After a miserable day yesterday spent with another migraine....much of which was in a drug-induced haze, it's time to turn over a new leaf. It's one that I've been talking about for months, have partially adopted, but just can't seem to fully commit to. Two rounds of my 'as needed, in case of migraine-emergency' pills left me still not able to get out of bed yesterday, so off to see my doctor for a couple shots to knock me (and the headache) out for the count.
While talking with my doctor yesterday, I threw out a question to him not having any idea how he would respond. I've done a ton of research on migraine headaches and it seems that people have had success with treating them by adopting a clean eating lifestyle. By clean eating I mean eating nothing containing preservatives. As in goodbye my beloved Xyience energy drink that I indulge in several times a week, goodbye Fudge Rounds that I sneak for breakfast on occasion, and biggest of all....basically goodbye to eating out. While he said that there is no scientific research that specifically proves that eating a processed-free food diet will eliminate migraines, he knows for a fact that people have had success. He also went on to say that since I get migraines so frequently and we've never been able to figure out a known food trigger (as many people can), it would definitely be worth it for me to give it a try. OK....I'm buying into this idea a little more now. His next words sold me....if this works, I can stop one of my daily medicines. If I'm STILL good after that, we can eliminate the second daily medicine. SOLD!! I'll do about anything to stop being dependent on medicine every day. Yuck.
Now, the hard part. How in the world am I going to implement this? How will I succeed? How am I going to live without all the sugar-laden junk food that I so dearly love? My solution....Lots of prayer and complete change of mindset. I have to quit thinking about everything I'm giving up and start thinking about what I'm gaining. Even in the chance that this doesn't eliminate my migraines, I can't imagine how much better I'll feel just in eating a completely healthy diet. No matter what it's a win. I try so hard not to get discouraged when I get headaches. After all, there are so many worse things to have wrong with me that are out of my control. If I can cure this just by diet, I'd be crazy and extremely selfish not to!!
So....who wants to join me in this endeavour? Anyone?? At least help keep me accountable?? This crazy trip starts tomorrow, May 1st. I'm going to stick to it best I can for at least 30 days. That should be a good indicator as to if it's working to curb my headaches or not. Pray for me that this works! I plan to blog about how it's going, so stay tuned!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 1, 2013
Sweet, Sweet Heather
Life moves so fast. Too fast. People come and go in our lives and you never know when someone is going to come into your life and have such a profound impact on you that you know that you will never be the same again. Things happen that you don't expect and it just knocks you off your feet. God is awesome like that.
I had this feeling deep within me that this Lent season was going to be life changing for me, but I couldn't put my finger on why. I prayed numerous times about what to give up for Lent, and all that I kept coming up with was 'negativity'. Umm...ok? That isn't something I really wanted to fast from for only 40 days, but I did certainly want to rid it from my life! I really felt like God was speaking that to me, so I went with it....and failed. Repeatedly. Until Holy Week rolled around....
Meet Heather. Heather and her family attend my church. She and her brother come to youth group on Wednesdays. Heather has some health issues and is in a motorized wheel chair, but she is ALWAYS smiling despite whatever pain she might be in. I chat with her most Wednesday's at youth, but she's in high school and I'm a middle school leader so I don't always have the opportunity to talk with her too much. However, last Wednesday our youth led a Cross Walk throughout town as part of Holy Week. Not long after the walk started, the cold air started to bother Heather. I happened to be right next to her and looked over to see a frown on her face. I asked if she was ok and she started to cry a bit. We got out of the crowd of people, she had some medicine with her and rested a minute and all was well. I asked if she wanted to stop, if the cold was too much, but she was not to be stopped. I'm pretty sure the response I got was "NO WAY!" So, off we went. I took about three steps and Heather reached up and grabbed my hand. From that point on, we were a team walking hand in hand. And at that moment my life forever changed.
All I could think about the rest of the way was how happy Heather is. Her smile couldn't get any bigger if she tried! I love that!! This walk was a nightmare for her body. The sidewalks on First Avenue are terrible, let alone for someone in a motorized wheelchair bouncing around in them. The air was cold making it hard for her to breathe. She didn't let it defeat her. At one point we were a couple blocks behind the rest of the group and we shared so many laughs trying to catch up to them. It was probably a good thing I was laughing as my eyes were welled up with tears for the majority of the way. Any negativity from me was certainly out the window now! How could I let anything upset me in my life when here is Heather hanging on to my hand, laughing, smiling and loving life when in fact, she has pain and so many things she could be complaining about? My heart was overflowing with joy at that moment. Heather's brother was also on the walk. The bond between the two of them is incredible. He knew where his sister was at the entire time. If she was struggling, he was right there beside her. I even told him a couple times to go on up ahead with the group and promised to take care of his sister, but he wasn't having it! He knows her needs and is always there to make sure she is ok. It is so heartwarming to see how much they love each other.
The point of the Cross Walk was to carry the cross from the square back to our church to get a sense of the suffering that Jesus went through. It was to be quiet and a time of reflection. Well....those times when Heather and I (and the others that were with us, too) were behind the rest of the group weren't exactly quiet. Heather and I were laughing hysterically the entire time. Oops?? No, I'm not sorry for it. I'm confident that was exactly God's plan. It was exactly what I needed. I'm confident that was the feeling I had way down deep at the beginning of Lent that I couldn't quite figure out. Negativity....gone. God is amazing!
Thank you, Heather, for being you. Love you, girl!
"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20
I had this feeling deep within me that this Lent season was going to be life changing for me, but I couldn't put my finger on why. I prayed numerous times about what to give up for Lent, and all that I kept coming up with was 'negativity'. Umm...ok? That isn't something I really wanted to fast from for only 40 days, but I did certainly want to rid it from my life! I really felt like God was speaking that to me, so I went with it....and failed. Repeatedly. Until Holy Week rolled around....
Meet Heather. Heather and her family attend my church. She and her brother come to youth group on Wednesdays. Heather has some health issues and is in a motorized wheel chair, but she is ALWAYS smiling despite whatever pain she might be in. I chat with her most Wednesday's at youth, but she's in high school and I'm a middle school leader so I don't always have the opportunity to talk with her too much. However, last Wednesday our youth led a Cross Walk throughout town as part of Holy Week. Not long after the walk started, the cold air started to bother Heather. I happened to be right next to her and looked over to see a frown on her face. I asked if she was ok and she started to cry a bit. We got out of the crowd of people, she had some medicine with her and rested a minute and all was well. I asked if she wanted to stop, if the cold was too much, but she was not to be stopped. I'm pretty sure the response I got was "NO WAY!" So, off we went. I took about three steps and Heather reached up and grabbed my hand. From that point on, we were a team walking hand in hand. And at that moment my life forever changed.
All I could think about the rest of the way was how happy Heather is. Her smile couldn't get any bigger if she tried! I love that!! This walk was a nightmare for her body. The sidewalks on First Avenue are terrible, let alone for someone in a motorized wheelchair bouncing around in them. The air was cold making it hard for her to breathe. She didn't let it defeat her. At one point we were a couple blocks behind the rest of the group and we shared so many laughs trying to catch up to them. It was probably a good thing I was laughing as my eyes were welled up with tears for the majority of the way. Any negativity from me was certainly out the window now! How could I let anything upset me in my life when here is Heather hanging on to my hand, laughing, smiling and loving life when in fact, she has pain and so many things she could be complaining about? My heart was overflowing with joy at that moment. Heather's brother was also on the walk. The bond between the two of them is incredible. He knew where his sister was at the entire time. If she was struggling, he was right there beside her. I even told him a couple times to go on up ahead with the group and promised to take care of his sister, but he wasn't having it! He knows her needs and is always there to make sure she is ok. It is so heartwarming to see how much they love each other.
The point of the Cross Walk was to carry the cross from the square back to our church to get a sense of the suffering that Jesus went through. It was to be quiet and a time of reflection. Well....those times when Heather and I (and the others that were with us, too) were behind the rest of the group weren't exactly quiet. Heather and I were laughing hysterically the entire time. Oops?? No, I'm not sorry for it. I'm confident that was exactly God's plan. It was exactly what I needed. I'm confident that was the feeling I had way down deep at the beginning of Lent that I couldn't quite figure out. Negativity....gone. God is amazing!
Thank you, Heather, for being you. Love you, girl!
"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20
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