Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Being Proactive

     I'm going to hire a very part-time secretary to help me with all my paperwork. Especially with setting up a new file cabinet I'm getting soon. I have too many bad days to be able to keep up. I'm also hiring my handyman Dave to help me set up my office. I still have boxes to unpack, and pictures to hang, including some big ones! It's just too much for the amount of energy I have. I don't really understand it, but I've had this increasing fatigue for a few years now – a "gift" of the liver disease. I have to get proactive.

     Last week I had a very good week but this week I've already been down two days in a row. I don't get it. Oh, I think I said that already. I have learned this lesson over and over, though: be kind, be gentle to yourself. And that's a message I want you, my readers, to hear, too.

     That's how we should all treat ourselves. I'm not promoting laziness and not fighting back when times get tough. But there are times to "buck up" and to fight back, and there are times that those terms mean something else you should be doing. Like being nice to Number One. When you're hurting for a long time (grieving, in physical pain, worried about how best to help an elderly parent or a child having problems at school), you need breaks now and then to build yourself back up mentally, physically, and spiritually. Sometimes it leads to being able to see a new perspective, recognize a solution you had overlooked.

     I've very happy to report that I found a dietitian on my wavelength who will coach me to be the most well-nourished and happy vegan in the West. When I told her that I tell people that I am a "vegan today," she said that was perfect. She believes in following your intuition (like when I get a hankering for broccoli-cheddar soup at Panera) and checking out how it makes me feel. (Wonderful!) She also told me I need B12 and some other stuff. And she's just so upbeat and friendly.

     I still believe that a vegan diet can help improve my health. Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is not a lot of fun. I have special itch lotion loaded with menthol and camphor that I only put on at night because I smell like a walking ad for BenGay. I have nausea with too much frequency. I take candied ginger for that. It works but I still lose my appetite. I haven't been in the hospital for an infection of the bile ducts (cholangitis) in close to two years, so that's good news. And then there's the fatigue. I'm going to get some help so I don't feel so overwhelmed. Maybe then I can write more, rather than having to do paperwork when I'm feeling well – and that's all.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Reading and Studying I Have Done and Still Am Doing

     I have launched into an investigation into healing, cancer, liver disease, diet and nutrition, and living well. It started with checking out Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr from the library and reading it straight-through. She gives a lot of great ideas about how to live with the diagnosis and to take a healing and wellness attitude toward it. That has affected me the most. She also underlines the need for a good, nutritious diet that is plant-based. She started out vegetarian and is now completely vegan. There are a lot of links to other informative websites and books, so I've been branching out from there. Kris is a young cancer survivor (diagnosed at 31) so she has a spunkiness and vitality that I needed to hook up to. She has a Facebook page (Crazy Sexy Cancer), so look her up. Especially if you have cancer and need a lift and some inspiration to fight back.

     Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman (MD) is one of the first diet books I read about veganism and using it to cure -- yes, cure as in heal and get rid of -- diseases and afflictions. He covers heart disease, high cholesterol and other indicators of oncoming heart disorders, diabetes, cancer, and many other chronic conditions that are a result of the Standard American Diet (SAD). It is SAD! We can all make adjustments to our diets to make them healthier without having to go all the way vegan. Add more fresh fruits and especially green vegetables to your diet today. Try to get organic, but if you can't, just eat the fruits and veggies you like and can find. Frozen ones are good, too. And cut out sodas - they deplete your bone density with this stuff called phosphoric acid that's in every soda container! Seriously. Hey, I still drink coffee and love my Starbucks, but I just do it moderately. You know? But not the sodas.

     Right now I'm reading a book by Uri Geller (you know, the spoonbender?) about mind power and he has some very unique things to offer everyone. His mind and abilities have been studied at the National Institute of Health and his intuitive and mental powers have been used by the FBI, the CIA, and even our State Department in important international negotiations. All he has to do at those meetings is to sit there and send positive thought waves to our opponents on important points! His book is called Mind Power. I don't like the writing so much, a bit dry and technical in some places, but he had someone helping him write it. His own voice doesn't come through as clearly as it should. A good, informative read, though, for anyone trying to get a better grip on life.

     I choose every morning when I get up to be happy and to have a good day. That is my mental workout. I have a lot to be happy about and grateful for. Today, I am thankful for everyone who read this post. Oh, what did this vegan have for breakfast? Ezekiel sprouted whole wheat bread toasted and spread with organic peanut butter and a blackberry fruit spread (no sugar), two Cutie oranges, and a green drink made by Bolthouse (sort of like Naked Juice). Yum!

     Be well. And happy.