Sunday 25 August 2013

Minding my Mitochondria (in bed)

A Bank Holiday weekend and a family day out planned.  Imagine my frustration then when I woke up this morning and my body was screaming at me to do NOTHING.  So frustrating.  I had been looking forward to us spending a day together out of the house before our lives return shortly to the routine of the academic year.  I was sensible, I did listen to my body - didnt have much choice really, it felt so weak.  But, i felt we had to do something so we devised a compromise, I stayed in bed all morning and at lunch time I got up and we went out for a leisurely lunch followed by a visit to a small local museum.  The walk in the park was ditched and instead when we got home we all watched a television show together and then I came back to bed.
I find myself constantly searching for reasons for this current dip in my recovery.  Is it just that as I get stronger I push myself harder?  Right now I feel like I might be fighting with some sort of infection, my throat glands feel tender.  Could it be linked to all the building work that's happenned in the house recently and the chemicals involved?  Could it be my hormones?  I haven't had a period for 15 weeks now, something's going on there.  Whatever it is,  it would be nice if it STOPPED!
On a brighter note I have enjoyed reading Dr Terry Wahls book "Minding Your Mitochondria".  I have already started to implement some of her suggestions, this week I served up a huge portion of kale to the children on the side of their dinner instead of their usual vegetables and each one ate it without question...strange.  They also munched through asparagus steamed in a balsamic dressing (which two of the three enjoyed), spinach curry and brown rice crispy cakes which sneakily had cashew butter and sunflower seeds hidden in them.  I'm guessing if its good for me, it's good for them too.  The difference being the volumes that I will be eating.  I will be devouring 3 cups of green leafy vegetables a day and one cup each of  blue/black, red and yellow/orange fruits and vegetables.  So, a total of 6 cups of fruit and vegetables a day.  There are other commendations of course, with regards for example to animal and vegetable proteins, minerals and essential fats.  I have been building up to this gradually, but tomorrow my first big shop will be delivered with lots of supplies and I can step 
things up a little.
  I'd rather not spend another day in bed tomorrow, but the fact that its a bank holiday means that I can if I need to,  Ant will be around to sort out anything that needs doing and I can use the day to recuperate, but after taking it so easy today, I hope I won't need to.


Saturday 17 August 2013

Feeding the mitochondria in ME CFS

Dear Blog...where do I start?  This condition, illness, disease, whatever you want to call it is sooooo frustrating.  I've had two brilliant weeks away on holiday and was hoping to come home completely refreshed and with some energy banked.
  It just hasn't happened.  At the moment I find myself with just enough energy to plod through my day and on days like today, even that is an effort.
I find myself thinking of a passage from Alex Howards book "Why Me?"  How much time am I actually spending in my day working towards getting better?  The answer for me is, some.  I'm taking all my supplements and doing all my Perrin massages, I try and eat well, I abstain from alcohol and caffeine, I'm trying elements of Buteyko breathing techniques and meditating (not as often as I used to). I'm even trying to do some exercise at the Hydrotherapy pool and yoga at the Therapy Centre.  But, as you start to feel a bit better it is easy to let some of the things that have helped you get to this point slip a little or to become complacent.  I feel it is time for me to refocus my efforts and my attentions.  I think I am 80% well and I desperately want to find that next 20%.
So, today I have ordered a book by Dr Terry Wahls - Minding My Mitochondria  it will be the next thing for me to try alongside everything else.  I have watched  some of Dr Wahls you tube videos and found them very interesting.  I know from Dr Myhills testing that my mitochondria are damaged,  not working properly and the cell linings are damaged so I'm going to spend some time feeding my mitochondria and re-reading things that I may have forgotten and that might help.