Oh, I didn't tell you I was expecting? Well, I didn't tell you, because I'm not! This would be a combination of weak tummy muscles (though I have been exercising for the past two months), and the dreaded 'unwell gut'. Sigh.
So I tried to increase my ferments. Just a bit at a time. But this left the baby very upset. To the point that she was now waking, nightly, every. single. hour. Can we say, "exhausted"? It was bad. I couldn't function. And then we had the birthday month. I did not go overboard. One piece of cake with each party. But that was three parties, each about a week apart.
Last week Monday night I suddenly didn't feel well. My sinuses started to hurt, and my whole body felt sick. This was no annoying yeast fed sinus 'infection'. It was, but it was ready to go beyond that. I never had my whole body feel sick with one of these sinus flares. I had to do something, and I had to do it fast. I knew that doing the nasal rinses, essential oils, immune boosting supplements were NOT going to work.
So I did the only thing I figured was going to get to the bottom of this, and do so quickly before getting out of hand.
I started on GAPS. Oh, yes I did. Full GAPS mind you, since I am nursing. Unfortunately, since my gut is so unwell, I have to avoid some of the GAPS legal foods at least for a couple of months. After a couple of months I will see if my gut is healed enough to deal with those foods. Plus some of these foods aggravate the baby's tummy. On top of that, I have a couple of, what I am calling 'transition' foods that are not GAPS legal, due to nursing and other things.
The things that are GAPS legal that I have to avoid are:
:: eggs
:: any GAPS legal milk based products (milk kefir, yogurt, cheese)
:: the only bean you can eat on GAPS, the navy bean
:: cabbage and broccoli (though I am able to eat fermented cabbage)
:: honey (temporarily since I really wanted to kick this 'infection')
:: cocoa
The things I have added are:
:: small amount of oats
:: popcorn (This will be phased out. Although I am not on intro, which can mess up your bowel movements, I wanted a bit of an insurance policy....just in case :-))
The above foods I am avoiding have been proving difficult to do without. I mean, eggs? They are an essential staple on GAPS. The only bean allowed really limits my dishes. I can make it without, but beans are cheaper than meat. I really love cabbage and broccoli in some of my dishes, like soups, and it is a bummer to go without. I'm kind of glad to not be consuming honey, if for no other reason than to train my taste buds for things less sweet. Cocoa....ah, well, I look longingly at our brown container daily and sigh. I love me some chocolate, but not for now. It is allowed after much healing, and that is one thing I did *not* wait for the first go around on GAPS.
This time around I am doing a ton of ferments. They are where the healing action is! I was not getting anywhere near the amount I should have the first go around. Not by a long shot. Live and learn.
Moira and Isabella have joined me on this GAPS adventure. Moira did not take the sugar overload very well, coming down with an upper respiratory infection that was making it's way to her lungs. And Isabella? Well, that girl would need a post of her own, if for no other reason that this post is long enough, and if I had to list out all of the things going on with her health, no one would have the time to read it all! Seriously people, it's bad.
With everyone else I am attempting to get more fermented foods into them. I am making a game plan where I plan our menu around our ferments, because I know this is the ticket. The other thing I may or may not do is have them go gluten free. I think we can swing that one. One thing for sure....NO. MORE. SUGAR. And I need to get better at putting in my green powder into their foods as well. They all need a change in their taste buds as well, but not sure how to make that happen. One step at a time. I would put us all back on GAPS, but two words.....food prices. Yup. Not gonna happen.
And even if I could, I would do it one or two people at a time. Even though I started on full GAPS I can not believe the effects of the first week. I felt like I was moving through mud. Massive brain fog. Aches, pains, and other lovely things like my IC. Oh the joys. And don't forget the feeling of being hungry, all the time! I don't think I could have handled all of that, and more, times 8. Nope.
I have been on GAPS for a week now, and am already seeing progress. For one, my yeast marker is gone. No sign of a sinus infection impending. I have a bit more energy now. And I can tell that my belly is a wee bit less bloated. That one will take time, but I am glad to see a difference so soon. As for the baby....my goodness she is doing better sleep wise! Thank goodness!! I started feeding her some of my coconut milk kefir. The first night she slept for a 4 hour block. I didn't hold my breath, but then the next few nights she had another 4 hour block, with 2 and 3 hour blocks afterwards. Last night, six hours! YES! She has been having a bit of tummy trouble each day, but I believe her system is trying to adjust to the new bacteria.
This time around on GAPS I am putting my focus on:
ferments
fluids
broth
veggies
I really do not want to be where I was the last time, eating the same things day after day. I've been scouring Pinterest for more ideas. There are a ton of recipes for GAPS desserts, I am steering clear of those. I think we over did them the last time. So, lots of putting into practice what I learned we did wrong/right the first time around. Looking forward to feeling better soon, oh and to not looking like I am expecting....when I'm not :-(
1 comment:
Good luck, I know it's really tough. Hope you make some headway with your health really quickly. Sometimes it's a long road but I hope you see vast improvement soon b/c it can get really discouraging.
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