My blood sugar has been on track for 3 days now, I am so proud of myself!!  I was beginning to think it was impossible!  With the addition of the medication Victoza, things have really turned around for me.  The medication does reduce my appetite as well as lowering my blood glucose level, so eating less means less glucose!

I feel like I have lost some weight, which I am very excited about.  They will weigh me today at my blood draw, and I am nervous to see the new numbers.  I am afraid it will show no change and I will feel horrible.  But I do think I have lost at least a few pounds, so we will see.

The main purpose of the bloodwork, is to see if my liver enzymes have leveled out since I changed chronic pain medications.  I take only 25% of the hydrocodone I was taking before, which means 75% less liver poisoning acetaminophen. I really hope that the numbers are improved, because my new pain medictions work so much better for me.  I am usually pain free by late afternoon or early evening, and that has been such a blessing!

Nourishing Traditions Pineapple Chutney

I have an appointment to see my doc today on the eve of my 50th birthday. I hope he has some good b-day news for me on my new labs. Since I got the first report that my labs weren’t looking so hot, I began focusing on what I knew.

I’m severely anemic, my liver enzymes are high and my bilirubin is high. All of this points to Bartonella. I’ll see what he thinks. But since this is what I know, I decided to focus more of my diet on these lab results. It can’t hurt.

As I’ve told you, according to G. S. Whipple a Nobel-prize winner, apricots are as “equal to liver in hemoglobin regeneration.” My apricot butter has been a really great treat on my sourdough toast or in my yogurt. But, I like to spread my nutrient dense foods around. And I enjoy adding as many new lacto-fermented foods as I can.

However, I’m still eating liver. In fact this AM, I juiced some grassfed raw liver in my carrot juice. Dr. Max Gerson is known to have used this remedy to heal cancer patients. I of course would never do this unless I knew the source of my liver and knew it had been frozen for at least 14 days to kill any parasites. At least that’s what is recommended. Funny thing is, I didn’t taste it at all. I’m not sure how much I got, and if my juicer does the best job of getting all the goodness out of it, but I figured, what the heck! I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!!!!

According to Sally Fallon, pineapple is high in fiber and contains carotenoids, B-complex vitamins and vitamin C. Professor Francisco Villaroel of Bolivia, claims pineapple to be a powerful remedy for chest ailments, jaundice, arteriosclerosis, anemia and cerebral problems, such as neurasthenia, melancholia, and loss of memory.

It’s also rich in manganese, which is necessary for strong bones and a strong nervous system. The manganese in pineapple is a particularly absorbent source.

To me, it sounded like another good choice for what ales me. If nothing else, I found another amazingly delish recipe from Nourishing Traditions. I was a bit leary, since cilantro isn’t necessarily my favorite. I thought, oh yum, pineapple salsa! But, it’s not at all like salsa. It’s very very good. Just a hint of salty and sour and just a hint of the sweet pineapple remaining.

Here’s what’s in it: pineapple, cilantro, ginger, lime juice, salt, whey and water. If you don’t have a copy of NT, you really need one. I believe that our food can be our medicine. And if it’s prepared in the proper ways, then it’s more nutrient dense and absorbable to our delicate systems.

]]> http://riotgrrrlonline.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/update-on-my-health/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:27:53 +0000 grrrlriot http://riotgrrrlonline.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/update-on-my-health/ My story below might not relate to this blog, but the health issues DO relate to women and men, so I thought I would share it.

I had blood taken on July 16th and my doctor made me an appointment to let me know about the results of the blood test for today. My thyroid seems to be better, in fact, it is currently overactive due to the medicine I take for an underactive thyroid. The doctor decreased my thyroid medicine from 50mg to 25mg. However, There are some not so good results to my blood test. It turns out that my triglycerides (I think that is the word or something like it) are high, but my cholesterol is good. He said that I might be fixing to be diabetic, but he said I wasn’t yet because my glucose was fine according to my blood work. He said to watch the fatty foods that I eat. Also, He told me that my liver enzymes are elevated. He checked my last blood test from April or May and my liver enzymes were not elevated. (neither were the triglycerides) I already have a fatty liver, so I am worried. (I found out I had a fatty liver when I had an ultrasound done on my stomach a few months ago.) He wanted me to take blood again, so he sent me to the blood lab. This blood test should reveal if I have certain liver diseases, an iron problem, and find out more specifically about my liver and how it is functioning. He scheduled me for an ultrasound on my gallbladder for tomorrow, just in case the elevated liver enzymes are caused by a gallstone. I won’t know the results to the ultrasound or the blood test until August 8th, that is when I see my doctor again. Until then, I am nervous and worried.