Detox

Last year, when I was in the middle of full-time working hell, I went to see a doctor. See, I was having some chest pain when I inhaled, and it had gotten quite bad.

This doctor wanted to do some serious testing. Thalium stress test and cardiac echo. Bill and I both agreed this was over the top, and I never followed up.

Well, I still have the pain, and it is worse now. When I breathe in, it hurts my back, wraps around under my arm and into my chest. I can elicit it with movement, so we were pretty sure it was muscular, but what would cause muscular discomfort like this for over a year?

In addition to this, my left shoulder and arm were killing me.

My mind started working overtime, and I had convinced myself (thanks Google) that it was either lung cancer or breast cancer. I felt like crap. I was nauseated all the time, and had no energy. Bill was like “GO TO THE DOCTOR!” because his brain was coming out of his ears listening to me whine about it.

Seriously, I think I actually got depressed about it…. and very stressed……so I finally went to a doctor. I had a mamogram, chest x-ray, multiple blood tests, and I am supposed to have an MRI of my back and shoulder.

The bottom line is, all the tests done so far have came back normal, thank God. The doctor thinks that it all is a result of injuries I sustained when I had my bike wreck. He thinks I damaged my thoracic vertebrate and the nerves that run along where I am experiencing pain. He also thinks I damaged my shoulder and may have torn a rotator cuff. Also, I may have some arthritis.

I am debating having the MRI’s. Why? Well, so far we have eliminated the thing that I feared most….lung cancer. My dad was a heavy smoker. I spent 18 years in that house inhaling his secondary smoke. I watched him die a terrible death via suffocation. I had nightmares for months and months, so when this pain carried on after I left my job (we at first thought it could be stress induced) my imagination took off. Having ruled out cancer and knowing that if the MRI shows anything I have no intention of having spinal surgery or go through treatment for a joint or rotator cuff injury, I figure what is the point. Each test will cost $1900. Yup, that is one load of $$$.

So, what I have decided to do is reclaim my body. Exercise will take a greater role in my daily life, and I have completely revamped our diet. I will break it down below:

Exercise

-Running- not umpteenmillion miles, but 1 and only 1. 1 mile 3x each week.

-Sailing on the weekends

-Surfing when there are waves

-Biking along the waterfront

DIET

-First, I am on a detox diet.
I have eliminated:
*coffee and replaced it with green tea.
*High-fructose corn syrup
*processed and refined carbohydrates and sugar
*junk food, fast food, packaged or processed foods
*alcohol (gasp)

The first week of the diet, you withdraw from caffeine, sugar and excess carbs.

The second week I will basically have rice-protein shakes, broth, brown rice, chicken, fruits (mostly berries) and veggies (save for nightshades). I am on week one right now….the prep week.

All the foods should be organic.

You also drink 2tbs of olive oil mixed with 1/2 organic lemon every morning to help your liver.

Drink lots of water and green tea.

Already I feel better, although it is reeeeeally hard giving up the sugar and caffeine.

There are many detox diets out there, but I am using the Ultrasimple Diet by Dr. Mark Hyman.

After the 2 weeks are over, I hope to have developed some healthy habits and have eliminated some bad ones. I will probably resume drinking coffee in moderation. We will enjoy our margaritas and bahama mamas here and there (and there and here and there).

Remember, this diet is not meant to be a weight-loss diet. That can be a benefit for sure, but mostly I am doing it to be healtier.

I cleaned out our cabinets of all the junk.

I went with more organics, because I can now. We have wonderful grocery stores here at the coast and I don’t have to drive for over an hour to get to them! I was surprised at my grocery bill. I expected it to be sky high. I mean, my cart was full of nothing but organic foods, and my total was less than I usually spend. How can that be?

Well, there was no junk food, that’s how.

It is time to do this.

We have made this wonderful change in our life, and now it is time to do something wonderful for my body.