April 21, 2011

Day 14 - later

I woke up sore and swollen. My tummy was flat. I took my Bio-Kult and drank water. I had a little carrot juice and bloated a little bit. I ate soups with sauerkraut juice and egg yolks all day with one cheat of a tiny bit of raw honey (supposed to be ok in tea, but I just had a little on the tip of a spoon). I resisted licking my fingers or any utensils while making and serving nut butter to my kids for a snack.

I felt tired, as in wiped out, after every meal. I'm very bloated. I haven't had a BM for two days and will have to take care of that tonight.

Why the bloating? Die-off or food intolerance? Oh, how I wish I knew. I e-mailed a bunch of questions to my doctor (chiropractor and naturopath) and am waiting to hear what he has to say about everything. Ah, well, I feel better on intro, even with die-off, than I did a few weeks ago.

Why am I doing intro again? I was nursing a new baby when we started, I had no idea what I was doing, and I couldn't cook for anything. I want to give it one good shot at doing this by the book and see what happens. I do think (actually I am most certain) that it is parasites that are holding us all back. I did ask my doctor about this. He has already told me that he can help us figure out what would be the best cleanse to do for our family. I think we will all need to do this very soon. It IS part of the protocol, but we have never done it because I just couldn't figure out which one to do. So...pressing on and moving forward.

Intro Again - Day 14

I hurt.

I am very happy with soup and sauerkraut and egg yolks. My tummy is flat. I'm sleeping well. I feel great mentally. I added some carrot juice yesterday and plan to increase that so I can stay with soups and egg yolks for a while (I found that I should be fine hanging out on stage two if I include juicing, too - from FAQ page of the gapsme website).

So why do I hurt? Carrot juice? Maybe. Or could be the fingerful of nutbutter I cheated with yesterday while serving my kids a snack. Maybe. Can't say for sure, but my whole body hurts, my hands and feet are swollen, I can't make a fist, and I felt like I was awake all night. Such a big reaction to such a small amount of whatever.

What is it about intro that makes food so powerful? Why is it that I could eat these things before intro and not now? I ate them, but I was constantly bloated. I did not test well for any of these foods, but I was treated for them. Why do I have such a strong reaction now?

I need to go and talk to God about this. Only He really knows what is going on here.

April 13, 2011

Update on Food Sensitivity Elimination Technique

I was treated for all of my food sensitivities and I enjoyed eating many new foods for a time without seeing any reactions, but it did not seem to last or work well when it came to apples and dairy. My last two menstrual cycles were painful and preceded by several days of insanity. I really felt angry and out of control. My current cycle is symptom free, as I have not had dairy in weeks and I started intro just before. What a dramatic difference!

I do think that the treatment has had an impact on my being able to add eggs, bone broths, and marrow without any problems. I am not nauseous after eating the soups made with bone broth. I am not irritable. I do not have any headaches.

We also treated our four year old, CKS. He is doing great! He is growing, learning, and developing normally for his age. His rashes have all faded away. His cheeks are so soft and kissable, not red and scratchy like sandpaper. He is happy and creative and playful. He looks at me and talks to me. He interacts with people all day long in a cheerful and easygoing way. He is even easygoing with his baby brother who just turned two. Amazing!

He is still eating little bits of fruit and honey and he is not turning into a sensory-seeking wild child as he has in the past. He is still eating some cucumber and tomato with a little salt and pepper. He had a little kiwi and a little pear today. No problems.

He is not having as many bathroom emergencies as he had before the treatment. There is definitely less urgency.

Apples seemed to induce rigidity and anxiety leading to meltdowns when things didn't work out like he imagined they should. For example, he wanted seconds on something but did not tell me and he began to cry when I sat down without putting any more food on his plate. He does get over it faster, though. Interestingly, I still have an issue with apples, too, even after the treatment. I wonder what is up with that.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the results of the allergy treatment.

My thoughts are to treat the other kids and redo the intro for each of them. I think it will make a huge difference in progressing through intro and getting the healing food into their precious little bodies. We had a rough time getting through the intro stages when we started, as we reacted to everything. I remember eggs being quite a traumatic experience. Anyway, these are my current thoughts. Lord, help me to see clearly what should be done.

Day 6 of Intro

Yesterday and today I took about a quarter cap of Bio-Kult. I put a raw egg yolk and a little sauerkraut juice in every bowl of soup. I feel great today! I took another quarter cap of Bio-Kult this evening. I do hope I am not pushing it, but I do not want to take F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get to a therapeutic dose this time around. We will see how it goes.

I AM sleeping better and I am NOT waking with aching and tingling limbs anymore. My tummy feels awesome. I am NOT as gaseous as I have been, nor hugely bloated. My temper is calm and easy-going. Nice!

Not much else to say...

What have I been eating?

Lemon water.

Chicken broth.

Chicken in broth.

Chicken soup made with chicken, broth, pâté, peeled carrots, peeled squash and zucchini, green beans, onion, mushrooms, and Celtic sea salt.

Beef soup made with boiled beef, beef bone broth, marrow, onions, peeled carrots, peeled zucchini, green beans, peas, mushrooms, peppercorns, and Celtic sea salt.

Hamburger soup made with ground buffalo meat, beef bone broth, carrots, and Celtic sea salt.

Raw yolks in soups.

Sauerkraut juice in soups.

Happy Second Birthday!

Our youngest just turned two a week ago. It was a great party! We had streamers, farm animal balloons, shooting discs, party hats, and GAPS bread cupcakes with candles. The grandparents all came over to celebrate with us.

SSS enjoyed opening his presents and he took a little time to play with each one before opening another. He squealed with delight over the Bunny Hop game and the R/C car.

Just in the last week or two he has really been putting lots of words together and they are getting clearer and much more understandable. Yay!!!

Wow!!! My baby is two!!!

Intro Again - Day 5 Update

Found some chicken and some broth in the kitchen and had that for a snack. It was very satisfying.

Took a bath with ACV.

Began to feel sick during the bath: tired, achy, nauseous.

Did a bunch of chores and heated up a little soup.

Ate soup and felt a wee bit better.

Did more chores.

Posted update (this one)

Really tired. Not enough sleep last night. I had better go to bed soon.

April 12, 2011

Intro Again - Day 5

So far, so good, although I do not recommend taking a full capsule of Bio-Kult on day two.

I felt great on day one. I figured that I had been taking seven capsules of Bio-Kult for months and had only gone one day with none so one seventh of that dose should be a breeze. Was I ever wrong! I was so sick by the end of day two and through the night. Headache. Swollen glands. Stuffy nose. Sore achy muscles. Sick tummy. Weak, very weak. So I took a day off and have taken about a quarter cap a day for several days now with no problem.

I'm sleeping much better already. Yay!!! It's worth it.

I am putting a bit of sauerkraut juice and an egg yolk in every bowl of soup. I'm eating about 3-5 bowls of soup in a day.

I have been surprised at how easy it has been for me to prepare and serve other food for my kids without being tempted by it. Right now I am feeling like I need something. I want to eat something, but not soup. I think I will go have a bowl of soup right now with lots of added fat. Maybe I will feel satisfied after that.

I think that I want to eat because it is so quiet in the house. The little three are all asleep and the older two are at a ballgame with Daddy. It is NEVER this quiet in my house. It feels very strange.

What I am really excited about is that I can actually do intro as it is laid out (minus the fermented fish). My soups are delicious. I am no longer grossed out by chicken skins and raw egg yolks. I can feed my kids GAPS food and know that it tastes good without tasting it. We always have sauerkraut juice and sauerkraut available because we make it weekly. There is no learning curve and to top it all off, I already have 19 months of healing behind me. I am doing this alone so I can take my time and go at my own pace. No pressure.

Funny thing is...several of my children are begging me to restart intro after Easter. Go figure. I'll have to think about that. Everyone wants to eat my soups. No. No. No. Mine! All mine!!

I love my kids. I love my family. Oh! Thank You, Lord, for what You are doing in our family right now. You are transforming us by the renewing of our minds. You are helping us to break free from patterns and habits that have been repeated for years. Things are changing. Relationships are growing and developing. Children are maturing and understanding. I am finally understanding things I never understood before. I will continue to seek You and Your Kingdom. Keep up the good work You started in us. I know that You are faithful to complete it! Amen!

April 9, 2011

Intro Again

Just a quick note to say I'm doing intro again. I've been considering it for a while. This morning I woke up after another miserable night and just decided to go for it.

So easy! Only me. I ate only chicken soup all day. It was so yummy and so satisfying. I added a little sauerkraut juice to my last bowl of soup this evening. I plan to eat soup all day tomorrow. I might add an egg yolk to a bowl of soup, if all goes well. Sounds delicious.

Boy have I changed. All of this was so disgusting to me only 18 months ago and now I love it! Chicken pate (blended skins and soft tissues) really do make they soup so delicious and satisfying.

I made some other soup, but I think I may stick with chicken soup for at least another day or two.

The surprising thing was that I was able to serve a large variety of other foods to my children without being tempted by any of it. Hmm. I wonder what tomorrow will be like?

How much probiotic should I start with? How fast will I be able to increase it? So many questions.

Gotta go to bed.

April 3, 2011

Happy Fourth Birthday!!!

We celebrated CKS' birthday last Tuesday. It was one of the most delightful birthdays ever.

He woke up to find a birthday card by his bed. It was a fire truck birthday card. He enjoyed hearing all of the special messages written on the balloons. We had to add a few more messages, dictated by the birthday boy, of course.

He was so excited that his birthday had finally arrived. He went out into the living room to find it decorated with streamers and balloons. Also, there were party hats hanging from the ceiling on white streamers in the kitchen.

We had to cut one balloon free from the bunch so that he could carry it around with him all day. We clipped it to the back of his chair at mealtimes.

His special friend and his friend's baby brother came to spend the morning with us. They found the party blow outs. You know the ones: they look like frog tongues stretching out to catch a fly. They were black and white checked with a Cars picture attached. What fun we all had tagging each other with these simple toys. Even SSS (almost 2) eventually figured out how to make them work. We played with them until they all broke.

We had some regular balloons to bat around, too.

In the evening, the grandparents came over. We sang Happy Birthday, blew out candles, and ate cupcakes (made from nut butter, eggs, and butternut squash). Then, CKS opened presents. Such great fun. So many smiles. Such bright eyes and so full of life.

Ever since we had CKS treated for his food allergies/sensitivities, his eyes just sparkle. He's doing great! He can have honey and fruit (still) without any reactions. He's loving it!!! It is so good to see him so well.

We praise God for every step forward. I am thankful for God's leading. I hope and pray for continued healing, for complete healing. Thank You, Lord, for bringing so much healing to my little boy. Amen.