Food Drama

It is easy for me to get down about all of the things I cannot eat or drink.  I miss those foods a lot some days, and my cravings are intense.  It is almost impossible to eat in a restaurant or at someone's house, not to mention awkward and most of the time bland. 

Foods I can't eat:
-beef, pork (cause intense chest pain like a heart attack -or how I assume it would feel to have a heart attack, difficulty breathing)
-tomatoes, peppers (cause my right side of my body to go numb/tingly)
-anything with gluten: flour, bread, pasta, rice, grains, crackers, etc. I avoid corn and popcorn too (haven't felt like "testing" it). (These things give me an awful stabbing headache, overall soreness in my body and joints, irratibility)
-nuts (haven't had the allergy tests to confirm, but some kinds give me a reaction)
-bananas (give me incredibly itchy skin and hives as of December 2011)
-caffeine: tea, coffee, chocolate (cause an intense pain in the left side of my neck that is hard to explain but if I drink a cup of coffee or bottle of iced tea, I have actually thought I needed to go to the hospital or that I was dieing)
-anything from a package that is processed (bottled dressings, sauces, etc) because it isn't "clean", and probably has gluten or an off limit food

Last weekend I was out of town for a Bowen treatment with my naturopath and I had to take my cooler with my own food (breakfast, lunch, snacks).  We had planned on eating supper at a restaurant, which causes me slight anxiety because if I haven't been there before I don't know what I will order. Sometimes it is embarassing and usually limited. We try to pick places that will offer a variety of foods, but unfortunately the restaurant we chose was lame.

I knew I would have to order a salad with chicken or fish, but was hoping for a baked potato too.  Well, this place didn't have baked potatoes so I asked for a salad (no tomatoes, peppers, red onions, nuts or dressing) with grilled chicken (no seasoning).  They didn't have olive oil or maple syrup for dressing and I forgot my own at the hotel.  I ate my lettuce, carrot, cucumber, and avocado salad with the grilled (and preseasoned) "chicken"--I hate most restaurant chicken because I swear it isn't real.  What's with the rubbery texture?  I actually only ate half and couldn't finish it because it was so disappointing and I had a  much better homemade salad in the fridge at the hotel that I would eat instead. 

My favorite food-chain restaurants that are awesome for people with allergies/intolerances are:
1) Moxie's -they are so understanding and accomodating and the chef always makes sure the food is amazing! 
2) Earl's- it is very easy to find good food here because their food is pretty "clean" already and you can order a potato, meat, veg, salad easily.
3) A steakhouse- meat, potatoes, veg.

(I am sure there are more, but I don't eat out a lot and always go back to the same places because I know I will get good, safe food)

Day 3 of Spring Break

Today I travelled 4 hours to go to Bowen Therapy. The therapist focused on the Respiratory, and TMJ moves since those are my major issues-digestive and TMJ (pain in my jaw, neck, face).  I've never had the TMJ moves before and was a little nervous after she described what she would do, but could the pain get worse?  Probably not.

I always get so relaxed during Bowen-I think I may have fallen asleep a few times!  Afterwards the therapist told me that she has never met anyone whose muscles were so bent..??? What?  And that when she walked in the room for the first time she got a hazy thing happening in the back of her head.  Hmm...okay.  And that it happened again everytime she walked into the room.  I'm not sure what she was implying other than my body is messed up and she has some "sense" of this.  It was bizarre.

I am to record everything I notice about my body for 7 days after which we will have a phone conference.  So far I have felt jaw pain, had a flushed face for a short period of time, my neck is tight/sore but that could be from travelling, my legs are sore--again could be from sitting in a truck most of the day, the front of my throat has been sore where she "massaged/pulled" the muscles, and that is about all so far. 

I am beginning to wonder if food isn't the issue, but certain foods trigger different TMJ symptoms.  More investigating will have to be done.

Highlight of my day?  Eating a great salad and grilled salmon at Moxie's (husband had a burger, of course) and then going to the theatre to see "The Hunger Games".  And like always, saw a few locals at the theatre even 6 hours away from home!

Bowen Session 2

Friday I had my second Bowen therapy session.  I was much less anxious about this one because I knew what to expect.  My therapist had some white noise playing in the room and the crashing waves of the ocean made me wish I would give in to my husband's pleas for a hot vacation during Spring Break.  I have refused to book a trip feeling as awful as I do.

This time she did a technique to help my digestive issues.  That night and for 2 days after I had a pain in my left side which occassionally bothers me depending on what I eat.  I had this pain a lot back in June and July.  Today, (Monday) it hasn't bothered me as much.  This is similar to my last session where my knee hurt for days and then the pain went away. 

My jaw has hurt since Friday afternoon (I took my grade 4 class sliding and went down the hill quite a few times-maybe we hit too many bumps!) and seems to get worse after I eat.  The chewing aggravates it. I also haven't had my jaw readjusted at the chiropractor since February 6 since I can't do Bowen and other types of therapy at the same time. 

I haven't noticed any other reactions to the Bowen this time.  My next appointment is Friday! 

Bowen Therapy

So on Friday I had my first Bowen Therapy session as recommended by the naturopath.  I had no idea what Bowen Therapy was and everything I read about it was pretty vague. But I have an open mind and will try anything to feel better.

First I had a short consultation with the therapist who asked lots of questions. I had spoke to her prior to my appointment so she had some background knowledge so this didn't take long. 

Then I went into a small, dark room and got out of my clothes down to my bra and underwear, and layed on a massage bed.  The therapist came in and made small light movements on my ankles, then left.  She came back a few minutes later and did something similar on the backs of my knees, then left.  This continued as she made her way up the back of my body, and then she did the same for the front of my body.  My session was around an hour long, and I was pretty relaxed by the end of it.  It was nothing like having a massage and I now know why it is so hard to explain what Bowen Therapy is.

She had told me to be aware of how my body felt and responded during the session.  The only thing I really noticed was my left knee, which I had hurt doing Zumba, was sore and the pain travelled from the knee and down my leg. 

I was instructed to drink lots of water, walk around often, and wait. 

That night I woke up around 3 a.m. and my legs had felt like I had had an intense leg workout at the gym. It is two days later and my knee is still really sore all of the time, whereas before the Bowen treatment it only hurt occassionally. I haven't had any jaw pain or tingles since though-could the Bowen have helped this?  I hope so! 

I go for my second appointment this Friday so I will keep documenting how I feel.

To learn more about Bowen Therapy check out this site: http://bowencanada.ca/