Pooh Sticks

Hey peeps,

I have again, been very quiet.

I was hoping that I was close to finally finding out exactly what is wrong with my bowels, but they've only gone and lost half of my test results. However I have got the good news that I am not coeliac, and in the other blood tests they could not see any evidence of inflammation, so the GP reassures me that it's unlikely to be IBD. He wanted to sign it of as IBS when I suddenly found myself burst into tears in his office.

I know it's not IBS. I know my symptoms are worse than those, and I am tired of feeling sick practically EVERY TIME I eat anything. I am chronically fatigued, flatulent, and swell up to the size of a lady who's six months pregnant every time I eat dairy, permanently attached to the loo if I eat wheat, and feel like I'm carrying a bowling ball in my stomach anytime I eat anything. Even a green smoothie does that to me. What's worse is that my symptoms just seem to be worsening as the months go on. My only relief is that at least I am studying Nutritional Therapy so I will be well qualified to look after myself one day.

Of course, if you are also an endo sufferer you will probably be able to guess what the above is pointing to. No doctor has confirmed it yet. The opposite in fact, my GP thinks my endometriosis is completely unrelated to my bowel problems. I don't like to rely on Dr. Google but I can't help but suspect that the endo has spread to my bowels and apparently done some permanent damage. I won't talk about this more as it's futile until a Doctor lets me know that is the case. It will be at least another month until I get the opportunity to discuss this again with a Doctor. In the meantime I am ramping up the healthy diet and will do my best to keep out the sugars and fats because as we all know, endo and diseases love those bad boys. Easier said than done when sometimes all you want to do is to have a BIG glass of wine and drink until you can no longer feel your malfunctioning body! But I will try my hardest, as right now I am willing to try just about anything!

I am planning on doing a sugar fast once I return from a ten day trip I will be taking on Tuesday. I will let you guys know how I get along. Last time I did it I noticed a significant improvement in my endo symptoms so I think it's worth a shot. 

Finally, for anyone else who is following a GF and dairy free diet, but likes to indulge their sweet tooth occasionally, I made this last night as a treat for my husband on our anniversary.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gluten-free_and_11807

I made it without the marscapone cream (obviously) and it was so delicious and moist. I'm sure you could substitute the olive oil with coconut oil and still get wonderful results. 

I hope to be updating this blog with more positive news soon.

xxxx

A happy seal

Brain fog

I realise that I have been incredibly quiet of late. In truth it has not been an easy few weeks. I set up this blog partly hoping that it would help others feel motivated and so felt disinclined to post recently as I struggle to write positive words.

I think in all honesty that it's a combination of factors. Post wedding blues have definitely hit me. After months of planning towards one big day I have come back to not having anything to focus on. Fortunately I start my nutrition course at the end of September, but time certainly is dragging it's heels in the meantime. I am also looking for a part-time job, and my first two applications didn't even get me an interview which was disheartening. More than anything, I have been experiencing endless stomach cramps, battled with a stomach so bloated that it hurts and just generally felt incredibly tired! I cannot wait to see the Doctor at the beginning of September and hope I will get some answers. Some people are sympathetic while others talk to me like it's a choice. As a big foody I have really struggled with the changeover in my diet. Cooking at home is not a problem because I can be creative and create delicious dishes (if I may say so myself) but sometimes eating out leaves me wanting to cry. 

There is also the added complication in that now I'm not always entirely sure when it's food intolerance related cramps or whether it's just endo rearing it's ugly head. My last cycle was terrible, so hoping for an easier ride this time round.

I have tried to be positive and have come up with an action plan:

1. Intensive driving lessons so I can make the most of my free time and hopefully pass this side of 2014!
2. Lose the honeymoon weight with lots of clean eating.
3. Start yoga again.
4. Focus on keeping busy and being proactive, I might even start limiting my time on the laptop. 

I've been dragged down by the ugly beast before, I won't let depression win this time round. You know why? Because none of this will matter a few months from now, and even now, I have so much to be happy for!

Well, that's me right now. The uncensored version.

I hope you are all keeping well, and hope to blog soon with some delicious recipes that I have been trialing in the kitchen. For the last two weeks I have been challenging myself to cook only vegetarian dishes (GF and LF of course!) and I have surprised myself with how satisfying and nourishing they are. More on that to come soon...

xxx

 Tuna & Pepper Salad in Barbate, Andalucia, Spain

Pssst!

I am on twitter!

https://twitter.com/EndoftheEndo

I would love to hear from you.

Summer Coolers

Well, I don't know about you but it's blistering hot here! After a rather decadent honeymoon where I definitely indulged in too much alcohol, sugar and fried foods I am back on the healthy wagon, and it feels great! I don't know about you other endo sisters, but I definitely find that my totm is hideous after a period of over indulgence (ie xmas/holidays). I haven't had to look hard for motivation because my body is positively screaming for some TLC. Aside from feeling uncomfortable and sluggish (to put it mildly), my brain is on slow-mo and in need of a boost too.

With all that in mind, I was determined to find a healthy and interesting way to consume more fluids. With these kind of temperatures it's essential, otherwise I find myself easily veering towards ice lollies, big fruity smoothies and cordial drinks. In the winter I drink herbal teas constantly throughout the day, but with this kind of weather hot herbal teas just do not appeal to me.

Then bingo! I saw it, a water infuser. Now that looked like a fun play toy, and after lots of glasses of cucumber and lemon infused water in a Las Vegas spa, I knew just how refreshing it can be.

I am currently supping on some lemon and ginger water, happy in the knowledge that there's no added sugar, that ginger is anti inflammatory, and I'm sure I don't even need to begin on the benefits of lemon water! If I find some tasty combinations I'll be sure to share them with you. I plan on experimenting with herbs next!

So what do you do to treat yourself while still sticking to a healthy diet? I'd love to hear from you.

Inspiration

I've come to realise that I am building up quite a collection of interesting articles/people/blogs and as this is more of an online journal than a formal blog, I feel the need to make a note of them.

If you happen to stumble by and you're interested in nutrition, and using nutrition to fight illness, these blogs and pages may be of interest to you.

In no particular order -

http://www.skinnybitch.net/

The book that introduced me to nutrition, in a very easy to read and witty book.

http://www.joshiclinic.co.uk/index.htm

The book that introduced me to alkaline diets.

http://www.pollynoble.com/ 

http://kriscarr.com/

Both of these ladies investigated nutrition themselves in their fight against cancer. Both incredibly inspirational.

http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/

New York Times best selling Author and it's obvious why! Her enthusiasm is infectious.

http://www.goop.com/

I don't follow this thoroughly but I really like Gwynnie's recipes!

http://www.hungryforchange.tv/

One of the first documentaries I watched. It echoes the opinions expressed in most of the reading above. 

And on my to watch list.

http://www.forksoverknives.com/about/

http://kriscarr.com/products/crazy-sexy-cancer/

and

http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/about.html

I'll let you know my thoughts on those in another post!

http://www.thechinastudy.com/

I can't say much about this as I am currently reading it, but it has been regularly referred to in many articles so I have high hopes. The first few pages have not disappointed.

As you can see there is not a particular pattern that I am following, I am gleening as much information as I can from different sources and trying to be as open minded as I can be.

An article that caught my attention today was this one:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/26/vitamins-health-paul-offit-qanda

And that is all for now. x

The Gluten Journey

Well, I have just got back from the most glorious honeymoon, and my very first experience of trying to eat out for three weeks in a row! I have to confess I came back feeling pretty rubbish and I don't think it was just the jet lag. Unfortunately I am discovering first hand the massive lack of understanding out there regarding coeliac disease (while I think I am just wheat intolerant currently - wheat seemed even more an abstract idea to most the servers so it was easier to go under the coeliac umbrella). Funnily enough, even spell check doesn't recognise the uk spelling coeliac, or the american spelling celiac. Another example of mainstream thought?

I spent about 3 days feeling uncomfortable and looking 5 months pregnant - and all of this followed some dairy consumption so I cut that out towards the end of the trip and felt much better. I will visit my GP for confirmation/tests but it looks like I've developed an intolerance to the proteins found in yoghurt and milk (but not in cheese?!) as well as wheat. I know there is a little logic in this as I have done some research online. It also looks like this is probably just another side effect of endometiosis which is also an autoimmune disorder.

So it's all fun fun fun. The good news is, since cutting out both of the above my endo symptoms have improved significantly. I was about to type dramatically but unfortunately that is not quite the case. It's early days, but so far I feel quite a lot better. I have also maintained the reflexology sessions for pain management, which I couldn't do without.

In other news, it looks like I will shortly be embarking on a nutritional sciences course, so I hope that with further insight and knowledge this blog can eventually be a useful resource for other people trying to combat endometriosis with natural methods. I do appreciate that every case is individual and that what works for me might not work for others - especially those with more advanced endometriosis, but I do believe we can all benefit from improving our lifestyles naturally so as to at least better balance the hormones in our bodies, reduce inflammation, and assist with pain management.

Before I discovered my issue with dairy, I discovered this delicious recipe for gluten free soda bread. The beauty of this recipe is how fast you can knock it together, and the delicious moist cakey consistency. The perfect treat on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Please find the link here.

For now, I leave you with a picture of me on my honeymoon. *sighs* Post holiday blues!

Reaching Cloud 9 in Brighton

Well, I'm afraid I have to admit I never reached day 7 of the raw food diet. It was rather impractical timing with a trip to the UK half way through it. I only managed four days, and to throw you off even further, today I am talking CAKE! Gluten free cake to be precise.

I am currently visiting my family in Brighton. I absolutely adore this City, it has something for everyone. I was rather surprised to find that my Dad had stocked up on every single gluten free alternative under the sun, and had purchased a fantastic Gluten Free Recipe Book. Today I will be attempting the raspberry muffins, I'll let you know how I get along.

On Thursday, a day after arriving home I went on a shopping trip to find some shoes to go with my wedding dress. My Dad came along and we stumbled upon Cloud 9 Bakery in Brighton after a successful shoe purchase. Now this place truly is a treasure trove, it really does deserve the name that it goes by. Friendly staff and top notch bakes! As any kind Sister would, I took my Brother along yesterday (Saturday) so that he wouldn't be missing out. This means that not only have I tried their gluten wise almond cake with dark chocolate ganache, but yesterday I got the chance to try their gluten wise chocolate brownie slab, and their gluten wise chocolate brownie and cheesecake slab - both were utterly heavenly!

I now am going to have to put a restraining order on myself as I need to squeeze back into my wedding dress for my second fitting in a couple of weeks time - and I could easily find myself visiting that place a lot as they also have a fantastic collection of homemade ice cream I would love to try in all sorts of creative flavours. Come on British weather, I want a good excuse for an ice cream!

Unfortunately the cakes were so good, no sooner were they on our plates before they were hoovered up, with not a crumb left as evidence - so I have no personal photos to share. I recommend that you check out their website or their facebook page, here's an image I stole from the latter.