Another day, another doctor

This last week has been a busy one, lots of appointments.

I had two acupuncture sessions with Dr Y. Acupuncture hurts! I didn't think it was supposed to, but apparently I'm sensitive to needles (really, who wants to be a pin cushion?). While I was lying on the table I started to wonder if you have to believe in the treatment for it to work. During the second treatment I fell into a deep sleep for about 30 minutes - it felt good! Considering how much better the pain has been since I've started, I think I'm now a believer in acupuncture. I get to be a pin cushion again tomorrow and I'm actually looking forward to it.

My daughter and I went to a nutritionist for food sensitivity testing, which was fascinating! I already knew we had problems with cow's milk and suspected gluten was also an issue, but I had no idea that I was sensitive to: peanuts, strawberries, walnuts, almonds, apples, bananas, chickpeas and eggs. So a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of milk will just about do me in! I've been very stringent with my diet since finding out this info, hoping that it allows my system to heal. We've switched from peanut butter to sunflower seed butter, which isn't bad if it's covered with jam (just not strawberry!)

A visit with my naturopath was next on the agenda. Since I've stopped nursing it opens up a few more options for us to improve my immune system. She wants me to try a gentle cleanse over a 3 week period. I'm up for it, the only problem is that is comes with a specific food plan. Only 20% of your diet from proteins, very limited fruits, lots of veggies, no flours. I'm really struggling with finding time to figure out what I can eat, go buy it and cook it amidst being a mom to 3 kids and 2 dogs. Take out and frozen meals (and anything else that's easy!) are apparently not an option. I need to hire a personal chef...and buy a lottery ticket.

The last appointment was with a rheumatologist. The good news is that I do not have lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. The bad news is that I have fibromyalgia. Crap. The fact that this condition tends to belong to the worriers and perfectionists of the world makes me feel like I brought it on myself. She gave me a good talkin' to about just letting go and enjoying this time of life with my kids. Easier said than done. Someone needs to manage things, and right now that someone is me. It's not like I spend my time dusting the lampshades, I just do the basics of groceries, cooking and tidying up enough so we can find the baby now that he's crawling.

She also asked me to find time to exercise, especially yoga and swimming. Which is kind of funny since those were the two activities I did prior to getting sick. I think I'll start slow by doing some stretching at home and work my way back to Mountain Goat...