improve my health

Watching what I eat (but still enjoying food), eat and drink moderately.
Start going to the gym/running/swimming (had a gym induction Wednesday and got a health check Sunday).
Looking after my mental health too, it’s all connected.

Been having headache the last few days. Very odd. Small cough, not H1n1. Then this morning during the news the news gal was on the roof. Super bad VOG and she was having problems with her asthma, poor thing. I remembered then that I got really sick last bad VOG and doctor told me it was like an allergy. I thought she was wrong but I guess not. Same symptoms so I am trying an allergy med. Lucky I made the connection. Hope it’s right.

I wish my knee didn’t hurt.
I wish I had health insurance to I could see a doctor.
Or a therapist.
I wish I didn’t eat my way back to wishing I could lose 40lbs
Wish I knew what that pain I get every once in a while means.

Today I wish I had a new set of contact lenses and some nice clear bifocals.
I wish my sister, 10 years older and always correct, hadn’t given me such a graphic vision of where our DNA take us on cold winter mornings in my future.

Wish I could get off the couch, dance run and breath some life into my nutrient deprived cells.

Wish I was asleep.

I am determined to refine my diet and move towards a more organic lifestyle. My goal is that 80% of my intake will be raw organic foods. I need to renew my promise to exercise. More running, jump rope, weights, body resistance, and yoga.

to start keeping a diary of the food I eat, which I find to be a difficult thing to do… neither cared about food nor noticed what I take up to now, so it’d be a big change to keep track of every detail. I’m not sure whether it’s better to take note of the ingredients or the higher-level combination… (what if A is safe, and B is safe, but A+B is not!)

I guess I’ll jot down everything for now, and then it’ll be another day’s painful task to figure out what’s safe and what’s not.

9/7/2009

- Whole grain bagel and cream cheese spread (seems safe)
- Water (safe!)
- Roast beef sandwich [roast beef cuts, greens, onions, provolone cheese, tomatoes, potato chips, sour dough bread, and some random zesty sauce] (yummy and probably safe!)
- Green tea (suspicious!) _{For heaven’s sake, it’s tea! The ‘Nutrition facts’ says 0% everything! :)}
- Yogurt (undecided!)

Compassionist made a comment the other day about chronic pain making people self-centered… I guess it’s true. In the short term, of course, I’ll try to remove the pain, and make it a non-issue. But I have to also think about some other way to accept it and perhaps get detached from it, if it’s going to last long.

I’ve got a diagnosis, and the verdict is… drum roll, please… Crohn’s disease. Had it not been for Segsy’s story, it would’ve freaked me out, but now I know what the problem is, and have to find a way to deal with it, like any other day of life, right? Besides, I think the episodes of remission and relapse suits my slightly bipolar personality well! :) I’m actually relieved that the uncertainty is over… even better, now I have doctor’s orders to eat well, sleep well, play, and relax :)

“Do you have someone in the family with the same condition?” My doctor asks. “No,” I said, and I’m sorry doctor for disappointing you and messing up your statistics, I thought. On second thoughts, my dad might have it, but it’s hard to tell, because he never complains… about anything _{unlike me!} :)

up and went for a 3-mile group run this morning, and now it’s my first pain-free day in a month or so. It might be all inside my head, but, eh, I take it!

I have also been experimenting to find a less aggravating diet, and now I think I’m getting there… a diet that includes burritos, grapes, yogurt, cashew, and cranberry lemonade! It’s a weird combination, I know, but it works, and I’m not changing it… at least not until next week when I go in for more tests.

All that said, the grant proposal was submitted on Friday, so the improvements might be just the normal consequence of reduced stress.

I’m going to get in shape and get healthy. I bought an inflateable punching bag last night to get out the frustraitions and get in shape… I want to be a mother in five years and i held a baby for an hour last night and my arm was killing me. So it is yet another sign I need to get in shape.

I am 25 and my life is out of control. I look at my body and say “who’s stomach is this?” it’s time to give it away.

1. Medical care: The (now chronic) abdominal pain… after a whole bunch of tests, my usual doctor couldn’t figure out what was causing the pain, so he referred me to a specialist. I have not contacted the specialist yet, though… should do this soon. Also, minor issues with calcium and red blood count… neither serious nor urgent, but these have to be taken care of too.

2. Food: Have been eating only sporadically lately. Besides, have been forcing my body to toughen up and deal with whatever junk I consume. Both are rather inappropriate behaviors. Have to pay attention to the quality and regularity of what I eat.

3. Exercise: Not much done lately… probably the side-effect of the other two above… I like running and playing soccer and volleyball… don’t have to force myself to do these, just need the time (and energy) by giving them a higher priority.

My thumb got really sore on Saturday and I figured out that it was excessive use typing and shifting the screen.