Moving Forward . . .

I know that some of you are as disappointed as I am happy this morning with the results of our Presidential election.  Because it's no secret that I'm very happy with the outcome of the election.  However, I wrote this to multiple friends of mine this morning, and thought I would share it here: 

"It is my great hope that both parties will work together for the next four years instead of fighting and blocking as they both have for the past four. That we can be good and close friends when we are so very different from each other is very clear evidence that it's possible."

I'm moving forward in another area today, too.  My last post was sad.  Thank you for your support  :-)

There is an update.

I do have an appointment on Thursday with my podiatrist, but due to so many bizarre things happening to me in such short order over the weekend, my own doctor saw me on Monday.  He thinks the ocular migraine was another one-off.  And, although I had an x-ray to be sure, the general consensus is that my foot is not fractured, rather, the joints of my foot are inflamed.

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation.  Asthma is inflammation.  My sore tailbone was diagnosed as inflammation.  My very sore left knee likely has bursitis (which is, you guessed it, inflammation).  He checked all my joints - and shoulder and elbows also have it to some degree as well.

I've been educating myself further ever since my appointment on Monday, and inflammation of the type I seem to have is very often caused by what we eat.  I few years ago I experienced sore joints after eating too much sugar . . . and I even wrote about it earlier this year. I can't run away from it any longer.

I didn't pay very good attention, I guess, but all the reading I've done in just the past two days is pretty clear.  And I did a little experimenting with foods yesterday afternoon and last night to see how I might feel today - and it's so obviously clear by this morning that I'm going to have to make some major changes in my lifestyle in terms of what I eat, as I am in more pain again today in all problem areas, even with taking my anti-inflammatory as directed by the doc.

Books are ordered, some foods are headed out of my kitchen in the trash, and I'm looking at processing the change that is before me.  One of the things I learned from Joan Anderson, is that we all must process the grief that is partner to change.

What I am facing is huge for me.

Big Changes.

I believe I must change what I eat - if I don't, I will likely be in some kind of pain for the rest of my life.  If the tradeoff for eating my Friday cherry danish is that I'm in pain, I'm not willing to do that anymore.  I'm going to have to give up a way of eating that - although it tastes good - is no longer serving me.  And yes, it seems ridiculous to think that one would grieve for a sweet roll, but it's not just sweet rolls - it's majorly processed foods.  It's the sugar in my tea.  It's bread (at least for awhile).  It's candy.  It's cupcakes.  It's bacon (I almost forgot that makes me hurt).  It's likely most dairy.  It's likely most red meat.

Plenty of people have far worse things happen to them, though.  It's not like I'm diabetic or have heart disease or high blood pressure.

It could be a lot worse.  Seriously.  I walked away from cigarettes.  Once I realized that chocolate was making me sick, I walked away from it.  I walked away from drinking diet pop.  All of these things I did cold turkey.  And oh yeah, I can't eat turkey (poultry) anymore either.  I know how to take care of myself and I know that I will be able to walk away from the things that are likely causing this flood of inflammation throughout my body.   And once I learn to manage my stress levels better, I think I'll be in like Flynn.

Keep a good thought for me, OK? because drinking my tea without sugar is going to be bizarre :-)

Even so, there is good news in all this.  Yes, really  :-)  You didn't think I could stay down in the dumps forever, did you?  Miss Positive Energy?

First, the good news is that I don't have arthritis.  The doc was very clear about that.  Inflammation and arthritis are often mentioned in the same breath, but having inflammation does not necessary mean that one has arthritis.  This is actually REALLY good news.  My mom had three different kinds of arthritis and my grandmother also had it.  A number of my cousins have it and they are younger than I am.  I would like to avoid it, thank you very much.

Second, the good news is that by following an anti-inflammatory way of eating, I think I'm going to be bone thin pretty quickly . . . :-D 

So here we go, the country and me, moving forward together . . .