Garden, or Not

We didn't do a garden last year.  I was fed up from previous years of no help weeding, planting, weeding, picking things out to order, weeding, seeding, weeding, harvesting, and weeding. 

Did I mention weeding?

I did plant garlic in the one herb bed we have, and it was a sorry crop.  Small.  Tasty, but small.  I didn't even plant garlic this fall, since technically I'm not allowed to really eat it anymore (but I do).

The garden was in rough shape.  We had a lot of work to do to bring it up to speed.  There was an overgrown butterfly bush in there, the tomato cages are still in place from 2 years ago, and removed an awful excuse for deer/rabbit fencing which was made more difficult due to the wild morning glory vines that were growing through it.

So.  We also are working on doing some layered cardboard-and-hay beds for this year a la Ecologia.  I'm hoping that will work out.  We've gone to a couple of their tours, they are AWESOME and we hope to do more with the techniques they have taught us.

I am planning on using up seed I have from previous years, and I think the only thing I need to order this year is onion seedlings.  Maybe some fruit plants/trees/bushes. 

Two of the four raised beds are cleaned out now.  Onions, spinach, and peas are planted in one with a couple artichokes thrown in for kicks and giggles to see what they do.  The other bed also has peas and a mess of beets.  So far, the peas and spinach are sprouting, but I think I only saw one beet.

We started tomato plants inside.  The are tiny right now, but will be big strapping seedlings before too long.

I'm looking forward to having fresh veggies again.  My health issues forced me to take a good, hard look at my diet and I can tell you, it hasn't been great.  It used to be, but then I cut out a bunch of stuff because of the gastroparesis...things like raw bell peppers for lunch and strawberries and asparagus and salad.  I'm inserting them back into my diet.  I like them.  I need them.  They are back.

The (Inevitable) False Start

I officially pushed the Gluten-Free button on Monday, April 14.  I went in to work and made a cup of my coffee alternative, Dandy Blend, only to realize sometime later that day that it has roasted barley and rye in it. 

I threw the Dandy Blend out that night.  Switching to tea and the occasional decaf coffee when I can’t stand it anymore.

On Tuesday night, I realized the melatonin supplement I take before bed has wheat in it.  That also got thrown away; I still haven’t replaced it but I have something earmarked on Amazon.

Tuesday and Wednesday were totally gluten-free.

Thursday I had a doctor’s appointment.  She sent me for bloodwork that needed to be taken while I’m eating a gluten diet, so I’ve been glutening the hell out of myself for the past few days, eating things I’m guessing I won’t be able to again.  Ever.  I will have a Kit Kat before it is all said and done. 

I’m going to re-push the Gluten-Free button after we go out for our anniversary dinner this weekend, so either Sunday or Monday.  Then, that will be it….unless the bloodwork comes back with questions.  I’m also getting tested for milk, corn, and soy allergies since the villi atrophy can be caused by those, too.  We’ll see.

After reading some of the things some people have to deal with, and some things that have been said to Celiac people, I am thanking my lucky stars that I know food as well as I do, that I can cook raw veggies, that I can cook from scratch at all.  Some people think white and wheat bread are….made from different things!  Like there is a grain called “white” and one called “wheat.”  Seriously!  WTF, people. 

I already got rid of some cereal that only I eat, the two bags of whole wheat flour, and the graham flour went out to the chickens.  I kept the all-purpose flour and the regular pasta for the Hooband because he asked me to.  I guess he plans on using them sometime when I’m not eating or not around.  I still need to delve deeply into the cabinets, see what has been lurking there for a long time, and purge it as well.   You know, those things you forget are back there for years?  Those things.

I’m collecting recipes (Oh, that reminds me: Must. Weed. Recipes), and planning meals for the week so there is no last minute what-do-we-want-to-eat-tonight baloney. This is also going to make this year's garden that much more important....but that's a post for a later date!

Gut Feelings, Part....Whatever

So.  Switched docs, scheduled another EGD, and had that a couple weeks ago.  This was my third EGD, but my first with biopsies.  If you remember, the doc had told me you can't diagnose Barrett's Esophagus without a biopsy, so he wanted to do one of those.  I was all for it and was just sure it was going to come back positive.

I've been doing gut research a lot and as you may know you can't get away from the gluten issue when you do gut and food research.  The more I read, the more I wondered if that may be part of my problem.  So, as I was laying on the bed with a tube in my arm, chatting with the doc, I asked him if he could do a Celiac test, too.  They biopsy your duodenum.  He hedged at first, saying I didn't have a history, but then said he could do it because I have Gastroparesis. I was sure this test would come back negative.

I'm glad I didn't bet money on it.

The Barrett's test came back negative, which is great news!
The Celiac test came back positive.  I need to go on a gluten-free diet.

So.  They said I have mild Celiac, which just means my damage in my intestine is minor...for now.  Who knows how long I've been symptomatic?  Also, I don't know what my overt symptoms are.  I don't have gut pain, cramping, or diarrhea.  I'm curious what my symptoms will turn out to be, and I'll really only know as they disappear.  I'm hoping it will turn out to be the cause of my sleep problems, irritability, depression, and fatigue.  I'd love to lose all those.

I pushed the Gluten Free Diet button yesterday.  I did some grocery shopping to pick up thing on Sunday.  My god, gluten free bread is expensive!!  $5-7 for a small loaf.  I bought a mix for $4 instead and made my own.  As I get better at this, I'll lose the mix and just do it from scratch, but right now I'm happy to rely on the ready-made stuff as much as I can while I learn.  

The boards say you can see results in as little as a week.  I'll check back in on this next week!

39 Things to do Before I Turn 40

My birthday was Wednesday, I turned 39.  As I said in a prior post, aging doesn't really bother me too much.  Maybe that will change, but right now I just get amused by people (mostly women) who freak out at a grey hair or a wrinkle.  I love the silver in my hair; I think it looks like glitter.  How awesome is that?

I decided to try something this year, and maybe (hopefully) it will be come a yearly thing.  I wanted to come up with a list of things I wanted to do before my next birthday, in this case before I turned 40.  I had a mental list of things I wanted to do this year anyway, so why not put it on paper and make a game of it.

39 things is harder than it sounds.

So far I have 12 on the list.  I will keep adding things; I have a year, right?  Some are pretty innocuous, others more challenging.  Here's what I have so far (I'll add to it when I come up with more):

1. Take the Cold Forging 1 class (this is silver and copper work)  Signed up for the March class
2. Take the Beginning Lapidary class (stonecutting)
3. Get a massage a month   January and February are down
4. Go back to Brevard, NC with the Hooband
5. Drop 15lb
6. Got to that climbing wall in Manheim, PA
7. Try snowboarding
8. Got to a drive-in movie with the Hooband
9. Make one garment a month for myself   January is done
10. Learn to knit   I'm in the process of teaching myself and I hate it
11. Go rollerskating again
12. Get a cover for my old, fading tattoo

I'm trying to avoid things like "Go for more walks with Tillman" because that is pretty vague.  What is more?  How many?  Being specific is best.

My First (Finished) Crocheted Garment!!

I do a lot of artsy-craftsy things.  I used to make Temari balls.  I make jewelry and sell it on Etsy (visit my Etsy store, see below on right for widget).  

I also learned to crochet in college and over the past couple years learned that there is more than the one stitch I was taught then and have been experimenting with a variety of different patterns.

I just finished my first sweater!  It is a free pattern from Lion Brand (with a free membership), and I just fell in love with it at first sight:

I also happened to have a J Crew sweater I'd gotten from Goodwill two years ago that developed a half dollar-sized hole in the upper left shoulder.  I couldn't repair it, so I decided to unravel the entire thing and reuse the gorgeous denim-blue wool yarn.

I got a LOT of yarn out of it, four huge balls in fact.  I used nearly 3 in this sweater - it was the perfect yarn for it. So, I still have a ball left to do something else with.

It was only AFTER I started the pattern that I actually read some of the details.  Isn't that always how it is?  This was considered a project for an "experienced" crocheter.  I felt I was intermediate at best.  There were some things with the pattern that confused me, but it turned out I was just making it harder than it really was!


And here is the finished item:

I'm very happy with it.  The body was worked in the round, once piece.  The sleeves worked separately and attached just below where the lacy part starts.  I didn't make the turtleneck part quite as long as it called for (6" instead of 8").  I can always add on if I want.

Old Man Winter is Still Kicking

After 8 inches of snow a couple weeks ago, followed by a bunch of sleet and freezing rain last week (none of which has melted because it's been so cold), we just got whumped with about 16" of snow again today, to be followed with anywhere from 1-6 more tonight depending on who you believe.

Not to mention another possible storm this weekend with 4-6".

Then, if you believe them, it will be near 50* three or so days next week, so maybe we will have flooding, too!

We haven't had a serious winter like this in a long time.  At least 20 years.  It is rare to have this many snow storms and this many days of such cold.

Tillman loves it, though, as you can see.

Matt and I built a snowman this afternoon, too!

Gut Feelings, 4: New Doc, New Diagnoses

So.  A new doctor, a new diagnosis, a new eating plan, and a new set of questions.

First, I like the doctor.  He threw his pen down 4 times in shock of what tests and procedures had NOT been done at various times in my medical story.  I like that.  He is a squirrelly little guy, not what I expected, but he definitely knows his stuff.  I like him.  But of course I liked the other guy, too, so we’ll see how this goes.

He wants to do another endoscopy on me with biopsies this time, as Barrett’s Esophagus cannot truly be diagnosed without biopsies to check the cell structure.  He will also measure the hiatal hernia and a few other things that have never been done before.

He diagnosed me with gastroparesis, which is delayed emptying of the stomach.  Literal translation is “stomach paralysis.”  Mine is not bad, thank goodness, as some people are on all liquid diets or feeding tubes because they can’t tolerate foods at all.  I knew I had delayed stomach emptying, but my previous doc left me feeling that it was a minor symptom of my existing gut issues.  I had no idea it was an actual condition or something that stood on its own, so to speak.

There is no cure, no drug to fix it, and diet changes only manage symptoms.  You can’t make it permanently worse by eating wrong, but you will exacerbate the short-term symptoms.

Turns out the diet for this excludes EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN EATING THE PAST FEW MONTHS to control my acid reflux:  nuts (because they are alkaline), dried fruit and whole grains (because they soak up stomach acid).  All these things take so long to digest they are not recommended for GP.  Great.  Also, no (NONE) raw veggies (this means no salads), no veggies or fruits with skins (apples, green beans, dried beans, celery, figs, etc.).  No berries. 

All veggies need to be cooked.  I can have potatoes (white or sweet) without skins, most other root veggies, some greens, cooked peas (shelled), carrots, tomatoes (but I’m not supposed to have them because of the GERD), etc.  No beef or pork.  Chicken and fish are ok but I can only have 2oz portions at a time.  Protein drinks, soups, purees, smoothies, juices, etc., are recommended as supplements.  Dairy is ok. 

So, at this point I’m wondering if the GERD exacerbates the gastroparesis, or vice versa.  We will see how things turn out as I change my diet yet again.  I’m eating a small meal about every 2 hours.  One thing I can say is it is helping me with some slow weight loss.  My meals tend to look like this:

• 9:30 – Cascadian Farm granola with almond milk 
• 11:30 – an Orgain shake  
• 1ish – leftovers or soup or something similar.  I hate soup. 
• 3ish – crackers with almond butter and a banana   
• 4:30 – yogurt or cottage cheese and a hardboiled egg or something  
• 6:30 – dinner.  This is my biggest problem, as my husband is a serious carnivore and I     can’t really do that anymore.  So, I make a “normal” dinner, then eat what I can.  I usually go to bed hungry and wake up even hungrier.

I didn’t have any of these gastroparesis symptoms until a couple years or so after I started taking Prilosec.  I really do think the meds caused it or made my stomach somehow lazy, but very very few studies have been done on anything with GP, so the doctor pretty much told me the answer was no, there was no correlation.  Right.

I’ve found a fantastic resource in Crystal Saltrelli, CHC.  She is a certified health counselor who has gastroparesis and has worked to gather information to help sufferers deal better. She has videos, books, podcasts, a blog, and has worked to put a lot of information into the hands of people who have this condition.  I'm grateful she has.