ULOG 26: My ulog-resolutions for today
My resolution for today is to take better care of myself. I have been in poor health the last few weeks with bad symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. This pain, fatigue, and joint swelling is not easy to live with but I have been pushing through and trying to "will" it to get better.
This plan is not working!
Instead of feeling better, I have been getting worse. I know better than to ignore this and in the last days my body had been paying the price.
What I should have been doing is
- getting a lot of healthy hydration
- eating only good food that helps my symptoms
- getting lots of sleep
- taking additional bed rest throughout the day when I feel tired.
What I have been doing is
- not drinking enough healthy fluids
- Eating food I know is not good for me and not eating food that is good for me
- Drinking coffee so I can keep working instead of sleeping
- Pushing through with work instead of napping
NOTE: When I talk about good and bad food in this context, it is not about weight loss. Generally speaking, I am talking about inflammatory and non-inflammatory foods. In autoimmune diseases like RA, inflammatory foods are really bad news. I've been doing a lot of things wrong in this regard.
An example of what I am talking about is that I have recently eaten tomatoes. Twice! Tomatoes are fine for most people. For me, they are one of the foods that really kick up my symptoms.
Edema rears its ugly head
I now have something called Edema. This is when fluid starts building up in my system and things can really go downhill from here. I fight this a few times a year usually and today it is very bad.
This is how edema presents itself. First, fluid starts to pool in your feet and ankles. This might be gone each morning an the be back be the end of each day. Soon, without treatment, the fluid is in your feet earlier and earlier each day. It starts to move up your legs. It begins to build up in your trunk.
At its worst edema causes congestive heart failure. I have had that a few times and it is no fun. But we are not going there this time, I assure you.
I noticed my feet swelling earlier each day and was having trouble getting shoes on them recently. Hello! Bad sign.
I exercise by walking down a few flights of stairs each time I leave my apartment. I might walk down three flights and then take the elevator the rest of the way down. Walking down stairs is a challenge for me with balance issues and joint deformity, but I like doing these short bursts of activity. I stretch before and after for a couple of minutes and it usually energizes me.
Recently this stair walking trick has been getting harder and harder. The other day, I was dizzy and wanted to pass out after two flights.
Then last night, my underwear felt tight. I was thinking it was weight gain, but I have not been eating too much - the "bad food" I've been eating is in small quantities. Today, I realized the tight underwear is showing me I have fluid build up in my trunk instead of actual weight gain.
So this morning I got up for church and there they were - my feet - swollen out even more than when I went to bed. No shoes were going on those feet at all. They were twice their normal size at least. Emergency treatment is in order and I am doing it.
Treating my edema now
- keep socks on my feet - not too tight
- bed rest 16 or so hours a day
- elevating my feet while in bed
- lots and lots of healthy fluids
- Don't eat bad food!
- Eat good food!
- Pray like crazy that I will be returned to health.
My goal is to be in the bathroom, peeing out clear liquid in high volume at least hourly. I am not there yet.
Here is a short video of socks I had a one point to help my edema. I wear knees socks at all times now. Yes! In SE Asia. Yes! With sandals. So imagine that visual :)
Unfortunately, socks alone are just not cutting it at the moment. Here is a playlist showing many more of my strategies too, in case you are in my same boat.
fitinfun you tube channel - Edema Playlist
Please start here to kick obesity to the curb:
Set Your Goal for Weight Loss
Anyone can beat obesity if I did. Please ask me and I will help you do it too.
This post was made from https://ulogs.org
This post was made from https://ulogs.org
It seems you work really hard battling a rough and tough disease. You work hard on it as well - walking the stairs and managing your food intake. I hope you can make and keep it manageable this way - it will always be hard but it's a nice 'win' if you can make parts of it easier :-)
I do work hard on this MOST of the time. As you saw, I have been slipping. I was glad to see this prompt to help me get my act together. I can feel so much better than I do right now and I soon will :) Thank you so much for the awesome comment.
I had this type of swollen legs also called edema due to pregnancy. And it seems drinking ginger water everyday helps to expel it. Will get ginger powder for you soon when I can go out and about.
Praying all you are doing now will help and you will get better in no time.
Didn't tomatoes are bad for RD. Mind to educate what are good food?
Tomatoes are a nightshade veggie - all of those are "bad."
Tomatoes, eggplant and chili peppers are really bad for me. Potatoes are ok in small quantities. We are all different.
You can also find lists of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory foods. I try to stick with the anti-inflammatory as best I can.
The only thing on this list above I don't eat much of is broccoli. It seems to bother my stomach. I use cauliflower instead. I normally eat a LOT of sardines since they are cheap, easy to keep, and I like them. But here the ones I find are all in tomato sauce!
I still have some of the ginger tea powder you got me and thank you very much for that. I have good cinnamon and use that too. I am drinking it with coconut oil. I also have the root and turmeric root and powder, and boil those and drink. I have almost finished all of the two bottles of oil that Pastor Gloria got for me so you see I use that a lot.
I have organic eggs now and probiotic drink. Pretty much anything pickled is good. I would use apple cider vinegar "with the mother" but I have only seem the filtered kind here and that does not help.
Basically meat, organ meat, bone broth, green veggies and roots are best. I avoid wheat, but other whole grains are ok. I have barley here now. Beets and beet juice are good if I can find them. Melons, berries, nuts - all good if not processed. For example, nuts with sea salt are good. Nuts with honey coating are bad. But the expensive unfiltered honey or bee pollen is good. Filtered honey is bad. On and on we go lol.
This is a list of symptoms and remedies. I have about half of the symptoms right now.
Today I am up early and will go to that awesome wet market near me. I can get a whole pork liver for 2 MYR and the guy cuts it for me. I love him!!!I will also get greens or whatever else I find.
Hey! Ulog😇
It seems a great idea .
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