I have concrete proof that the paleo diet has been beneficial to my health. In addition to losing 25 pounds since January, check out my recent blood test results:
Total cholesterol: 138
Triglycerides: 69
HDL cholesterol: 54
LDL cholesterol: 70
This is simply amazing to me because just a few years ago my total cholesterol was in the 220s and my HDL was very low. I would say this is a very positive turn around. And this is happening with a diet that is heavy in the dark turkey and chicken parts, and beef. Go figure. In addition, I was very pleased, and relieved, to see that even my levels of calcium were perfect even though I don't consume any dairy products.
Ok, so why do I still feel crappy? Other than the mysteriously high levels of cortisol my blood test results were all normal. I have my new lab slip now. I will be eager to see what the results of that round of testing reveals. I think I will wait a week or so to get the test done though as Doug is traveling next week and I'll be on my own. I don't need to stress my system during that time.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Exhausted or Hurting? Pick one.
With much trepidation I decided to try a new medication over the weekend called Nuvigil. It's made by the same company that makes Provigil - something I tried without success in 2002. However, my doctor assured me that I wouldn't have the same jolting experience that I had with Provigil and I was desperate to find a way to fight past this exhaustion and get things done again. So, on Saturday, I took the first pill. Saturday was amazing. I felt like I had energy and felt really good about life. I got a lot of shopping done, played with the kids and took the dog for a walk. To my great relief, I was able to sleep that night. I'd suffered from terrible insomnia while on Provigil so I'd been fully prepared to be awake for days on this new stuff.
When I started the new medication I read the information and it said I shouldn't have caffeine or alcohol. Now, if I'd known this I would've been tapering off of the caffeine for a few days but instead I quit it cold turkey. I suffered some nasty withdrawal symptoms like headaches and irritability but I figured it was all for the good. After all, coffee and chocolate aren't exactly part of the Paleo diet and everything I read tells me to avoid caffeine when you have CFS. So, here was my excuse to give it up. So, when the back ache developed on Sunday and spread from my neck across my shoulders I figured it was withdrawal symptoms. However, last night it woke me up at 3:30 in the a.m. The pain had moved down my back and down my legs and it hurt like nothing I've ever experienced before. This morning the pain was still here but I soldiered on - what else could I do? My husband couldn't exactly stay home from work and the kids and animals had to be cared for. It hurt to brush my hair so I hope I didn't look too scary at Joshua's OT appointment. I didn't even bother with makeup.
There could be several reasons for this pain. Our mattress is very old and sagging and provides absolutely no support. I think we're past the point where flipping and rotating it again will be futile. A second possibility is that the storms rolling in this a.m. caused a terrible fibro flare but one like I've never had so bad before. Finally, it could be the Nuvigil. According to their prescribing info one of the possible side effects is back pain. This was my suspicion, so I called my doctor who prescribed this to get her opinion. I was going to wait until my phone consult on Thursday but the pain just got too overwhelming to delay any discussion. She didn't think the Nuvigil could be the cause since she hadn't had any other patients complain about it. However, she recommended that I take a break from it for a couple of days and then try it again to see if it's the cause of the pain. I'm just pleased to know that this is something I won't have to worry about weaning myself off of.
I am feeling frustrated. Although it wasn't a 100% cure for me it did give me an extra boost of energy so that I could function. I'm still not in a place where I could be an active mommy with my kids but at least now they have clean toilets in the house and I feel like I can do a few fun things with them. Now it looks like I may have to choose between having that energy and being incapacitated with pain (Tylenol helps a little but doesn't make it go away completely), or not being in pain and just being a slug again. Please excuse the yelling. NOT FAIR!!!
In other news, as of today, I've lost 25 pounds since the beginning of January. I am so pleased with this and really feel good about how I look. I'm wearing a sheath dress to my cousin's wedding on Saturday and I won't have to worry about any wacky bulges and I won't have to sweat in control underwear. If only the weight loss had translated to a complete improvement in my health but I guess I couldn't get that lucky. Maybe now that I'm back to gluten-free I'll start feeling better. Oh, speaking of that, I have a phone consult on Thursday afternoon with the doctor who ordered those blood tests. I'll be sure to post the results of that conversation.
When I started the new medication I read the information and it said I shouldn't have caffeine or alcohol. Now, if I'd known this I would've been tapering off of the caffeine for a few days but instead I quit it cold turkey. I suffered some nasty withdrawal symptoms like headaches and irritability but I figured it was all for the good. After all, coffee and chocolate aren't exactly part of the Paleo diet and everything I read tells me to avoid caffeine when you have CFS. So, here was my excuse to give it up. So, when the back ache developed on Sunday and spread from my neck across my shoulders I figured it was withdrawal symptoms. However, last night it woke me up at 3:30 in the a.m. The pain had moved down my back and down my legs and it hurt like nothing I've ever experienced before. This morning the pain was still here but I soldiered on - what else could I do? My husband couldn't exactly stay home from work and the kids and animals had to be cared for. It hurt to brush my hair so I hope I didn't look too scary at Joshua's OT appointment. I didn't even bother with makeup.
There could be several reasons for this pain. Our mattress is very old and sagging and provides absolutely no support. I think we're past the point where flipping and rotating it again will be futile. A second possibility is that the storms rolling in this a.m. caused a terrible fibro flare but one like I've never had so bad before. Finally, it could be the Nuvigil. According to their prescribing info one of the possible side effects is back pain. This was my suspicion, so I called my doctor who prescribed this to get her opinion. I was going to wait until my phone consult on Thursday but the pain just got too overwhelming to delay any discussion. She didn't think the Nuvigil could be the cause since she hadn't had any other patients complain about it. However, she recommended that I take a break from it for a couple of days and then try it again to see if it's the cause of the pain. I'm just pleased to know that this is something I won't have to worry about weaning myself off of.
I am feeling frustrated. Although it wasn't a 100% cure for me it did give me an extra boost of energy so that I could function. I'm still not in a place where I could be an active mommy with my kids but at least now they have clean toilets in the house and I feel like I can do a few fun things with them. Now it looks like I may have to choose between having that energy and being incapacitated with pain (Tylenol helps a little but doesn't make it go away completely), or not being in pain and just being a slug again. Please excuse the yelling. NOT FAIR!!!
In other news, as of today, I've lost 25 pounds since the beginning of January. I am so pleased with this and really feel good about how I look. I'm wearing a sheath dress to my cousin's wedding on Saturday and I won't have to worry about any wacky bulges and I won't have to sweat in control underwear. If only the weight loss had translated to a complete improvement in my health but I guess I couldn't get that lucky. Maybe now that I'm back to gluten-free I'll start feeling better. Oh, speaking of that, I have a phone consult on Thursday afternoon with the doctor who ordered those blood tests. I'll be sure to post the results of that conversation.
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