Long Overdue Update
Even if one endeavours to live in the present, a review of the past can be useful, and if I am going to write an update on my health, I would have to read my main posts on the topic. What a surprise to realize just how much I went through, and how much I had forgotten. Clearly, I have made the most of the many highlights and happy times in the last eleven years of my life but some of the lows have been devastating.
Since implementing my plan with supreme and unwavering dedication, I saw a definite improvement in my health, confirming my research and diagnosis were correct. My energy improved immensely, one of my main goals, but fatigue returned suddenly if I exerted even the least little bit of energy. Even though I have developed a great awareness of my body's signals, fatigue could surprise me after little or no change in routine, however, I was able to shed a few of those heinous prednisone pounds.
As overall improvement became consistent after nearly two years of applying my plan, I was able to increase the quality of enjoyment in my life, something I had not experienced on an ongoing basis in many years. The timing could not have been more perfect. My peak condition--such as it was, everything is relative!--occurred just when my first grandchild was born in Ottawa! I flew there soon after they brought him home from the hospital. Since my son had to be away from home for four weeks, I was able to be there the entire time he was absent, and help my daughter-in-law with her precious little boy for a period of five weeks. That was absolutely wonderful!
It was thrilling to be able to hold my own those whole five weeks, including being up one very hot, humid night with him, so his parents could sleep through one night. I was able to help with the shopping and did all the cooking so my daughter-in-law could focus on the baby and getting enough rest herself. She took the late shift so I could go to bed earlier; I took the morning shift so she could sleep a bit in the morning. We were both tired, but it worked well!
It happens that I also have several friends in Ottawa and my DIL was fine with me taking off to spend time with them. In other words, I was busy, busy, busy the entire five weeks! When I came home, I knew that I would need to rest, rest, rest, and that's exactly what I did. As I wasn't able to follow my food plan in Ottawa, and couldn't begin again right away when I returned home, I was out of the habit of eating properly for a couple of months. I returned to my plan rather half-heartedly.
It was so easy to allow myself to think that I had been full of energy while not eating the right foods, and to fool myself into making life "easier" by cooking what had been normal for me pre-illness. It takes hours to eat properly and still cook "normal" meals for my husband.
Since implementing my plan with supreme and unwavering dedication, I saw a definite improvement in my health, confirming my research and diagnosis were correct. My energy improved immensely, one of my main goals, but fatigue returned suddenly if I exerted even the least little bit of energy. Even though I have developed a great awareness of my body's signals, fatigue could surprise me after little or no change in routine, however, I was able to shed a few of those heinous prednisone pounds.
As overall improvement became consistent after nearly two years of applying my plan, I was able to increase the quality of enjoyment in my life, something I had not experienced on an ongoing basis in many years. The timing could not have been more perfect. My peak condition--such as it was, everything is relative!--occurred just when my first grandchild was born in Ottawa! I flew there soon after they brought him home from the hospital. Since my son had to be away from home for four weeks, I was able to be there the entire time he was absent, and help my daughter-in-law with her precious little boy for a period of five weeks. That was absolutely wonderful!
It was thrilling to be able to hold my own those whole five weeks, including being up one very hot, humid night with him, so his parents could sleep through one night. I was able to help with the shopping and did all the cooking so my daughter-in-law could focus on the baby and getting enough rest herself. She took the late shift so I could go to bed earlier; I took the morning shift so she could sleep a bit in the morning. We were both tired, but it worked well!
It happens that I also have several friends in Ottawa and my DIL was fine with me taking off to spend time with them. In other words, I was busy, busy, busy the entire five weeks! When I came home, I knew that I would need to rest, rest, rest, and that's exactly what I did. As I wasn't able to follow my food plan in Ottawa, and couldn't begin again right away when I returned home, I was out of the habit of eating properly for a couple of months. I returned to my plan rather half-heartedly.
It was so easy to allow myself to think that I had been full of energy while not eating the right foods, and to fool myself into making life "easier" by cooking what had been normal for me pre-illness. It takes hours to eat properly and still cook "normal" meals for my husband.