MS Update - Nutrition and Ups and Downs

I had originally planned to blog about nutrition and my adventures trying to figure things out but first I am going to grumble for a paragraph or two.  Feel free to skip the grumbles.

Last week was one of the toughest ones for me since my diagnosis and going on MS meds.  Mondays are generally the most difficult day of the week for me.  I take my meds on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights.  During the week I eat pretty clean, cut out gluten and sugars, but on the weekend I allow myself a little leeway with gluten, sugar and usually on the go so not enough rest or fluids and that sets me up for what can be rough Mondays.

Last Monday I woke up dried out as usual (I hate forced heat and my humidifier just doesn’t turn itself on often enough).  I was pretty achy on top of my normal Monday medication muddle.  I just chalked it up to being a typical Monday muddled through my day.  Wednesday started the same way but this time I took some aleve to knock things back.  Wednesday night I was feeling some fatigue although not to the extent of lead arms and midday Thursday had me dragging again.  I had been sleeping poorly the last couple of months but this week I was struggling to stay up past 8:30 and getting 8-9 hours of sleep each night.  I decided to layup on Friday to rest, ate pretty clean all weekend, and finally started feeling better by Sunday.  This Monday ended up being a good Monday and while I appear to be back to nights of sleep interruptus I feel tired but human.

MS is a tough disease because outsiders cannot see it and it’s effects, and I don’t like to fixate when I feel crummy… sometimes I have to stop my forward trudge to rest.  It is hard for the people around me to know when its a good day or bad day and I feel like it puts us all a little off balance.  When I have a week like last one it is easy to get frustrated and discouraged.  I am not a negative person by nature but sometimes I have to force a smile and be more upbeat then I feel.

So on to my original topic.  I am sure I have mentioned my massive diet changes as a result of my diagnosis. I miss my glass of wine with dinner... I don't drink much since I simply don't feel up to it most nights and have been more susceptible to migraines with the MS meds triggered by things I enjoy like wine, chocolate, etc.  I have done a lot of research the last few years about nutrition and diet feeling like I needed to make a change even before I was diagnosed.  The trouble is I am a mom and a wife and sweeping changes have a huge impact on the people I love. My family have sacrificed many a loaf of bread or plate of pasta the last year and I appreciate their willingness to support my health.  

My research on the current research has shown that wheat has been so genetically modified that they have minimized the nutritional value of our mainstream flour.  Also it is a fact that the more processed the food the less healthy it is so we have made a big push towards whole, organic (chemical pharma free) foods.  We have been focusing on lean meats (salmon, chicken, tilapia).  Lots of fruits and vegetables and many we hadn’t tried before.  For our grains we have quinoa, sweet potatoes, and wild rice.  Our cookie jar is filled with nuts and dried fruit, and we have avocados with every other meal.  We are finding that our meals are still quite filling and it wasn’t a huge surprise but we are finding our meals to be more flavorful and satisfying.  We only have desert nights on the weekends.  We are learning to make some gluten free things and have finally found a loaf of gluten free bread that tastes normal.  Joe and I were just talking and we have more energy most of the time and even crave veggies when we slack off on our eating habits.

So why am I rambling on about this?  Because it is forcing my family to give up things they enjoyed.  We all eat the same meals at our house. Joshua misses macaroni and cheese.  Abby misses white rice and bread, and she seems to understand why the change is important. She even pays attention to what I eat to keep me on track.  Even so it seems like they get excited to have me out for the night because now these things are special treats for them to have when I’m not home.  Of course we draw the line at good pizza.  Good pizza is always welcome in our house... oh and chocolate too… in moderation.  As always thanks for reading.

Remembering Our Sweet Girl

Shortly after Sage came to live with us.

In August of 2013 we lost our sweet girl Sage after about 18 months of deterioration.  I realized I never shared about her here and she was a special girl worth sharing.

Always being mauled by her brother

Sage came to us from under a porch at about six weeks old when Joe and I were in grad school out in Pullman, WA.  She was an angry little white puff ball and spent her first three days behind our couch hissing and spitting when we came near.  I had not been around cats since I was a child and honestly thought of myself as a dog person until then.  I had never seen a cat spit before and she was feisty.  Eventually she tired herself out and I was able to scoop her up and set her down out in the living room.  

Aslan, our other kitten the same age from another litter, immediately took her under his wing and showed her the food and litter box.  After that he was always in her space, much to her dismay, crawling into the cat bucket with her/on her for naps.  Joe and I laugh now as we watch our new kitten Lilah do the same thing to Aslan that he did to Sage all those years ago.  But without that little guy with the huge ears we would have had a tough time with little Sagie.

She didn't warm up to us until my folks came out to Washington to visit for a week.  My mom was determined that Sage just needed some extra love and she sat with Sage on her lap for what seemed like an hour one day and that seemed to break away the last of the nervous stray in her.  She was a mamas girl but she was always shy around others and VERY leery when we added the dogs to our family.

Her princess pose

As a blue eyed chocolate point Siamese Sage was always a beauty and would strike poses that said look at me.  She has the most amazing soft fur and I loved snuggling with her and listening to her sweet purr.  When I was pregnant with our first child she would curl up with a paw on my belly at night and purr me to sleep.

Little sage loved the outdoors and while she and her brother are indoor kitties they always had a big window to sit in and watch the birds.  She loved chirping back at them when they came into view.  Occasionally we did let them out to explore while supervised and Sage always pushed the limits of gravity jumping to the top of a six foot fence or wiggling away under things.  She loved to just sit in the grass and enjoy a sunny day.

Sunny outside time

Into tight spaces

Her last big contribution.  Helping Abby with a science project.

Sagie was always a very athletic kitty and seemed to constantly find ways to get herself into trouble.  She loved to play but always on her own terms and would pounce on anything moving under blankets.   Her dad was always teasing her that way.  Even though she was petite compared to her 15 lb brother she could jump higher and father than any other cat I have known.  

One day when we were in grad school still I had a couple girl friends over to make candles and Sage and her curiousity got the best of her.  She jumped up onto the counter where things were drying and knocked over a votive.  I was pulling wax out of her fir for days.

One of my favorite pics of Sage
and Aslan at about a year old.

She was quite curious and would constantly open cabinets and pull drawers out so you could tell where she had been in a day.   I remember one very early morning about 4-5 months before she passed we had her in the bathroom because her bowel control was diminished.  Joe was up early to head to the gym and woke me with cussing because Sage had locked herself in the bathroom by pulling out some drawers.  Having had this happen before I got up and got the drawer back in but that was a rude awakening.

She was also a master hider and with her petite size she could make herself pretty small.  She was able to miss out on a vet appointment because we couldn't find her one day.  

Sage, Sagie Pooh, Poo, Princess Sage... our sweet girl.  It was hard to watch her decline in the end but I would not trade the time we had with her for anything.