After absolutely GUSHING about the wonderful apartment I found outside the 610-loop, I had some serious renter's remorse. I quickly realized that 1) I will be working overtime, pretty soon, and a 30 minute commute each way was really going to be annoying when that happened; and 2) the increased commute - when calculated in terms of the IRS dollar/mile thingy - would mean I'd be paying MORE each month than if I lived inside the loop at a considerably more expensive rate ($226 more per month for driving, in fact). So I decided to keep looking, as I hadn't yet signed a lease for the palatial apartment in the Memorial area.
And I obsessively checked the Houston Area Realty website every night, hoping I'd find a gem.
Guess what?
I totally did.
It doesn't have a washer-dryer in the apartment, but there's a laundry room literally right outside my door. It's a secure access building - you have to buzz people in, and there's an alarm on the external doors, so if they're open too long, someone knows - with covered and gated parking. All bills are included, and it's 100 SF larger than my current apartment (200 SF smaller than the one in Memorial, but hey, it's also 10 miles closer to work). And it's $1000 per month.
I'm ecstatic.
It's owned by a doctor and his wife - the doctor lived in it when he finished medical school eons ago, and now they live in a larger condo near the Galleria - and they rent it out, preferably to single professionals.
I walked in and immediately knew I wanted it. It's on the third floor - of an elevator building! - with an interior entry. Because it's a third floor apartment, it has 10' ceilings, and the smallish kitchen manages to cram in TONS of cabinet space, while still leaving room for a crock-pot to cook while I'm away at work (once I buy a crock-pot, that is).
I had to sign a lease beginning June 15 - a full two weeks earlier than I'd hope for - but if I hadn't, another woman would have gotten it. I was the first person to see the apartment after it was listed, and I rented it on the spot.
So now, I've begun the task of purging my apartment of architecture studio supplies, books, and clothes that no longer fit, or are no longer how I want to dress. I took a carload of stuff - some dishes, some clothes - to Goodwill yesterday, and last weekend, I set a box of books outside my door with a sign saying "Free books! Take one! Or five!" Two inebriated young men took In the Garden of Beasts, after some very amusing conversation, and someone Monday morning cleared out all but three of the rest (so about 15 books) and scrawled "Thank you SO MUCH!" on the sign.
Always happy to share my literary treasures with others. After I'm done with them, anyways. Otherwise get your own damn books.
Time to get back to cleaning out and sorting and tossing things.
And dreaming about my new place.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
I Will Not Be Homeless, Come July
I have an apartment.
(Oh, also, the date last Sunday was highly enjoyable, so he totally made up for his initial misstep. Just FYI.)
Although I originally wanted to stay within the 610 Loop - and thus close to work - I quickly figured out that if I wanted to have 24 hr access to a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, and more than 550 SF, I was out of luck.
One of my major concerns has been finding somewhere with a rent that would financially allow me to:
1) Join a gym so I can work on getting my physical strength back up (because I can't have a post without mentioning my health, can I?)
2) Save money for a rainy day, aka a down payment for a new car (in the future, because I'm driving the Civic until it falls apart), a down payment for a condo, etc...
3) Have a little bit of mad money so I can do things like slipcover my sofa.
I ended up finding a place close to my sister and her family, however, which will make my commute 20-30 minutes in the morning. Not too terribly, and plenty of time to down a cup of coffee and eat some bacon, en route to the office.
The place I found is also HUGE. It's 960 square feet, on the second floor of a 2-story building.
I am ecstatic about not having someone stomping around overhead at all hours of the day and night.
And I have vaulted ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace that will never get used, and washer/dryer connections, so I'm reclaiming my washer/dryer from a friend who's currently using them in Dallas.
Earlier today, I put the floor plan into SketchUp so I could look at furniture arrangement. I quickly realized that the difficulty I have in my 660 square foot apartment will not be an issue in my new apartment: namely, I will have more space than I can handle.
My dining table - an antique gateleg that sits unused and unloved, folded up against a wall, at present - looks absolutely tiny in the dining room, which is 150 SF. That's twice the size of my current dining area, which is occupied by my desk and a buffet.
My living room will be over 400 square feet - it's 23' by 22', approximately. Fortunately, my desk and computer and computer chair and bookshelves will all be able to fit beautifully in the living room along with my sofa, end tables, TV and console, and chrome chair.
My bedroom is approximately 14 feet by 17 feet (all the measurements are approximate, because the floor plan I have has no dimensions, so I scaled off the width of the queen-size bed shown). That's more than enough room for my Scottish chest of drawers, queen-size bed, and bedside table.
Essentially, my apartment is going to be palatial.
And I need curtains. And possibly a bigger dining table, because it's seriously tiny, on the floor plan.
The dining table can wait, but the curtains...
See, the thing is, I already have curtains that I can use in the dining room. But the dining room is open to the living room. I can no longer buy the curtains I will use in the dining room, so that means I have to either buy curtains that intentionally don't match, or I will have to buy all new matching curtains.
What's a girl to do? Especially when she's a girl on a budget?
So I have a decision to make about the color direction in which my apartment is going - because you can't be a designer without being OCD. It looks like I'll by poring over the design scrapbooks for a few days, and probably wrangling my sister to get her opinion, while I'm at it.
At least I have two months to make a decision, right?
Right...
(Oh, also, the date last Sunday was highly enjoyable, so he totally made up for his initial misstep. Just FYI.)
Although I originally wanted to stay within the 610 Loop - and thus close to work - I quickly figured out that if I wanted to have 24 hr access to a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, and more than 550 SF, I was out of luck.
One of my major concerns has been finding somewhere with a rent that would financially allow me to:
1) Join a gym so I can work on getting my physical strength back up (because I can't have a post without mentioning my health, can I?)
2) Save money for a rainy day, aka a down payment for a new car (in the future, because I'm driving the Civic until it falls apart), a down payment for a condo, etc...
3) Have a little bit of mad money so I can do things like slipcover my sofa.
I ended up finding a place close to my sister and her family, however, which will make my commute 20-30 minutes in the morning. Not too terribly, and plenty of time to down a cup of coffee and eat some bacon, en route to the office.
The place I found is also HUGE. It's 960 square feet, on the second floor of a 2-story building.
I am ecstatic about not having someone stomping around overhead at all hours of the day and night.
And I have vaulted ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace that will never get used, and washer/dryer connections, so I'm reclaiming my washer/dryer from a friend who's currently using them in Dallas.
Earlier today, I put the floor plan into SketchUp so I could look at furniture arrangement. I quickly realized that the difficulty I have in my 660 square foot apartment will not be an issue in my new apartment: namely, I will have more space than I can handle.
My dining table - an antique gateleg that sits unused and unloved, folded up against a wall, at present - looks absolutely tiny in the dining room, which is 150 SF. That's twice the size of my current dining area, which is occupied by my desk and a buffet.
My living room will be over 400 square feet - it's 23' by 22', approximately. Fortunately, my desk and computer and computer chair and bookshelves will all be able to fit beautifully in the living room along with my sofa, end tables, TV and console, and chrome chair.
My bedroom is approximately 14 feet by 17 feet (all the measurements are approximate, because the floor plan I have has no dimensions, so I scaled off the width of the queen-size bed shown). That's more than enough room for my Scottish chest of drawers, queen-size bed, and bedside table.
Essentially, my apartment is going to be palatial.
And I need curtains. And possibly a bigger dining table, because it's seriously tiny, on the floor plan.
The dining table can wait, but the curtains...
See, the thing is, I already have curtains that I can use in the dining room. But the dining room is open to the living room. I can no longer buy the curtains I will use in the dining room, so that means I have to either buy curtains that intentionally don't match, or I will have to buy all new matching curtains.
What's a girl to do? Especially when she's a girl on a budget?
So I have a decision to make about the color direction in which my apartment is going - because you can't be a designer without being OCD. It looks like I'll by poring over the design scrapbooks for a few days, and probably wrangling my sister to get her opinion, while I'm at it.
At least I have two months to make a decision, right?
Right...
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Two in One Week!
You lucky dogs!
So, I had intended to be at a design/art fair thingy, today, but I was stood up by the fellow who asked me to go.
I do NOT take kindly to being stood up, and I kind of made that plain when he called (45 minutes after we were supposed to go to the fair) to apologize profusely and beg for a do-over, to take place tomorrow. I am making an exception, this time, and granting one.
And I will give him s*!& forever about it, if he manages not to sleep through our appointed date time (we were going to meet at his house - near the location of the fair - and I sat outside the place for 20 minutes. After knocking. And calling. And texting.)
SO.
What am I doing, instead? Reviewing my annual budget figures using the new numbers from my salary (woohoo!) and looking for places to live.
My lease is up July 9, and I don't like to leave these things until the last minute. I'm in the process of negotiating to see an apartment in Montrose on Tuesday, hopefully, that's in my budget and will allow me to make decent contributions to my 401(k), Roth IRA, and savings accounts, because I have some serious catching up to do, now that I'm leaving grad school.
Because "smart women finish rich," according to an excellent book my mom once gave me (by the same title) that helped me target my financial goals. Of course, it also caused huge anxiety when my 401(k) from 2007-2008 lost 2/3 of its value, but whatever. I'm young, right? Right...
And now, I think I'm going to work on my much neglected design scrapbooks. They're big (12" x 18"), and I miss working on them. So here I go to wreck some scissors and get my hands all sticky! Fun!
So, I had intended to be at a design/art fair thingy, today, but I was stood up by the fellow who asked me to go.
I do NOT take kindly to being stood up, and I kind of made that plain when he called (45 minutes after we were supposed to go to the fair) to apologize profusely and beg for a do-over, to take place tomorrow. I am making an exception, this time, and granting one.
And I will give him s*!& forever about it, if he manages not to sleep through our appointed date time (we were going to meet at his house - near the location of the fair - and I sat outside the place for 20 minutes. After knocking. And calling. And texting.)
SO.
What am I doing, instead? Reviewing my annual budget figures using the new numbers from my salary (woohoo!) and looking for places to live.
My lease is up July 9, and I don't like to leave these things until the last minute. I'm in the process of negotiating to see an apartment in Montrose on Tuesday, hopefully, that's in my budget and will allow me to make decent contributions to my 401(k), Roth IRA, and savings accounts, because I have some serious catching up to do, now that I'm leaving grad school.
Because "smart women finish rich," according to an excellent book my mom once gave me (by the same title) that helped me target my financial goals. Of course, it also caused huge anxiety when my 401(k) from 2007-2008 lost 2/3 of its value, but whatever. I'm young, right? Right...
And now, I think I'm going to work on my much neglected design scrapbooks. They're big (12" x 18"), and I miss working on them. So here I go to wreck some scissors and get my hands all sticky! Fun!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Hallelujah!
I saw my doctor, today, about the whole candida infection thingy. I'm doing much better (with one major/minor exception, which we won't go into here, because it's not THAT big of a deal, usually). She was very pleased, as was I.
Huzzah!
Also, I asked her, during the appointment, if I could have 1) a glass of wine with my graduation luncheon; and 2) dessert at my graduation luncheon.
The answer: yes, but give it a trial run first to make sure I don't make myself ridiculously sick.
Wait, you mean I HAVE to have a glass of gluten-free alcohol and a gluten-free dessert between now and my graduation?
Oh, damn. I was really hoping... well, okay, I was hoping that I'd get to eat a gluten-free dessert and drink booze, so...
Huzzah!!!
In other news, I've been reading, since my thesis presentation took place. And, I mean, reading a lot. I just finished reading Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, which was spooky, but not keepyouupatnight spooky (unless you're upatnight because you're addicted to the book. Melatonin took care of that, for me).
Neverwhere is about a guy named Richard Mayhew. And a girl named Door. And people who speak to rats and don't ever keep their lives on their person and hunters and bloodthirsty assassins and angels and general amazingness. Because Neil Gaiman is generally amazing.
I recommend it.
Highly.
(I also just discovered that it was a TV series in the 1990s. Crazy.)
And now, I'm reading Where'd You Go Bernadetter?, which has a chick-lit looking cover, so I never would have bought it, in the book store, if not for the fact that one of the bloggers on BoingBoing.net recommended it.
It's told through multiple viewpoints: emails, first-person narrative, etc. and it essentially involves the disappearance of one Bernadette, mother to Bee and wife to Elgin, who has some emotional issues (like severe agoraphobia), along with a virtual personal assistant in India ($30/week? Sign me up, baby!). So far, it's pretty engrossing. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it.
And now, on to plan my gluten-free dessert-fest, because I'm going to space out the consumption of dessert and booze. You know. Just to make sure...
Huzzah!
Also, I asked her, during the appointment, if I could have 1) a glass of wine with my graduation luncheon; and 2) dessert at my graduation luncheon.
The answer: yes, but give it a trial run first to make sure I don't make myself ridiculously sick.
Wait, you mean I HAVE to have a glass of gluten-free alcohol and a gluten-free dessert between now and my graduation?
Oh, damn. I was really hoping... well, okay, I was hoping that I'd get to eat a gluten-free dessert and drink booze, so...
Huzzah!!!
In other news, I've been reading, since my thesis presentation took place. And, I mean, reading a lot. I just finished reading Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, which was spooky, but not keepyouupatnight spooky (unless you're upatnight because you're addicted to the book. Melatonin took care of that, for me).
Neverwhere is about a guy named Richard Mayhew. And a girl named Door. And people who speak to rats and don't ever keep their lives on their person and hunters and bloodthirsty assassins and angels and general amazingness. Because Neil Gaiman is generally amazing.
I recommend it.
Highly.
(I also just discovered that it was a TV series in the 1990s. Crazy.)
And now, I'm reading Where'd You Go Bernadetter?, which has a chick-lit looking cover, so I never would have bought it, in the book store, if not for the fact that one of the bloggers on BoingBoing.net recommended it.
It's told through multiple viewpoints: emails, first-person narrative, etc. and it essentially involves the disappearance of one Bernadette, mother to Bee and wife to Elgin, who has some emotional issues (like severe agoraphobia), along with a virtual personal assistant in India ($30/week? Sign me up, baby!). So far, it's pretty engrossing. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it.
 |
| An American Girl doll dressed up as Bernadette, standing next to the book. Awesomeness. |
And now, on to plan my gluten-free dessert-fest, because I'm going to space out the consumption of dessert and booze. You know. Just to make sure...
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Since FOREVER
That is how long it has been since I last wrote.
And, yes, I understand that almost every one of my most recent blog posts begins with me confessing to how terrible a blogger I am. It's part of my guilt/anxiety issues. You can talk to my former psychologist about it. (Actually, no, you can't: she legally can't discuss it with you, regardless of whether you buy her a beer or not).
Lots of things have happened:
1) I began the candida (yeast) cleanse and have seen pretty good results.
2) I discovered I have a benign cyst in my brain (because I need another medical issue. No really.)
3) I was informed that I have the 2nd highest GPA in my graduating class. WOOT!
4) I got a job. WOOT WOOT!
#1 Candida Cleanse
I've been dairy-, grain-, vinegar-, mushroom-, sugar-, and soy-free for over a month, now. I think it's actually been about 6 weeks. I've completed all the anti-fungal medications I've had to take, and I feel better.
Up until about two weeks ago, though, I did NOT feel better. I was exhausted constantly, despite the cortisol and hormone supplementation, the vitamins, and the B12 I was taking. And, due to some hormonal abnormalities my non-holistic doctor noted before I began the yeast cleanse, I had to go in for an MRI to see if I had a tumor on my pituitary gland.
The good news: No tumor, and I've now met my $2500 deductible for the year (okay, the second one is only sort-of good news).
The bad news: I have a cyst on my pineal gland.
#2 Cyst on my pineal gland.
What the hell is a pineal gland? Well, it's a gland shaped like a pine cone (thus the pineal part) that regulates the body's production of melatonin. And what does melatonin do? It partially helps regulate your sleep cycle. And when does your body create melatonin? When you sleep (it's a whole big cyclical cyclical cyclical thing). When I did some research into my pineal gland and its function, I realized that its presence - and hindrance of melatonin production, because mine is large enough to be symptomatic - might be why I'm constantly tired.
Solution: supplement with melatonin. Result: feel more rested, less exhausted, and the full effects of the yeast cleanse kick in because I'm now sleeping.
Granted, I'm doing the whole "sleep four hours, awake 20-60 minutes, sleep four more hours" thing, but apparently, according to anthropologists, that's the way people are really kind of supposed to sleep. The problem comes when you stress out because you're not getting 8 solid hours of sleep. Don't stress out, just accept it, read a book, needlepoint, do whatever, and you'll go back to sleep eventually.
So, overall health: vastly improved. Migraine frequency: decreased. Energy levels: increased.
WOOT!
#3 Second-highest GPA.
I'm smart.
#4 I'm employed!
I interviewed with a large-ish local firm, and was hired. Granted, I interviewed three times - twice in-person, and once by phone - before I was hired, but still, I'm hired.
And it's a firm for which I REALLY wanted to work. And I'll be doing what I love: residential unit design.
"And the people rejoiced!"
I had hoped I'd have a week between the last week of school and my first week of work, but alas! It is not to be. I will actually be starting work on May 10, the day before my graduation (it's a Friday, which is an excellent day to kill by filling out forms and making 401(k) decisions, etcetera).
Fortunately, after my thesis presentation tomorrow (Monday, April 22, that is), I don't have a heck of a lot to do. I mean, sure, I have two papers due, but writing papers is one of the things I do best, and one of them is already (mostly) written. I just have a few graphics to create and then some blanks to fill in my paper, and the blanks are noted in bright red so I don't miss them when I'm looking at the file.
And it's a good thing that I don't have a ton of stuff to do, because I have a ton of stuff to do. I've been going through a "get this $@!^ out of my house!" phase, and as a result, I have a few bags of $@!^ piled up by my front door, mostly clothes I no longer wear - or have any desire to wear. I've even sorted through some of my books so I can purge them from my shelves.
That's how you know $@!^'s real. I have no intention of being completely altruistic and giving away all this bounty, however. Oh, no. I'm heading to Buffalo Exchange on this upcoming Tuesday to see how much I can get for that BCBG party dress, and that chiffon and lace shirt that's ten years old, looks brand new, and is WAY too big for this gal.
Did I mention I lost 10 lbs on the yeast cleanse? And that I'm considering sticking with the yeast cleanse uber-diet because I just feel better? And because I'm terrified of another candida infection? Because I totally am. Terrified. And feeling better.
Hopefully the cash from selling my clothes will be enough to help me on the route to buying an additional pair of flats, because I only really have two that I wear, and I'm afraid my favorites are getting worn out. Also, I need some pants, because I don't really have any work pants, these days.
So much to do. So much to do.
But for once, it feels nice.
And, yes, I understand that almost every one of my most recent blog posts begins with me confessing to how terrible a blogger I am. It's part of my guilt/anxiety issues. You can talk to my former psychologist about it. (Actually, no, you can't: she legally can't discuss it with you, regardless of whether you buy her a beer or not).
Lots of things have happened:
1) I began the candida (yeast) cleanse and have seen pretty good results.
2) I discovered I have a benign cyst in my brain (because I need another medical issue. No really.)
3) I was informed that I have the 2nd highest GPA in my graduating class. WOOT!
4) I got a job. WOOT WOOT!
#1 Candida Cleanse
I've been dairy-, grain-, vinegar-, mushroom-, sugar-, and soy-free for over a month, now. I think it's actually been about 6 weeks. I've completed all the anti-fungal medications I've had to take, and I feel better.
Up until about two weeks ago, though, I did NOT feel better. I was exhausted constantly, despite the cortisol and hormone supplementation, the vitamins, and the B12 I was taking. And, due to some hormonal abnormalities my non-holistic doctor noted before I began the yeast cleanse, I had to go in for an MRI to see if I had a tumor on my pituitary gland.
The good news: No tumor, and I've now met my $2500 deductible for the year (okay, the second one is only sort-of good news).
The bad news: I have a cyst on my pineal gland.
#2 Cyst on my pineal gland.
What the hell is a pineal gland? Well, it's a gland shaped like a pine cone (thus the pineal part) that regulates the body's production of melatonin. And what does melatonin do? It partially helps regulate your sleep cycle. And when does your body create melatonin? When you sleep (it's a whole big cyclical cyclical cyclical thing). When I did some research into my pineal gland and its function, I realized that its presence - and hindrance of melatonin production, because mine is large enough to be symptomatic - might be why I'm constantly tired.
Solution: supplement with melatonin. Result: feel more rested, less exhausted, and the full effects of the yeast cleanse kick in because I'm now sleeping.
Granted, I'm doing the whole "sleep four hours, awake 20-60 minutes, sleep four more hours" thing, but apparently, according to anthropologists, that's the way people are really kind of supposed to sleep. The problem comes when you stress out because you're not getting 8 solid hours of sleep. Don't stress out, just accept it, read a book, needlepoint, do whatever, and you'll go back to sleep eventually.
So, overall health: vastly improved. Migraine frequency: decreased. Energy levels: increased.
WOOT!
#3 Second-highest GPA.
I'm smart.
#4 I'm employed!
I interviewed with a large-ish local firm, and was hired. Granted, I interviewed three times - twice in-person, and once by phone - before I was hired, but still, I'm hired.
And it's a firm for which I REALLY wanted to work. And I'll be doing what I love: residential unit design.
"And the people rejoiced!"
Fortunately, after my thesis presentation tomorrow (Monday, April 22, that is), I don't have a heck of a lot to do. I mean, sure, I have two papers due, but writing papers is one of the things I do best, and one of them is already (mostly) written. I just have a few graphics to create and then some blanks to fill in my paper, and the blanks are noted in bright red so I don't miss them when I'm looking at the file.
And it's a good thing that I don't have a ton of stuff to do, because I have a ton of stuff to do. I've been going through a "get this $@!^ out of my house!" phase, and as a result, I have a few bags of $@!^ piled up by my front door, mostly clothes I no longer wear - or have any desire to wear. I've even sorted through some of my books so I can purge them from my shelves.
That's how you know $@!^'s real. I have no intention of being completely altruistic and giving away all this bounty, however. Oh, no. I'm heading to Buffalo Exchange on this upcoming Tuesday to see how much I can get for that BCBG party dress, and that chiffon and lace shirt that's ten years old, looks brand new, and is WAY too big for this gal.
Did I mention I lost 10 lbs on the yeast cleanse? And that I'm considering sticking with the yeast cleanse uber-diet because I just feel better? And because I'm terrified of another candida infection? Because I totally am. Terrified. And feeling better.
Hopefully the cash from selling my clothes will be enough to help me on the route to buying an additional pair of flats, because I only really have two that I wear, and I'm afraid my favorites are getting worn out. Also, I need some pants, because I don't really have any work pants, these days.
So much to do. So much to do.
But for once, it feels nice.
Friday, March 8, 2013
The Rundown
I haven't been blogging much lately because:
1. I'm just rereading old books
2. I'm no longer dating anyone
3. I would pretty much just be blogging about how terrible I feel all the time.
Not exactly uplifting, or anywhere near entertaining.
However, I'm getting ready to blog about my health, because I'm (hopefully) entering a new and exciting phase of recovery.
As of tomorrow.
You see, I finally found a doctor in Texas who realizes that your body's systems work together, and that you can't separate your digestive system's malfunctions from your immune system's malfunctions, because without one, the other doesn't work.
A few months ago, I went to see a gastroenterologist who pooh-poohed my explanation that my Reynaud's syndrome had improved significantly since I gave up gluten, dairy, and nightshades. "That won't have anything to do with it," he said, "Reynaud's is autoimmune: it doesn't have anything to do with your digestion."
Undoubtedly, you are now sitting before your computer or PDA or iPhone or whatever electronic device you carry, jaw on the table/lap/floor, trying to figure out how the man has a job. But here's the thing: his response is essentially the same response I've received from every doctor I've seen: the rheumatologist, the general practitioner, the pain management specialist. All of them seem to be under the mistaken impression that the body's systems function independently.
And I'm (supposedly) in the healthcare capital of the world, people!
Anyhoo, there's a doctor 45 minutes north of Houston who treats the body holistically. She has diagnosed me with a - very yucky - gastrointestinal yeast infection.
-shudder-
Granted, I suspected for a while that this was the diagnosis - I've researched the hell out of my body, because apparently none of my doctors was going to - so I wasn't at all surprised.
The doctor linked my constant state of exhaustion to adrenal fatigue, because my body is unable to create cortisol due to its constant immune battle against the yeast. (The rest of my hormones are also wonky. It's really fun. Really.)
Starting tomorrow, I begin Phase I of a 28+ day yeast cleanse.
"What the hell is a yeast cleanse?" you ask?
It's a week (or more) of eating, low-sugar/starch vegetables, nuts, and meat. Add in an anti-fungal medication and a bunch of nutritional supplements - because the yeast in my gut is interfering with my ability to digest and absorb nutrients, so I have to get them in the simplest way possible.
I can also drink protein shakes for breakfast, because breakfast is required. And like hell I'm getting up 30 minutes early to scramble eggs.
After the week (or more) of veggies+nuts+meat, I can add in 1-2 servings of fruit per day, but preferably relatively low-sugar fruits, like berries. Bananas are evidently verboten. This continues for 3+ weeks, or until the doctor says I can have a smidgen of dairy or sugar, again. But she might keep me on the strict diet for an additional 2-3 weeks, depending on my progress.
So, no refined sugars, no yeast, no cow dairy (a little sheep or goat cheese is okay), no soy (which isn't a problem), and no gluten (also not a problem).
Did I mention that I have a nutritionist on-call 12 hours per day 6 days per week, in case I have a question? And that I can call or email my nurse at any time with questions?
Because I totally can. I know. It's CRAZY.
Considering how much I've spent in the past 5 years trying to get healthy, the price tag for the treatment ($3000, including supplements, blood tests, nutritionist, the whole shebang) isn't bad.
I - and my very generous and supportive parents - think it's worth it.
1. I'm just rereading old books
2. I'm no longer dating anyone
3. I would pretty much just be blogging about how terrible I feel all the time.
Not exactly uplifting, or anywhere near entertaining.
However, I'm getting ready to blog about my health, because I'm (hopefully) entering a new and exciting phase of recovery.
As of tomorrow.
You see, I finally found a doctor in Texas who realizes that your body's systems work together, and that you can't separate your digestive system's malfunctions from your immune system's malfunctions, because without one, the other doesn't work.
A few months ago, I went to see a gastroenterologist who pooh-poohed my explanation that my Reynaud's syndrome had improved significantly since I gave up gluten, dairy, and nightshades. "That won't have anything to do with it," he said, "Reynaud's is autoimmune: it doesn't have anything to do with your digestion."
Undoubtedly, you are now sitting before your computer or PDA or iPhone or whatever electronic device you carry, jaw on the table/lap/floor, trying to figure out how the man has a job. But here's the thing: his response is essentially the same response I've received from every doctor I've seen: the rheumatologist, the general practitioner, the pain management specialist. All of them seem to be under the mistaken impression that the body's systems function independently.
And I'm (supposedly) in the healthcare capital of the world, people!
Anyhoo, there's a doctor 45 minutes north of Houston who treats the body holistically. She has diagnosed me with a - very yucky - gastrointestinal yeast infection.
-shudder-
Granted, I suspected for a while that this was the diagnosis - I've researched the hell out of my body, because apparently none of my doctors was going to - so I wasn't at all surprised.
The doctor linked my constant state of exhaustion to adrenal fatigue, because my body is unable to create cortisol due to its constant immune battle against the yeast. (The rest of my hormones are also wonky. It's really fun. Really.)
Starting tomorrow, I begin Phase I of a 28+ day yeast cleanse.
"What the hell is a yeast cleanse?" you ask?
It's a week (or more) of eating, low-sugar/starch vegetables, nuts, and meat. Add in an anti-fungal medication and a bunch of nutritional supplements - because the yeast in my gut is interfering with my ability to digest and absorb nutrients, so I have to get them in the simplest way possible.
I can also drink protein shakes for breakfast, because breakfast is required. And like hell I'm getting up 30 minutes early to scramble eggs.
After the week (or more) of veggies+nuts+meat, I can add in 1-2 servings of fruit per day, but preferably relatively low-sugar fruits, like berries. Bananas are evidently verboten. This continues for 3+ weeks, or until the doctor says I can have a smidgen of dairy or sugar, again. But she might keep me on the strict diet for an additional 2-3 weeks, depending on my progress.
So, no refined sugars, no yeast, no cow dairy (a little sheep or goat cheese is okay), no soy (which isn't a problem), and no gluten (also not a problem).
Did I mention that I have a nutritionist on-call 12 hours per day 6 days per week, in case I have a question? And that I can call or email my nurse at any time with questions?
Because I totally can. I know. It's CRAZY.
Considering how much I've spent in the past 5 years trying to get healthy, the price tag for the treatment ($3000, including supplements, blood tests, nutritionist, the whole shebang) isn't bad.
I - and my very generous and supportive parents - think it's worth it.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Books. Lots and Lots of Books... And Sexy Spies
Long story short: health problems, craziness, new treatment plan starting this Tuesday.
Okay, so on we go to talking about the GOOD parts of my life, at present (apart from playing with my niece every chance I get).
I've been feeling pretty crappy, lately, so I've been reading a lot. Because that's what I do when I don't feel bad. I read.
You're shocked, I'm sure.
Books I've read in the past two months:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Deadweather & Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey
The Little Drummer Girl by John Le Carre
The Karla Trilogy by John Le Carre
I've also read all of the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan, who also wrote the Heroes of Olympus and the Percy Jackson series.
Series. Serieses? No. Series.
Right.
The Book Thief is about a girl living in... a part of Europe occupied by Nazis... during World War II. She steals books. And those stolen books lead to a strange friendship with a Jewish refugee. Also, she's been given up by her mother, who can't afford to take care of her. And death is the narrator.
Uplifting, right? Actually, it has a happy-ish ending, so there's that, but I probably wouldn't recommend it if you're in a really deep funk.
Deadweather & Sunrise is at the other end of the spectrum, in regards to happy-go-lucky-ness. It's about Egbert - who adopts Egg as his nickname, because that's obviously better than Egbert - and his family's home on the island of Deadweather, which is a pretty awful place to live, given that its climate is about like Houston's in the summer and the only occupants other than Egbert, his dad, and his two awful siblings are a bunch of pirates in between pillagings.
And then his family flies away in a freak hot air balloon accident (yes, really).
And someone tries to kill Egg.
And there's treasure on his family's island.
Maybe.
It was a rollicking good read, regardless, and I can't wait for the next book to come out, which is why I pre-ordered it already.
The Little Drummer Girl is about spies. Sexy, sexy spies.
And Israel's Mossad. And Palestinian terrorists/freedom-fighters. And not knowing where you stand on issues.
I sincerely hope referring to them as freedom-fighters doesn't put me on some government watch list.
Anyways, I've enjoyed reading John Le Carre's books, which I hadn't done until over the summer when I went to my parents' house in Dallas. I ran out of books, so I pillaged my parents' bookshelves and sneaked off with my booty. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the one book I read by John Le Carre was the last book in the Karla trilogy. When I found that out, I bought the first two books.
The last book made a lot more sense after reading the first two.
One of the good/bad things about reading John Le Carre is that it makes me confront some of my personal beliefs in re: the world political situation. I won't go into it much, because a lot of what I believe is based on snippets of information. I'm in that grey area where I think I know what I believe, but I don't have enough information to really feel informed enough to make a strong judgment. Maybe, if I ever get around to it, I'll read more intensively on the facts surrounding a couple of historically tense issues (like the founding of Israel).
So, yeah, after reading a lot of John Le Carre, I'm not sure where I stand on certain issues.
And now, I'm rereading the Harry Potter series, because I'm at a point in the semester where I have LOADS of work to do, so I don't want to get completely sucked into a book. Since I already know how ALL of the Harry Potter books end, it's not as big an issue as it would be if, say, I was reading another John Le Carre story about sexy sexy spies.
Okay, so on we go to talking about the GOOD parts of my life, at present (apart from playing with my niece every chance I get).
I've been feeling pretty crappy, lately, so I've been reading a lot. Because that's what I do when I don't feel bad. I read.
You're shocked, I'm sure.
Books I've read in the past two months:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Deadweather & Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey
The Little Drummer Girl by John Le Carre
The Karla Trilogy by John Le Carre
I've also read all of the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan, who also wrote the Heroes of Olympus and the Percy Jackson series.
Series. Serieses? No. Series.
Right.
The Book Thief is about a girl living in... a part of Europe occupied by Nazis... during World War II. She steals books. And those stolen books lead to a strange friendship with a Jewish refugee. Also, she's been given up by her mother, who can't afford to take care of her. And death is the narrator.
Uplifting, right? Actually, it has a happy-ish ending, so there's that, but I probably wouldn't recommend it if you're in a really deep funk.
Deadweather & Sunrise is at the other end of the spectrum, in regards to happy-go-lucky-ness. It's about Egbert - who adopts Egg as his nickname, because that's obviously better than Egbert - and his family's home on the island of Deadweather, which is a pretty awful place to live, given that its climate is about like Houston's in the summer and the only occupants other than Egbert, his dad, and his two awful siblings are a bunch of pirates in between pillagings.
And then his family flies away in a freak hot air balloon accident (yes, really).
And someone tries to kill Egg.
And there's treasure on his family's island.
Maybe.
It was a rollicking good read, regardless, and I can't wait for the next book to come out, which is why I pre-ordered it already.
The Little Drummer Girl is about spies. Sexy, sexy spies.
And Israel's Mossad. And Palestinian terrorists/freedom-fighters. And not knowing where you stand on issues.
I sincerely hope referring to them as freedom-fighters doesn't put me on some government watch list.
Anyways, I've enjoyed reading John Le Carre's books, which I hadn't done until over the summer when I went to my parents' house in Dallas. I ran out of books, so I pillaged my parents' bookshelves and sneaked off with my booty. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the one book I read by John Le Carre was the last book in the Karla trilogy. When I found that out, I bought the first two books.
The last book made a lot more sense after reading the first two.
One of the good/bad things about reading John Le Carre is that it makes me confront some of my personal beliefs in re: the world political situation. I won't go into it much, because a lot of what I believe is based on snippets of information. I'm in that grey area where I think I know what I believe, but I don't have enough information to really feel informed enough to make a strong judgment. Maybe, if I ever get around to it, I'll read more intensively on the facts surrounding a couple of historically tense issues (like the founding of Israel).
So, yeah, after reading a lot of John Le Carre, I'm not sure where I stand on certain issues.
And now, I'm rereading the Harry Potter series, because I'm at a point in the semester where I have LOADS of work to do, so I don't want to get completely sucked into a book. Since I already know how ALL of the Harry Potter books end, it's not as big an issue as it would be if, say, I was reading another John Le Carre story about sexy sexy spies.
Sigh.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
All Hell Breaks Loose
After a month on the GAPS Diet, all hell broke loose (as you may have guessed from the title).
What exactly happened?
I'm not 100% sure (I'm, maybe, 99.999% sure), but I believe I have something called Histamine Intolerance (HIT).
You see, your body naturally creates histamine as part of its immune defense mechanisms - histamine is what makes your eyes and ears itch and your nose run when you have seasonal allergies. And lots of foods have histamine in them - tomatoes, avocados, raspberries, strawberries, meat and poultry and fish. Pretty much anything yummy has histamine in it.
Humans naturally create an enzyme called DAO to break down the histamine in the system - both histamine created by the body when exposed to low levels of allergens, and histamine we ingest every time we have a glass of champagne with a strawberry stuck in it (which I do daily, of course. No, not really).
So, two weeks ago - 4 weeks into my GAPS Adventure - I broke out in hives, my eyes were itching, and I was having trouble breathing. Not ohmyGodIhavetogototheERnow trouble breathing, but like I had a really bad chest cold.
In the past two weeks, I've had 3 days where that wasn't the case.
I should buy stock in whoever makes Benadryl, the way I've been going through it.
My amazing big sister sent me a link on Day 2 of my "histamine crisis" (that's the technical term for it. Yes, really), and said, "This sounds like what happened to you over Christmas," little knowing that it was happening to me at that moment, as well. It was a link to an article on histamine intolerance, and I immediately cried, "Hallelujah!" because I'd found the answer to my prayers!
Sort of.
I emailed my internist and asked her if she thought I might have histamine intolerance (since I was pretty much the poster child for the main symptoms), and she said, "What's histamine intolerance? Maybe you're just having a food allergy?"
Blargh. Yes, I am suddenly allergic to everything in the world.
The more research I did into HIT, the more I realized that the newfangled diet I was following might have been the source of the problem. You see, as part of my GAPS Diet, I'd been consuming large quantities of meat, and meat broth, and yog(h)urt. All of which have very high levels of histamine.
So.
Essentially, my GAPS Diet may have caused my histamine intolerance (which predated starting the diet, but I'd only had one previous "histamine crisis") to flare up.
For the past week, I've been subsisting on plain white rice, apples with almond butter, and occasional vegetables. The only thing that doesn't cause flare-ups is the plain white rice, though, so I'm still popping Benadryl every 6 hours and feeling like crud.
The good news is that I have an appointment, tomorrow (Friday), with an intake specialist at a center in The Woodlands that treats people with digestive and immune disorders that most doctors have never even heard about (and most of the doctors to whom I've spoken think I'm crazy when I tell them I reduced my number of migraines by giving up gluten and dairy, and that my Reynaud's Syndrome got better after I cut out gluten and dairy).
I sent in an email query to the center, and ten minutes later received a phone call.
How many times does a doctor's office get back to you within the same day, let alone within the same hour?
AND THEN they said they wanted me to come in tomorrow. So I'm going in.
I'm hopeful, but not too hopeful. I've been down so many different paths, each without really resolving my health issues, that I just don't want to get too excited only to be let down in 6 months when everything goes to hell again.
What exactly happened?
I'm not 100% sure (I'm, maybe, 99.999% sure), but I believe I have something called Histamine Intolerance (HIT).
You see, your body naturally creates histamine as part of its immune defense mechanisms - histamine is what makes your eyes and ears itch and your nose run when you have seasonal allergies. And lots of foods have histamine in them - tomatoes, avocados, raspberries, strawberries, meat and poultry and fish. Pretty much anything yummy has histamine in it.
Humans naturally create an enzyme called DAO to break down the histamine in the system - both histamine created by the body when exposed to low levels of allergens, and histamine we ingest every time we have a glass of champagne with a strawberry stuck in it (which I do daily, of course. No, not really).
So, two weeks ago - 4 weeks into my GAPS Adventure - I broke out in hives, my eyes were itching, and I was having trouble breathing. Not ohmyGodIhavetogototheERnow trouble breathing, but like I had a really bad chest cold.
In the past two weeks, I've had 3 days where that wasn't the case.
I should buy stock in whoever makes Benadryl, the way I've been going through it.
My amazing big sister sent me a link on Day 2 of my "histamine crisis" (that's the technical term for it. Yes, really), and said, "This sounds like what happened to you over Christmas," little knowing that it was happening to me at that moment, as well. It was a link to an article on histamine intolerance, and I immediately cried, "Hallelujah!" because I'd found the answer to my prayers!
Sort of.
I emailed my internist and asked her if she thought I might have histamine intolerance (since I was pretty much the poster child for the main symptoms), and she said, "What's histamine intolerance? Maybe you're just having a food allergy?"
Blargh. Yes, I am suddenly allergic to everything in the world.
The more research I did into HIT, the more I realized that the newfangled diet I was following might have been the source of the problem. You see, as part of my GAPS Diet, I'd been consuming large quantities of meat, and meat broth, and yog(h)urt. All of which have very high levels of histamine.
So.
Essentially, my GAPS Diet may have caused my histamine intolerance (which predated starting the diet, but I'd only had one previous "histamine crisis") to flare up.
For the past week, I've been subsisting on plain white rice, apples with almond butter, and occasional vegetables. The only thing that doesn't cause flare-ups is the plain white rice, though, so I'm still popping Benadryl every 6 hours and feeling like crud.
The good news is that I have an appointment, tomorrow (Friday), with an intake specialist at a center in The Woodlands that treats people with digestive and immune disorders that most doctors have never even heard about (and most of the doctors to whom I've spoken think I'm crazy when I tell them I reduced my number of migraines by giving up gluten and dairy, and that my Reynaud's Syndrome got better after I cut out gluten and dairy).
I sent in an email query to the center, and ten minutes later received a phone call.
How many times does a doctor's office get back to you within the same day, let alone within the same hour?
AND THEN they said they wanted me to come in tomorrow. So I'm going in.
I'm hopeful, but not too hopeful. I've been down so many different paths, each without really resolving my health issues, that I just don't want to get too excited only to be let down in 6 months when everything goes to hell again.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Oh, Broth-er
So.
GAPS Diet.
Yep.
I started it, and I've been uber-serious about sticking to all of the rigorous requirements: no sucrose, no gluten (easy), no soda (easy), lots of veggies, lots of fresh veggie-and-fruit juices, a few dietary supplements, lots of probiotic pills and probiotic/macrobiotic foods, and gallons of broth.
Ok, so the broth isn't so easy.
The GAPS Guru requires that all broths be homemade.
It takes A LOT of time to make broth, even if it's chicken broth, according to her requirements. For chicken broth, the broth must be simmered for 6-12 hours.
But chicken broth is a breeze compared to beef broth, which requires 12-72 hours to become "fully potent."
No, the 72 is not a typo.
Right now, there are two pots containing 7 1/2 quarts of chicken broth in my refrigerator. That's in addition to the three heads of broccoli that will soon be turned into juice, and the bunch of medium-size beets (which will turn your urine terrifyingly red and send you running to WebMD only to diagnose yourself with horrendous diseases until you remember that beets turn your urine terrifyingly red). Oh, and the organic Bulgarian yogurt I bought at Whole Foods because I spend too much time making broth to make my own sour cream or "yoghurt" or kefir, as GG demands.
I also bought my sauerkraut, because I have neither the room nor the inclination to make it on my own. GG loses again.
A girl can only do so much, you know.
Fortunately, I'm entering worlds of food that I never before imagined. I have eaten beet soup with Bulgarian yog(h)urt - which is delicious - and curried apple soup - except I substituted chili powder for cayenne because they apparently don't make organic cayenne pepper, and I forgot the cumin - and pureed cauliflower, which totally made me feel like a one-year-old. Or a ninety-year-old.
Take your pick.
On the upside, I discovered, today, that a nearby super-healthy food store makes, bottles, and sells their own fresh fruit and veggie juices, which means I might not have to make my own every day.
Hmmm... Anybody need a juicer?
GAPS Diet.
Yep.
I started it, and I've been uber-serious about sticking to all of the rigorous requirements: no sucrose, no gluten (easy), no soda (easy), lots of veggies, lots of fresh veggie-and-fruit juices, a few dietary supplements, lots of probiotic pills and probiotic/macrobiotic foods, and gallons of broth.
Ok, so the broth isn't so easy.
The GAPS Guru requires that all broths be homemade.
It takes A LOT of time to make broth, even if it's chicken broth, according to her requirements. For chicken broth, the broth must be simmered for 6-12 hours.
But chicken broth is a breeze compared to beef broth, which requires 12-72 hours to become "fully potent."
No, the 72 is not a typo.
Right now, there are two pots containing 7 1/2 quarts of chicken broth in my refrigerator. That's in addition to the three heads of broccoli that will soon be turned into juice, and the bunch of medium-size beets (which will turn your urine terrifyingly red and send you running to WebMD only to diagnose yourself with horrendous diseases until you remember that beets turn your urine terrifyingly red). Oh, and the organic Bulgarian yogurt I bought at Whole Foods because I spend too much time making broth to make my own sour cream or "yoghurt" or kefir, as GG demands.
I also bought my sauerkraut, because I have neither the room nor the inclination to make it on my own. GG loses again.
A girl can only do so much, you know.
Fortunately, I'm entering worlds of food that I never before imagined. I have eaten beet soup with Bulgarian yog(h)urt - which is delicious - and curried apple soup - except I substituted chili powder for cayenne because they apparently don't make organic cayenne pepper, and I forgot the cumin - and pureed cauliflower, which totally made me feel like a one-year-old. Or a ninety-year-old.
Take your pick.
On the upside, I discovered, today, that a nearby super-healthy food store makes, bottles, and sells their own fresh fruit and veggie juices, which means I might not have to make my own every day.
Hmmm... Anybody need a juicer?
Friday, January 4, 2013
Gap in the GAPS
Oh, Food! How wonderful and yet terrible you are!
My experiment with the GAPS Diet starts tomorrow.
In other words, I'm going to gorge on gluten-free pizza and gluten-free carrot cake, tonight.
Fortunately, after rereading the GAPS Diet's instructions, I discovered that the baby food intro portion is really mostly for people who have horrendous gut issues. I have some gut issues, but I wouldn't exactly put them in the realm of horrendous.
So I get to skip the first two weeks (hooray!) and jump straight into juices, soups, roasted or boiled meats, and baked goods.
Baked. Goods.
The baked goods are mostly made with nut flours, so almond flour (aka almond meal), or walnut flour, or whatever you prefer. Seeing as Whole Foods had almond flour in their bulk foods section, I went with almond flour, because forget having to buy a food processor - in addition to the juicer! - in order to make my own almond flour.
Ain't happenin'.
I did, however, end up buying a better roasting pan.
A couple of years ago, my sister gave me a smallish roasting pan from one of Houston's myriad restaurant supply stores. It served its purpose faithfully until...
Well, until the GAPS Guru forbade GAPS dieters from using aluminum if they can help it. This is particularly the case if the aluminum cookware in question has scratches, as that allows the aluminum to get into your food, bada boom, bada bing: cancer.
Or something like that. I'm still not convinced it's not some sort of hoodoo, but that's just me and my innate skepticism.
Unfortunately, if you don't want an aluminum roasting pan or a roasting pan covered in Teflon (because: cancer!), you have to buy either a stainless steel roasting pan or a copper one.
Have you seen the commodity prices for copper lately?
Ain't happenin'. (again)
Unfortunately, stainless steel ones are also tres cher. Or trop cher. Or something French meaning "too da*ned expensive." Nevertheless, that's what I got. I went to Williams-Sonoma, and I bought myself a smallish roasting pan to match my stainless steel saute and sauce pans.
And it was on sale. And it came with a *free* roasting rack. And it was only my second trip of the day to W-S.
W-S may be about to supplant Container Store in my affections.
Nah.
Ain't happenin',
My experiment with the GAPS Diet starts tomorrow.
In other words, I'm going to gorge on gluten-free pizza and gluten-free carrot cake, tonight.
Fortunately, after rereading the GAPS Diet's instructions, I discovered that the baby food intro portion is really mostly for people who have horrendous gut issues. I have some gut issues, but I wouldn't exactly put them in the realm of horrendous.
So I get to skip the first two weeks (hooray!) and jump straight into juices, soups, roasted or boiled meats, and baked goods.
Baked. Goods.
The baked goods are mostly made with nut flours, so almond flour (aka almond meal), or walnut flour, or whatever you prefer. Seeing as Whole Foods had almond flour in their bulk foods section, I went with almond flour, because forget having to buy a food processor - in addition to the juicer! - in order to make my own almond flour.
Ain't happenin'.
I did, however, end up buying a better roasting pan.
A couple of years ago, my sister gave me a smallish roasting pan from one of Houston's myriad restaurant supply stores. It served its purpose faithfully until...
Well, until the GAPS Guru forbade GAPS dieters from using aluminum if they can help it. This is particularly the case if the aluminum cookware in question has scratches, as that allows the aluminum to get into your food, bada boom, bada bing: cancer.
Or something like that. I'm still not convinced it's not some sort of hoodoo, but that's just me and my innate skepticism.
Unfortunately, if you don't want an aluminum roasting pan or a roasting pan covered in Teflon (because: cancer!), you have to buy either a stainless steel roasting pan or a copper one.
Have you seen the commodity prices for copper lately?
Ain't happenin'. (again)
Unfortunately, stainless steel ones are also tres cher. Or trop cher. Or something French meaning "too da*ned expensive." Nevertheless, that's what I got. I went to Williams-Sonoma, and I bought myself a smallish roasting pan to match my stainless steel saute and sauce pans.
And it was on sale. And it came with a *free* roasting rack. And it was only my second trip of the day to W-S.
W-S may be about to supplant Container Store in my affections.
Nah.
Ain't happenin',
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