UUGH!!

Would you like to know what happens to a 46 year old, pre-diabetic woman when she decides to go on a binge after following a starch-free diet for a while. She gains a whopping 10 pounds in 5 days! Just in case you are wondering, no that is not a typo. This last week, we went to Colorado for a nephew's wedding. We arrived on Thursday evening. When pulling up to the hotel we realized, it literally, was in the middle of nowhere. For the next 5 days, I would have a very hard time finding anything starch-free to eat. My brothers family provided lunch and dinner for most of the days. Wow, they are good cooks!! My daughter and I decided we would go off-plan for the duration of the wedding weekend then start starch-free again today. We have another wedding coming up in July. We will be staying with grandma and have more control over what we eat. This time we plan to bring our own food and stay on track.

I FIRED MY RHEUMY

This last week was supposed to be my 6 month check-up with my rheumatologist at the University. I cancelled my appointment and fired my rheumy. The last 3 appointments I had with her, she took the entire time trying to convince me to go on the biologic medicines I am trying so hard to avoid. My aunt took those meds, she still fused. Her back is one complete bone. A lot of good they did her, except to give her a bacterial infection she has never been able to get rid of. I think I will pass on those drugs until I have no other choice. If you are taking those kinds of drugs and they are working for you, I think that's wonderful. I'm just not willing to chance the side effects that come with it when I have other options that are working for me at the moment.

CHOLESTEROL AND LOW CARB

About a year ago, my husband went to get his heath assesment for work. One of the things they tested was his cholesterol, his measured at 271. They told him to go on a low fat diet and sent him home. We had it confirmed at the doctors office.  He asked me what I thought about going low fat. I asked him to try low carb first and see what happens.  It wouldn't be as strict as my starch-free diet but I was hoping it would be enough to lower his cholesterol a little. A month ago, he had his cholesterol rechecked. It was at 164. His good cholesterol is up, bad cholesterol is down. We are now adding more fat to his diet to help bring up the good cholesterol even more.

LATEST DOCTOR VISIT

I went to the doctor yesterday and got a little bad news. My AS is getting worse. It has moved into my left hip giving me a lot of extra bone in there. For anyone else this wouldn't be so bad. When they did my MRI's six months ago, they found a defect in my left hip that I've had since birth. I never had problems with it while growing up. I was a baton twirler in high school (wow, that really shows how old I am), I did the splits, back flips, cart wheels, and anything else that position required without any pain at all. Now this "defect" is causing the extra bone in there to hit my pelvic bone. (ouch!!) The inflammation makes it even worse. I have really been slacking on the Starch-free diet lately. Time to get back on board!