Whupping RA

This from a former gymnast who never had the patience for or appreciated yoga:

Just finished the yoga body sculpt class at my local Crunch Fitness. Was a little late, so I slipped into the dark room and lay down on my mat with the others and began calling the roll…Every achy joint and muscle yelled “present”, and I wondered how they would perform when the time came. As we began those early stretches, each group would act up, and I would struggle to maintain control of my position and balance. I couldn’t go very far, but then, I’m used to spondyloarthritis humbling me in both private and public. Then the strength moves came and holding the arabesques, planks, “bows”, etc., albeit briefly, reminded me of the flexibility and steadiness I once had - and I wanted to get it back! I haven’t worked that hard at relaxing and then slowly pushing my body to perform better in a long time, and, I admit; it felt great (and wasn’t boring at all).☺️Add this to the light weights and time on the treadmill, and I think I’ll feel better😊. My apologies to everyone who does yoga; I get it now.

My doctor helped me nail down my diet this week: Check out the ITIS diet! It modifies the Mediterranean diet to recognize what’s specifically needed for arthritis sufferers, and so far, it’s getting excellent results. Finally, they’re proving that greens make a huge difference (smoothie every morning) in combatting the disease, and the additions and eliminations are doable (for me, anyway). For example, you can have chicken, but not beef…

I can’t eliminate ALL meat, dairy and eggs - and even some other foods - try as I might, so I hit a plateau that I couldn’t overcome, and after two years, I finally agreed to take Methotrexate (four months ago). However, it still hasn’t taken affect other than improving my skin and gut, and I want to take responsibility for that which I can and not assume that DMARDs or TNF blockers are the solution for me long-term. So, this greatly encourages me, and I hope it does the same for you.

Inflammatory, maybe, but isn’t it simple, beautiful and otherwise healthy? Too bad I didn’t have any purple onion. A little Ken’s Italian dressing went a long way. Gone in no time!

French toast with HEB 12-Grain Essentials bread with homemade maple syrup (brown sugar, water and maple extract). Did fine with this despite the sugar. Was SO delicious! Add walnuts - good for RA sufferers.

Today, our pastor asked, "Is your faith making you well?" So, I am thinking...When Jesus healed people in the Bible, He often told them afterward, "Your faith has made you well." Our faith comes from God alone, and they couldn't heal themselves, so our healing, whether spiritual or physical, is dependent upon Him. We didn't get sick because we deserved it, and we're not too likely to get well through our own determination, by eating right, working out, taking supplements, whatever. Those are just avenues he sometimes uses. (He did not tell the blind man, the bleeding woman or the Samaritan with leprosy to stop eating and drinking certain things and to exercise 30 minutes a day.) But we exercise our faith by being obedient to the Lord and do not expect Him to heal us even as we enjoy our self-destructive behaviors and show Him that we don't value the amazing bodies He designed and gave to us. (The Bible says our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.)

In my (admittedly limited) obedience and success, I shouldn't consider myself an authority on healing autoimmune arthritis and believe that we can do it all by ourselves. (It's an evil spider that swings from joints-to-joints, imposing its stings and swelling!) I'm guilty of this thinking, though, even though I haven't been healed and fight constantly to stay off DMARDS.

Jesus felt power leave him when the bleeding woman simply touched his garment, believing that's all she had to do - and she was right. Ultimately, the surest path to healing is faith, which to me means asking God how best to obey Him. I haven't had any difficulty adding mass quantities of green vegetables, certain fruits, water and flax to my diet, but I have stubbornly refused to give up three vices. I've discovered that I am NOT Daniel, and I'm very tempted to take those pills or injections again. I'd feel so much better, and life would be easier, and I'd be thinner. However, I could end up paying a big portion of the cost, the side effects might get me (again), and I know I'd rely on the medicine and stop taking care of myself.

It's been two years and four months since I decided to go it alone, with only a few milligrams of prednisone and a water pill, and I've made great strides. The first third of my journey involved additions to my diet, the second involved exercise, but I am not achieving the third goal, eliminations to my diet. I'm getting new patches of psoriatic arthritis, and I'm exhausted. So, this is what it feels like, doing it in my own strength. God can heal me regardless of my choices. All I can do is commit to giving up those vices in submission to His power and authority and hope that it is His will for me to live a full and healthy life. I understand that the human authority He provided for me is my doctor, and that at this juncture, obedience may now mean agreeing to take the medicine.

Only 10 percent of my doctor's patients aren't taking DMARDS, and he'd predicted that I would need them again after only six months. If I end up taking Xeljanj or Cosentyx, my effort won't be for naught. My labs are good; my triglycerides are down roughly 100 points and I'm doing most of the physical activities I enjoy. And I believe that my experience has shown my awesome doctor what a patient can do to improve her own health and can provide encouragement to other patients like me. For me, all this boils down to the substance of the Serenity Prayer: "Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change those things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

May the Lord draw you near and bless you in your journey to find both spiritual and physical healing. Till next time...

Take. Care. of. Yourself.

Baby spinach, leftover tilapia, shredded carrots, half an orange, fresh red pepper, and I added chopped walnuts after this.
With a little organic Italian dressing, it’s perfect…

I stopped posting and deleted a bunch of old posts here but decided that if even one person changes his/her diet and gets healthier, it’s worth it to put myself out here…

It’s been a year-and-a-half since I got off TNF blockers, and I can lift a full pitcher of water over and over to water plants, go down the stairs in the morning without wincing and stopping, and work out for an hour (run for 10-15 minutes of that) twice a week. (I just have to pick my days.) That also includes weight machines and fun classes like Boom, Zumba and Pound at Crunch Fitness. I’m down five pounds, but inflammation could change that at any time. Spondyloarthritis (migrating) is relentless. It will shorten my life and ruin what’s left if I do not fight it as much and as often as I can. I still have very high cholesterol and am addicted to cheese, but my triglycerides have dropped sharply. For the first time in years, my doctor will probably have to reduce my thyroid medication.

Overall, I am amazed at my increasing ability to say no to another drink or a rich food, to work-in some healthy dinners (haven’t altered the evening offerings enough yet) and to problem-solve on bad days - and I can say that Dr. Brooke Goldner’s regimen has given me back about 75 percent of my physical abilities/energy/outlook. I’m pretty certain that if I did everything she recommends, I would be well. She asks the question, “Do you want to be well?” I still can’t answer that, because if I did, I‘d let go of my remaining vices. So, to keep from getting discouraged, I evaluate bad days and do a tad bit better going forward. I’m the turtle, not the rabbit. I can’t control every contributing factor, such as the environment, weather, and the disease itself, but I can control my response.

The real question about the contamination of conventionally grown kale is, who stands to gain from debunking its health properties?

Two good decisions!

After 7 weeks of Dr. Brooke Goldner’s green smoothies, lots of water and many more-nourishing meals, I woke up PAIN-FREE today - a little swollen and weak - but fully relaxed for the first time in three years. While I may not become vegan, or quit eggs and cheese, I WILL keep drinking greens and finding the best meals for fighting rheumatoid...I saw my internal medicine doctor yesterday and learned that my current swelling is caused by inflammation, not water retention (my ankles would be more swollen), so I can start taking my water pill every other day. I also learned that coffee is not only a diuretic but inflammatory😳, so starting today, I”m backing off that. I was also honest with her about drinking wine - I’m being transparent - She said that if I quit, that would make the most difference. 😩 Not going there yet, but I’ll never again say, “Never!”

I never once thought I would be eating this way regularly- and liking it. Grilled tilapia on a bed of spinach, romain and arugula with celery, strawberries, blueberries and walnuts and very little organic honey mustard dressing.

So, in Dr. Goldner’s book, Goodbye Autoimmune, Chapter 10 on motivation was super helpful. I realized that my every-other-day commitment to drinking the green smoothies isn’t making a permanent difference. I feel, sleep, and reason much better when I drink them/eat right, and when I don’t, the pain returns, and I get discouraged. She reminded me that I’m trying to kill a big, nasty, disease-causing RAT, not appease it. After asking myself the hard questions she sets forth, I realized that I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun by not eating and drinking the usual fun stuff, and more importantly, if I were to get well, then that would prove that I was 100 percent responsible for getting RA in the first place. If I gave it to myself, then I deserve it, because I let both food and stress overwhelm me. The mind does work in mysterious ways, and the heart is deceitful beyond all measure. Anyway, I can’t yet say all that’s not true, but I made peace with myself for now and made an awesome “taco” salad for dinner, with pinto beans instead of ground beef - and get this: beets! Not sure about the beans and the nightshade veggies in this, but a girl has to eat something😌Now, if I can just think up enough alternatives to get me through tomorrow…

Went out to run errands and started feeling sluggish, so I dropped by the house, gulped down a glass of water, devoured an orange and finished off a bag of carrots. 😆😂🤷‍♀️