Chelsea Clinton having a vegan gluten free wedding!

Wow I think this is really awesome. Just getting the info. out there and educating them that gluten free vegan stuff does not have to taste terrible.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38474741/ns/today-foodwine/

I sprung a leak

Seriously. Can dealing with Chiari get any weirder? Oh yes, yes it can!

Yesterday I woke up with a terrible pressure headache. I'd slept part of the night on a recliner and managed to smash the back of my head in. I could feel the back of my head didn't seem quite right, plus I had the feeling of a vise around my entire head and my eyeballs felt ready to pop out of my head!! I get these pressure headaches now and then, and they are really hard to get rid of. Sometimes I'll take a migraine pill (even though they aren't really migraines) and that will help. Also my upper vertebrae were very unstable. My neck LOOKED crooked. It felt like it needed to adjust so I'd stretch one way and it would pop loudly. Then later I'd stretch the other way and more loud clunks. Well when I woke up and had this terrible feeling I noticed my ear seemed wet inside. I stuck a tissue in my ear and a few drops of liquid were seen. I realized I SPRUNG A LEAK!

I wonder if something about the plane trips to and from Baltimore jammed something up inside my brain and is causing more pressure issues? I felt very similar in Baltimore, like my eyes were ready to pop out. I'm going to see the cranio-sacral lady tomorrow. I hope she can get things lined up again. Nuts, I tell ya.

Is MSG aggravting your allergies? Plus, D-Hist

http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.viewArticle/articleId/1415

There are a significant amount of people who avoid foods that contain MSG for various reasons - allergy sufferers may be the latest to join this group. A Johns Hopkins University study revealed that MSG may actually increase the activity of a protein in the nervous system that makes allergy sufferers more sensitive to irritants (i.e. make allergies worse!) If you suffer from food allergies or other seasonal or environmental irritants, you may benefit from an MSG free diet.

I could not agree with this article more. It seems allergies are a big part of my issues. I feel soooo much better without MSG! In addition I was trying a natural antihistamine called D-Hist. When I first started the D-Hist, I took a LOT of it. At first I didn't know if it was doing anything, but then I realized that I went a week and a half without a headache! To test, I stopped taking it and my sinuses instantly stuffed up. So yes, avoiding MSG and taking D-Hist really seems to help my allergies and pain. There are several different brands of D-Hist; you can find it in any health food store! I found it under the name "Quercezyme-Plus" under the Enzymatic brand. But it seems that the Nettle/Vit. C/Quercetin/Bromelain and some sort of amino acid (L-cysteine) is the combo that does the trick :) I highly recommend!

Silver Ring Splint

The Silver Ring Splint rep. guy told me I needed this type of splint to help stabilize my thumb! http://www.silverringsplint.com/our-splints/siris-lateral-support-splint-single/ I am always wrapping it in tape because it slides around when I try to type or do anything with my hands. Then boy does it hurt!

Actually trying on all the ring splints made all my knuckles hurt :) It was just more exercise than they are used to. But I was bored so I was trying all the different styles on. The only joint that really bothers me at this point is my left thumb. But maybe if I have success with that one I could get more splints in the future! Woo hoo!

Letter from a doctor. . .

I am flighty when it comes to docs. As soon as I sense doubt, anger or disrespect, I RUN!!! I guess that's good but I just read this article by a doctor about how WE make THEM feel! Very interesting. . .

A doctor writes to patients with chronic illness

Recooperating

The EDNF Conference was a blast!!! I learned so much and it was amazing to see all the other bendy people IN PERSON! Some I have e-mailed back and forth with for years, but never met before! I learned a lot from Dr. Grahame. He said I do have EDS, and recommended:

See a podiatrist for inserts in my shoes, to keep my feet from rolling in.

See a gastroenterologist for digestion issues.

EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE!

He said that I needed to exercise more so that my muscles could hold me together better! I asked him what type of exercise and he didn't really say. Just any and all, excluding contact sports. So I've been thinking about it and I'd really like to get a better bike. We have a nice somewhat secluded subdivision and it would be fun to just tool around. Problem is, my bike is ancient and is the kind where you lean forward while riding. My massage lady said that is more a "racing" bike. I need an upright style so it won't stress my neck/shoulders and it can absorb the shock better. Sooooo I've been looking around at bikes, trying to figure out which kind to get.

I felt horrible during the conference. I would start out feeling alright but the conference rooms were SO cold. Then my shoulders would clench up from the cold and the exhaustion and next thing I knew, I had a migraine brewing :( So by the evening I was popping migraine pills. It was al worth it though; I was affirmed of my EDS diagnosis by one of the top EDS docs in the world! I got my thumb measured for ring splints and bought a new silver PenAgain. Although I was in pain it was a really fun and educational experience. Maybe next time I can bring my family!

Owww

My poor shoulder. I chopped down some hollyhocks last night on the west side of my house. Seems that we got so much rain they developed this strange mold/fungus on them and they looked absolutely horrible (The picture is what they are SUPPOSED to look like). I felt sorry the neighbors had to look at them so yesterday while my son was at my parents', I decided to chop them all down. It was hot and sweaty work but it had to be done.

Now today my right shoulder is sooo sore :(

My yard has really started going downhill since my shoulder surgery last year. I was pretty much unable to prune things or pull weeds after Aug. 2009, and then it rained so much this spring, all the weeds and flowers went wild! I try to take it in sections - last night I did the west section between the air conditioner and the patio. Tonight or sometime this weekend I need to do the section between the air conditioner and the corner of the house.

I used to have perfect gardens. Now with the wacky weather and my wacky shoulders, it is a bit of a challenge :-/

Fibromyalgia: The Diet Connection

Here is a good article about which foods aggravate fibro:

http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/guide/fibromyalgia-the-diet-connection

A quick rundown:
1. Aspartame
2. MSG, nitrates and other food additives
3. Sugar, fructose and simple carbs
4. Caffeine
5. Yeast and Gluten
6. Dairy
7. Nightshade plants

OK yes this article pretty much hits it on the head. I cannot eat #1, #2, (#3 sparingly, #4 sparingly) #5, #6 (cultured only such as sour cream, cheese or yogurt), and #7 I can eat but not in large quantities.

I already knew this from my own experience, but it is nice to be validated once in awhile!

I swear I am not making this up!

The weirdest thing happened to me last night. I mean WEIRD! My left shoulder has been bothering me for weeks. Basically everytime I lifted it up and rolled it back, it would pop and you could SEE it popping and moving in an odd way. I showed my hubby and he was pretty grossed out and said "You better go back to the doctor!" I could not get it to stop popping no matter how much I stretched, massaged, Reiki-ed it, iced it, heated it, etc.

Last night I did more Reiki on it - and it got red hot with energy being released (the hotter it gets, the more messed up I know it is). Then, after my evening shower the left jaw let out 2-3 pops and I felt it move and. . . VOILA! My shoulder was no longer popping!! Now can anyone explain this?!

I was "this close" to going back to the shoulder doc. He would've MRIed my shoulder and done all kinds of things to my shoulder WHEN IT WAS MY JAW ALL ALONG! Here I thought it was the other way around - the shoulder was making my jaw hurt :-/ I did a little research and found this interesting info:

"Muscles work as a team. Seldom does a single muscle work without other muscles in the team joining in. The bones in the neck, especially the atlas and axis, are intimately involved with the muscles of chewing, biting, talking, breathing, and head posture. Sore, tight, contracted muscles of the jaw will tilt the head and shoulders causing compensation from neck, shoulder and back muscles."

- From http://www.leadingdentist.com/common_symptoms/neck_shoulder_pain.html

Another informative site: http://www.tmjcherin.com/tmj.html

You know what they say - the head bone's connected to the jaw bone, the jaw bone's connected to the neck bone. . .etc. :) All those bones slip out of place on me, so it would make sense I guess. Better start wearing my splint more often.