A glimmer of hope (again)!

The nutritionist

Rosie and I went to see another nutritionist. We had hoped to stick with the same one we had back in October, but it was not to be. She did manage to send through some recommendations though and last Sunday evening I went through the options. Unfortunately, (and for various reasons) none were suitable, so the search continued with that multi-coloured search engine. I came across someone in Fife who seemed reasonable in price and whose biography was enough to catch the eye. I wasn’t convinced about the situation and thought it was be another dead end, but we needed an option and there it was.

But…!!!

It wasn’t. We were at the nutritionist’s house for around an hour and a half. In that time, we had answers to all the questions we had, another direction to try and a second appointment in a months’ time.

Auto-immune condition

Apparently, Endometriosis is similar to an auto-immune disorder. This means that the body gets confused and starts attacking the healthy cells. Endometriosis is also an inflammatory condition which is why it is likened to an auto-immune disorder. For me there is inflammation around the ovaries and the womb and that is where half of my problems lie. There is still a lot of research being done on this particular idea but I am sure in time there will be more information. In the short term we know what I have just said.

What does that mean?

In simple terms it means I have a ten foot fire inside of me. Eating the current foods that I eat means the fire goes up to twenty or thirty foot. This in turn inflames the body which does not help the body recover. However, and here is the good news. If I change the food, I eat I can bring down this fire to one foot. Just by eating a different diet I can make the change so the fire burns at one foot rather than thirty feet. Now that is a brain puzzle!

What do I have to do (dairy and gluten)?

There are several things that I need to do. The first is give up dairy which I have already started to do. This in turn has already started to bring down the inflammation markers in my body. The second thing is to go gluten free (again). I know I tried it and didn’t get on with it but I need to give it a longer time to work.

However…

However, the nutritionist has said that I have not only to go gluten free, but I must avoid gluten and gluten contaminates. Even a crumb is enough to make my bodies inflammation markers rise. Let me explain: I can eat gluten free porridge oats, but I cannot have normal porridge oats. The normal porridge oats are in themselves gluten free, but they hang out in a field where wheat could have been and hey presto, they get contaminated. This means they are no good for someone like me.  

What do I have to do (the rest)?

I also must make sure that I finish eating by 1900 in the evening and have a better bedtime routine involving Epsom salts. The Epsom salts will help take the toxins out of my body which is good, and I will also feel sleepy after doing this. I have also to eat lots more fruit and vegetables to make sure I am getting the right vitamins and nutrients. Along with that I must eat flaxseed everyday and add to smoothies all anti-inflammatory foods like ginger, garlic and turmeric. All of this will help bring down the inflammation surrounding my insides. Drinking more water is on the cards as well. Eating pork and any processed foods is out. So, no more bacon, sausages and ham sandwiches.

The sugar and the protein monsters

Taking out a lot of processed foods means there will be a lot less sugar that goes through me. I am allowed dark chocolate still, but I have to keep an eye on my proteins. From what I understood the sugar monster runs around the body causing havoc. Once protein has been consumed they eat the sugar monsters. The body will then have to find other sources to snack on, i.e. fat. This will in turn make me lose weight.

Inflammation surrounding the ovaries

Oestrogen at the minute in my body is being a bully and it is inflaming the ovaries and womb. Now here is the good news. If I can change my diet it will start to bring down the inflammation surrounding my ovaries. This means they will cope a lot better. There is some suggestion I will reduce the need for another emergency surgery to deal with the ovarian cysts too. There is also some hope that if there is a good egg in one of the ovaries then it will be looked after by the oestrogen. They will become friends rather than enemies. This in turn could be the egg that allows us to have a child.

Hard work

Yes, it will be very hard work. My diet needs another re-vamp, I will need to be a lot more organised with making food and I will need to keep track on what is being eaten. However, the good news is there could be weight loss, a lot less inflammation both on the inside and outside of my body and even better is there could be a golden egg in there with the start of our dream on it.

Jaded

After seeing out NHS consultant last September I became very jaded by the whole experience. I am now known to judge medical professionals and “size them up” before I let them in on who Helen is. Today I still have my moments when I am more negative than positive about the situation as well. I am sure time will help sort some of this as well.

Lucky

I am just very glad and very lucky that we could have the opportunity to consult with private IVF consultants and nutritionists so we have the answers to some of these questions. Had we not done this then we would have got around to August and still not been ready for the IVF waiting list. This would have meant we would have been kicked out of the service to “sort it out” then would have had to go back to our GP to start the whole process again. I am aware there is a long way to go still but we have a glimmer of hope that will take Rosie and me to the next point or decision. Hopefully in the next few months we will be ready for the next step. What we do know is that there are now people around helping us to get there.

IVF update

We have had another visit to our IVF consultant over the last few days. The basics are we need to keep losing weight to get into the service. The good side is we have made a good start. The bad news is that instead of 90kg which was originally stated we need to get to 88kg. The 90kg was for all the tests for further investigations. As we have skipped that step now (having had it completed in December during the surgery) we now have a slightly different goal.

The injection

The other downside is that I was apparently meant to keep having the injections to shut down my ovaries and pop me into a menopause. Doing this allows the body the best chance of getting into the IVF procedure. I also now have to start taking H.R.T to make sure my symptoms from the injection don’t cause me too many issues. The joys of it all!!!

The nutritionist’s information

If anyone is in a similar boat we recommend the Food Physio who is based in Fife. Details can be found here.

-Helen

Going free (dietary free!)!

The start

I have read and watched a lot about the benefits (and disadvantages) of being gluten and dairy free.

What is gluten free?

Let’s start there as it is an excellent question. A gluten free diet is one that excludes the protein gluten. This includes wheat, rye and barley based foods. It is very common for people who are celiac or have gluten sensitivity to be gluten free. However, some people who do not have these conditions find they put on weight so it is very important you have some knowledge on the subject or ask your GP.

Gluten free benefits

Some of the benefits of being gluten free are: improves cholesterol levels, promotes a healthy digestive system, can increase energy levels, it can reduce your risk of heart disease, some cancers and diabetes and it makes you aware of what you are putting in your body as fuel.

What I have found

I spent around an hour in the gluten free aisle of a supermarket about two weeks ago to see what the story was. Most things which were gluten free I found had incredible amounts of sugar, salt and fat in them. Some did not as well. My conclusion was that when going gluten free you make a lot of your own foods from scratch rather than store bought. This way you can monitor the sugar, salt and fat content. You also change a lot of what you are eating. For breakfast I used to eat Weetabix, now I eat either porridge with an little apple sauce or fried eggs with vegetables. So from the quick and easy option I am now needing to be prepared in what I am eating.

The conclusion

In conclusion, I am still on the fence about a gluten free diet. I have tried some parts of it and I like it and some parts not so much. I would say I am a part-time gluten free. As I don’t need to use gluten free as part of a medical condition, I don’t put too much pressure on to be. I think the one thing it has made me do is think about what I am eating and not necessarily going for the “easy” option. There is still a lot to learn but I am sure I will get there.

Dairy free

This means that there is no dairy in your diet. This means there is no milk, cheese, ice cream and the list could go on. The main thing that is bad about diary free is calcium. There is obviously a lot of calcium in diary based foods. However, there is also calcium in green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried fruits and pulses.

The benefits

Cutting out dairy means the removal of saturated fats, sugar and salt from your diet which in turn decreases your calories, it can also heighten your senses (there is a protein called casein which can lead to extra mucus production), it can be good for your skin as well.

The downside of diary free

The downside for me is that a lot of diary free foods contain a plant based ingredient called soya. I have found that I am intolerant to this unfortunately. This proves slightly tricky for the yogurts, ice cream, dessert and many more food. It means that a “quick and easy” fix for me is longer winded and I need to be more prepared. The diary free cheese situation is also a little troublesome so again I would say I part-time. I eat goats’ cheese about once a week (if that) and other than that I am experimenting with vegan cheese. The jury is still out on the cheese front. The good news is that coconut milk is all good with me so a coconut hot chocolate from a barista is perfect when I have a craving for one.

The conclusion

In conclusion, I am sticking more to the dairy free side of things at the minute as I am starting to see some of the benefits. I am feeling “cleaner” as I feel the old diary is getting out of my system. I am also feeling more alert and have slightly more energy. I have only been doing it for two weeks so time will tell how it goes. Apparently, it can take 4-6 weeks to feel the full benefits.

Why?

Why am I doing this? Well the short answer is I am trying everything to get my weight down this stupid BMI number to allow us into the IVF programme. As my sister pointed out I can try gluten and diary free temporarily. If it works then fantastic, if it works to an extent then needs tweaking then this may show some benefits too and if it doesn’t work then by the end of March, I will have bread and milk again. It is also interesting as it really makes you think what you can and cannot have in terms of food.

The big conclusion

I think the big thing for me is it has made me re-focus on what foods to eat. I am conscious of what I am making as well (even if it does take some time). I think I will stick with the diary free for a little while longer but with the gluten side of things I will not put too much pressure on it. Now all I need is for the scales to reflect the hard work I am putting in.

Please check before proceeding!

Please check with a nutritionist or your GP before trying gluten and diary free.

-Helen

How many calories?

I thought it would be a good time to talk about calories and exercise. I am aware that there is a big holiday coming up next week so I thought why not. What I plan to do is take you through some Christmassy calories and exercise. I will also tell you how you can be sensible but still have fun. In my book it is quite simple at the end of the day.

Calories

I read a BBC news article a few weeks back that stated it would take you around four hours of walking to burn one pizza off again. Wow! A full four hours of walking just to walk off one pizza. Yes I agree the article has a point of making packaging more informative but at the end of the day how many pizzas do you eat in a month? In the month of December I think I have had 3 (this isn’t my point!) but then the months of September, October and November there were none. So that is my point usually my pizza intake is non existent and I am a pizza lover.

Some more calories

FoodWalkingRunning
5 pigs in blankets (70 kcal)12 minutes6 minutes
450g Christmas pudding (1280 kcal)210 minutes110 minutes
100g brussel sprouts (35 kcal)6 minutes3 minutes
Mince pie (245 kcal)20 minutes40 minutes
Small glass sparkling wine (105 kcal)17 minutes9 minutes
Chocolate bar (229 kcal)42 minutes22 minutes
Leftover turkey sandwich (445 kcal)82 minutes43 minutes

The verdict

The verdict from the above table. Well, if you are a fan of the brussel sprout then you are good to go and eat as many as your wish. However, if you are a fan of the Christmas pudding then perhaps take it in moderation. According to Google the average calorie intake for the whole of Christmas Day is around 6000 calories. I’m not even going to calculate the walking and running times for that. It is one day a year that we all eat too many calories. On Boxing Day most of us are seen outside with our latest presents taking a walk.

Everything in moderation

As I mentioned above how many pizzas do you have in one month? The same goes for how many Christmas Dinners do you have in one month? I bet the answer is one and it is usually the 25th of December. This is my point: everything in moderation. Many people come January will be hitting a detox programme and getting a new gym membership and this is all well and good. It is good to let the body detox after such a feast. I myself have been eating a lot more mince pies and Lebkuchen (German cookie) during the month of December but as they say “it is the season”. I am also aware that come January that I will go back to eating a Rich Tea biscuit if that.

Exercise

Now here is where we can get our own back on the calories. The most important news is that exercise can be whatever you need it to be.

ExerciseCalories burnt (1 hour)
Sleeping60
Slow walking180
Yoga280
Light cycling500
Swimming620
Boxing800

The verdict

I am aware that sleeping isn’t quite a workout but seeing as most of us will be doing it after that Christmas meal I thought I would add it in. So you can see from the chart in one hour your can burn a lot of calories depending on what you are doing. Take a two hour walk and suddenly you have close to four hundred calories burnt (and that is at a slow pace). My personal favourite is boxing. Take out the stresses of Christmas Day on the boxing bag.

The point

Christmas comes round once a year so eat in moderation, drink in moderation, have a good nap on the day and most importantly have fun and don’t worry about it. I know I’m not going to worry and I also know that I am going to enjoy my walks.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas for next week from 2 Spuds in a Pod.

-Helen

Ps. There will be no blog on Wednesday, 25 December for obvious reasons. 2 Spuds will be taking a well deserved break.

Sitting still is tricky!

We are about one week on from my emergency surgery to fix two orange sized cysts on my ovaries. So far everything seems to be going in the right direction. The surgical sites are healing nicely and I am now on the lowest pain killers possible. Except for feeling tired a lot of the time I would say that I am doing very well.

Sitting still!

My main issue is this sitting still thing. I have never been very good at it and I am being less good at it now. Before last week I was doing an active job, making sure that at least six out of the seven week days I was in the gym and I was walking most places I could. I would happily go from one thing to another, to another and to another. I would plan lots into my day so everything was completed. Now I can do a few hours of activity before a sit down and then I can repeat.

It’s a good time of year!

That it is and I don’t mean that there are more colours around, trees looking fancy, mince pies everywhere you turn, music blaring from speakers and generally everyone seems to be in a better mood. I mean that there has been a lot for me to do. Friends and family have been coming over to the house to either take me down to the supermarket, taking me out for a drive, taking me for coffee and so on. I mean I have had small tasks to do most days.

The good thing!

The good thing about it is I am moving around. I have a theory that the more I move, the better I get and the quicker the recovery period so I can go back to Zumba and boxing. You may not think it is a big element to recovery but believe me it is. Little movement like walking from one room to the other, walking up the stairs, standing to seated and seated to standing, crouching down to pick something up (I can’t quite bend in the middle yet) and much more. All of this moves muscles, helps the cardiovascular system and more importantly the brain and my mental health. Yes, I would love to say that I am booked on to a Zumba and circuit class this evening but I have to wait. I have to wait until my core has healed.

Food

I thought I would add a quick note in here about food. I mean it would be great to kick back and eat all those sugary foods to make us “feel better”. But I am not. Having come so far in my weight loss journey it would be a great shame to start going backwards. I am aware that I may gain a little from in-activity but I am doing what I can to counter-act that. I have allowed myself the odd Christmas biscuit but I am also mindful that I don’t want to go over board with it either. I am sticking to the good foods. The proteins that will help my muscles recover. The fruit and vegetables (vitamins) so my whole body can recover and the water to flush out all the bad toxins.

Exercise

As mentioned above I am moving as much as I can. I am also going for walks. Nothing too big at the minute but I can now happily manage anything from a half hour to an hour. I have been to the gym once since last week. I did a half hour cycle and a half hour walk on the treadmill. I vary my days to walking outside to gym days and make sure when I feel tired that I remember it is my body telling me it has had enough for that day. I will increase these times (and resistances) as I come through the rest of December and hopefully post festive season will be back at the gym to start building my strength back up, Zumba and boxing.

Conclusion

Be kind to yourself. Let the body heal. Try not to rush into anything and be aware that if something doesn’t feel right or a twinge is a bit too much then stop. There is no harm in taking a break (I am trying, I really am!).

-Helen

Nutrition and much more

The vote

This months vote was:
Option 1
How nutrition helps mental and physical recovery.

Option 2
Food schedules and easy trips to the supermarket.

The votes have been counted and it is 50/50 with regards to results. This means I will do two blogs in one. I think they tie in nicely with one another as well so here we go.

Nutrition helping mental and physical recovery

Nutrition can play a big part in mental and physical recovery. I admit it is sometimes easier to grab the take out menu when you are sick than to heat some vegetable soup. I have done it in the past. The downside to a take out is that it is usually pizza, fish and chips, Indian or Chinese. Lots of fats and sugar in them with very little nutritional value. I mean yes they make us feel better. They are quick and easy too. But at the end of the day your body when sick needs nutrients. Proteins to help the muscles, vitamins and minerals to help fight infections, sustenance to help fight whatever you are fighting and the list goes on. So unfortunately, as much as we want those tasty things to make us feel better we also need to make sure we are getting the right nutritional value as well.

Snacks

If you are struggling to eat a big meal or your appetite has done a disappearing act then keep it simple. A slice of wholemeal toast with honey, a piece of fruit or fruit juice (150ml), little porridge pot, banana on those wholemeal crackers or a handful of nuts, seeds and berries.

Water

Remember also to keep your water intake up. The water flushes out the toxins our body has and helps our digestive transit.

Ask a family member or neighbour

If you are really struggling then see if a family member, friend or neighbour would mind making you a little something. A healthy delivered meal for example. Unfortunately in these times this is few and far between but I like to live in hope. If you don’t ask then you don’t get I find. Alternatively get a supermarket to deliver healthy salads, soups and so on.

Hot chocolate to the rescue!

I can remember when I had my appendix out and my appetite had returned Rosie came to see me one day. She told me to walk with her to the end of the ward. Slow and steady we went. Rosie kept saying it would be worth it. I kept wondering how far it was. She had found the best cure. Hot chocolate, biscuits and fruit. Yum! If you needed an incentive to get out of bed then there was one right there. I had the best of both worlds. I had sugar to get my strength back up and I had vitamins and minerals in the fruit which helped my body recover. Once we had gone home it was soup and salad all the way.

Coughs and colds

Seeing as this is very seasonal I thought I would include it. It is rare that I take medicines during a cough or cold spell. I tend to go for the more natural items. Orange juice and oranges being a big one as they are full of vitamin C. The same goes for smoothies full of vegetable and the odd fruit for taste. Again full of vitamins and minerals. The drink of ginger, lemon, honey and hot water can work wonders for a cough and sore throat. Usually I make a big batch at the beginning of the cold and it sees me straight through. I can also recommend turmeric. I add a dash to the smoothie or drink and hey presto I have an anti-inflammatory.

Try it!

Next time you are sick or recovering from something try the above (with a chocolate bar now and then). You may find it helps you through.

Food schedules

Ah, the food schedule! That little white board on the wall which is going to tell me what I am eating. If it needs to be taken out of the freezer or needs preparation. The 2 Spud house hold does not seem to function incredibly well without that white board.

NB: Other writing materials can be used, for example, the good old pen and paper.

How to write a food schedule?

It is pretty easy to write one which is the good news. It could look something like this:
Dinners:
Monday
– Scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast with avocado and tomato
Tuesday – Dinner with friends/local restaurant
Wednesday – Spaghetti bolognaise from freezer (remember to take out in the morning)

Lunches:
Soup (remember to buy from supermarket), spaghetti bolognaise (from Wednesday), wholemeal sandwich.

And then you carry on for the rest of the week.

For the next week you take the past week, see what you had and then add in some different meals.

It is amazing once it is all written down how much it makes sense, you eat better options and you don’t grab that take out menu.

The shopping list

The best bit from a written down food schedule is you can make your shopping list. If you have a written list for when you enter that big building full of aisles you then know exactly what aisles you need to visit. It has been a long time since I have been down a biscuit, cake or crisp aisle. I don’t need to get anything from those aisles so I just don’t visit them. I go with my list, tick off once I have got them, circle the item if I cannot find it or it is out of stock and then go to pay.

The supermarket zapper thingy!

I find this is quite a useful tool for shopping. You get your zapper at the entrance to most big supermarkets. You go around and zap your products to put straight into your bag and then you go to pay. I find it useful if I am doing a big shop so I don’t up spending loads of money on things I do not need. If I can see the price in front of me totalling up as I go I know exactly what to expect at the checkout.

Online supermarket shopping

Shopping from the comfort of your own couch. What more could you want?! The best bit about this is the supermarket will remember what you have bought so next time all you need to do is check and confirm. You quite often get a two hour window so you can take your time as well. You can also check the kitchen cabinets to see if you do really need mayonnaise and there aren’t five bottles in the cupboard already.

Shopping on your own or with a buddy?

A good question. If I need a big shop then I tend to like to do it on my own. Rosie tends to muck up my filing system and then sneaks things into the trolley which are not on the list. If I am in the mood for a wander and chat when shopping then I take someone with me. On these trips I take time going up and down all of the aisles. This is especially exciting at this time of year. I get to see if I have missed anything in my quick trips. Lets just say these trips tend to happen once in a while and not every week.

Any questions?

Feel free to drop 2 Spuds a line with any questions you have from this blog. We will try our best to answer them.

-Helen

The road to recovery

Facebook poll

A couple of weeks ago we asked on Facebook what blog you would like to see. The options were mental health conditions, signs and symptoms or how can I help myself on the road to recovery. It was a close call between the two options but with 57% it is the road to recovery. Rosita will take you through her recovery and Helen will take you through hers in Wednesday’s blog.

A road walked

This is a road I walk every day, some days more than others. It has become a way of life, making sustainable and healthy changes. I have come a long way from completely losing the plot having drunk Helen’s glass of juice. You know you’re in a bit of a mess when something so trivial tips you over the edge. It certainly put things into perspective for us. The next day we went to the doctor who signed me off for 2 weeks. 5 months later I resigned from work, having not been back to work. I spent the first few weeks/months crying and not doing a lot. Pretty much everything stressed me out. Most of this time is a bit of a blur. We made a few changes which helped enormously and that is why I am in such a good place today. 

Not going to work

It soon became obvious that my job was the main reason for me no longer functioning. I probably knew that before but could not see a way out of the situation. I loved the job itself, and the good days were fab. But working in the public sector, for a service with over 50,000 officers and staff, became difficult. There were a lot of changes made by people having to justify their existence at work, none for the best in my opinion. There never is a need to reinvent the wheel. I love helping people, and I’m damn good at it too. It got to a point where I could no longer do that. This is all very clear to me now, but it has taken a while to realise that, with a lot of conversations with the professionals and Helen. In the end, the job I loved broke me. Simple as that. 

Leaving London

We had been talking about leaving London and took action. This resulted in us finding a lovely flat in Scotland which also has a little garden. Having outdoor space means the world to me. I can make coffee and sit outside in the sun. You might think this is nothing, but to me it is what keeps me sane. It involves coffee, me-time, fresh air and hopefully sun too. All of this is pretty essential. 

Medication

Being prescribed medication was a massive thing. I only started with the pills after a couple of months, when I realised that I was not getting any better. They have made a huge difference, and I was able to get more from the counselling as well as my brain started to calm down. Constantly crying is hard and tiring.

Counselling 

Counselling gave me a lot of advice and tips, which was essential to my recovery. I have high standards for myself, our home, nutrition and exercise, to name a few. It became apparent that I could not keep this up. So the counsellor suggested to ask myself this: “if I don’t do this particular thing now, is anyone gonna die?”. The answer is simple. This helped me to lower my standards, giving me more time for me. This was when I was really struggling to do anything.

Me-time

I started taking time for me. This involves me doing things I love. To name a few:

  • Listen to music
  • Read a book
  • Taking photos
  • Going for walks
  • Sit and drink coffee
  • Being outside in the sun

These are just a few things that give me a buzz. All of which, apart from drinking coffee, I had stopped doing because I was stressing too much to get chores done. I can now take half a day or a few hours or even a whole day and do nothing. Nothing to me involves me-time. We now have a saying in our house that it’s time for me-time, and this overrides all chores. You should try it. You need to look after yourself. 

Helen

I know not everyone has partner in these circumstances, and I do not know what would have happened had I not had Helen by my side. She’s been, and still is, my rock. Words can’t emphasise enough how I feel. So I will just say this: thank you buddy.

-Rosita

First challenge is complete

Well the 1000 minute a week exercise challenge is now complete for July. For proof please see the above photo. It was an interesting challenge to say the least. It was hard but rewarding at the same time. Hard because it involved a lot of time from my schedule. Sunday mornings were where I would usually lie in, watch films, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and generally relax. But the last few Sundays I have been in the gym doing high intensity classes, gym training and walking home afterwards. It was rewarding though as I feel I am stronger; my cardio has improved greatly, and I have learnt some new exercises. I can certainly confirm that my muscles are now crying for attention and luckily, we have a sports massage booked for this coming Monday.

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An even bigger challenge

I am going to go back to this BMI thing one more time. I am sure you are all getting bored of me going on about it, but I have been for good reason. The BMI is part of the criteria for fertility and IVF treatment. Last week we went for our first appointment. Surprise, surprise we met all the other criteria except for the BMI one. And it is as plain and simple as this. If you do not meet the crazy BMI number, the NHS can’t help you. End of story. I find it a bit harsh that it all comes down to just this number and that your activity levels and exercise regime is not taken into consideration but there you have it. It frustrates me no end but that is the bottom line and to get into the service we need to meet the criteria.

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