After utter exasperation on my part regarding the numerous slumberless nights I endure (among many other things), I sent a plea of desperation to my local acupuncturist in the middle of the night via the Interweb a couple of days ago. I got in to see her yesterday. Phew!The office was about what you'd expect for an acupuncturist. New age music playing in the background with a TV screen in the upper corner of two people doing Tai Chi in the mountains -- you know because I always do my yoga on a cement pad somewhere in the heights of the Rocky Mountains -- art on the walls of Chinese characters with inspirational sayings and a small trickling fountain.
Needless to say, my skeptic radar was up, but my desperation won out and I was determined to see what the acupuncturist had to say. I really should have told the gal at the front desk that I was a humdinger of a patient, and that extra time would be needed to document the medical disaster that is me. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself sitting across from a lady who had trained in sports medicine and transitioned into Eastern medicine. It took her more than an hour and 2.5 pages of notes to even scratch the surface of my medical woes.
After she asked if there was anything else that could possibly be wrong with me, and I could finally say "No, that's it," she proceeded to explain to me how all my symptoms, vast as they are, made sense to her and were quite textbook. What? No medical professional had ever told me I was textbook anything. Ever. She explained all of the Eastern thoughts behind it, which as a pragmatist didn't register much on my radar screen, but then she went into all the biology and medical science behind it and the light bulb in my brain lit up. She was talking my language. I do want to know about cellular structure and electricity paths in my body. I spent a lot of time in the classroom learning all of this stuff in undergrad and graduate school.
I will be doing a four week trial of acupuncture mixed with vitamin supplements. The kicker though, is that she wants me to restrict my diet even further. Oh yes, I already can't eat wheat, nuts/peanuts, shellfish, melons, and fake sugar. Now on my list of no-no's: sugar, soy, corn, potatoes, caffeine, and dairy (which I was already doing in moderation). What's left you ask? Not much. Veggies, meat, fruit, and rice. Nearly everything I was using as a substitute for everything else I cut seven years ago is now off my list.
Since yesterday, I've been walking around my house trying to figure out what I can eat. It's been pretty sad. I keep reminding myself that the new restrictions are only for 30-days, but heaven help me, it's almost everything I eat. So far I was able to eat at Chipotle (thank goodness), but other than that it's been plain rice bread, steamed veggies, fruit, and eventually egg salad (super modified).
I really hope this all makes a marked difference because I already feel so restricted. But if I do feel a lot better, it will be worth it. I've been sick for ten years, but the last three have been especially bad. I wish I felt as good as I did at 18. I think I'd even settle a reasonably good 34. This has to work, I've been to every specialist in Western medicine under the sun, and it has only helped marginally. Wish me luck.
Oh, and I'll gladly take any recipe suggestions for getting around all these restrictions.
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7 comments:
WOW! And I thought I had a hard time deciding what to eat for dinner.
Holy smokes, so interesting Ali! I hope it makes a marked difference too. It made my head hurt to think about how to feed you as I use all of those things as substitutes too.
Rice tastes pretty good with plain ol' italian seasoning, oregano, onion powder, garlic salt, I have discovered.
I am thinking chicken stir fry with broccoli in chicken broth with rice flour to thicken it.
Mushrooms and chicken sauteed in lemon pepper and olive oil? over rice
That's all I've got so far.
wait, some kind of sun dried tomato pesto on bread
You might just disappear sideways at the end of the month.
Thanks, Heather. That is really helpful.
Welcome back to your bloggy. I don't know any recipes but I do know Chipotle makes a mean burrito. Not that you want to eat that for a month. If you start to feel better in a month will you have to stay on your restricted diet or is it like a temporary give your body a break and reset your system type of thing?
maybe getting some tips from the Simple Carbohydrate Diet would work for you. Try pecanbread.com
welcome back :-)
One question--do the little needles hurt?
The needles do not hurt, Beebe. The are as thin as your hair and they are not hollow. Also, they do not go very deep into your skin. I would say it's no worse that a mosquito bite, minus the itching.
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