Kai Chronicles

Eating, exploring and enjoying life

Tag Archives: illness


by 2 Comments

Why I’m peeing on a stick

ph

 

I haven’t been well.

For the past 2 weeks, I have been extremely unwell, physically. And for the 4-6 weeks before that, I was unwell, mentally. Now, I have a nice potpourri of physical and mental health issues.

I’m convinced stress and anxiety have caused my physical issues.

I’ve been doing a lot of whinging to myself. Saying things like, ‘why is this happening?’ and ‘I’m healthy, this shouldn’t be happening’, kind of shit.

Today, I was reminded about the mind-body connection and I had, what Oprah calls an a-ha moment.

I was reminded that I am in control of MY life. I can choose to be healthy and happy, if that’s what I want.

Believe me, it’s bloody hard to do when it feels like you’ve got tennis balls stuck in your throat and stomach.

I’m currently being treated for reflux oesophagitis but even the doctor said this was a guess.

Besides the blockage feelings in my throat and stomach, I have experienced burning in my stomach, jaw pain, low-energy, severe cough, excess mucous and this all escalates at night when I lay down, which makes sleeping very difficult.

So, I’m on a  prescription drug called Nexium (which I was so determined to avoid) for 30 days and on a diet that consists mainly of:

  • oatmeal (porridge) with cinnamon & small drizzle of maple syrup (sorry but plain oatmeal is just gross)
  • banana
  • green soup (zucchini, herbs, garlic, spinach, celery, green beans…)
  • avocado
  • wholemeal bread (one slice a day with the avo)
  • celery
  • Almond milk banana green smoothie
  • a couple almonds/seeds if really hungry
  • ginger & lemon tea
  • rooibos tea
  • green juice (cucumber, celery, lime/lemon, kale, spinach, ginger)
  • water (sometimes with chlorophyll)
  • Pro-biotic supplement and/or drink
  • Nexium
  • Mylanta- if needed
  • I’ll add more alkaline foods to this as I feel better

No food or drink after 630pm.

I’m on day two of this regime. Before that, I was eating other food like chicken, potatoes, eggs, rice, chocolate….just regular but mild stuff.  I was still suffering. I haven’t had a coffee since May 3 and I love my coffee.

I’ve replaced my morning coffee ritual with a morning walk ( I cannot do any high intensity exercise) with Tony Robbins. Tony and I walk for 30-60 minutes. He talks, I listen.

Three days ago, he brought up the acid-alkaline diet.

Now, I’ve heard of this before but never ever looked into it. Tony is very convincing so I googled away.

Next stop, pharmacy for pH strips to test my levels. I figured if I was having so much acid reflux, I must have a high acid reading.

You have to pee on a strip /stick of paper and watch the colours change.

My reading was 5.

Anything below a 7 is acidic.

So, I got straight on to an alkaline diet, which is most of the foods listed above. Of course, there is much more than that on the alkaline list, but I’m also trying to soothe the reflux. That’s why I’m limiting my food intake. I need to eat every 2-3 hours otherwise I get too hungry.

Today (after on 1.5 days on), I feel better and my levels are closer to 7.

But, I felt better all weekend too so I then ate a bucketful of hazelnut chocolates and within 8 hours,felt worse for another 30 hours. I won’t do that again.

So, once again, food is ruling my life and not in a good or delicious way.

I can’t stand the fact that I’m back here in this place of ill-health and uncertainty but I’m determined to build a bridge and get over it.

I’ve just booked an appointment for Bowen Therapy (I’ve never had it) and I’m sticking to this alkaline diet until I feel 110% better.

So, no booze, no coffee, no chocolate, no pizza, no dairy, very little wheat (the bread actually makes me feels good, believe it or not), very few acid foods.

Has stress every morphed into physical illness for you?

 What extremes have you gone to restore your health?

 

 

 

Advertisement


by 2 Comments

Why I have to eat gluten

bountyOfBread

For the past 2 weeks or so I have been eating the occasional gluten product. Cookies, cake, flour tortillas, beer; I even had pasta last night.

It started off so innocently but has escalated to contribute to increased gastrointestinal issues, low energy, sore throat, heaviness, body aches, lack of concentration and motivation; irritability, bloating and laziness.

Last night was the wake-up call I needed. I way overate: 2 beer, angel hair pasta, carrot cake and anniversary chocolates. My belly was so swollen and bloated that I looked 5 months pregnant. I woke up this morning swearing off gluten again.

Then I remembered…I have to keep eating it!

I’m getting tested for coeliac disease soon.

My sister, Christine was recently diagnosed which gives me a 25% chance of having the disease. I already know that I’ve spent the past 8 years on and off gluten in an attempt to “cure” my sinus issues and tummy problems. Never once was coeliac disease ever mentioned to me.

It’s been 18 months since another sister, Virginia died of cancers that attacked her bowels then the rest of her body very rapidly. Could she have been coeliac? Could a coeliac diagnosis have saved her? I can’t help but wonder.

When Christine was diagnosed, I went into denial mode. I thought they (the doctors) were wrong and urged her to ask questions. I said that I wouldn’t be tested. I’ve changed my mind.

I already know I have issues with gluten.

I have major sinus problems.

I have had 3 miscarriages.

I have had gastrointestinal problems with included pain for years now. 

I have a sister with the disease and another one dead to cancer.

I’m preparing myself for a positive diagnosis. 

Although I have been on & off restricted diets for 8 years, I am the one in control of when & how much I restrict. I am resisting the disease dictating my diet. I can’t expect my family to go gluten-free as well and I don’t think they will. Obviously, Master T will need to be tested if I am positive.

With the impending tests, I must remain on gluten products for up to the next 6 weeks. It makes sense. If there’s no gluten in my system, it will be hard to see if my body is reacting to it.

What I hate the most about eating gluten (besides the bloated tummy) is how I crave it more and more. I haven’t eaten anything healthy today at all.

Gluten also makes me lazy and heavy feeling. I couldn’t even get up out of bed this morning to do my fitness regime. So, along with the over-eating last night, I’m pretty upset with myself.

Coeliac Awareness Week is coming up. This year’s theme is Sick and tired of being sick and tired. I’m learning lots about the disease and how it is still highly under-diagnosed. According to Coeliac Australia, 4 out of 5 people with the autoimmune disorder do not even know it!

Could you be one of them? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


by 5 Comments

What’s Working for me Wednesday

This post comes to you courtesy of Fireball cinnamon whiskey.
I almost didn’t write a What’s Working for me Wednesday post because I developed a sore throat rather suddenly today. This is not just a sore throat either. It’s extreme pain and affecting my right ear as well.I cannot get an appointment at the local medical centre until 12:45pm on Friday.

I forced down about 6 spoonfuls of homemade chicken and leek soup then had to give up. It was far too painful to continue. I’m not worried about this factor. I embrace every opportunity to forgo food because it’s not very often that I do. Oh man, I’m in pain.

Thank goodness I had a brand new bottle of Fireball on the shelf. If you have not had the chance to try this fine alcohol from Canada, I urge you to do so. I’ve had 4 small shots so far this evening. Purely for medicinal reasons, I assure you. The following photos tell a story but please do not think it’s the whiskey making me wince and grimace; it’s the pain from swallowing anything. Believe you me, I feel much better since partaking in the shots. And it won’t stop at 4. I will go on…….

Fireball is what is working for me this Wednesday!!

WARNING: The following images may disturb some.

The smile is for Fireball

Down the hatch

Oh that hurts

Up and running around the dining room…yes in my jammies!

Please help me…

Please…..

Why do I have so much saliva to swallow?

Going back for round 2

So, what’s working for you this Wednesday? Ummmm, excuse me I have, ummmm things to shoot, I mean drink do. I have important things to do.


by 2 Comments

A full plate that can’t be ate!!

 

I know my title is bad grammar but I like to rhyme all the time. Ok, I’ll stop. And no, I’m not drunk, I’ve only had half a beer!

I’ve had a busy week. I keep loading more and more onto my work schedule that puts more pressure on me to perform. Why do I do it?

Because I want to succeed.

I even have a detailed schedule that I have  tacked on the wall by my desk and if I followed it, I would be free and clear of most work duties for the weekend. But, no. It’s 5:12pm on Friday and I’m writing this blog post because I spent too much time checking Facebook or researching or making coffee or just day dreaming. I did accomplish some things this week , but not much.

Regarding this blog, my aim is to write 3 posts per week. This post is actually Wednesday’s and today’s scheduled blog was cancelled because I had a sudden interview/photo shoot to do for an article that is not due until December. Did I mention that Master T stayed home from school today? He’s sick, once again.

I’m seriously starting to be suspicious about the health issues in this new town we call home. He just spent a week off school only 6 weeks ago! It seems like most people in this town are either ill or have been recently. My sister asked me if there was a toxic waste dump in the area and now I’m beginning to wonder myself.  But,  I will not get sick again. I refuse illness, I’m far too busy for it.

So, with a community meeting to attend about fracking on my books for tomorrow and a kid’s birthday party to take Master T to on Sunday, my weekend is far from free. Mr M is away for 2 weeks so I’m on my own and poor little Master T has to tag along to my work meetings, ill or not. Aside from having an extremely high work ethic, something that has always stuck with me since completing the magazine and newspaper writing course at SWC was Valerie Khoo saying that come hell or high water you must always make a deadline.

And that is what I do, even at the expense of my own child. Sounds terrible I know, but he’s a trooper and he’s now fast asleep after embarrassing me at a strangers house by climbing all over their furniture while I’m conducting my interview. What’s more unprofessional, cancelling a gig or taking your ill, 6-year-old son? Hmmmm? For the record, the interviewee was the one who told me to bring him along rather than cancel.

 

I’m taking a deep breath and focusing on my quiet evening. I’ll make next week’s schedule which includes a deadline to my #1 magazine goal, Good Health. It has a reputation of being extremely hard to get to print but I’m on my third shot so my odds are increasing.

And look here, the sun shines at 5:44pm after a day of off again on again storms.

 

The sun shines on even the stormiest days.

Happy weekend all…..put the work to bed and live it up!

 

 

 

 

 


by Leave a comment

Down With The Sickness On Holiday

Have you ever fallen ill when on holiday? It’s not fun but sometimes it happens.  I’m at the tail end of a nasty chest cold that had me grounded for an entire day of my 5 days in Victoria, BC.

Not one to run to a doctor every time I get a cough, I used positive thoughts, rest and natural food items to better myself.

Of course, I drank lots: water, fresh juice and lots of tea with ginger, lemon and honey. Rest was a blessing and I enjoyed a day in bed. I also went to extreme measures and ate raw garlic and mint leaves. Epsom salt baths helped draw out the toxins.

This is not the first time I’ve been sick whilst on holiday.

When I was 20, I went to Daytona Beach, Florida on a Spring Break trip with my flatmates and after much drinking and kissing strangers, I developed strep throat. I do believe that was the most painful physical illness I have ever gone through. Having to see (and pay) a doctor in the USA was just as painful. Of course, I was put on an anti-biotic that had me partying again in a few days. Those were the days!!!

Having fun in Daytona Beach!!

Then, down with the sickness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And 3 years ago when my family and I were visiting family in eastern Canada, my then 3-year-old son picked up a 24-hour tummy bug. Suddenly, he started vomiting in the rental car and then continued through the night. Thankfully, he was fine the next day. I was not as fortunate. I got it and along with vomiting, I got diarrhoea too. This happened with such bad timing as we were meant to have dinner with my Dad and his partner. I postponed it by a day but even when we did show up, I spent most of my time there in bed or in his bathroom. To make matters worse, my Dad contracted the bug after we left.

It didn’t end there. We spent the night with a friend and I had such awful gas and bloating that I had to run back and forth to the toilet all evening. It was so embarrassing. My hubby couldn’t even stand me being in the same bed as him and I was forced to sleep on my friend’s sofa. It was truly horrible.

After that, we travelled back to the west coast of Canada where my bowel issues continued for another day or two.

So, I feel grateful for a chest cold at this time.On day 2 of my healing, I went out on the water in search of whales. It was a great time and I believe the sun and salt air did me good.

In search of whales off Vancouver Island, Canada.

 

I’m on the mend and now off for an exfoliation massage, which could not have been scheduled at a better time!! Everything is working out for my higher good.

Do you have any travel illness stories? What did you do to overcome it?