It's been a long spring for me, but I'm getting back to my normal self. As a general update, here are some of the things going on, starting with details on what I have discovered about my health problems:
1. I'm learning to live with special dietary considerations and finally managing this condition. I've learned--by adding in supplements--that I was severely deficient in certain nutrients. I'm taking the supplements in lowest possible doses, since many of them can be toxic to our bodies in too high amounts even while necessary for all the various functions that take place. I'm still searching for the right balance, but at least I'm improving day-to-day.
2. As part of #1, I go in for some medical tests on the 19th that require me to go under. I'll be having an endoscopy to check for damage to the small intestines due to possible Celiac Disease. The blood test came back negative, but my doctor confirmed what I'd read and feels that a negative test doesn't necessarily mean that I'm clear. I have become highly gluten sensitive, after all.
At the same time, I'll be having a colonoscopy. I have a direct relative--a parent, no less--who had colon cancer. Given my digestive problems (which led to severe neurological issues, which are resolved through the diet and supplements), my doctor felt it would be wise to check now, even though I'm still a decade from the fifty mark, when it's recommended.
I'll let you know if they find anything, because that would be a big deal.
3. I've developed what I can only describe as a histamine intolerance. This is the reason for carefully monitoring my diet, because it does make a big difference in how I feel. If I'm not careful, I get aches, fuzzy head, fatigue, weakness, tinnitus, rapid heartbeat, acid reflux and chest pain, etc. It varies at any time, but I can keep it under control and, when I do, I feel wonderful! I'm making a list of safe, moderate, and dangerous foods by keeping a diary of what I eat, take for supplements (some have set me off), and any symptoms. This is helping me find my balance and reclaim my life, along with websites that have helped me figure this out. Everyone has their own list of safe and moderate foods, however, while foods to avoid are pretty much the same on any list--histamine-rich foods like soy, vinegar, processed meats, or anything fermented or old. Most fruits and veggies, the staple of my new diet, get tossed after three days because otherwise I have a flare up from normally safe foods.
I will see an immunologist next week to find some answers on this and make sure I don't have any severe allergies. Food intolerances are more like pseudo-allergies; easier to live with but can still be just as dangerous.
These are the root problems I've been dealing with for the last month and a half and what my life is like now. I've had to figure out a lot for myself, since medical tests only seem to rule out what isn't wrong with me. I'm otherwise healthy, relatively speaking.
We have to be our own advocates when we know something is wrong. The best medicine doesn't come in a pill, but in the foods we eat--fresh, unprocessed, and completely natural to the way we were meant to eat. This has been forced on me and it opened my eyes to a new way of looking at life.
Too much information? Well, maybe the rest will satisfy you...
4. Because I'm feeling so much better in managing all this, my creativity is blossoming better than ever. Some days I want to work on all three projects that I have open or even add in one that I have planned to write after I'm all caught up. But I've settled on a shorter work to get me back in the game and regain my focus. I'm not sure whether this one will be under my name or a new pen name--it depends how much detail I end up adding into the romance side of this SF novella.
5. I'm also getting back to promoting Awakening and finalizing edits on that.
June 28, 2015!
Preorder for the special price of only 99c (USD).
(See the links on the sidebar of this blog.)
Description:
Lilly has been marked for death by daemons from a hidden world, a
place known as the Shadow Realm. Within her has awakened the spirit of
their enemy, one of the luriel. Such beings are myths to her, but one
man is out to prove that they exist. The daemon slayer, Mychel, will
introduce her to a world of shadows and light hiding beyond the comfort
of science and technology, where ancient myths are real and an eternal
war rages on, a war in which she has now been conscripted to fight.
One daemon is doing his best to destroy her before that happens.
In human form, Darrac is able to get close to her and soon realizes
that she is different–through Lilly, an ancient power has revived, a
terrible power than can end the war…by eliminating both luriel and
daemons. But destroying that power would mean sacrificing the one who
has changed his heart.
Time is running out as the luriel within Lilly matures and her powers grow. One choice will determine the fate of two realms.
