Prayers Please!

This morning I am going in for a small outpatient surgery to close up an open wound.  After my intestinal surgery my incision got infected and they had to open it up below my belly button.  Since then (November) we have had to clean it and pack it with gauze twice a day and it just won't heal and close up.  So this morning they are going to try to close it up so it can heal.  This is one of my last physical reminders of how horrible and painful the last 10 weeks of my life have been.  Prayers are appreciated! 

Walgreens

A couple of days ago my husband and I went to Walgreen's to pick up some stuff. We walked around the store, gathered the items we needed, and proceeded to the checkout counter to purchase them. There was one person in front of us so we were waiting patiently in line. All of a sudden something caught my eye... There it was... And it had my full undivided attention as I stared at it.  The object that I was infatuated with in that moment was nothing less than a peanut butter snickers bar. Have you ever sunk your teeth into that goodness?!?!?!?! I had one during Halloween and it was amazing.
It was finally out turn to checkout so my husband laid out basket on the counter. As he unloaded the items from the basket, the lady behind the register started scanning our items and put them in bags. A sense of panic entered my mind as I looked at the peanut butter snickers and then at the items going in the bags. I grabbed the candy before she got done scanning our items and laid it on the counter and then acted like nothing happened. My husband put the bags in the backseat when we got to the car. While we were driving I was dreaming about that snickers bar the whole time. Once we got to our destination I dug through the bag and found the candy bar that I had been dreaming about. I held it in my hands and stared at it. I am not a fan of forbidding foods from myself but at the same time I can't let myself eat the whole thing. In that moment my husband passed me and said, "I didn't realize you got candy..."
I asked him if he would like to share it and he said yes- sweet action! My problem was solved! Before I sank my teeth into the goodness of that snickers I asked God to help me find satisfaction with half of that candy bar. And guess what?!?! After I ate half of that delicious candy bar... I was pretty content! It the small accomplishments like this that lead to meeting the big goal of living a healthy lifestyle and glorifying Christ in the process! 

Funny but soooooo true.

Gluten-free & Dairy-free

The title of this post might make you cringe.  Don't worry... I totally understand the reaction.

So, I think I have talked about what has been going on with me and my health in previous posts, but I will give a summary anyways.  I got pretty sick with an infection after having emergency surgery in November to remove a foot and a half of my intestine.  Scary stuff.  So I am just going to be honest- if you get grossed out easily by bodily functions you should probably not read the next part of this post.  After staying in the hospital for 13 days after that surgery- I have no more modesty. I mean... It was me in the robe with the back opened and you know I probably flashed everybody at some point during the days when my doctor forced me to walk the halls because even when you tie that thing it doesn't stay shut. (me and my cankles were bringing sexy back at that hospital) ANYways... after all this surgery craziness I was having diarrhea like 6 times a day. 6 times a day! Yes, it is as painful as it sounds.  SO, they blamed it all on the IV antibiotics so I just prayed that the infection would go away soon so that I could stop the antibiotics.  Praise that the antibiotics ended the Wednesday before Christmas- best Christmas present ever.  BUT the diarrhea did not slow down much at all.  Long story short... we were concerned about all the rapid weight loss that happened due to the diarrhea so went to a intestinal specialist that thinks it is bacteria growing in my intestine and gave me some wonderful drugs to clean it out and try to reset my digestive tract. I had lost 33 pounds and got down to 113 in 8 weeks.  Let me tell you... I know some of you might be thinking 'I wish I was 113'.  No you don't.  I didn't look healthy, my arms look pathetic, my hip bones stick out, and when I sit down in a wooden chair I can feel my butt bones and it is actually painful.While I am on this 30 day antibiotic that is doing this... I am supposed to be eating gluten free and dairy free and they think it will slow down the diarrhea.  I was kind of upset about it at first since I am against dieting but I had to change my perspective: I am not on this diet for weight purposes, I am on it so that I will be more comfortable and have a better quality of life. 

So I started the gluten-free and dairy-free diet.  I felt so much better!!!  My body felt better and it did help with the diarrhea.  Most of all my tummy wasn't hurting and cramping as much.  I ate TONS of fruit, eggs, chicken, and salads.  Rice chips are not bad, my husband even enjoyed eating them.  We tried almond milk and really liked it.  Now I can start adding gluten and dairy back into my diet in small amounts, but we have decided that we may try to keep some of these foods around in our diet long term. 

You are what you eat.  Most gluten-free and dairy-free foods are not processed and when I eat a lot of processed foods my body feels very sluggish.  I really like the way my body feels after eating these types of food.  My energy went up and I was able to put some weight back on.  Right now I am about 120. 

I just wanted to share this with you.  You could challenge yourself to try it for 1-3 days and see if you could tell a difference in the way your body feels.