!!!! 


I have been chicken-free for almost a week & HOLY COW!!!!! :D I FEEL LIKE MYSELF AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The acne on my legs is gone; I've lost 8 lbs. of inflammation; my heart is singing; my mind is content; the bathroom is not running my life; my face is clearing up; my life is normalizing again!!!!!!!!! Who knew the one food that was bringing me down was the one food I considered to be safe. I have become sensitive to chicken. Oh well! That's all I have to say. The bottom line is that I want to feel better. If that means no chicken, that means no chicken. I'm willing to add in or eliminate anything in order to feel like myself. As a result of this huge change to my diet, I've increased my seafood intake!!!! I eat cod, bass, sardines, scallops, shrimp... the list is still growing! I also have been eating a fair share of zucchini pasta, sauteed mushrooms, cauliflower, & spinach (everything cooked to mush mind you). I'm also consuming grass-fed beef, veal, & bison! Proper rotation of these foods is my goal so I don't develop any new sensitivities. I just can't believe I'm back. :) I took out all my dresses yesterday, too! When I feel good, I'm not taking a chance to miss the moment! 


The other thing that's really brought me tons of relief within the past week is hot yoga aka Bikram Yoga. Anyone ever heard of it? You perform yoga for 90 minutes in a room that reaches 105 degrees. You sweat more than you've ever sweat in your entire life. I LOVE IT!!!!! I went four times last week! :) There's a class tonight at 5:30 that's got my name written all over it. I love it so much that I'm considering becoming a yoga instructor. What do you think?! Doesn't that sound like a career for me? I think yes! 


I made it to the other side of this flare-up. No more tears! I know life is unpredictable & there's a chance I'll be battling another flare at some point but who cares. I'm living my life in the moment & right now, I'm feeling terrific. :) I can't afford to worry about the future & miss out on what's happening this instant! I'd like to thank you all for helping me through this. It was too tough for me to handle on my own. I disappeared from the blogging world because I had nothing positive to report. It was a dark time for me & I could not be more thankful to see it go. I hope this encourages you to keep going if you're currently struggling with a flare-up. It WILL end: nothing lasts forever. Stick to the SCD & you'll climb out of this hole! I promise you! 


Well as always, thanks for listening. :) You are my favorite audience. I'm thinking of blasting some of my favorite tunes & enjoying this day off of classes. Sound good? Until next time, I wish you the best of health!!! <3 Hugs!!!!!! 
~Allie