But it sure is sweet in football. :)
Ohhhhhh yeeaaaaah! Cop that Dorks! After four years of crap from their supporters, I'm gonna party!
GO EAGLES! Kings of the West again! :)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Of Course I'm Going To Blog About It
I don't advocate revenge normally....
But it sure is sweet in football. :)
Ohhhhhh yeeaaaaah! Cop that Dorks! After four years of crap from their supporters, I'm gonna party!
GO EAGLES! Kings of the West again! :)
But it sure is sweet in football. :)
Ohhhhhh yeeaaaaah! Cop that Dorks! After four years of crap from their supporters, I'm gonna party!
GO EAGLES! Kings of the West again! :)
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Big Fish in Small Ponds
When I was at high school in Albany, I grew accustomed to being one of the better English and Drama students.
Boy, did I get a rude awakening when I went to uni. Suddenly I was surrounded by people who were equally as or more talented than I was. I struggled with the anonymity of going from a high school of 1,100 and a town of 30,000 to a city of 1.5 million. It was only by the grace of God that I didn’t throw in the towel. I stuck at it and I think I improved in my craft.
My brother has two failed attempts to relocate to the big smoke long-term behind him. His first attempt in 2005 lasted five months. His second from 2008-2010 was more successful, but ultimately he couldn’t hack being a nobody in the crowds. He was used to being asked to participate in things and being known to everyone. In Perth, nobody thought he was any more special than anyone else. He didn’t like being a small fish in a big pond.
In the last few years, I’ve been wondering why people from Albany, or Dalwallinu, or any town really, consistently complain that where they live is a ‘hole’, ‘boring’ or that they just can’t wait to move away....but they never do. Surely it makes sense that if you hate where you live that much, the logical answer is to move away.
But I think they never do because they secretly like being ‘somebodies’ in that small town. They like having friends around them, having everyone know their name, being asked to be involved in different things. They might live in a hole, but at least it’s familiar and comfortable.
I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with preferring the country over the city, or even living your whole life in one place. But, personally, I think it would do some people a heck of a lot of good to move away to somewhere where they are not that special and nobody knows them. Then it might make them realise how difficult it is to be the new kid on the block, and that they need to welcome the stranger.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The Pendulum: A God of Justice and of Mercy
To be honest this kind of annoyed me. Not because so many people were posting the same thing (although my news feed was very boring that day) or that they were jumping on a bandwagon without checking its credibility (though that too was annoying). I understood the sentiment behind it, and I do agree, but I thought these actions were ill-timed.
I wonder how many of those people, who were so quick to condemn the Americans for celebrating, have lost a loved one as a result of terrorist activities? Or stood by and watched someone who murdered their loved one get a very lenient sentence? No, I'm guessing many of those people have no idea what it feels like. I'm guessing many of them have never been victims of heinous crimes, been persecuted and stood by helplessly as justice did not prevail.
Personally I thought the wild celebrations in the US were over the top. I'm not disagreeing with many of the Facebookers there. What I am saying is that if we were in the shoes of people who had lost family and friends on September 11 2001, we might feel differently. We might actually feel glad that the world has one less evil and dangerous person in it. Many people feel a sense of relief and even gladness when paedophiles or serial killers are sentenced justly. We shouldn't be so quick to judge.
I'm still really not sure how to feel about Bin Laden's death. I don't think his death will signal the end of terrorism. I certainly don't think the US is perfect, and I don't like the way the Australian government is so quick to jump into bed with them (although I guess having large borders and a small population makes us vulnerable). I still wonder why the US took ten years to find Bin Laden. How many civilians have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq because of their 'War on Terror'? I certainly don't think the US is any more a Christian nation than Australia is. Part of me is glad Bin Laden is dead, but part of me grieves that he was so evil in the first place and that anyone (either him or his victims) had to die. I don't want to celebrate the death of one person, yet I also believe that God is a God of justice. (That doesn't mean I think the US killing Bin Laden is an act of God's justice - that's something we will never know).
This whole scenario got me thinking about a sermon series on Revelation Duncan and I listened to a couple of years ago. That's why I chose yesterday's Bible verse. Here we have God's people crying out to Him for justice - people who have been persecuted for their faith. I know this is not the same as terrorism and the Bin Laden situation, but it does raise questions about why we get so uncomfortable about God being a God of justice, but have no problems with Him being a God of mercy. A couple of years ago in Bible study, we read Psalm 139 where David asks God to bring judgement on his enemies:
If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. (Psalm 139:19-22)
I do feel uncomfortable by David's strong words, particularly the word 'hate'. But David is not asking God to smite these people for his own sake - these people are not just rising up against David, they are against God.
Many people say we are not to judge others, and that is true - God is the judge. But there is a difference between passing a sentence on them, and calling a spade a spade. We are all sinners, but that does not mean it is wrong to acknowledge that Bin Laden was an evil man.
Does God love Osama Bin Laden? Yes, the same as He loves Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, Mugabe and many other cruel dictators. Ezekiel 18:23 says: "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" God was not gloating when Osama Bin Laden was killed. Proverbs 24:17 says: "Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble." We have been given the difficult commandment to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). God does not get His jollies out of condemning people - He'd much rather they repent, turn from their sin and follow Him. But He is a God of justice. He sees people's pain. He is angered by sin. He will one day call everyone, including you and me, to account.
I have a problem with signs like this:
Not because it isn't true - but because it is inappropriate. Yes Jesus loves Osama (as inconceivable as that might be), but tact is needed and this does not take into account the hurt and suffering people have endured. It just ends up dividing people and causing more pain.
We celebrate God being a God of mercy, and rightly so. We rejoice that Saul of Tarsus, who once persecuted Christians, was saved and transformed by God into the apostle Paul who took the gospel to what is now modern day Europe. We marvel that God can change hearts and lives - no matter what the person has done. I am glad He had mercy on me.
But we should see the cross as not only an act of mercy, but of justice. God did not overlook sin when He let the guilty go free - Jesus, the innocent one, stood in our place. Our earthly justice systems may fail us, but God is just and we should be glad this is so. He sees the tears, He sees Christians being persecuted and crying out, "How long, Lord?" He does not forget. He does not overlook sin as if it doesn't matter that much.
I do have mixed feelings about the whole Bin Laden situation. But I think that we should remember that many of us have not walked in the shoes of those who have suffered because of terrorism before we start relentlessly quoting 'Love your enemies'. And while rejoicing may not be the right response, we can thank God that He is a God of both justice and mercy.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Bible Verse of the Day
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who have been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
Revelation 6:9-10
Revelation 6:9-10
Friday, May 06, 2011
Mean Mums
This appeared in the local paper in Dalwallinu last year. With Mother's Day in just two days time, I thought this might encourage all of the mums out there.
Even though I'm not a parent, I do have a mother, and looking back I'm grateful that she was a 'mean mum'.
Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them as my Mean Mum told me:
I loved you enough....to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough...to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won too. And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them. Was your Mum mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world!
While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs and toast.
While others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.
And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had too.
Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.
We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vaccuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then life was really tough!
Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.
While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.
Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalising others' property or even arrested for any crime.
It was all her fault.
Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mum was.
I think that's what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean mums!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO MY MUM AND ALL THE MUMS OUT THERE.
Even though I'm not a parent, I do have a mother, and looking back I'm grateful that she was a 'mean mum'.
Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them as my Mean Mum told me:
I loved you enough....to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough...to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won too. And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them. Was your Mum mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world!
While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs and toast.
While others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.
And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had too.
Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.
We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vaccuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then life was really tough!
Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.
While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.
Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalising others' property or even arrested for any crime.
It was all her fault.
Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mum was.
I think that's what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean mums!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO MY MUM AND ALL THE MUMS OUT THERE.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
30 Pictures
Ever since I saw Allie from It's A Wonderful Life do this, I've been meaning to as well.
Here goes....
2. A picture of you
3. A random photo of you and your significant other
4. An old picture of you
5. A picture of something that makes you happy
7. A picture of a person you miss
8. A picture you've never posted on your blog before
My friend Rachel and I trying on kids' sunnies in Kmart (don't we look special!) - Feb 2006
13. A picture from a place you love
16. A picture of the best day of your life
17. A picture that always makes you laugh
18. A picture of your spare time
19. A photo from a great night
20. A picture of the people closest to you
21. A picture of someone you always have a good time with
22. A picture of your parents when they were around your age
23. A picture from last summer
24. A picture of your closest friend of the opposite sex (not your significant other)
26. A picture of an accomplishment
27. A picture of your closest friend
28. A random picture from Photobooth
Ok so it's not Photobooth, but you have to admit it would make a darn good Photobooth photo hehe.
29. A photo that makes you smile
Hehe Amanda's light fitting hat and Taryn's veil always crack me up.
30. Someone you will never let go of
Here goes....
1. Someone you spend a lot of time with
2. A picture of you
3. A random photo of you and your significant other
4. An old picture of you
5. A picture of something that makes you happy
6. A picture of your siblings
7. A picture of a person you miss
8. A picture you've never posted on your blog before
My friend Rachel and I trying on kids' sunnies in Kmart (don't we look special!) - Feb 2006
9. A picture of people who knew you then and know you now
10. A picture of your favourite place
 |
| Frenchman Bay (near Albany) |
11. A person you can tell anything to
 |
| My amazing friend, Sarah |
12. A picture of your everyday life
 |
| Life on the farm |
13. A picture from a place you love
 |
| MELBOURNE! :) |
14. A picture that reminds you of good times
 |
| Christina and I at my 16th birthday |
15. A class photo
 |
| Year 7 (1995). I'm in the front row, third from the right |
16. A picture of the best day of your life
17. A picture that always makes you laugh
18. A picture of your spare time
 |
| My blog hehe |
19. A photo from a great night
 |
| My parents are officially weirdos! |
20. A picture of the people closest to you
21. A picture of someone you always have a good time with
 |
| Mandyman! :) |
22. A picture of your parents when they were around your age
 |
| My parents' wedding - 13th April 1974 |
23. A picture from last summer
24. A picture of your closest friend of the opposite sex (not your significant other)
 |
| Mine and Dunc's great mate Craig (married to Sarah) |
25. A picture of your favourite vacation
Our honeymoon in Tasmania. Getting to meet Freddo at the Cadbury factory in Hobart was a highlight.
26. A picture of an accomplishment
27. A picture of your closest friend
28. A random picture from Photobooth
Ok so it's not Photobooth, but you have to admit it would make a darn good Photobooth photo hehe.
29. A photo that makes you smile
Hehe Amanda's light fitting hat and Taryn's veil always crack me up.
30. Someone you will never let go of
 |
| The Lord Jesus (He will never let go of me) |
If you have a blog, why not have a go :)
Photos 16, 20 and 27 were taken by our wedding photographer, Justine Stevens.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Life With AS
In my post The Back Verdict I mentioned that after a blood test and an X-ray, the cause of my chronic lower back pain was revealed to be a form of arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitis.
This post is to reveal a little bit about how my life has changed since then. I'm not trying to be a sad sack or a drama queen - many people have far worse types of arthritis! This is just my story.
Now that I have reliable internet at home, I've been doing a lot more research on the condition. My doctor (who actually has AS himself) encouraged me to read up on it, but not scare myself with stories of ending up as a hunchback. The condition is manageable if I take care of myself. He put me onto a type of anti-inflammatory called Celebrex and told me to do lots and lots of exercise. So that's what I did. I took my drugs, I played tennis three times a week, went walking with one of the girls on the farm, and attempted Pilates from a video I bought at an op-shop. One positive thing that happened was that my tennis ability improved greatly. Due to more limited movement, I had to make sure my shots were accurate. I started playing in a pennants competition in Kojonup and ended up with a 6-1 singles record with my only loss being in a tie break. This has NEVER happened before! I think my last singles victory was in high school so it has definitely been a long time between drinks!
AS is a genetic form of arthritis. A professor in the UK made the discovery that 95% of patients with AS have a genetic marker called HLA-B27. People with the HLA-B27 gene are prone to conditions such as AS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (which I fortunately don't have) and others. It doesn't mean that everyone with that gene will develop one or more of those conditions, but we are more prone to it. AS usually starts in your twenties and usually affects men more than women. But I was about to discover more...
I was going along pretty well, finally getting uninterrupted sleep at night until Duncan and I went to our friend Rina's 30th. There we caught up with Duncan's cousin, Liz, and her husband, Chris. During one of our conversations, I mentioned that I had AS and Chris told me he was also HLA-B27 positive. He told me he had been managing his pain by following a low starch diet which he had learnt about through this book:
Lunch - Gone are the sandwiches, Cruskits, pasta or rice. Now I have salad and lunchmeat such as salami, ham or tuna.
Dinner - The book actually contains a lot of very good recipes which I've been trying out. Basically I can have any kind of meat (as long it has no batter, crumbs or most sauces on it) and vegies. But it has been a hard slog to say goodbye to sausages, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, rice....Oh I feel sad just thinking about it :(
In a nutshell I've swapped a diet high in carbohydrates for a diet high in protein. I can have meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables and eggs. But I still have to check the packets on everything. Packet-checking has now become a part of life as has carrying snacks such as dried apples, apricots, sultanas and flaked almonds (whole almonds are disgusting) wherever I go. I've started cooking my own biscuits and muffins but with almond meal instead of flour.
Explaining why I am on this diet is actually harder than the diet itself! I will attempt to explain why starch is bad for me in my own words. Basically, AS is auto-immune. My white blood cells not only attack foreign objects, they also attack my own body. The pain often starts following an infection by a bowel microbe called Klebsiella. Here is a quote from a website I have found to be helpful, KickAS.org
When one eats large amounts of starchy foods (bread, potatoes, cakes and pasta), the Klebsiella bacteria feed on it, multiply and then the immune system of the patient makes antibodies against the microbe and some of those antibodies will also have activity against HLA-B27 and against collagens in the spine and uvea, thereby acting as tissue damaging autoantibodies - hence the need to ABSTAIN from these foods.
Since the mesentery of the bowel is attached to the front of the lumbar spine, it is inevitable that BACKACHE in the lumbar area will be a feature of AS.
Since most people (myself included) don't really have much of a clue about what contains starch, having meals at other people's houses or at cafes/restaurants is proving to be a nightmare! I really hate putting people out, but I have to take care of my own health. In hindsight, God was preparing me for this by bringing a number of people into my life who have food allergies or need to adopt particular diets for a variety of reasons. I have a friend who is vegetarian so I try to cook a vegetarian meal when she comes to visit. An ex-workmate is a coeliac so I used to buy gluten-free flour and bake cookies with it so she didn't have to miss out on afternoon tea at work meetings. I know a number of other people who are gluten or lactose intolerant and another friend of mine is on a low amine diet because she gets migraines. I always tried to be compassionate to these people and they thought I was amazing for thinking of them when cooking. But, honestly, there's nothing amazing about simply being considerate of others. Now I find myself in the same boat, I would like the same consideration shown to me.
But it's not easy to get people to understand. One of the common myths I've had to 'bust' is that I need gluten-free alternatives. I am NOT a coeliac! Gluten has no bearing whatsoever on my condition. The low starch diet is actually a lot worse than being gluten-free! There are aisles in supermarkets dedicated to gluten-free products. I can't have any of them because I can't have ANY kinds of cereals - wheat, barley, rye, maize, corn. I also can't have soy or lentil products.
Some people have looked at me quizically like they think I'm a freak or I'm just trying to be difficult. Others don't really take the diet seriously and say stuff like, "Oh you can have just a little bit." They don't understand what it's like to wake up in pain. But most people have been encouraging when I explain that I'm trialling a diet-controlled method rather than a drug-controlled one.
I'm going to be trialling this diet for at least three months and then see if I can add a few things back. It's really a process of elimination.
Some days I think the diet is really not that bad. Believe it or not, I can still have soft drinks, chocolate (as long as it doesn't have caramel or any fillings), some lollies, alcohol and some icecreams. And I've lost 3kg!
Other days I think of cake, biscuits, Twisties, pasta, rice, bread and I just want to cry, knowing this diet could very well be for the rest of my life.
I keep telling myself to keep my chin up and focus on the positives.
This post is to reveal a little bit about how my life has changed since then. I'm not trying to be a sad sack or a drama queen - many people have far worse types of arthritis! This is just my story.
Now that I have reliable internet at home, I've been doing a lot more research on the condition. My doctor (who actually has AS himself) encouraged me to read up on it, but not scare myself with stories of ending up as a hunchback. The condition is manageable if I take care of myself. He put me onto a type of anti-inflammatory called Celebrex and told me to do lots and lots of exercise. So that's what I did. I took my drugs, I played tennis three times a week, went walking with one of the girls on the farm, and attempted Pilates from a video I bought at an op-shop. One positive thing that happened was that my tennis ability improved greatly. Due to more limited movement, I had to make sure my shots were accurate. I started playing in a pennants competition in Kojonup and ended up with a 6-1 singles record with my only loss being in a tie break. This has NEVER happened before! I think my last singles victory was in high school so it has definitely been a long time between drinks!
AS is a genetic form of arthritis. A professor in the UK made the discovery that 95% of patients with AS have a genetic marker called HLA-B27. People with the HLA-B27 gene are prone to conditions such as AS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (which I fortunately don't have) and others. It doesn't mean that everyone with that gene will develop one or more of those conditions, but we are more prone to it. AS usually starts in your twenties and usually affects men more than women. But I was about to discover more...
I was going along pretty well, finally getting uninterrupted sleep at night until Duncan and I went to our friend Rina's 30th. There we caught up with Duncan's cousin, Liz, and her husband, Chris. During one of our conversations, I mentioned that I had AS and Chris told me he was also HLA-B27 positive. He told me he had been managing his pain by following a low starch diet which he had learnt about through this book:
The diet involves cutting out foods high in starch such as pasta, bread, cereals, potatoes and rice (and more). My initial thought was Thanks, but no thanks. Adopting a diet devoid of my favourite foods sounded like a descent into some kind of food hell! Chris very kindly bought me a copy through The Book Depository and arranged for it to be sent to me so I could make up my mind whether it was something worth pursuing. When the book arrived less than two weeks later, I flicked through it and immediately became very depressed. I had doubts whether years of taking Celebrex would be very good for my body, but I didn't think I had what it took to adopt a low starch diet for the long haul. I mean, let's face it - so MANY things contain starch! I didn't even really know what starch was. Most people tend to confuse starch only with carbohydrates. It just happens that many starchy foods are also high in carbohydrates.
I've now been on the low starch diet for over three weeks. I'm not going to lie...it's hard going! I went to the doctor and he reckons I have nothing to lose by stopping using my medication and trying the diet. So far I've been pretty much pain free! I've come to realise just how starchy my diet actually was.
Here's an example of my daily diet:
Breakfast - Instead of cereal and toast, I now have fruit and yogurt and occasionally bacon and scrambled eggs or an omelette.
Dinner - The book actually contains a lot of very good recipes which I've been trying out. Basically I can have any kind of meat (as long it has no batter, crumbs or most sauces on it) and vegies. But it has been a hard slog to say goodbye to sausages, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, rice....Oh I feel sad just thinking about it :(
In a nutshell I've swapped a diet high in carbohydrates for a diet high in protein. I can have meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables and eggs. But I still have to check the packets on everything. Packet-checking has now become a part of life as has carrying snacks such as dried apples, apricots, sultanas and flaked almonds (whole almonds are disgusting) wherever I go. I've started cooking my own biscuits and muffins but with almond meal instead of flour.
Explaining why I am on this diet is actually harder than the diet itself! I will attempt to explain why starch is bad for me in my own words. Basically, AS is auto-immune. My white blood cells not only attack foreign objects, they also attack my own body. The pain often starts following an infection by a bowel microbe called Klebsiella. Here is a quote from a website I have found to be helpful, KickAS.org
When one eats large amounts of starchy foods (bread, potatoes, cakes and pasta), the Klebsiella bacteria feed on it, multiply and then the immune system of the patient makes antibodies against the microbe and some of those antibodies will also have activity against HLA-B27 and against collagens in the spine and uvea, thereby acting as tissue damaging autoantibodies - hence the need to ABSTAIN from these foods.
Since the mesentery of the bowel is attached to the front of the lumbar spine, it is inevitable that BACKACHE in the lumbar area will be a feature of AS.
Since most people (myself included) don't really have much of a clue about what contains starch, having meals at other people's houses or at cafes/restaurants is proving to be a nightmare! I really hate putting people out, but I have to take care of my own health. In hindsight, God was preparing me for this by bringing a number of people into my life who have food allergies or need to adopt particular diets for a variety of reasons. I have a friend who is vegetarian so I try to cook a vegetarian meal when she comes to visit. An ex-workmate is a coeliac so I used to buy gluten-free flour and bake cookies with it so she didn't have to miss out on afternoon tea at work meetings. I know a number of other people who are gluten or lactose intolerant and another friend of mine is on a low amine diet because she gets migraines. I always tried to be compassionate to these people and they thought I was amazing for thinking of them when cooking. But, honestly, there's nothing amazing about simply being considerate of others. Now I find myself in the same boat, I would like the same consideration shown to me.
But it's not easy to get people to understand. One of the common myths I've had to 'bust' is that I need gluten-free alternatives. I am NOT a coeliac! Gluten has no bearing whatsoever on my condition. The low starch diet is actually a lot worse than being gluten-free! There are aisles in supermarkets dedicated to gluten-free products. I can't have any of them because I can't have ANY kinds of cereals - wheat, barley, rye, maize, corn. I also can't have soy or lentil products.
Some people have looked at me quizically like they think I'm a freak or I'm just trying to be difficult. Others don't really take the diet seriously and say stuff like, "Oh you can have just a little bit." They don't understand what it's like to wake up in pain. But most people have been encouraging when I explain that I'm trialling a diet-controlled method rather than a drug-controlled one.
I'm going to be trialling this diet for at least three months and then see if I can add a few things back. It's really a process of elimination.
Some days I think the diet is really not that bad. Believe it or not, I can still have soft drinks, chocolate (as long as it doesn't have caramel or any fillings), some lollies, alcohol and some icecreams. And I've lost 3kg!
Other days I think of cake, biscuits, Twisties, pasta, rice, bread and I just want to cry, knowing this diet could very well be for the rest of my life.
I keep telling myself to keep my chin up and focus on the positives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)