...to bring you the play by play, blow by blow gruesome details of the 28 day detoxifying diet I am on.
You know how I said I was taking an interesting new route with my health? Well, I am officially on that route. After nearly two years of being too tired and short of breath and worn out to be the mom, wife, and woman I know I can be, I have finally taken the advice of my trusted primary care dr, who for over a year has encouraged me to see a holistic MD their office knows well. My dr told me flat out that they refer patients to this holistic doctor when western medicine doesn't seem to help, and those patients get better. OK. Persuasive. But...really?
I admit...I scoffed. I scoffed for a year. I told my dr flat out that any place that uses the words "colon" and "cleanse" in the same sentence was NOT a place for me. But Dr. Holistic (as I will call him from here on out for privacy reasons) even came recommended from specialists at Vanderbilt. Hello! Vanderbilt! But still...really?
I have learned a lot over these last 20 months. I have seen some great doctors (my primary care doctor rocked), and I have seen some doctors who were total tools. (Honestly. One doctor actually started "googling" things as she guessed what could be wrong...could I not just do that myself at home and keep the copay????) It has been a frustrating process, and one of my greatest frustrations is that no one could really step back and look big picture. Each -ologist checked their area of expertise, but I couldn't get anyone to put the pieces together and help me formulate a plan to feel better.
I'm not sure I ever will get the one, true "answer" for what has happened to my health. I know I am better than I was when this all started. I also know that I have hit a plateau where my body just can't heal totally. And it should. I believe my body, under the correct circumstances, should be able to heal itself. Right now, it can't.
So after hearing Dr Holistic's name mentioned about five times and talking to two level headed, non hippie, non hemp wearing friends who are patients and have had great results, I took the plunge and had my first appointment on Monday.
Oh how my world will be rocked.
I won't go into all the details right now, but I walked out of that office thinking this guy may just "get it". He isn't a guru, but I think finally someone understands when I say that my body is worn out, and I need help getting it back to normal. I would cringe every time a well meaning -ologist would tell me that maybe I was just out of shape. No. Out of shape is struggling to run like I used to. Being out of breath walking up our half flight of stairs is what us plain speaking folks call "being done". I knew I wasn't supposed to feel like this, and I knew there had to be a way to get well, but I didn't know how. I think Dr. Holistic is going to help me learn the how. And we are starting with a 28 day detoxifying diet. (More details to come on this great "adventure"...)
So I have decided to chronicle this new attempt at wellness. I think (I know!) it is going to be hard and life changing, but let's face it - it has already been hard being too tired, and I have already had to do "life changing" to just get by. So I think I am ready.
I think.
I want to try and use this blog to share how I am doing, what I am feeling, and how things are going. I am willing to say up front that I am nervous about the changes that are inevitably going to take place. I have no misconceptions that this is going to be easy or necessarily fun. I have no idea what the "health" blog entries will look like (but don't worry - I will throw in some cute stories about the boys and a few pictures now and again to keep things fresh!). My goal is to be as authentic about this process as possible.
So...here we go.
A brief disclaimer: I get that not everyone will agree with the choices I have made and will make in regards to my health. I totally understand any skepticism people may have about seeing a holistic doctor. I get that this is going to seem strange and perhaps some of the things I do will be unconventional. I hear you. Consider yourself heard. I am interested in lively discussion, and I will answer any questions any of my readers have (both of you). But if you are looking for a place to be unkind or critical when it comes to my personal health decisions, please pick a different blog entry or a different blog altogether on which to comment. Thanks.
You know how I said I was taking an interesting new route with my health? Well, I am officially on that route. After nearly two years of being too tired and short of breath and worn out to be the mom, wife, and woman I know I can be, I have finally taken the advice of my trusted primary care dr, who for over a year has encouraged me to see a holistic MD their office knows well. My dr told me flat out that they refer patients to this holistic doctor when western medicine doesn't seem to help, and those patients get better. OK. Persuasive. But...really?
I admit...I scoffed. I scoffed for a year. I told my dr flat out that any place that uses the words "colon" and "cleanse" in the same sentence was NOT a place for me. But Dr. Holistic (as I will call him from here on out for privacy reasons) even came recommended from specialists at Vanderbilt. Hello! Vanderbilt! But still...really?
I have learned a lot over these last 20 months. I have seen some great doctors (my primary care doctor rocked), and I have seen some doctors who were total tools. (Honestly. One doctor actually started "googling" things as she guessed what could be wrong...could I not just do that myself at home and keep the copay????) It has been a frustrating process, and one of my greatest frustrations is that no one could really step back and look big picture. Each -ologist checked their area of expertise, but I couldn't get anyone to put the pieces together and help me formulate a plan to feel better.
I'm not sure I ever will get the one, true "answer" for what has happened to my health. I know I am better than I was when this all started. I also know that I have hit a plateau where my body just can't heal totally. And it should. I believe my body, under the correct circumstances, should be able to heal itself. Right now, it can't.
So after hearing Dr Holistic's name mentioned about five times and talking to two level headed, non hippie, non hemp wearing friends who are patients and have had great results, I took the plunge and had my first appointment on Monday.
Oh how my world will be rocked.
I won't go into all the details right now, but I walked out of that office thinking this guy may just "get it". He isn't a guru, but I think finally someone understands when I say that my body is worn out, and I need help getting it back to normal. I would cringe every time a well meaning -ologist would tell me that maybe I was just out of shape. No. Out of shape is struggling to run like I used to. Being out of breath walking up our half flight of stairs is what us plain speaking folks call "being done". I knew I wasn't supposed to feel like this, and I knew there had to be a way to get well, but I didn't know how. I think Dr. Holistic is going to help me learn the how. And we are starting with a 28 day detoxifying diet. (More details to come on this great "adventure"...)
So I have decided to chronicle this new attempt at wellness. I think (I know!) it is going to be hard and life changing, but let's face it - it has already been hard being too tired, and I have already had to do "life changing" to just get by. So I think I am ready.
I think.
I want to try and use this blog to share how I am doing, what I am feeling, and how things are going. I am willing to say up front that I am nervous about the changes that are inevitably going to take place. I have no misconceptions that this is going to be easy or necessarily fun. I have no idea what the "health" blog entries will look like (but don't worry - I will throw in some cute stories about the boys and a few pictures now and again to keep things fresh!). My goal is to be as authentic about this process as possible.
So...here we go.
A brief disclaimer: I get that not everyone will agree with the choices I have made and will make in regards to my health. I totally understand any skepticism people may have about seeing a holistic doctor. I get that this is going to seem strange and perhaps some of the things I do will be unconventional. I hear you. Consider yourself heard. I am interested in lively discussion, and I will answer any questions any of my readers have (both of you). But if you are looking for a place to be unkind or critical when it comes to my personal health decisions, please pick a different blog entry or a different blog altogether on which to comment. Thanks.
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