Caffeine free and okay with it

What a difference a few days can make.

Today marks exactly a week that I haven't had coffee. Headaches are gone, sleepiness is gone, I feel pretty good actually. I had one diet Pepsi this past week, but then figured that soda probably wasn't all that great for reflux, so I've avoided that as well.

I read that fatty foods can cause problems with heartburn, and I really haven't done too bad in that department ... I ate some chips with a sandwich (that had horseradish/dijon mayo on it ... have you had this yet? Delish ... Kraft makes it), and I was fine. Though I don't think I'll be ordering fries any time soon.

One thing I have also avoided is sugar. I know. Where did this new Sheri come from? But remember in my last post I had eaten ice cream and had pain? I think the most sugary thing I've eaten since vacation was a bowl of Raisin Bran Crunch. Oh, no wait ... I had a mini Snickers at work. But still ... I made Rice Krispies treats a few days ago and didn't eat any of them. I was running late for work and thought about just grabbing a Pop Tart and throwing it into my bag for later, but I felt my stomach acid gearing up to give me trouble at just the thought of eating a sugary Pop Tart. So, I took the time to put some shredded wheat in a baggie and took that instead. 

((should I be using generic sounding names, like "crisp rice treats" and "toaster pastry"? I'm seriously not trying to do product placement, it's just happening.))

There was a plate a jumbo chocolate chip cookies in our break room and I walked right on by and filled up my water bottle. So, yeah, I feel good. It's kind of like my body has forced  me to finally make good choices and to eat only until satisfied, or risk nausea and nasty pain. I feel like a normal eater, taking time to evaluate my food choices a bit and really listening to my body rather than just shoving food and treats down my gullet. I'm being more thoughtful when it comes to food, by which I don't mean I'm buying my lunch flowers and telling it how nice it looks ... I'm just putting more thought in how I eat.

And the refreshing thing is that I'm not restricing what I eat in order to lose weight. I haven't even considered that at all. That always feels like such deprivation, forgoing what I really want to eat in order to see a number on a scale go down. Right now, some of the things I used to eat have the possibility of causing me great discomfort, and it's not worth it. 

Oh, and that acid reducer that shall not be named? (That's my shout out to HP in honor of the final movie.) I'M OFF IT! I was SO sick and miserable while I was on it, it was awful. My doc is supposed to contact me on Monday, and I'm hoping that I can talk him into letting me see what I can do by avoiding any triggers and (hopefully) losing weight. 

An entire blog post about my health condition? I'm getting old.

Okay ... I'll turn off my Toshiba laptop now, brush with Colgate Total, then lotion my hands up with Bath & Body Works lotion before calling it a day. Thought I'd end with a few more brand names.

I'm right there with you, Adam





The end of an era?

Hope everyone (all three of my followers) had a great 4th!

Got back from a family vacation late Friday afternoon, and I've been milking the "I'm on vacation" excuse for everything all weekend, from ignoring housework and indulging in a book to eating lots of treats.

Now, Monday looms and it's back to business.

The week before vacation, I started (again) a daily dosage of omeprazole for gastric reflux. I had been having horrible pains in my chest (an endoscopy a few years ago revealed an esophageal hernia) and I noticed I had a sore throat and raspy voice - from acid, I wondered. So, I got back on the Rx. I stopped taking it earlier in the year because I got really bloated and gained some weight after previously losing almost 10 pounds. Vanity. It's a pain in the chest.

So, I started taking the drug again - then, I was so nauseated and I felt bloated after eating and I was tired and just generally felt unwell. I looked up symptoms for bloating and found an article that just happened to casually mention bloating as a symptom for ovarian cancer. So, my anxiety-riddled brain freaked out because I looked up the symptoms for o. cancer and I had so many of them:

• Bloating
• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Digestive symptoms: Constipation, increased gas, indigestion, lack of appetite, nausea and vomiting
• Sense of pelvic heaviness
• Swollen abdomen or belly
• Unexplained back pain that worsens over time
• Vaginal bleeding
• Vague lower abdominal discomfort'
• Weight gain or loss
• Source: http://www.healthline.com/adamcontent/ovarian-cancer?marinid=s2kwS7NFl#ixzz1RlbixYgA

I went through a little freak out before common sense knocked on my head and called out, "Is anyone home?" When I looked up side effects of omeprazole, many of the same digestive symptoms came up, which was what was bothering me the most. I mean really - I start taking a Rx and that's the same week I suddenly have ovarian cancer?

I really need to stop Googling stuff like that.

Anyway, I was so sick, but thought I'd stick with it, maybe the symptoms would ease up after awhile. But then on vacation, I was afraid to take it, because who wants to be bloated and nauseated on vacation?

I stopped taking the acid reducer (my poor body doesn't know if it's coming or going), but I noticed that in the mornings, I was still so very nauseated. Okay, this isn't the part of the post where I announce a surprise pregnancy. Because wouldn't that be a kick in the pants. No ... I put two and two together and wondered if it was my beloved morning coffee that was making me so sick.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my morning coffee. No matter what my day looks like, that first sip of coffee in the morning is THE BEST. I've had coffee in the morning every day for probably about the last 25 years, save for my pregnancies. I had cut back quite a bit in the past five or so years, from drinking it all day to only having two cups in the morning, maybe one later in the day.

On Friday I decided to forgo my coffee. I had a killer caffeine withdrawal headache, but I felt okay otherwise. Saturday and Sunday, again, no coffee, and I felt pretty good, not even much of a headache.

Of course, I've overeaten, though I'm not sure if it was my vacation state of mind or compensation for not having coffee. I also felt SO tired, both days falling asleep on the couch for about 1/2 hour in the late morning. Was that no caffeine or was that too many carbs? Not sure.

I indulged in some ice cream tonight, and right now I'm having that chest pain. That's either my beloved carbs/sugar or I need to get back on the meds.

My point is (Hurray! She's gotten to a point!) maybe all my disordered eating is why I'm suffering now from these types of things. Maybe bombarding my systems with too much food or too much sugar have just thrown everything out of whack. I'm in my 40s now, so there's about 30 years of eating havoc I've wreaked on my body, mixtures of starvation, binging, purging, overeating, sensible and healthful eating ...

How depressing ... 30 years, and the majority of it not "sensible and healthful."

This is normally the time I'd begin being mean to myself and scolding myself ... "See? Physical problems. Is that enough to make you want to eat right? You've got to stop being such a glutton. You're probably killing yourself; is that what you want? Fine example for your kiddos."

<sigh> But I'm not going to do that. I'll wake up tomorrow (eek! in less than six hours), forgo coffee, start my acid reducer again, and eat "right." Smaller portions. No desserts. See how I feel.