It's been one week since I started taking all those supplements the Integrative Medicine doctor gave me. It's easier for me to keep track of what to take when on the days that I work, but I have taken them all faithfully. As to taste, I've discovered that I like the almond milk & I'm not so fond of the stevia in the Greens First - it makes it too sweet - but I just drink it fast. And the Slippery Elm tea has grown on me; I like it now (I also figured out how to make it so it's not so thick). I've also started eating the quinoa & like it now, even by itself, but it's better with something in it or beside it.

In terms of how it seems to be working. As I reported below, the first two days my heartburn skyrocketed in pain levels and went bra band to ears again and after taking the HMF packet I would get low grade pain just right of center which, after half an hour, receded to tenderness and stayed tender. Throughout the day, as I ate more meals the tender area started feeling stiff (never made it to stone-like, but definitely stiff). The heartburn & acid was the worst in the evening. I took a couple gaviscom before bed to reduce & contain it so I could get to sleep (Dr. Polito / GI guy says its okay to do that on occasion as needed.]

After two days of the heartburn & bloating & stiffness/tenderness, I finally looked at the fiber levels on the HMF stuff & decided to decrease the fiber in the rest of my food for a bit and switched to eggs for breakfast, and a pasta/chicken/asparagus/sourcream dish I'd experimented with the day before I saw her. That day the heartburn started to diminish though the acid taste in my mouth remained intense and the stiffness center right went away. The next day I was running late to a conference and made a smoothie for breakfast and drank it in the car & had half a bagel with cream cheese at the conference mid-morning break. I brought quinoa for lunch again, figuring there was little fiber in my tummy now & I'd try it again (with a little chicken & two oz of babyfood peas) and I made sure to take one of the bromelain with lunch. No bloating or stiffness. The greens first stuff stuff gave me low grade heartburn for a half hour but the slippery elm tea backed it off. Still acid-y.

The weekend: no bloating or stiffness, tenderness receding (mostly only there when a cat steps on me there now). Noticed that jitteriness is receding (not gone, but less, though it kicked up again after intense cleaning for awhile). I'm a lot more comfortable eating. Sunday evening I even had a small (lean) hamburger with friends with no problem that day, though some pain after lunch today (don't know whether thast was related to lunch or dinner the night before as things seemed to be a bit back up in me) - but I went for a walk and drank slippery elm tea & lay on my right side a bit -- then gave up & went to the movies. I'm okay now - I did a carnation instant breakfast smoothie for dinner. Heartburn pain is gone most of the time - sometimes the greens first causes it or the slippery elm, briefly. I still have the acid taste - I chew gum to get rid of that.

I had two hypoglycemic episodes this week - but they were my own fault as I got busy & forgot to eat from noon to nearly 4:00 PM (dumb!).

Because of other commitments I wasn't able to set the massage appointment until the 29th.

I'm trying the meditation thing at home. I have to modify it a little as everytime I sit down I get a cat in my lap, but actually it's turning out a little easier to do (not much & not long) focussing on holding the cat rather than on the breathing.

I haven't had time to start the yoga yet, even at home (I have oodles of yoga DVDs, including two Kripalu ones -- I'd stopped because the GI doc said, for the GERD last year, no inversions & no forward bends & I was having problems figuring out a routine based around those strictures given that I also have inrermittant Achilles tendonitis that I don't want to aggravate.).

Overall I'm getting to feeling better. And I'm less tired, too. 'Course I haven't been to work yet this week. And I have two church things in the evening this week.

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Otherwise, today I had to take one of my kitty's to the vet as he's losing too much weight. They felt him up - no tumors by feel - asnd took blood & urine samples to test. I should hear on that tomorrow. For those that know, it's not the one who had the feeding tube earlier in the year, she's now overweight, it's her brother. Hopefully, they can find what's wrong & fix it for less moneyt than she cost this past spring.

Also my vaccuum died beyond fixing today so I had to go track down a new one having a little talk with God about the expense on the way. I can't keep spending $200 on vacuum cleaners if they keep dying every three years. Lo & behold ,I found this bright yellow little Eureka that had the Consumer's Digest seal on it & the Goodhousekeeping seal of approval on it for $59. It now lives with me. Seems to work well.

Back to work tomorrow. Oh joy. (I need a vacation.)

You know what a dumbwaiter is, right? You see them in tours of big old mansions. They're mini-elevators for food & dishes between the kitchen (generally in the basement) and the fancy dining room.

For a long time I've used an image when I'm really worried about something and can't get my head to think about anything else. I mentally pick up my worry, all spiky and black & red with sparks (usually, but not always) and put it in a box that I tie shut. Then I take this box to my worry closet in my head. It has a big heavy dark wood door with those old brass hinges and doorknob and lock faceplate, and it has a frosted glass window. I open the closet door and put the box up on the top shelf, then I close the door. After I close the door the roof of the closet opens and shining bright light pours down, splashing through the window too, and the upper shelf of the closet raises like a dumb-waiter into the light. Giving my worry to God. Then the shelf comes back down empty. And I relax for awhile.

That dumb-waiter is getting a workout of late. Sometimes at work, which allows me to concentrate on the people in the case before me. Often times at home, as I go to bed, so I can actually get to sleep. And I do sleep this way.

That tied up box may not seem much of a present to God, but in a another way of looking at it, it's all I have. It's not just my worry, but it's also my Will and my Trust. I have surrendered my will to Him in this matter and I trust/know that God will take care of it.

I wish I could say the worry always stays up there. But sometimes it sneaks back or I take it back & worry it some more, then I have to do it again. But, you know? The things I give to God seem to work out a whole lot better than the things I hang onto and try to handle all by myself. Perhaps someday I'll learn to give it to Him & let it stay there; I'm only 48, I've got a lot of growing to do yet.

With gastroparesis, one's stomach empties slowly. That also means I feel full very quickly. As it goes on, I'm discovering that it also means that I only rarely feel hungry. That is not good as it is our hunger that cues us to fuel our bodies, especially when we're busy doing other things. I've learned (am learning) not wait for hunger cues to eat. If I wait that long, it's almost guaranteed that I will have a hypoglycemic episode. It is also almost guaranteed that I will eat "too much" - that is, too much for my body to process. The more that is in there, the less quickly it seems to process into something that nourishes me and the more likely that I will feel absolutely miserable in few hours (bloating, pain, extreme GERD). So my solution is to plan to eat every two to two and a half hours, by the clock, whether I'm hungry or not. And I eat small amounts at each of those feedings (1/2 c to 1 c or so, if it's liquid-ish I can do more as it processes better). I make sure to have a protein with each feeding to to try to keep my blood sugar from taking a dive. Since I have GERD as well, I stop eating three hours before bed to (try to) prevent nasty heartburn at night.

Ironically, one of my favorite things to do is cook & try new recipes. As you know, I'm trying to transfer that interest to finding or tweaking "new" (to me) recipes that I can eat without problems now. As I find them, I've been posting them on this blog figuring they might someday help someone else who is new to GP and trying to figure out what s/he can eat. That has also been a new challenge because I'm not the sort of cook who measures things as she cooks, or who follows a recipe exactly (even the first time!). But if I'm going to share recipes, I have to say how much of this or that I used. Ack! LOL! It's been so hard for me to remember to measure as I cook, so I can report what I did. Sometimes I forget and I have to guesstimate. If you're using one of my recipes, feel free to tweak it til it looks right to you; that's what I probably did.

When I try a new recipe now, I'll eat it for a week or so before I post the recipe to make sure that it's not going to cause delayed problems. If it does cause problems for me, you'll never see the recipe, or you'll see it with a caveat to have it for lunch not dinner. I learned that earlier in the blog. (People with GP frequently can't tolerate the same food at dinner that they can at lunch. Bear in mind that all people with GP seem to have differing abilities to eat things. Some people have to puree everything. I don't have to - though I do puree some vegetables and fruits so as to be able to eat them - at this point. I'm really hoping I don't get there, but if I do then I'll experiement making good tasting pureed meals and post those recipes. I'm not there yet.) Sometimes what I eat one day just fine is a really bad idea on another day. But I will never stop trying to get the most variety into my repetoire as possible. I don't like boring food.

Chicken & Aparagus With Linguine

1/2 box of linguine
2 t. olive oil
1 oz smoked turkey, finely chopped (or bacon bits if can't find smoked turkey)
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 t. of salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1 box of frozen asparagus pieces (thawed)
3/4 c. reduced fat, reduced sodium chicken stock
3-4 T. light sour cream
1 t. thyme

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the linguine until tender, Drain & return to the pot. Cover, to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a larrge non stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot, Add the turkey, and cook, stirring frequently, until the turkey begins to brown, about a minute. Add the chicken and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.

3. Stir in the asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock & onion powder. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook until chicken is cooked through and asparagus is tender, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Put chicken & asparagus into pasta, reserrving broth.

4. Stir the sour cream and thyme into the broth. Pour over the chicken & pasta mixture & toss to combine.

Still tastes good nuked, or otherwise reheated, later in the week. [If you're considering making this for a person who doesn't have GP, drop the onion powder and the thyme, use fresh asparagus instead of frozen (trimmed, peeled & cut into one inch pieces), add in 2 T of fresh snipped chives or finely chopped scallions when you stir the sour cream into the broth, and sprinkle in 2 T of coarsely chopped pecans before serving.]

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This week I'm trying a crustless quiche. I'll let you know in a week or so how that turns out.

Okay, I know it's technically Thursday but until I go to bed it's still the same day to me.

I've done all those supplements for two days now. If there's anything I've figured out from GI issues is that nothing happens overnight. Most everything I've ever been prescribed over the past three years I've been told would take 4-6 weeks to feel an improvement. This doctor gave me no time frames whatsoever (other than that the overall improvement could take years).

I posted about doing this in my support groups and one person responded that she had been told by her GI doc that some GP patients can recover with proper nutrition. He explained it more when she had her feeding tube put in but basically said that with malnutrition, thebody either cannot heal or heals at a significantly slower place -if your body is one to heal from GP. With proper nutrition including
elemental minerals, those whose bodies are capable of rebuilding new
nerves to the stomach simply will do so. As GP is so complicated and
has such varying causes, this does not happen for everyone. She read
that nerves can grow at best at 1mm/day and generally for new nerves
to grow and attach it takes about 2 years at best. If other nerves
learn to take over the task (digestion), healing can occur much
quicker. So this is my new prayer goal, grow those nerves!

I've been keeping a diary of how I feel as I take this stuff (my favorite is the almond milk - yum!) - though as I can't find my notebook right now, I think I left it at work. I'll be using it to send the doctor updates as I go along. These last two days by the end of the day I have bad GERD, starting mid-day. (Yes, I'm still taking my meds; no effect. Or maybe there is an effect and it could be worse. Shudder!) I will be asking her about all this fiber (since my GERD always got lots worse for me after things like lentils, cucumbers, beans, raw broccoli, luna bars, and popcorn). I only have to take the supplement with the most fiber for one week though, so it could be a moot point by the time I ask about it. But the GERD could be stress related too as I've worked until 7:30 PM or 8:00 PM each night then brought work home. I'm feeling rather overwhelmed. (I freaking HATE quotas!) And I get home too late & too tired to walk, which is unfortunate as that helps me feel better.

I think I'll go to bed now and skip the end of the gymnastics. I like it but I'm just too tired to be up any longer.

Ya'll have a good tummy day tomorrow!

I had this all typed out once and when I went to post it, it disappeared, and, of course I hadn’t saved it anywhere. Aarrrgghh! Sigh.

I had my appointment with the holistic doctor at the Center for Integrative Health and Healing in Delmar NY today. I am SO glad I went. That was a good experience. I feel cautiously optimistic.

Dr. N spent over an hour talking to me about my health concerns, my health history, my support networks, my relationship, and my spirituality. It’s kind of cool to be able to talk about God with a doctor. I did not feel rushed and I do feel heard. We also talked about the difference between curing and healing. Moreover, she gave me her e-mail address so I can update on how I’m getting on with the things she gave me to do this time. That’s simply amazing. No doctor of mine has ever done that before. That’s rather healing in & of itself.

She thinks that we can get me to the point of being able to eat more variety of stuff (and/or just more), as well as maybe get rid of or reduce the GERD and help me feel better overall. I’m all for that! I told myself going into this I would be open-minded and try anything that made sense, and maybe a few things that didn’t.

Dr. N told me that she has several things for us to try (as everyone is different, what exactly we do will depend on how I/my body react(s) to what we do) but initially we’re going to concentrate getting me nourished. She thinks that some of my problem with the hypoglycemic reactions of late are because I’m malnourished. (Given what the official GP diet is, I’d be more surprised if I wasn’t.) We will also start to address the adhesions in my abdomen left by prior surgeries as they could be causing the GERD, through abdominal massage therapy (which I was first able to schedule August 29th).

I am going to list what I am going to start doing tomorrow. I am doing this under the care & monitoring of a doctor. This is not a recommendation. I am not a doctor. If you do want to try it, I strongly suggest you run it by your doctor as everyone is different and may react differently. (Heck, I can’t even tell you how I’ll react as I haven’t started it yet!)

I am to start eating quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), an easy to digest grain that has a lot of amino acids and is a complete protein in & of itself. It can be used in place of rice or mashed potatoes, tossed in soups, or used as a hot cereal.

I am to drink slippery elm tea. I tried a cup tonight & can assure you that this is definitely an acquired taste sensation. If I don’t manage to acquire it, I’ll just drink faster!

In terms of supplements (either to improve & support gastric functions or to enhance nutrition), I will take:

one teaspoon a day of ground flax seed mixed in one cup of almond milk (preferably unsweetened) - I tasted it, not bad.

½ packet two times a day for seven days of the probiotic HMF Replete, then ½ teaspoon two times a day of HMF Super Powder

1 Tablespoon a day for a month of Liquid B vitamin Complex

Bromelain, 2 times a day with food and once a day without food

Greens First powder1-2 scoops a day mixed with water

I’m also not supposed to microwave anything - this one doesn’t make sense but I’ll give it a try anyway.

Dr. N also suggested meditation and Kripalu yoga. I’ve never been able to meditate despite trying several different times. She did suggest a class, but I looked & it’s danged expensive so I can’t do that now anyway. I used to do Kripalu yoga & still have the DVDs and mats, blankets, blocks & straps, so I can take that up by myself again, though I might want to take another beginners class as a refresher. I never was very good at it - I’m just not very bendable - but I like it.

I’m glad I went. I have hope.

This was a good day!

Edit: P.S. She also made another suggestion that was in direct contravention to one thing my primary care doctor said, but I'm going to try it. I'd been having problems with constipation. Well, I've had it my whole life, but since the GP it got worse. My GI said to take Mirilax, which worked. In my effort to get all my vitamins in I have been taking a Liquid Multi-vitamin (which Dr. N wants me to continue) and a Liquid Calcium Magnesium Vitamin D. But I found that that the calcium/magnesium/Vitamin D gave me diarrhea, so I started taking it twice a week instead of every day. My primary care told me to stop it entirely & find one without magnesium. Yesterday, Dr. N said I need the magnesium to feel good, so don't stop it, but just stop taking the Mirilax instead as the liquid calcium, magnsium, Vitamin D stuff will likely provide the same benefit. That made sense. So as of today, I'm trying that too.