Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Back Pain

I have been dealing with a back injury for over a year but it really became a problem in April.  The MRI showed a disc bulge at L5.  I have tried physical therapy, chiropractic care, trigger point injections, three different epidural injections, heat, baths, no exercise, some walking, yoga, some gym time, etc.  I don't seem to be responding to any treatment and it has been VERY frustrating to say the least!

I am someone who doesn't like to sit still.  I like to walk my dogs and volunteer at the Animal Shelter walking those dogs.  I had done cross fit religiously for 2 years before I had to stop because it was just too painful.  I used to go to cross fit, then walk dogs, go grocery shopping and run around my house doing my chores.  Now I can only do one active activity, rest and limp my way through the rest of the day.  It sucks!

Working out is a mental thing for me as much as being physical.  I love what cross fit has done for my body; lots of muscles and an appreciation for barbells.  Never did I think I could be one of those bad ass girls but I am/was (kind of, always room for improvement!!) and because of it, my 12 year old daughter doesn't see any difference between men and women lifting weights.

Without getting that good sweat in every day, it really messes with my mood and self esteem. It is hard to have to rest a lot yet still not feel good.  I am 43 years old and I refuse to let pain win the war but it certainly has won the battle.

Next up is a new pain med that should help the pain in my nerves and I will try acupuncture.  I am pretty excited about that!  I will try anything to hep with the pain and get off meds.

I have another doctor who believes my pain is stress related and we are working with supplements, mediation and anything to keep me calm (!) to help with the inflammation.  I am willing to try anything and everything.  I do believe the body can heal itself but sometimes it needs a nudge(or a swift kick) to help it out.  I don't like to complain and I try not to but sometimes I can't help it.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

My Story

My son has always had eczema and it got worse as he got older.  When he was 11 I finally had some allergy tests done, fearing it would be a food or dairy issue and ugh!  I didn't want to deal with it.  The Allergist did some tests and it only came back as pollen and tree allergies.

Yay!

But his eczema was pretty bad and no medications or creams (when he let me use them) seemed to work.  When he was 12 we moved across the country and I met a neighbor and we started talking about allergies and she gave me the name of a doctor to go who would run a much more comprehensive blood test.

Well, not only did he have a sensitivity to dairy and gluten, he had a list of about 30 foods he should be staying away from!   We learned he had Intestinal Impermeability aka Leaky Gut.  After freaking out and doing research, I realized I had some symptoms so I got myself tested too.  Yep.  We both had it.  He also has ADHD and once we started being vigilant with his diet, his skin cleared up, his brain fog went away (I never even heard of it before this) and his personality came back!

The first week I cleared up my diet I realized how much better I felt.  I never knew I felt poorly, it was just how I was.  I had digestion issues, afternoon sleepiness and dry, itchy skin.  I will discuss Leaky Gut in future posts.

But let me back up.  Now with a list of foods that we needed to stay away from, I didn't know how to cook for my family.  I went to the health food store but everything I picked up had a forbidden ingredient on it.  The store-people tried to help me but they didn't know how so they told me to just eat fruit, vegetables and meat.

But how was I supposed to prepare it??

I eventually found a Health Coach through Facebook and she really helped me.  We worked together for a year.  She gave me suggestions for foods I never thought of, she listened when I complained or got confused.  We came up with goals.  She helped me see this wasn't as hard as I thought.  I needed to think more and prepare more; no more quickie meals.  No more foods from a box.

After living like this for almost a year, I wanted to share my knowledge and help others the way she helped me.  I knew this was something I could do so I enrolled at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  I will be done with my course at the end of the month and I want to help people achieve their health and wellness goals; whether someone wants to lose weight, battle leaky gut or Celiac or just feel good about themselves in the body they have.  It isn't just about the food we eat, it is about living your best life possible.

Since my late teens I have always had a big interest in health and fitness.  During my graduate studies days when I was earning a degree in Public Health, I had to take a nutrition class and I was hooked.  Fast forward to starting a family and eventually moving across the country, I finally found what I was looking for; a program to take what I know, learn even more and now be able to help people not only look better but FEEL better.

My purpose of this blog to share knowledge and personal experience.  I'd love to receive some feedback.  Like what you are reading?  Please share my information!  I also have a facebook page, Health Coaching with Lisa

Have a healthy day!