Connecting the dots

Isn't that the hardest part sometimes?  So I had a massage with cannabis cream just before Thanksgiving.  I ended up getting constipated but with Thanksgiving and eating more carbs again I wasn't sure it was connected.  I cut the carbs back out and moved on.  Throughout the month I experienced increased stomach (like actual stomach, not lower abdomen) bloating, gas with belching, popping out through my diastasis recti, constipation and resulting crankiness and feeling like crap.  I couldn't figure out what was going on. I'm really bad at recognizing patterns and connecting things.  A week ago I was chatting with my massage therapist during my weekly massage (I know a luxury, but he's awesome and uber inexpensive) and we are talking about digestion stuff and he says he's been using cannabis cream on me weekly since just before Thanksgiving.  Ugh and eureka! I love that my therapist was trying to help relieve my muscle tension in the best way he knew how and don't hold him at fault.  I talked to him about how permeable the skin is and how the cannabis can relax all muscles including the ones involved in moving food through the system.

I spent the next 3 days suffering and then things slowly improved.  Now I know what the heck has been going on.  It's not a new food sensitivity and it's not a hiatal hernia.  My ND says that my diastasis recti is narrow enough that I may be able to knit it back together using the exercise he showed me years ago that I never followed through on.  He wanted me to try an elimination diet but that was before the cannabis discovery and we didn't know what was going on.  Now I'm not sure I really want to.

Tests for Hashimoto's are unclear at this point.  Still waiting for one more number to come back and a follow up appt to go over the results.  My guess is it's positive and mild and that my diet over the past year has really brought things under control.

I cheated a bit on Christmas (a cinnamon roll made with coconut flour, almond flour and a bit of coconut sugar) and did okay.  The thought of doing an elimination diet has caused me to go off the rails a bit.  I don't do well with diets.  Lifestyle changes yes, temporary change, no.  I drank beer a couple of nights ago and have been eating a few sweet potato chips here and there and more chocolate in sort of a last hurray (although I generally don't even eat those things).  I laid in bed last night and itched all over, back to the good ole days :)  I need to get my shit together, in other words, either start the diet or decide not to do it and just move on.

What now???

So as my abdominal muscles have gotten stronger, um..... stuff has been popping out under my rib cage more and more.  It used to be rarely during yoga, now it's almost every practice and last night I went to put lotion on me feet and wham! out it came.  I sit as upright as I can and it slides back in but it's getting harder to get things back where they go.  It's as gross and creepy as it sounds. And, I've been belching, which is new and feeling a bit nauseous when I need to belch.  I hold my stomach in, admit it, you do too, especially since all this bloating started.  My ND says this pushes everything up.  I have diastasis recti from my c-section and have thought that's where stuff was pushing through but now I kind of wonder about a hiatal hernia.  Thankfully I have an ND appt tomorrow.  His specialty is visceral manipulation so hopefully he can give some insight, especially now that I can pop things out pretty easily and demonstrate exactly what I'm talking about.

Other things on my list to discuss, Hashimoto's.  I've been reading too much Dr. Datis Kharrazian :)  I think I've pretty much ruled out a neurological cause for my motility issues, my uvula and the roof of my mouth have good bounce and flexibility when I "ahhhh" but I'll ask him about that too.  I checked out his Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms book and a lot of what I have skimmed resonates with me.  I've always thought I have thyroid issues but the docs always say "no" everything looks good.  I pulled out my most recent thyroid labs from 18 months ago and things look low to me when compared to where he says they should be.  My sister has thyroid and gluten issues so thought better to check it out than to keep stabbing in the dark.  That would mean going more toward an AIP diet.  Not that I want to restrict my diet anymore but if it will make things even better and enable a quicker recovery, why not??  I've come this far, it's too late to go back now :)

I had a smoothie for dinner.  I haven't been eating fruit at all.  I did strawberries, blueberries, spinach, carrot, coconut milk, a bit of chia and 1/2 serving of sprouted rice protein (new, thanks to Dr. Datis) and 1/2 serving of pea protein.  I wanted a salad but chewing is still posing painful since my orthodontist appt on Wednesday even with all the turmeric.

Happy Holidays or whatever

I say that because if you are anything like me, your social media is being inundated with posts of recipes for delicious looking food recipes that would actually make me sick.  I spend a lot of my time blocking various recipe sites when I am on Facebook so I don't have to look at all the absolute garbage recipes people are liking and sharing.  Once upon a time I may have eaten that way but not now and I never will again.

I just got done flipping through The Slim Palate cookbook and flagged several of the recipes to try.  I tried the coconut breakfast muffin tonight to go with my chicken and it was a like trying to eat a dry sponge.  My ramekin wasn't actually a ramekin so that was probably part of the problem.  I may try it again and just not microwave it as long.

This year our childcare fell through so I didn't get to go to my husband's holiday work party.  It was a blessing since there was nothing being served by the catering company that I could actually eat and to sit there and not eat makes me look like some kind of eating disordered person (which I can feel like sometimes).  People just don't understand that cheating creates setbacks to my path to wellness and I'm just not willing to compromise unless it's on my terms.

I survived last Christmas, I'll survive this one too.  How do you handle the food thing when you attend catered events?

Veggies/Diet/Supps

I am not an indian food or curry lover by any means.  I would never choose to eat it.  That said I made this tonight and it was so delicious.  I just substituted garlic infused oil for the oil and garlic.  I weighed out 1 1/2 FODMAP servings or less of the following veggies (green beens, zucchini, cabbage, peas, bell pepper) and divided it into 2 portions when I was done.  The veggies looked overcooked but that was intentional on my part.  Still having issues with chewing crunchy veggies with all the hardware in my mouth.  I dumped a can of sardines on the side and voila! dinner.  I have a busy day tomorrow so I will have the same thing for lunch.  I think you could leave out the lime leaves and be fine.

Feeling so much better now that I've cut out all the moderately carby things (again) I was eating 1/2 a banana, a little bit of sweet potato, a little bit of white potato in stews, and the occasional organic potato or corn chip.  I can't believe it took me a whole freaking year to figure that out. All I have to say is experiment with your diet, it definitely could be holding you back.  I think it's the biggest factor in beating this thing.  Of course I haven't had a breath test in a while.  Maybe that will be my New Years treat :)

I would love to be able to say that Huperzine A or Resveratrol has made a difference but I'm not sure it has.  I haven't started the whole gagging/gargling thing yet.  Wondering if there is a brain link for me at all.  There's a practitioner in the area who has trained with Dr. Datis Kharrazian, maybe I'll schedule a consult with her and see what she thinks.  I found this link on his website.  The roof of my mouth and uvula seem to function fine when I "ahhhhh".  I see my ND on Monday, I'll have to ask him about it.  Hopefully he doesn't think I'm crazy :)

Mexican food, seriously??

My son and I were at a class on Thursday night so I wasn't home to make dinner.  When we got home my husband was just finished cooking his dinner.  He had make fresh flour tortillas, rice, refried beans, etc.  He proceeded to heap all the very SIBO unfriendly food on his plate and dump Trader Joe's Green Salsa over the top.  Have you tried that?  It's so good!  Then he cracked open a beer.  UGH!  He eats 2 meals a day outside the house, couldn't he indulge then??  Sheesh!

So tonight I made SIBO friendly enchilada sauce and grain free tortillas from Against All Grain, that never seem to turn out.  They are always like very thin omelets that fall apart.  Clearly I am doing something wrong, everyone else raves about them.  Not to be dissuaded, I flopped them on the plate with some roast beef (the chicken didn't thaw in time) and topped them with enchilada sauce.  A little squash on the side and dinner was done.  Next summer when we grow tomatillos I am definitely making a big batch and canning it in tons of little jars.

Green Enchilada Sauce

• 2-3 Tbsp. garlic infused oil
• 2 bunches green onion, chopped
• 2 roasted bell peppers, chopped
• 1-2 roasted jalapeños (1 for med spice, 2 for hot)
• 2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved
• 1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 2 c. homemade chicken meat broth
• 1 Tbsp. honey (optional)

1. Add oil to pot, heat on medium. Stir in onion and sauté until soft. Add cumin, sauté a minute more. 
2. Add 2 cups of chicken broth, peppers, tomatillos, cilantro, and honey to pot. Simmer on low until veggies have softened enough to blend them with a stick blender.  If needed you can strain the seeds out after you blend it.  Continue to let simmer on low until the sauce reaches the consistency you desire. If you find it's thickened too much you can always add a bit more chicken broth.  Makes enough for four 12 oz jars.

Bitters

I use bitters before meals to help prepare my stomach to digest food.  I have problems breaking down protein.  Last week I ran out of my usual bitters and found an old bottle of Swedish bitters.  I started taking them 1/2t - 1t before meals.  After a few days I came down with horrible diarrhea.  I was also treating the infection in my breast so didn't connect the dots.  I decided since the bitters were old I would start with replacing them.  Super Supplements had a pretty limited selection of bitters unfortunately and I wasn't due to place any supplement orders online.  I picked up a bottle of the NatureWorks Swedish Bitters in the store and was reading the label (mine was too faded and wrinkled to read), there it was, Senna!  Senna is a freaking laxative.  These are what I purchased and have used in the past without any digestive upset.  I have also used Heron Botanicals bitters and like them but they are twice as expensive but I'm not sure I've noticed enough of a difference to make the cost worth it.

Inflammation/Infection

I woke up in the middle of the night a week and a half ago with my right big toe throbbing by my toenail (so not gout!).  I couldn't find an ingrown toenail or anything visibly wrong so I figured maybe it was just an infection.  I soaked a cotton pad in avocado oil and then added several drops of Oregano essential oil and wrapped it up.  The throbbing started to dissipate over the next few hours and I was able to sleep.  It felt better the next day but still tender.  I wrapped it again the next night and viola, it completely resolved leaving just a red oblong splotch along the side of my toenail.  I had purchased a pair of cheap boots at a consignment shop but I've done that before and never had a problem so I just chalked it up to coincidence.  Several days later I started to get pain on the little toe of the right foot so I did the same thing as before and then took the boots back and explained to the owner what happened.

Last night at dinner, my right breast was hurting.  I went in to change for yoga and my husband came in and noted that it was much larger than the left.  What the heck???  The pain and swelling increased overnight, enough that I got up and put an ice pack on my chest.  I've taken turmeric and extra fish oil today and have a rag soaked in avocado oil and oil of oregano in my bra but it's left me wondering what the heck is going on with my body. I am estrogen dominant so more prone to breast issues but have never experienced anything like this outside of when I was lactating.

Is this all just a coincidence?  All the right side of my body.  Does it have anything to do with the screws in my jaw messing with my chemistry?  Shouldn't the protocol I am on keep infections at bay?  It certainly knocked H1N1 out of my system in short order last winter.  Could it simply be inflammation without infection?  Gaaaa!

My next ND appt isn't until the 21st.  Not sure I'm going to be willing to wait that long!

Has anyone else experienced bizarre symptoms that don't seem to be related to their SIBO while on treatment?

Protocol as of Dec 1

First thing in the morning I take:

1/2 tsp Lipophos EDTA (but will be discontinuing when it's gone because in the Digestion Sessions Dr. Siebecker said she hasn't seem anything that indicates it actually helps in treatment.  Bummer!)

20 minutes before meals:

4 tablets Spectrazyme

1/2 - 1 tsp of Bitters

20 drops of Iberogast

With meals:

1-2 Metagest (depending on the type of protein I am eating)

1 tsp Herbal Biotic

1 Allimed

1 Berberine

1 Neem Plus

1 Resveratrol (after listening to the gut-brain axis talk)

1 Huperzine A (after listening to the gut-brain axis talk)

Bedtime:

1/2 tsp Lipophos EDTA

I take other supplements as indication by labs but these are nutrients specific to my needs.

I need to work in the whole gagging and gargling thing to see if it actually helps motility as discussed by Dr. Datis Kharrazian.  Still waiting to get his book from the library.  I am definitely not delving into the whole coffee enema until I've read more!