Howdy Katie and Michelle! Yurp, gotta love the Leo, eh
So I have been busy for months! This is a good thing, and speaks well to my levels of health and well being, but in the spirit of honesty, I will tell the whole story.
The Good:
I have improved even further still from my last update six-ish months ago, with some detours. I managed to start my own home-based pet portrait painting business and do much better than expected, and actually meet the deadlines for the demand right up to Christmas. I could never have done that in the last few years until now. I am also starting another business as a live event painter and building that up slowly. This is very exciting!! And I feel confidently up the the task. Yes, there are things I need to work out and streamline, including how I pace myself, but these are all workable things. I also am managing to exercise fairly regularly.
The Bad
The PsA and the psoriasis are still simmering under the surface, albeit much quieter and with less bite than before. I have fully accepted that I am managing this, not curing it, and that there will always be times where it flares up. If I do not take care of myself on MANY LEVELS, I will feel bad, simple as that.
The Ugly...
During a busy time in my Holiday Portrait Making, I got some scalp psoriasis. I was undoubtedly under stress (good stress, but stress nonetheless) and was not taking great care of myself for a couple of weeks. I ate on-plan, but too much, I did not sleep enough and I did not leave the house or exercise barely at all. Not good!
Things I Have Observed:1A)
Hormones play a HUGE part in my flaring cycles. Specifically:
a) ovulation=noticeable inflammation for 2-3 days
b) PMS/PMDD=mild inflammation/muscle stiffness/water retention for 10-15 days
c) period=quite high pain and fatigue for the first day, day-and-a-half.
1B)
I can significantly manage hormonal balance, and therefore flare-ups, through: a) daily early morning walks in natural light for at least 20 minutes
b) eating lowfat, that is, no more than 1.5 oz nuts/seeds daily (sometimes I overdo the nuts, seeds and avocado without gaining weight BUT now I know how I pay the price)
c) avoiding overeating fruit (this little piggy can eat 8 bananas in one day, ignoring the tortured squealing of her tummy-tum-tum) and limiting fruit primarily to low-sugar fruits like green apples, kiwis, pomegranates and berries.
d) GOING TO BED BY 9:30 AT THE LATEST CONSISTENTLY. So important for me. Cannot understate the need for sleep. Also throw in a nap any day I feel I need it and I can do it.
e) Getting regular exercise. For me this means walking at least half an hour daily, even if it is broken up into chunks of 10 or even 5 minutes, stretching daily, and very slowly and gradually weight training a couple of times a week, aiming for consistency over gains. Throw in some water aerobics or H2O yoga in a fancy-pants heated pool and we are golden
2A) If I react to a food, or overeating a food, I won't feel the effects until the second day, not the first day, after eating it. So I won't wake up the next day miserable, I will feel it the day after that.
2B) I can eat one half to one banana and be fine. I cannot eat 5-8 bananas and feel fine. Within two days I will feel very un-fine. But only for a day if I sleep, rest, and eat well accordingly.
3) It is important for me to get outside regularly, in fresh air, and sun if it is available. I do not feel as well without that, and my skin will get slightly itchy and flaky, which I take as a psoriasis prelude.
4) I am less and less likely to show a reaction to a food I test, although overeating certain foods (bananas, I'm looking at you!) can cause a reaction. So when I test a food, I test in reasonable amounts first, wait a bit, then try unreasonable amounts to know if it is a "regular" food, or an "occasional" food. I like to have as much variety in my diet as possible, to avoid getting a reaction to my staples after so long on the ED.
Lastly, I have been exploring a Feldenkrais-related movement system called
Hanna Somatics. Out of the blue I recalled that an old camp friend had terrible fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome when he was 19, which continued on and responded to nothing until it finally resolved through doing some kooky exercises when he was 24 or 25. So I sent him an email asking what the kooky stuff was and he told me the skinny.
It is pretty cool. I have been doing the very easy
Cat Stretch daily and it is transforming the way I move and feel in my body. I plan to talk more about it later, after I have done it for awhile.
So all in all, that's that!
by nicoles » Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:33 am 
