frustrations

sometimes this disease really annoys the crap out of me. no one know the cause of it.... but there are all of these theories, no one knows how to completely treat it but there are all of these medicines that can work for some and not for others. now i am finding out that some vitamins you should take and others you should stay away from.

i went to a seminar on thursday that was put on by my neurologist and she spoke about symptoms and symptom management. some stuff i knew already but others i didnt know. so I have been taking a nutrition pack of vitamins that are a multi vitamin, fish oil, vitamin d magnesium then i have been taking about 40000 IU's of vitamin D, an anti inflammatory that has bromolein, ginger something and rosemary something and a B complex vitamin that has B 12, B12, folic acid.... ect

plus i am taking my interferon medicine Rebif.

and I feel worse than I have ever felt with my MS in within these last 6 months.

I feel like i have done all of this research and trying to figure out what works best and what other people do for this disease and how people manage and live. Which is part of why i started this blog in the first place. I bore Dustin to death with him hearing about MS and hearing about my aches and pains so this gives me a place to put all of it.

Basically I should really only be taking vitamin D and maybe B12. Good thing I am pretty much finished with the vitamins that I had anyways. There isnt a specific MS diet that I should be on other that to try to eat healthy. So I shouldnt worry about a Glueten Free, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Raw..... any of that stuff that is out there. Its hard when every one that has been diagnosed with MS has different symptoms and different levels of all of their nutrients so there isnt going to be one particular thing that is going to work for everyone


I am still having the numbness, tingles and pain in both of my legs. I had to ride with a friend back to my home town to go bridesmaid dress shopping because I knew i couldnt handle an hour and a half of driving. If I am still walking as bad as I have been since friday, I will probably be calling my neurologist.

It sucks when you feel like these extreme MS medications arent working and then you have the thought of "what if I am getting progressive MS" going on in the back of my head. I still cant get used to the pain of the needle when i give myself the shots on the top of my thighs. I makes me miss being on Copaxone.

you put your left leg in, you put your left leg out...

ugh, so now my left foot is starting to do the burning itchy thing while my other leg is still stiff and doing the post relapse awesomeness (well its not really awesome, but you know...) i took a bath hoping it would help but nothing so far, we'll see if my BFF ibuprofen will help out. I went shopping at all of my favorite stores today to get all inspired to do some artsy stuff. i made it to joann fabrics, pier 1, and michaels and then i was tired and ready to come back home. i made a hair piece for my sisters flapper and casino themed birthday party. i think it turned out pretty well and I have gotten some nice compliments on it. I also tried out my new little blender and made a peach and orange smoothy, yum! I spent the rest of the day relaxing even though I had other things I wanted to do. at least we have MLK off tomorrow so i can try to finish some more projects.

New Colors, New Blender

I changed the color to be more "MS" colors and a little less depressing than the black, being an artist i should use a little bit of color right?

I used to have a "bullet" to make smoothies with, but it wasnt the actual bullet that you see on infommercials and i never used it, so when we moved into our house Dustin had me get rid of it.

today when i was at target I decided i should make get another one for my dynamic greens I take and try to make some healthy smoothies again. its a south beach diet single serve blender that you can drink right from the glass instead of dirtying another glass and having a million pieces like blender. it was only 17.99 so i thought it was a good deal. hopefully it will work.

Like i had said before , i am not going to go on a crazy strict diet for my MS, life is too short for that. But I am going to eat what I like that is healthy, especially during the day during the week

I made an anti inflammatory trail mix. I kind of just winged it and didnt go by a recipe. I went by foods that I like that i thought would be good together. How I made it

I mixed together almonds and walnuts, melted coconut oil and poured it into a plastic container and shook it up so that all of the coconut oil got all over the nuts. then I sprinkled in cinnamon then shook that up. then i poured craisons and blueberry infused craisons in and shook that up.

it turned out pretty good. I would like to try a little bit sweeter oil though or figure something out since i am used to most trail mixes having a bunch of sugar and candy in them.

today i worked on the guest bedroom/my art studio. I was able to set up my cricut on another table, my sewing machine and now my drawing desk is clear so i can start painting. I figured i have tv shows 5 nights a week now, I might as well be productive and hopefully it will discipline myself to make art again. watching tv might make me more calm while i do this attempt. I still have to have Dustin hang up stuff for me, hopefully I can get him to do that tomorrow and then the room will be complete!

spaghetti o's?

I decided to look up foods that have high vitamin D since with having MS you are vitamin D deficient. Somethings I found pretty interesting :)

http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000102000000000000000.html

a review of vitamins

There is a lot of stuff about vitamins out there. I have had people from various selling companies, massage therapists, ect...try to get me to try their products out because "its good for MS". I am a firm believer in only taking vitamins that have been recommended to me by a medical professional directly (even if Dr Oz tells me on tv to take things) otherwise like what terry wahls recommended.... eat the food that has the nutrients in it. I'll probably always take fish oil because i cant stand sea food.

http://www.multivitaminguide.org/a/

This company isnt on there, but should be and this is the brand of vitamins I take

http://www.anaboliclabs.com/paQualityStandards.aspx
I like the fact that you cant even order them unless you are a doctor.

Antioxident foods

(from webmd.com)

Beta-carotene and other carotenoids: Apricots, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, corn, green peppers, kale, mangoes, turnip and collard greens, nectarines, peaches, pink grapefruit, pumpkin, squash, spinach, sweet potato, tangerines, tomatoes, and watermelon.

Vitamin C: Berries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, cauliflower, grapefruit, honeydew, kale, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, orange, papaya, red, green or yellow peppers, snow peas, sweet potato, strawberries, and tomatoes.

Vitamin E: Broccoli, carrots, chard, mustard and turnip greens, mangoes, nuts, papaya, pumpkin, red peppers, spinach, and sunflower seeds.

Other super foods that are rich in antioxidants include:

• Prunes
• Apples
• Raisins
• All berries
• Plums
• Red grapes
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Onions
• Eggplant
• Beans

Vitamins aren’t the only antioxidants in food. Other antioxidants that may help boost immunity include

• Zinc: Found in oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seafood, whole grains, fortified cereals, and dairy products
• Selenium: Found in Brazil nuts, tuna, beef, poultry and fortified breads, and other grain products

Anti Inflammatory foods

This is more for me so I dont forget, Plus how easy is this to print out for groceries (from http://www.naturalantiinflammatory.org/anti-inflammatory-foods.html)

Fruits

These are the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory power sources effective against a number of diseases like acute traumas, injuries, arthritis, cancer, indigestion, acid peptic disease, dementia and many other chronic inflammatory conditions. Examples are:

Papaya (rich in vitamin C and E and papain, an enzyme that digests proteins)	Pineapple (contains an enzyme Bromelain with excellent healing properties)
Blueberries (rich in phyto nutrients)	Goji berries
Cherries	Cranberries
Apples	Oranges
Kiwifruit	Rhubarb
Lemon	Limes
Avocados	Guavas
Strawberries	Mulberries
Raspberries

Vegetables

This anti inflammatory foods group is another major ally to the anti-inflammatory warfare. Examples include:

Cruciferous vegetables (rich in phyto nutrients i.e. sulphoraphanes which has anti cancer properties)	Spinach (source of carotenes, flavonoids, vitamins, potassium, magnesium, tryptophan, calcium, iron and folate)
Ginger	Sweet potatoes (contains fiber, vitamin C and B6, beta carotenoids, manganese and carbohydrates)
Salads	Chards
Green beans	Bell peppers
Kale	Bok Choy
Olives	Fennel bulb
Spring onions	Mushrooms
Leeks

Fish

Various kinds of cold-water fish like:

Cod	Tuna
Herring	Trout
Salmon	Striped Bass
Halibut	Whitefish
Sardines	Snapper Fish
Oysters

are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. These include most importantly eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

There are numerous benefits of omega-3 include a healthier heart by reducing the chances of heart diseases, preventing and fighting cancer, helping against autoimmune diseases and psychological ailments. All of these benefits result from its excellent anti oxidant and anti inflammatory properties.

Oils

Olive oil contains an abundant supply of polyphenols and monounsaturated fats, which reduce inflammation in cardiovascular system including heart and blood vessels, which in turn reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and all the resulting complications. It also helps fight against Rheumatoid arthritis and allergic asthma by the same mechanism.

Avocado oil is.another, very effective anti-inflammatory agent, which is similar in composition and properties to the Olive oil.

Drinks

Green tea is rich in flavonoids, which are a very potent agent in decreasing the incidence of heart diseases and effective against malignancies too.

However, you shouldn’t forget about water, as this is known as the simplest, cheapest and widely available drink. It has been shown in many studies that water accelerates the body’s metabolism and speeds up the removal of harmful by products of metabolism.

Spices and Herbs

Cinnamon	Rosemary
Basil	Turmeric
Cloves	Thyme
Mint	Chili pepper
Parsley	Cocoa
Oregano	Licorice

Seeds and Nuts

Walnuts	Linseed
Hazelnuts	Sunflower seeds
Almond