Diet Day 4

ONLY 86 DAYS TO GO!

 

Breakfast

Coffee w/ half & half

Lunch

Baked chicken wings

Leftover roasted broccoli

Leftover grilled onions

Dinner

Roasted chicken

Corn ("Cautious" item)

Brussel sprouts

Snack

Walnuts

Salad w/ lemon & olive oil

"Can you drink Diet Coke, since you're on a diet?" -Son   

This is your brain on allergies.

One of the things I've been actively working on is ensuring my mental health as I've been sick. This is definitely a work in progress, especially when my infections were at their worst and I could barely get out of bed for days at a time. I believe, though, that mental health plays a role in physical healing.

I've had good okay days and bad days, but I've created some rules for myself to try to prevent a meltdown.

1. Write it down. A lot of times, just organizing your thoughts on paper (even in a simple list form) can help to make everything seem less cluttered in your brain. I'm often thinking about countless things - my health, work, responsibilities at home, the people I care about, the state of the world... - all at the same time. It can feel overwhelming, then I get angry that I don't feel well enough to tackle it all. That's when I give myself permission to take five and jot it down. Once I see how short the list actually is and how low priority/not urgent most of those things are, I feel better.
2. If you feel blue, tell someone. This one can be tough, but that's by design. If I start to feel the self-pity coming on, I remind myself that I'll need to talk to someone about it. Then I'm faced with the choice of either continuing to feel bad or move on. More times than not, I choose the latter. However, ask Husband and my mom how frequently I've told them I felt down in the past several weeks and you'll appreciate how often I'm faced with the decision. But telling someone can also be helpful. Sometimes the other person has ideas to help lift your mood. Sometimes just the empathy helps. I sometimes tell Husband that I just want for him to say, "Yeah! This sucks!" so I can have an ally. Often, just that is helpful.
3. Make plans. Especially hard if you've been down and out for days at a time, but making plans commits you to getting up and not just assuming you'll have a bad day. Plans can be broken if you really can't do it, but it's easier to hide away and be lonely and bored if you don't have something committed.

...Any questions? (Sorry, I couldn't help it.)
 

Diet Day 3

Day 3 was not as bad as days 1 and 2. It still sucked and I felt hungry all the time, but it was a weekday so I had work to keep my mind off of it.

Breakfast

Coffee w/ half & half
Almonds

Lunch

Leftover turkey meatballs and marinara
Salad w/ lemon and olive oil

Dinner



Lettuce-wrapped turkey burgers w/ tomato and grilled onions
Oven roasted broccoli with garlic
Baked red potatoes (I only had a little.)

Snack

Salad w/ lemon and olive oil

Dinner was not much different than what I would make pre-diet, except I didn't put cheese or sauce on my turkey burger (and they were missed). The potatoes didn't end up tasting all that great to me anyway, so I was able to eat that food "cautiously."

Willpower Already Gone

 There's a section on my diet sheet that I've been avoiding. But I think it's time...

 

The section is entitled "Foods You Can Eat Cautiously." I've been avoiding it because I don't know what the hell that means. There's no definition. It's really up to interpretation. Limit the amount you eat? If so, by how much? Try them and see if you feel okay? Trust me, they will all make me feel amazing.

"Eat Cautiously" Foods:

•  High carb vegetables, including corn, peas, squash, lima beans, potatoes (white and sweet), beans
• Whole grains, including barley, corn, millet, oats, rice, wheat
• Breads made without yeast and sugar
• Sugar-free yogurt and milk

Lacking further instruction, I think I'm going to avoid these foods, but perhaps have a serving a day when I feel like it. A little whole wheat pasta sounds freakin' AMAZZZZZING right now.

The last day of my diet is...

THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING!

Diet Day 2

 

Breakfast

Eggs cooked in a little butter

1/2 cup of coffee

Dinner

Turkey meatballs in homemade marinara

Salad with lemon & olive oil

Snack

Sauteed kale with garlic

Pumpkin seeds

Getting enough calories on this diet is going to be tough. I stocked up on meat, veggies, and nuts at the grocery store. I made myself a little promise that as long as I stick to the diet, I can eat whatever I want. I'm used to counting calories, but that along with the strict diet feels like a little much. And certainly upon reviewing my day, I don't think calorie counting is likely to be necessary.

In addition to stocking up the grocery store, I'm trying to make some things in advance as "convenience foods." For Husband, I baked several boneless, skinless chicken breasts last night that he can take with him to work. I also made a giant bowl of salad and lemon/olive oil dressing so it's easily available. Not being able to make a quick sandwich, grab a bowl of cereal, or heat up a can of soup makes eating during the workday a challenge, so I'm going to prep as much ahead of time as I can for easy reheating.

Also, marinara is likely to become a new staple. It's one of the few sauces I can actually have. I might just make a big batch this coming weekend to have on hand of the week. This diet will surely test my cooking creativity.

Diet Day 1

I survived and only cheated a teensy bit.

Breakfast

Eggs cooked in a little butter
1/2 cup of coffee

The butter is a cautious item. The coffee is technically a no-no, but only because coffee sometimes carries mold. I justify the coffee because (1) my husband roasts his own extremely fresh coffee and (2) I'm limiting my intake. ...and (3) trust me, you want me to have a little coffee.

Dinner

1/2 Blackened chicken breast
Steamed broccoli with garlic

Snack

Baked dry rub chicken wings
Salad with homemade vinaigrette

I made the salad dressing with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Vinegar is a baddie. However, I started this diet before I had a chance to shop for substitutes. I'll be buying a big bag of lemons today. Sorry, colon.  I needed calories, though.

I went to bed last night feeling hungry. I don't know if it was a lack of calories or not having my belly full of carbs.

I'm going to DIE!!!!! ...t

I wasn't even tested for food allergies. So imagine my surprise when Dr. D put me on a strict diet. 

Dr. D's POV

I tested positive for an allergy to the Candida mold. This is a mold found on people's skin and in their digestive tract. Candida is kept to reasonable levels in most people's systems by good bacteria that live in your gut. 

Antibiotics, however, wipe out the good bacteria along with the bad. So for people that take antibiotics frequently... or for a long time... or in high doses... (or all of the above...) the good bacteria isn't there to keep your digestive system working as it should. This can lead to all sorts of problems, not limited to just GI issues. Layer on top of that an allergy and a sista could be real messed up.*

The Fix

First, I was prescribed an anti-fungal medication to take for 90 days. Next, Dr. D wants me on a "Candida Control" diet for 90 days, eliminating a bunch of stuff that feeds the mold.

Legitimacy

It passed my BS test initially. I am aware of the negative impact that antibiotics can have on your body -- ask me about how much fun C. diff is -- but I hadn't considered the possibility that I might be having a problem since there weren't any obvious signs. Nevertheless, I'm aware of the amount of antibiotics I take and something resulting from that was not a surprise to me. 

However, if I'm going to cut out food I love (no cheese - GASP!), then I need proof this will be worth it. So I spent hours researching this. 

The result was a lot of confusion and stress. First of all, have you looked on the internet lately? It's the worst. There's a lot of crap out there to sift through. The other issue is that a Candida diet is apparently a fad thing. A bunch of people decided to self-diagnose themselves with Candida overgrowth and go on this diet to try to feel better. Now there is a ton of information out there on how to talk yourself into having this as well as many articles refuting the legitimacy of it.

What I failed to find was much information about being allergic to Candida, resulting symptoms, and how to avoid or treat it. Loyal followers, if you happen to find any information on this, please post a comment (legit scientific resources only, please).

So what should I do? Decide my doc is a quack and eat what I want? Or follow her instructions and hope I'm not a fool? This was my challenge.

My husband answered the question for me. He said I should suck it up and do it because it won't hurt me** and if there's even a chance it will help me feel better, it's worth trying. The icing (or kale, in my case) on top of his argument is that he'd stick to the diet with me. He's sweet like that. Or masochistic. I'm not sure which, but it's enough of a motivator for me to do it.

What I Can Eat



Meat
Some vegetables
Nuts and seeds

What I Can't Eat

...All the delicious things.
 
High carb vegetables (e.g., potatoes, peas, beans)
Fruit and sugar of any kind
Grains
Dairy (with the exception of a little bit of butter)
Processed foods of any kind
Alcohol

How I'm Going To Do This

TBD
      

* Not the doctor's exact words
** except for the inevitable crippling depression I will suffer due to lack of cheese  

Update on my ears

For those of you following along at home, you'll know I've been dealing with some inconvenient ear stuff. Since my surgery, I've had some discomfort, particularly in my right ear. This, along with feeling especially unwell in the past two weeks, had me concerned something may be wrong.

The good news is that both ears look "perfect." Further, there is no sign of infection. There are likely two things going on simultaneously:

• My illness is likely due to having been off my allergy meds in preparation for testing + reaction to allergen testing + ragweed season. It's an allergy trifecta!
• The inability to breathe properly can cause soreness is the TM joint. This is why my ears feel sore.

My official post-op follow-up is not for a couple weeks yet, but all appears well. 

Relatively, speaking.

O Candida!

As treatment for my Candida allergy requires me to go on a strict diet, I refuse to read about it until tomorrow.

You can make dogs and cats a complete thing of the past.

Of the few things for which I did not test positive, dogs and cats were among them.

 

...Not so fast, adorable happy cat. I tested positive for an allergy to the Trichophyton mold. Where is that mold found? Dogs and cats.

 

The good news is that I don't have to get rid of our pets. Dr. D said I need to discontinue responsibility for their care. 

So, best of both worlds?

That might be the exact shot in the arm our relationship needs.

What is immunotherapy? A program of regular injections of increasing amounts of extracts of allergens to which you are sensitive. When sufficient relief of your allergy symptoms cannot be achieved with environmental controls and medications, immunotherapy can reduce your sensitivities. Immunotherapy helps your immune system build protective antibodies to the various allergens for which you are being treated.

In summary, lots of shots. Given how many things I'm allergic to, I will have to have two vials created for each treatment (i.e., multiply the shots below x 2).

Gradual Increase:  Weekly injections of ever-increasing doses until I reach my max dose (takes 6-12 months)

Maintenance Level: Weekly injections of my max dose for one full year

Gradual Decrease: Injections every other week for six months. Then injections every three weeks for six months. Then injections every fourth week for six months.

If my math is right, that's a minimum of three years of treatment. My arm is sore just thinking about it. My wallet is too.

On the bright side, Dr. D said that I'm a good candidate for administering my own injections. If I'm doing well after the first 6-7 weeks, they'll allow me to do my own shots at home. So, my husband will have permission from my doctor to stab me regularly.

Daily Allergy Treatment

As this is the easiest for me to understand, I'm going to first talk about my daily allergy treatment. For years, I have taken Claritin and Flonase daily to try to manage my allergy symptoms. As you have probably gathered, they aren't really working very well. Dr. D said that Allegra or Zyrtec would be a better option for me and that Claritin can lose its effectiveness over time. As a result, I'll be trying Zyrtec for the first time tomorrow. She also said to keep taking the Flonase daily.

Treatment Education Day

I am just beginning to read the stack of educational materials I received at my education appointment today. As I learn more, I'll post more specifically about my treatment, but a summary is below.

Avoidance

• Environmental controls
• Candida diet

Medication

• Daily allergy treatment
• Nystatin Rx 

Immunotherapy 

Allergy Test Results

I was tested for 32 potential allergens. I tested positive for 20 of them (63%). Below is a comprehensive list. In future posts, I will provide more detail on some of them that have implications on my treatment plan. 

I have also listed the allergens for which I did not test positive, because optimism.

The scores listed indicate a positive result. 1 is the lowest score and 6 is the highest score. A 2 or greater indicates a significant positive result.

Dust Mites 

• D. Farinae - 3
• D. Pteronyssinus - 4

Molds

• Botrytis - N/A
• Mucor - N/A
• Phoma - N/A
• Pullularia - N/A
• Rhizo Pus - 3
• Trichoderma - 3
• Candida - 3
• Epidermophyton - 3
• Trichophyton - 5
• Mold Mix C - 3
• Al Ternaria - 3
• Aspergillus - 4
• Penicillium - 5
• Hormodendrum - 3

 Trees

• Birch - 4
• Maple - N/A
• Oak - N/A
• Cottonwood - 4
• Elm - N/A
• Ash - N/A
• Walnut - N/A

Weeds

• Lambs Quarter - 4
• Giant Ragweed - 4
• English Plantain - 4

Animals

• Cat - N/A
• Dog - N/A

Grasses

• Timothy - 4
• Johnson - 4

Dust

• Corn Smut* - N/A

Insect

• Cockroach - 4

* Wins the award for best allergen name

How did we end up here?

I don't remember not being sick. It wasn't that I woke up one day feeling bad and never recovered. It was one of those things that takes over gradually, like the boiling frog. 

A few years ago, I began getting sinus infections. Over time, they began to become more frequent, often not responding to the first course of antibiotics. Last year, the sinus infections started to lead to ear infections. 

At some point I realized that I was rarely not sick. My condition was not limited to a particular season. And even when I felt relatively recovered from an infection, I still didn't feel healthy.

At one sinus infection appointment with my doctor about a year ago, I asked if there was something else I should be doing to prevent the infections. I had taken Claritin and Flonase daily for years as an attempt to keep the infections at bay, but they didn't seem to be working (at least as well as I'd hoped). My doctor wasn't optimistic that anything else could be done.

This summer, however, shiz got real.

June 27 - I caught my son's cold.

July 11 - Having not recovered, I saw my doctor and she diagnosed me with a sinus infection. She prescribed me a ten-day course of antibiotics.

July 26 - I woke up with laryngitis and could not talk.

July 28 - I developed severe ear pain and my right eardrum ruptured.

July 29 - I had a follow-up with my doctor's office and was diagnosed with an ear infection. I was prescribed another ten-day course of a different antibiotic. That evening, I experienced severe ear pain again and my left eardrum ruptured.

July 31 - I had lost most of my hearing and had soreness in both ears.

August 8 - Another follow-up with my doctor to address my hearing loss and ear pain. She confirmed that my infection had cleared, but that my middle ear was filled with fluid. My husband went to the appointment with me and pushed for a referral to ENT.

August 9 - Had an exam with my new ENT. She confirmed the fluid build-up in my middle ear due to eustachian tube swelling. She also saw signs of environmental allergies and a deviated septum. An eardrum pressure test showed no movement in my eardrums, indicating there was no air in my middle ear. Not surprisingly, I failed the hearing test.

August 15 - Bilateral myringotomy + tympanostomy tubes surgery to remove the fluid in my middle ear and prevent further fluid build-up.



August 22 - Allergy testing.