Tag Archive | celiac disease

Foods That Help me Feel Better

Aug22

What foods can I eat?
Maybe we better talk about what I can't eat first.

   Everyone wants to know — I get questions and emails all the time saying: What can you eat?  How did you do it?  How in the world did you lose over 110 pounds? 

So, today I thought it would be appropriate to talk about what foods I do not eat because this plays such an important part in living with Fibromyalgia.


The Three Biggest Problem Foods For Me!
Wheat – Soy – Milk

Below You'll Find Some Photos of Foods Which Contain Gluten
But… Unfortunately There are Many More!

t1larg.gluten.foods.gi  

Okay…. okay, I'll admit it.  At first this new way of eating was HARD!  I thought I couldn't do it.  I wondered what I would be able to eat.  Nothing?  Well, that's what I thought as it's what you are probably thinking too!  

   But… OH MY GOSH!  This has changed my life! 


Truthfully, God changed my life through my new "healthy" life style and through the marvelous doctors my husband and I found who knew immediately what was killing me (yes, you did hear me right), and who knew what immediate and major changes I needed to make in the foods I ate .

You see, I was born with Celiac and that is what caused my fibromyalgia.  Celiac is a severe allergy to many – well… most of the foods I was eating when I got sick. As I kept eating them, the sicker I got.

Celiac affects the large intestines.  There are little extensions on the inside wall of your intestines which are called "villi."  These villi stick our and move around to grab hold of and absorb fat, vitamins, nutrients, and minerals from the foods you consume.  With celiac, these villi are flat against the wall of the intestines, so they cannot absorb any of the nutrients you need to survive – to be healthy – and to flourish.  I was hardly surviving at all, and I certainly was not healthy in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

Thank You Lord!  I am as healthy as I can be while still fighting fibro and celiac – as I will for the rest of my life.  I began starting to to flourish at the "young" age of 60…feeling better than I had felt since I was 29 years old!  And, it is all because of what I eat (and some natural supplements). 

These are the foods that I COULD NOT eat when I started this new lifestyle!

NO Gluten (wheat, barley, oats, Aramanth and glue on envelopes – don't lick it!)
NO Lactose (milk, cheese, yogurt)
NO Soy (soy is in everything… even coating some of the medicines you take)
NO Dairy
NO Canned Foods
NO Processed Foods
NO MSG
NO Sugar
NO Eggs
NO Tomatoes – or only very little

I have now been eating this way for almost 8 years.  I have been able to add back some dairy, like cheese on salads, and sometimes in a casserole, or even in gluten free pizzas.  I have now added back an egg for breakfast every morning.  Before the diet, I had a stomach ache every morning of my life.  I didn't know it was from eggs until I left them off…

I do eat bread every day, but it is bread that I make in my $10.00 yard sale bread machine.  Pamela's bread mix which is made from rice flour.  I buy this from Amazon and make it a couple of days a week — because my husband is now wheat free also.  (His arthritis got better when he left off wheat.)  I eat pasta, macaroni, spaghetti, etc. made from rice flour also.  If you were to come to dinner at my house, you would not know that you were eating gluten-free!  We can eat pizza which I make using Kinnikinnick gluten free or Udi's gluten free pizza crust.

 I I now know that I will probably NEVER eat soy again!  Turns out it made me VERY sick.  This really didn't show up until I had been off gluten for a month or so.  That's okay…. I truly can live without gluten and soy for the rest of my life — more than happy to, as a matter of fact!  With some of these other foods, I sneak a little every now and then, and although I don't feel great afterwards, but I am not deathly ill.
 

Below You'll Find Some Photos of Foods That are Really GOOD for you!

GOOD FOODS FOR YOU

 The above food are great to eat!  Fruits, greens, nuts, legumes and many more options can literally change your life!

HEALTHY FRUIT

If you have fibro or celiac… or even think you have this, try eating as healthy, natural, and organically as possible.  This was not a disease, or even a problem 100 years ago.  Do you know why?  They didn't have all of these chemicals, preservatives, and insecticides in their foods then.  A good rule of thumb is; if you couldn't find that food 100 years ago… then don't eat it now!  Simple, huh?

 The weight loss?  Well, obviously I was overweight from being sick for so long.  I didn't change my way of eating to loose weight.  I changed my way of eating to be happy and healthy and to be able to enjoy my life and my family again.  The weight loss was a plus…. an amazing plus!  When I first began this new way of eating, I went down to an 8 petit!  Never been that small in my life – even as a child.  lol  But, now I have gained some of that weight back.  There are starting to be too many gluten free cookes, cakes, and muffins on the market now which taste REALLY good.  So it is a constant battle for me to leave those off!

Until next time…. think healthy, happy, and be very grateful that you have a chance to change your health and your body just as I did! 


Blessings & Smiles… Nancy  

  

   

It’s Not About Me

Nov27

"It's Not About Me" By, Nancy Alexander

Sing Until The Whole World Hears…

My heart is overflowing this morning.  We just got home from church a little while ago.  Our pastor talked about… "It's Not About Me."  And, it is not.  It is about you – everyone who has been sent into my path.  And something else was mentioned this morning during the sermon:  "Sing Until the Whole World Hears…"  That's what I want and need to do!  Well, not necessarily sing, because in spite of all the gifts I have been blessed with, singing is not one of them!  But, I want to use my voice, which is my God-given talent, to encourage you by introducing you to color, design, and the opportunity to learn to make something beautiful with your own hands. So, I will sing, so to speak, as I encourage many of you (who are burdened with chronic diseases, depression, and a lack of direction and joy in your lives) by singing as loudly as I know how.  This way I can get my message across to those of you who are in pain and need encouragement!  NOW, THAT IS WHERE I CAN SING! 

Lately, my husband and I have felt like God is definitely leading us on His path.  It is a very curvy path so we can't see too far ahead.  It is dark in places, and all we can see is God's hand reaching out to us motioning us to follow Him.  We are following with 'blind' faith, but we are DEFINITELY following.  And, we will follow wherever and whenever God leads us.  We thought by now that we would know exactly where this path leads.  We have some idea, because of the brokenness we have both experienced in these last few years.  God has reached down into "our pit" and has pulled us out of pain and suffering.  He has held us and has opened our eyes to such beauty, joy, and splendor – more than we could have ever imagined.  I feel it is now my/our responsibility to help those who contact me daily wanting to know how to do what I do while dealing with a chronic illness.

 

God has Richly Blessed us in So Many Ways!

 

Our own experiences with 'brokenness' are what we fall back on when we tell others:  "We understand, we have been there, we can help you."  Our 'beautifully broken' lives were put back together by His own hands.  In so doing, He has equipped us to be able to help and encourage others whose lives are broken right now.  But, sometimes, this means we need talk about our past problems and our secrets.  We need to share the circumstances of our brokenness – you know, the things you really never want to talk about with anyone else.  He is definitely leading us in a specific direction on this path of His!  He will give us strength, He will give us courage, He will reach out to us and hold on tightly as we put our 'trust' in Him.  We read His word, pray, and listen with open hearts searching for his voice – "His Leading".  But in spite of our searching, we have still not been able to discern exactly what His will is for us.

And…We are SO Richly Blessed With Family!
 

At 61 years old, we now feel like so many years of our lives were taken up battling the insidious diseases of Fibromyalgia and Celiac.  These diseases struck early in my life, which means I have fought them for over 30 years.  They not only attacked my physical body, they were also attacking our marriage and our family at the same time.  I researched and I was the first to diagnose what was wrong, after being sick for 15 years, but it was not until around 5 years ago that God led us to a marvelous, Christian specialist.  If I had not received help when I did, I probably would not be on this earth today — or, if I was, I would most certainly be in a wheel chair.  That is what my doctor has told me.  She literally said to me that 90 to 95% of people suffering what I have would be dead by now.  Hearing that has definitely made a difference in the way we both feel about life, and our purpose here upon this earth!

A desperate woman in tears called me at home yesterday.  This was like so many other calls and emails I receive — sometimes every single day.  She has MS, as well as another serious health problem.  Her grown daughter lives at home with her because she needs a kidney and is also in very serious shape.  This woman is married, her husband has a full time job, but he still will do all he can to help his wife and daughter enjoy happy, productive lives.  She says she and her daughter are just "waiting to die".  They have no hope, they have no joy, they have no happiness, they have nothing to look forward to.  She cannot work.  She thinks every day; "What can I do?"  What can I do to bring some joy into my life?  What would my body be able to do?  Anything, Lord, anything???

Oh… this touches my heart deep within my soul!  I was there!  I know how she feels!  I remember having hope for the first few years as I prayed day after day for healing.  But, year after year, as time went on, my hope and my determination were gradually disappearing.  I couldn't take care of my children.  I felt like such a failure as a mother and a wife.  I prayed every day.  I pleaded with God; "Please God, please…show me what I need to do!  Please lead me to a doctor who understands that I am really sick and is willing to try to find out what is wrong with me.  Please give me a heart that is filled with joy and happiness as I look around at my beautiful family wanting to enjoy a 'normal' life with them.  Please give me some way to make extra money to help pay our mounting bills.  Please help me to use my artistic talents to do something, or to make something beautiful.  When each day is over, I want to feel like I have been the BEST mother I could be.  I want to feel like I have been the BEST wife I could be.  And, I want to have been able to do something creative with my hands — something that brings a smile to my face as well as to other faces that is proof – proof that Nancy was here today, that she lived her life today as best as she possibly could, and that she created something beautiful that proves she was here!"

As I was talking to this lady on the phone yesterday, she told me she wanted every product that I offered.  She had just joined our coaching club (www.BestOfNancy.com), and she wanted all of my DVDs, my "Secret Vendor List", and my wreath-making easel.  She and her daughter were SO VERY excited that they had finally found something they thought they could do that would really bring joy to each day.  Her husband was willing to figure out a way they could each work standing and sitting as needed.

I say over and over in just about everything I write that my goal is to make a difference in the lives of others as I teach them a hobby that has made such a difference in my life.  I want to give to 'you' a reason to get out of bed in the morning…to wake up with such a start of anticipation that you just cannot lie in bed, no matter how bad you feel.  Your brain starts thinking.  This makes your body be energized as it is filled with thoughts of something special you can do that day!   YOU CAN DO THIS!  Even in my weakest, darkest times, I could find a few minutes, then a few hours, and then even days when I could got my mind on something fun and exciting, I then the energy followed!  YES, YES, YES… YOU Certainly Can do this too!

This morning as I sat in church, my husband and I both felt touched by God at the same time.  We then got a glimpse of the path we are supposed to be on.  That doesn't mean it will be easy — but we were never promised that life would be easy.  We were only promised that God would always be with us – beside us.  He has been beside me/us all along as we have been on this painful journey.  We now know that we have traveled this journey so that we could help, encourage, and sympathize with others who are now on this journey.

Technically, I still have Fibromyalgia, and will always have Celiac Disease.  I eat exactly what I need to eat on my Celiac diet.  I take the supplements my Dr. says will help and even cure my body.  We are SO BLESSED!  Please let me encourage you and teach you to do something in your life which will bring a smile along with a sense of accomplishment!  And, together… "We Will Sing Until The Whole World Hears…"

Hope When You’re Physically Down

Nov4


"Hope When You're Physically Down" By, Nancy Alexander

Beauty in Nature CAN Inspire Hope…

How do you keep going when you're physically down?  I keep getting asked this question over and over.  WOW, where do I start? 

First of all, there is one thing that I find really helps me and I encourage you to do this too.  I want to encourage you to appreciate the beauty found around you today in a smile, in nature, and in those who are dear to you.  I have learned through my own chronic illness that the things I always thought were the most important in this life really aren't.

"I am only passing through this moment…"  ~Beth Moore~

Chronic Illnesses are as severe a problem for you as they were for me.  Pain was the main focus of my life for so many years.  It colored the way I thought and felt, and reacted to the world around me.  I had to learn this the hard way.  I used to beg and plead with God;  "Please show me what I need to do – please show me what I need to change – please teach me the lessons I need to learn – I will do anything to only get well or even better."  God, in His wisdom knew that the lessons I needed to learn came only with time.  As always, He sees "Eternity" and we see "right now".


Picture I took recently of a Night blooming Cereus at my neighbor's home.

It is hard to see the beauty in a flower, a sunset or sunrise, or even a loved one's eyes when you are suffering in silence.  It is hard to think of doing something that would make your day productive when it is clouded with this "thing" which has such a deep, dark hold on you.  It is hard to see the needs of others when your own pain is first and foremost in every single day.  God used this to mold me and shape me and prune me.  All of these were painful experiences, but I truly believe He did this so that my heart would be one that would 'break' for others.  I see your pain, I feel your pain, and I sincerely want to do anything I can to relieve your pain and make your life joyful!

The answer for me was, and is God!  I don't know where I would be today without all of the miracles God worked in my life.  I do know that I would not be sitting here at my computer writing to all of you, my friends, students, and faithful followers were it not for God and all the Miracles 'He' has performed in my life.  For example, all of the "Professionals" who were finally able to diagnose and treat the causes of my chronic, debilitating illness.  This illness was so bad that when we built our home 12 years ago, my husband and our builder decided to make every doorway 3 feet wide because they thought I would very quickly need that space to maneuver a wheelchair through each.  I didn't find this out until about 3 year ago.  And, no, I no longer need that wheelchair that I used to be forced to use from time to time.

I am speechless when I think of the people who were sent into my life to encourage, uplift, inspire, diagnose and help me to heal.  My friend and mentor, Jim Cockrum and I have talked about this many times calling them "Divine Appointments".  You may not believe in them, but I certainly do.

I don't want to push my faith on you knowing that every person has their own beliefs, but in telling a story of me; "Beautifully Broken Me" as my friend Molly Alexander writes in her blog, I cannot forget the obvious and must share with you how I got to this point in my life.  That's what many of you have been asking me all these years.  I do believe God has led me on a path for many years for a specific purpose, and that is to be able to help and encourage YOU!

"By picking up the pieces of a broken life and putting them back together, a person cannot help but be changed.  This change is a beautiful thing that results in a deeper understanding of others and their situations, and gives us a chance to share our experiences with them, showing them that there is a way out – a light at the end of the tunnel."


"I believe that I have not just been broken, but put back together by God in a beautiful way – a way that I could have never imagined on my own."  ~Molly Alexander~

Molly has expressed my own thoughts and feelings in such a beautiful way.  Isn't it amazing that I can now see, live, and enjoy the beauty around me?  I am blessed every time I look into my husband's eyes and see how much he cherishes me.  I am blessed when our home is filled with our boys, their wives, and our four precious grandchildren running around calling "Mimi come outside and play with me." "Mimi do you have a surprise for me?"   "Mimi, read to me."

God has used over 30 years of pain and brokenness to bring me to this place; this moment, where I am right here and right now.  He brought me here for a very specific reason and that is to be an encourager of those of you who are suffering and in pain!  There TRULY is hope!

Fibromyalgia… The Cure Begins!

Jan3

"Fibromyalgia" By, Nancy Alexander

The Cure Begins…

I ended my last post in December, 2010, after telling you of the many struggles and pain Fibromyalgia brought into my life.  So, here I am now…the third day of a new year…so many changes…so many things are different.  I – Nancy Alexander – have a new life and an unbelievable, overwhelmingly happy one at that!

 

It seems very appropriate to start this New Year – 2011 – with a story of
healing, peace, joy, miracles, pain relief, and happiness as well as thoughts of "I can" instead of "I can't"!

I can even play in the snow with Lucas & Ava now!

Even my dreams for the last 30-plus years have been filled with visions, as well as nightmares, of what I cannot and would not ever be able to do.  Well…No More!!  Thank You God!

I am a different person!  I am being healed from Fibromyalgia — the disease which has no cure — and I am doing things with my family and my husband that I thought I would never be able to do or enjoy again!  I am enjoying life!  I am working hard at my business!  I am traveling again for the first time in many years.  I can go somewhere and sit for longer than 30 minutes!  I can go to movies with my husband!  And — best of all — I can go to church at my husband's side every single week!

 

To be able to go on vacations again — to the beach — the mountains — anywhere we want to go!  These are experiences I thought I would never be able to enjoy again!  The possibilities are now endless.  I can go up steps again.  I can walk on a treadmill.  We go to concerts, college football and basketball games.  I no longer have to sit at home while my husband enjoys these without me!  I can, and do, go with him!!

 

Our marriage and our love has been rejuvenated because a sickness such as the one I had kills the closeness between a husband and wife.  It almost killed us…we almost didn't make it.  This insidious disease came very close to ending our marriage of 38 years before we came across my "cure".  I know you may have heard about cures before but when you researched and read more about these "claims", their answers were just not what you were desperately searching for.  There really was no healing and no renewal of life, body, and soul.

  

 

I am writing this post today…January 3, 2011…to tell you a different story — a true story — one with a happy, pain-free and joyous ending. 

 

 

It all begins at the end.  God allowed me to sink to the bottom of the "pit" with no hope of a better life.  My husband and I no longer had a life together.  We were strangers in the same house growing further and further apart with each passing year.  Neither of us could understand my illness with all of its debilitating pain and strange peculiarities.  How could Steve understand what I was going through when I couldn't even understand it myself to explain it to him?  And then God reached out His hand to me and my husband — pulling us out of this "pit".  God is using this experience now in both of us.  We will cheerfully and "blindly" follow God's leading anywhere for any reason – as long as it is "His path".  

This blog, my website, and our story are reaching people from all over the world; people who are in pain and have no hope.  Well, your hope is within God.  He has poured His miracles down upon us by giving my husband a new heart, and a new understanding, along with an undying – cherishing, forever-after kind of love!  And me – well, I have a new healthy body along with courage built on a determination and strength that I never knew I posessed.  These miracles have left us both "speechless"!  But, at the same time, we are certain that miracles such as these cannot be "hidden" or "kept quiet".  This is a very painful, and personal story…but one that we feel God wants us to share with those who are desperately searching for the answer in their painful lives. He is using our time in the "pit" to help so many others.  So…that is why I am revealing so much of our journey to you.

 

 

I had put myself into the hands of so many doctors — dedicated, intelligent doctors, who could not help because they knew so little about Fibromyalgia.  But my first breakthrough was with a nearby women's hospital physician, who specialized in Fibromyalgia.  I found her myself and made an appointment.  She gave me a firm diagnosis — "yes, you definitely have a severe case of Fibromyalgia".  Then she wanted to try the same old drug regimen that every other doctor had tried, but nothing really new to offer.  I had the same reactions to these medicines again just as when I had tried them before…and eventually I gave into the fact I had been avoiding…she could be of no help to me!  I finally realized any relief…any cure…would come from my own determination and research — so my journey began!


 I was lucky to finally switch to our neighbor as our family doctor.  On my first visit to him, he told me up front, "You know much more about Fibromyalgia than I ever will.  I don't totally agree with everything you think may be causing your illness, and I don't totally agree with some of supplements you believe are helping you, but I am willing to treat you, refer you to any doctor you want to see, send you anywhere you want to go, and try any drug which your research leads you to believe might help."  I have always appreciated his friendship, his honesty, and his willingness to try things with me…he is still our doctor and a very good friend.

 

Now, let's move forward to what I consider the first of two turning points in my life, when I finally began finding help and answers!

 

My research saved my life.  It led me to a specialist in Atlanta, Georgia.  This endocrinologist practiced medicine about 2 hours from my home.  He is an older doctor – a very sweet man – whose specialty is diabetes and also Fibromyalgia, because he suffers from it himself.  I called his office wanting to know if he would do a phone consultation with me.  At that time — which was in May of 2006 — I could hardly ride in a car for 30 minutes.  So, I knew I couldn't make the two hour ride to Atlanta, Georgia.  He did agree to a phone consultation. 

    

This doctor with a strong faith in God, a kind manner and his knowledge was the first step in saving my life!  He understood everything I said; he understood all of my symptoms; and he understood why I was not getting better.  He even understood something I had noticed years before; that I had become extremely chemically and environmentally sensitive to everything.  Even cleaning supplies had to be chosen carefully.  Some clothes and materials literally hurt my body.  I had stopped wearing scented perfume or lotion – sometimes having to leave church or other event because someone sat near me with perfume or cologne on which made me ill.  Many smells and chemicals made my muscles much worse.  Weather changes such as storms or higher barometric pressure made me feel like I had been run over by an eighteen-wheeler!  I had even begun to notice that certain foods were a problem for me too, but I HAD NO IDEA…LITERALLY NO IDEA…THE PART THESE FOODS PLAYED IN MY ILLNESS!!