Week 4

I'm in the 140's!!!!!!!!!! I haven't seen that number in probably 4 years. I am down to 149.4. So I have lost a total of 5.2 pounds I believe in a month. I'm really excited about that but to tell you the truth I still am waiting for that huge difference in my breathing but nothing so far is really working in that area. I'm gonna stay positive and still stick to it because this new lifestyle of mine is starting to become more of a routine now and shit I'm losing weight so that's a bonus as well. Actually now that I sit and think maybe my breathing has some what improved. I mean I have more energy on most days and I actually exercised 3 times last week so that was a first and today I look forward to painting my bathroom so I guess in a way I am breathing better because if I wasn't I wouldn't be doing all that I have been. I also noticed that I am wearing my O2 a little less at work so in a way all of these are signs than maybe I am improving a bit.
This new lifestyle (diet) is starting to become easier for me and my family. They are eating more of my food (and enjoying it I might add) and it doesn't seem to be so much of a chore anymore. I want to eat this way now. My biggest problem is I miss dairy. Not so much milk because I never was a huge milk drinker unless I was eating a cookie or something but cheese, how I miss cheese. Cheese has always been my weakness. I mean as the song goes "These hips don't lie", so as you can see I did get to 150 pounds by eating celery sticks and water. No it was from the cheese. I love all cheese. Especially Brie on French bread. Man just thinking about it I'm sure I am gaining back the 5 pounds I've lost.
I can have cheese though but it has to be made from goats’ milk. This is hard to find. I have found some that taste like feta cheese which is great for salads but I want brie, cheddar, mozzarella, and Swiss. I want it all I guess. I did find goat milk brie cheese at a store here but it was like 10.00, and I'm afraid to buy it when it cost that much if I don't like it. I may have to bite the bullet and just get it because like I said I REALLY MISS MY CHEESE.
So that is it. Still losing weight, slowly but hey I don't care it's still a lose to me. Feeling better about my diet and am getting a little bit more energy out of it all. These pills are still the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted and I haven't found any easy way to get them down or any way to make them taste any better. Oh well what are you gonna do?

Forgot to tell you!

So I was doing my Yoga this evening and trying hard not to let my mind travel away from the moment and what pops in my head? The fact that I haven’t written in awhile and a few things have occurred lately that I thought was worth mentioning. First let’s talk about the World Series. Most of you reading know I grew up in Key West but am originally from St. Louis so I still like to represent STL especially when one of their teams are in a series. So at first I really didn’t think that they had a chance at winning the World Series because Detroit has got so much hype this year, but after watching 3 games and currently listening to game 4 I think we have a chance at winning this. What do you all think? Think the Cards may actually win this year? I sure do. I know I am surrounded by Padres fans here in San Diego so I have no support here but I sure do hope they win just so I can throw in it my coworkers face. J

Last week sometime I went to Del Taco (probably the wrong place to go on this new lifestyle of mine but it was the closest thing to my home for lunch). I ordered a taco salad but it really wasn’t even that because I had to hold the cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. It really ended up only being lettuce, taco meat, tomatoes and hot sauce. Far from a taco salad if you ask me but hey I was hungry so it worked. Anyway I pull up to the window; there were two people in the window with my order. The guy tells the lady “They wanted me to wear one of those but I never did.” What he was referring to was my oxygen; I had it on which I’m not sure why because I usually don’t need it when I’m driving but it was on for some reason. Anyhow he smiles at me and then says to the other lady and me “They told me I had this lung disease.” I smiled at him and said “Yes that’s why I have to wear one. I also have a lung disease.” He was a very sweet guy, Spanish of some kind, I’m assuming Mexican since we are surrounded by Mexicans in San Diego but you should never assume, but he did have an accent so probably was. Anyways he smiles at me and says “They told me I had Pulmonary Fibrosis, and so they wanted me to wear one because I was having trouble breathing. It wasn’t so much during the day but at night I still will wake up from a sound sleep not able to breath.” I nearly cried when he said that because at that moment I don’t think he really knew just how serious this disease is. I just smiled at him and then said “That is what I have. It’s not fun being young and having to walk around with an oxygen tank trust me. But it helps. You really should use one at night if the doctor ordered it because it may save your life.” He agreed with me, smiled, told me to have a great day and gave me my salad and extra hot sauce. I drove away and that way the end of it. I went home though with a knot in my stomach. What I really wanted to do was shake that guy silly and tell him “Take this serious, this disease is deadly. Do what ever you have to do to save yourself.” I know that everyone that has this disease has it different and maybe he’ll live for 100 years but I thought that too when at first I just had a little windedness while walking around and stuff. Shit I thought I just had exercise induced asthma. I mean looking back just two years ago I was able to walk 3 miles with no problem at all. Now I can barely walk 90 feet with out having to stop to catch my breath. That’s how serious and fast this disease progresses. Hopefully it won’t get any worse for a while but this disease is just a mystery. You simply just never know. So hopefully every time I go to Del Taco I will see him and I can hint around more for him to go back to the doctor and get checked again.

Dr. Grumpy finally called me back the other day and if you can believe this (I still have to make sure I wasn’t dreaming) he was actually friendly in his own way. He told me that my heart is working faster than normal but that that was normal for someone to have had a long life with Scleroderma but that it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was. He even gave me the ok to continue doing alternative medicine as long as I am proactive in my health and if I ever feel sick to get to a hospital right away. He said he has had a few patients of his decide to do alternative medicine and do very well for a few years and then take a nose dive because they wouldn’t go to the doctors when they were sick. So I promised him that if I felt that I was coming down with anything ever to call him and/or Dr. Shah. Dr. Grumpy (Yung) said he thought the diet was an excellent thing for me to do and to keep up with the herbs until I felt I was getting any worse. He told me that we wouldn’t start any new drugs (chemo/steroids) or the other medicine for my heart just yet because every medicine they want me to take will have “SEVERE Side effects” and at this time he wants to hold off until I really need to take them. So I guess Dr. Grumpy really isn’t so grumpy. I actually almost (key word) feel bad calling him Dr .Grumpy because he was nice on the phone and I even think he sort of chuckled when I said I hope I never see him again because that would mean I was doing well enough that I wouldn’t need him. I still went and got my cat scan he ordered and I will get my PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) done for him like he asked just so that we have a base line if for some reason I do need him later on. Plus I also want to see for myself if things have improved with my alternative medicine. I haven’t got any calls from any doctors regarding my cat scan but I won’t call until next week; that way Dr. Shah has time to get them and look them over. I’m sure things won’t look any different since my last one but who knows maybe they will say things have improved.

So see I had a lot to share with you that I totally never had time to sit and write until tonight. Well I need to get off of here and send my Cardinals positive energy it’s the bottom of the 2nd and they are already losing 1-0. Got to go.

Until I can think of something else to write,
Carmen San Diego

50 facts about me!!

1. Do you still talk to the person you had your first kiss with?No, I can’t even remember his name. It was when I was in Clearwater, Fla. At my middle school there. It happened in the hall way between classes and it happened so fast that I actually had to stop and actually make sure I wasn’t dreaming it. Can’t even remember what he looked liked just the whole situation. Maybe it was all just a dream then.

2. What would you do with 1,000 plastic spoons?Give them to a school cafeteria?

3. Have you ever been out of the country?Yes a few times.

4. What did you do when you were in school in the 2nd grade? Can’t really remember. I was still in ST. Louis and went to St. Aloys.

5. What is the best thing about your job? Getting off early. And all the days off during the summer

6. Are you against same sex marriage?Hell No!!! If I was against it I would pretty much not accept some of my family members.

7. Did you vote for Bush?Hell No!!!

8. Where are you going on your next vacation?Key West to see my family!

10. Are most of your friends guys or girls?It's pretty evenly split, although slightly more in favor of the gals.

11. Do you own any furniture from Ikea?No. some kitchen tools though.12. Last book you read ?Just started The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks.

13. If you could have one super power what would it be?To be able to read some ones mind.

14. Where have you lived most of your life?Key West, Fla. But St. Louis I still claim as my hometown.

15. What was the last conversation you had about? Last night with Cheryl when they came over for dinner about baby things (she has a newborn) and my strict new lifestyle.

16. Where do you see yourself in four years?Hopefully still alive and kicking. Still in San Diego or back in Florida closer to more friends not my family because they will be living in Quebec by that time.

17. What's your favorite smell? Cookies or bread baking in the oven.

18. What is your favorite sound? Silence at night whenyou can hear the trees blowing or nature doing its thing.

19. Are you moody? yes, more so to my husband and son (sorry guys) than to anyone else. 20. Favorite movie of all time? So many but I guess I’d pick The Color Purple.

22. Have you ever gone to therapy? Yes a very long time ago in my early 20’s. Would like to go again but can’t afford it.

23. Have you ever played Spin the Bottle?no but have done other games sort of like this.

24. Have you ever toilet papered someone's house?No but have been blamed for it.

25. Have you ever liked someone and not told them?Yes, of course. Who hasn’t?

26. Have you ever gone camping? Yes and I loved it. I like East Coast camping better than how they do it out here in the Desert. I prefer the lakes and trees and fishing and playing games verses riding 4 wheelers and motorcycles.

27. Have you ever had a crush on your sibling's friend? They are all way to young for me, but I do think some of them are really good eye candy. lol

28. Have you ever gone to a nude beach? Yes, there used to be one in Key West, but it wasn’t a place that hot people went. It was gross old people walking around. It was so gross!!!

29. Have you ever gone streaking? no.

30. Have you ever had a stalker? Yes, I married him. LOL!!! (inside joke, some of you know the story)

31. Have you ever gone skinny dipping? No never have liked my body enough to go skinny dipping or streaking.

32. Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? All the time... But now I try to avoid that because I almost kill myself because I get so winded.

33. Have you ever gone to a party where you were the only one sober?Yeah, when I was pregnant.

34. Have you ever felt betrayed by your best friend? Yes. A long time ago. Now the people I consider Best Friends out never betray me I don’t think.

35. Have you ever lied to your parents?Who hasn't?

38. Have you ever thrown up from working out? During softball tryouts in high school but that was the only time.

39. Have you ever gotten a haircut so bad that you wore a hat? no

40. Have you ever eaten 3 meals from 3 different fast food ?in one day?Yes every time we move and we drive to our new place. The whole adventure is revolved around fast food. Unless we stop at some ones house.

41. What's the last song you heard?The one on my profile page I think.

42. Have you ever spied on someone? Sure my son. 43. Have you slept in the same bed w/ the opposite sex? Gee, lemme think. lol

44. Have you ever seen your best friend naked? Yes.

45. Who was the last person who called you? My Uncle Brad.

46. When was the last time you slept for more than 12 hours?Oh man... Probably sometime during the summer when I was sick.

47. Have you ever been arrested?No knocked on wood.

48. Most embarrassing CD you own?None I listen to satellite

49. Do you like someone on myspace?I "like" all of my friends.

50. What is the first text message that is in your inbox?"Hey we r blocked in” From Jenny from the block.

Week Three:

Well I am down another pound. I’m now 150.6. I’m happy about this because I had a rough week. Got sick in the beginning so I didn’t do any exercising because I was so winded. I even almost quit the diet/herbs because I thought just maybe that was another sign, (getting sick) but I didn’t. Again I haven’t cheated either; which for me is really really unusual because with everything in my life that comes to my weight loss or food I’ve cheated. I’m not sure what is so different this time. Maybe it’s my hope that this will work and save my life. Who knows? I just know it’s weird for me not to turn to food to reward myself, punish myself or to turn to it when I’m stressed as well. I’m not to sure about this new me. I sort of freak myself out that I’m having such will power not to turn to food or wine when in the past they have become my best friends.
Looking back I can remember the last time I was exactly 150.6. The reason why I remember this so easily is because I was doing Weight Watchers and as anyone knows they weigh you every time you go to a meeting. I had started gaining 2 pounds every time I went to a meeting and finally when I tip the scale to 150.6 (I hadn’t weighed that since I was pregnant) I finally quit WW and decided my new life was going to be a fat person and not worry about how big I got. Yes I went through a depression state back then but I had good reason. Dominic was in the middle of his 1st grade and that was when I went on my chemo/steroid treatment and Michael went out to sea for 6 months. So this weight is a great memory to me, to where I’ve come from. Dominic is now in the 5th grade and I’m still here. I could be better but I could be a lot worse too.
I may have been lighter in my years; I actually remember getting down to 110 pounds. It was right after I had Dominic and I was going through a lot of stress and was overweight and so I turned to those wonderful (NOT!) diet pills Phen Phen. (Yes, I too fell for the wonder pill). I thought I was happy because I could slip into a size 2, something I never had been able to do on my own with diet and exercise but came to realize that a size on your tag doesn’t always make you happy. I wanted attention so bad and looked in all the wrong places for it. Through sex, drugs and rock n roll. You name it I pretty much did it searching so something I thought I was missing. This burning desire to have attention. I have since then grown up though, took me a while but finally at 33 I realize (yes I guess I’m a late bloomer) that I don’t need to search or look for attention. If I can’t make myself happy then no one really can make me happy either. So why keep searching for attention when really all I need to do is give myself the attention I need. I have always focused on everyone else that I forget to stop and think about me at time. I’m learning in my 30’s that everyone needs a “time out” to be alone and to meditate. Don’t get me wrong I still want some attention. I don’t want to be totally isolated but instead of trying to find this attention in places where I searched before such as through men, being the class clown, or tough friend people relied on to bully their enemies, or even falling for peer pressure and experimenting with things I shouldn’t have all for that “attention”; instead the attention I wanted has been there all the time. It’s my attention I give myself. Tuning into my needs and wants. That plus the attention I have grown to need from my husband, son, mom and dad is all I need.
So back to this weeks progress. I didn’t feel any drastic change like I had hoped. Like I mentioned earlier this week I almost quit because I’m waiting for this huge change to happen and it’s not. I was sick in the beginning of the week, so my morning cough came back but yesterday I woke up feeling better and this afternoon so far I still feel pretty darn good. If anything I’m just happy to feel good and when I feel good I feel great so that is something I don’t say very often these days. This week I’m on the start of week 3 and I’m down 4 pounds total so if anything at all comes from this new lifestyle of mine I bet I will continue to lose weight (slowly) and probably improve my cholesterol levels since the last time I got it check (about 2 ½ years ago) it was on the high side. I plan on getting back into walking Caya again this week for our short walks and doing yoga at least twice this coming week. Monday I go for my CAT scan and my breathing test (which are always terrible, because I have a lung disease. Duh!!) but hopefully the CAT scan will come back that nothing has changed since last year which would be awesome. If they see no more new growth of Fibrosis I will be ecstatic. It should come back ok because I just had a CAT scan done in May and everything looked the same so I’m sure nothing has changed in the past few months. Now if they tell me some of the growth is gone (seriously doubt) then I will know that the Tibetan doctor was right and he could clear some of it away if I stuck to the herbs and diet. I have been told that you can’t get rid of the fibrosis once its there but if for some reason that happens, then I guess miracles do happen. Well I need to get ready for Dominic’s football game.

Until I can think of something else to write,
Carmen San Diego

One year ago

My mom reminded me that a year ago today was when I collasped my lung for the first time. I was here alone (with my extended family) no mom, no dad, no husband; just me and Dominic. Scared as hell but shit I made it through and I am still kicking. I could be better but I could be a lot worse.

Cheers to me!!!

Wish I wasn't so good on my diet or I'd have a glass of wine to celebrate my year still living.

Week Two

Well I have been on my diet exactly how the doc ordered only cheating once with a bell pepper (is that really cheating?) for the chili I made last week. I am actually calling it a lifestyle now because the word Diet freaks me out and I usually quit diets. So over all it was very challenging because there was a few times that I got Dominic fast food and me nothing and a few time he had friends over and I ordered them pizza but nothing again for me. It is really hard when you don't have much time to cook to just "grab something quick", like pizza rolls (one of my downfalls), microwave dishes and what not. I'm sure there is some microwave dishes out there that I can have I just need to simply research it a bit more. Everyone I've come across has dairy or wheat products that I'm not allowed right now.

So I didn't start this diet to lose weight, even though I know I am about 25 pounds over weight. I started it because I really wanted to try another approach to my disease and see if this naturalist lifestyle can help me. So saying that, I will say that I haven't felt any big drastic change in my breathing. I still feel winded when I would be winded and still have to use my oxygen through out the day, BUT my morning cough is going away. It started on day three. I still have it but not as extreme as before. Actually its a little looser so I think all that junk that was sitting in my lungs if stating to disappear. Anyways drum roll please. I down to .... 151.8 so I lost 3 pounds in a week. I'm excited about that. I think I lost it in my butt because I can't seem to keep my pants up. LOL!!!

So considering the news I got yesterday, I am trying to get over that and enjoy my 3 pound lose.
Until I can think of something else to write.

Carmen San Diego.

F'ing Friday the 13th

So I knew today would end up a “Bad Luck Day” being that it was Friday the 13th. Today I finally got a call from Dr. Shah and he said that my echo cardiogram came back positive that I do show signs of Pulmonary Hypertension. I just can’t seem to get a break. I don’t understand what I have done so wrong that I have to go through this. I mean I know that God only gives you what you can handle but shit how much really can I take? I’m emotionally a wreck because all I have in my head now is what the last doctor told me (Dr. Yung as UCSD) and that was usually once diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension people die around 6 months to a year. I mean, is this true? Will I only have 6 months? I mean there is so much I want to do before my time is up, like see my brother again and Grandma since I don’t see them as often as my mom and dad. I also want to see Dominic grow up. I can’t if this is the case. I just can’t handle this right now. Why did Dr. Shah have to ruin my weekend by laying this out to me like this? He actually was very positive (as always) but what is positive when you know how bad hypertension can be with Pulmonary Fibrosis. You know I’m not scared to die for myself. I’m scared to die for my family. I don’t want to leave them. I’m only 33 I shouldn’t be going through this at such a young age. I shouldn’t be going through it at all, honestly. I mean, I know I’ve done some bad things as a teen and early adult but was I that bad that now I have to suffer and my family has to suffer?

I tried to call Dr. Yung to tell him about the doctor from Tibet and to see if I could hold off until the new year to start any new medicines (chemo or whatever) or if he feels I don’t have that kind of time but of course he is on vacation until Tues. I just don’t know what to do. I really want to give these diet/herbs a fair try but I don’t know if I have that kind of time anymore. Dr. Shah told me that they will probably start the process faster for a transplant but getting a transplant is not always the cure. There are a lot of problems that could happen because of a transplant. I’m just at a loss for words and am an emotional wreck. My husband isn’t here and so I have to pretend I’m ok because I don’t want to worry Dominic but shit sometimes I need to allow myself to be weak for a bit. I’m at a loss. I can’t figure out what I’ve done to deserve this and I only wish that I could have a miracle or tomorrow I could wake up and not have this terrible disease. I’m a mess I need to sign off now and try and get myself under control before Dominic comes home from school.

Later,
Carmen

Day one

Well I woke up this morning looking forward to my first day of the rest of my life. I am actually still very exciting about this "alternative medicine" and am staying very positive. So, I did my least favorite thing possible; I got on the scale. Not before I peed of course but I still kept my pj's on which is a first for me when I weight myself at home. This might be a bit of "TMI" but I usually wont even hop on the scale at home unless I've had a BM. HA Ha!!! I figured anything to make the scale go down a bit is better for me. So like I said before I shared too much of my personal life, I had my morning pee, and got on the scale with clothes on and it read...... All honesty here 154.8. Not good but trust me I've seen worse. I was a little happy but not overjoyed by the number, because I haven't been exercising at all in a few months. I can actually count the times on one hand that I exercised, which is not like me at all but hey neither is wearing O2. So after I got the scale out of the way I decided it was time to start taking the herbal pills. I decided to crush them a little because they were extremely hard and I was afraid that I would chip a tooth trying to chew them up. I decided to take all three at the same time. In they went and the gag reflux kicked in. It's hard to explain what it tasted like but I'm sure it was close to something you'd eat on Fear Factor. To me it tasted like I was eating a cigarette. And the smell that I thought I smelled from my breath smelled like a "Head Shop". I actually asked Michael what my breath smelled like and he said it smelled like cloves and gum so like I said I felt like I was eating a cigarette just I guess it was a "clove cigarette." I got it down after a few tries and then flushed it with the 4 oz. of water I'm allowed to have with it. The pills stayed down, I didn't throw them up and so far 10 hours later I haven't had any weird side effects from it. I don't feel any better from taking the herbs but again its the first day and didn't really expect anything to happy right away.

So we brought my list of foods to the grocery store and loaded our cart, with blueberries, salmon, grapes, chicken, cashews, apples, turkey and many many other things that were allowed on the diet and that I enjoy eating. 156.00 later our house is diet friendly and I am thrilled about starting. I must say I am very proud of myself. Today Dominic and Mike ate things in front of me that in past diets I would of been like "Well one bite wont hurt, or just maybe a little and that's it." But I was very good and haven't cheated at all. Even today at Dominic's football game (which they lost 21-0 poor guys) when the temptation to eat the loaded fries, or the nachos or snickers bar were there I simply ate my banana and sucked on my sunflower seeds (both allowed on the diet). Poor Dominic keeps forgetting not to ask me if I want things and he'll go "Hey mom you want these cheese its (one of my favorite snacks), or hey mom want a piece of bubblegum?" But something is in me this time around that I'm not cheating and actually haven't really wanted to. I am going to try, try, try not to cheat and to give this a fair 3 month trail.

Now on the way home from Dominic's game my car broke down (overheated and actually left us stranded on the highway) Thank God for cell phones and AAA. I was so stressed because we just got it back about a month ago from being in the shop for two weeks, all I could do was think of that glass of wine I'm going to have once I got home. I had figured since I was so good with my eating I could have a glass of wine to relieve the stress (I'm not suppose to have alcohol on this diet, but he said a glass of wine here and there is ok). You'll be happy though I didn't I decided to instead take some deep breaths and turn to my hot water that I'm suppose to be drinking instead of wine, and decided to write in here to forget how much that wine sounds so good right now. Actually it still does sound good now that I think of it but don't want to blow my good day so far.

So, I'm doing good. I'm determined and Mike is giving me lots of support and help to stick to it. I plan on starting my short walks know matter what with Caya tomorrow and the Yoga will begin on Monday when I have the house to myself in the day. It's really hard to relax and focus when you have Caya at your head, Dominic asking you questions and Mike looking at me in a way when I'm in certain poses that again would be sharing "TMI" that I'd rather end it with that. So as far as yoga goes its a "home alone" exercise in this house, if I really want to get something out of it that is.

I'll keep you posted on my days to come. I am going to weigh in every Saturday, maybe sharing my weight on the Wide World Web will make me have more will power than I have had on other diets in the past. Sort of like a Weight Watchers meeting or the big scale on Biggest Loser.

Until I can think of something else too write,
Carmen San Diego

Trip to see the Tibet doctor

It has finally come. The day that I got to go see Dr. Lobsang Dhondup the doctor from Tibet. I have been having weird dreams and just been really nervous about what may happen to me during that appointment but I must say this visit was the most peaceful and enjoyable visit I’ve ever been to when it comes to seeing a doctor. He was very warm and soothing. His voice was calm and mellow and he just seems to have this way about him that you knew he was very genuine. My doctor visit went as follows:

Mike and I walk in; it was really nice and quiet. A lot of Buddha figurines around and the Dali lama on various posters on the wall. It actually reminded me of a place I used to go to get massages done. Not bright and fast paced like normal doctors offices at all. I handed the receptionist my urine sample that I had to bring in and he handed me back a piece of paper that simply ask the basic info. Name, phone, emergency contact, and medicines you are on…

After I filled that out Dr. Dhondup came out and greeted us and told us to go into the back room. Again the room is very warm and inviting. He told me to sit at a chair that had like a pillow to lay my arms on. I was breathing sort of hard or fast so he put his hand on my shoulder and said “Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt you.” I smiled and told him I was just a bit nervous. (I didn’t want to mention anything about my oxygen). He asked me how I heard of him and I said I worked with Morgan Rose and he new right away who she was and said “So I’m sure you know a lot about me and my work” I agreed and just sat waiting for the freak show I’d been dreaming about to start happening. Of course it never did. Instead he takes my right wrist and simply holds it and then I want to say it sort of felt like he was doing the cords to an instrument on my wrist but at a very slow form. Sometimes he’d stop on a spot for a while and then others he’s move a little faster, but nothing at all that hurt. It actually was very soothing and relaxed me and my breathing. Then he took my left wrist but not nearly as long and then back to the right. This took all but ten minutes if even that long. When he was done he said. “How is your period?” I just sort of looked at him weird like, “Hey doc. I’m here for my lungs not my period.” So I just looked at him a little strangely and he said, “I felt something about regarding your womanhood.” I then explained to him about me going into early menopause due to chemotherapy. Then he asked me about being tired and fatigue. I told him I was always tired but felt it had to do with the allergy medicines. He asked me if I had sleep apnea and I told him I have never been tested. He said he could just tell I didn’t get good quality sleep. Then finally he said “how long have you had this asthma or trouble breathing.” That is when I got excited. Finally he said what I wanted to hear. I told him four years ago was when it started to get really bad. When I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. He wrote some stuff down on the sheet of paper and then said. “I can’t think of the word but your lungs, the fibrosis is like a bee hive and it makes a nest that gets bigger and bigger.” I new exactly what he was trying to say because often they call the fibrosis “honeycombing” because that is what it does to the lungs, it builds up in forms that sort of resemble a bee hive. So I told him the name “honeycomb” and he wrote that down. Then he said “I think I can help with the mucus and your breathing and maybe get rid of some of the scarring or fibrosis. But it’s going to be a lot of work for you. A good diet (which I’ll share with you later), drink lots of “hot” water and no eating late (after 7pm). You’ll need to do small walks at first just to get more active and help with digesting the foods, and gentle yoga. Exercise will help you from not being so fatigue and will help you sleep better. No cheese or milk. hen I want you to take these herbs before breakfast and after dinner. These and your diet are very important and they will help your mucus in your lungs and esophagus. I’d like to see you in one month again to see how you are doing.” So that was it. No poking, pricking, drawing blood, or cold objects sticking me anywhere. He was so nice and for once I left a place with a lot of hope. The ball is now in my field. I need to really stick to this diet and take these herbs and hopefully with that and the power of prayer and hope, things will stay the same and not get worse and if miracles do happen then maybe I will improve somehow. So wish me luck and here is a look at my new diet, at least I am going to give it until the New Year and if things don’t seem to be working then I will go back to Dr. Grumpy (Yung) and do the chemo. /prednisone remedy.


Diet is pretty much as follows:
Bean/Legumes= pretty much all of them including soymilk (which is nice since I can’t have cows milk)

Condiments: no jams, jellies, pepper, pickles, salsa, or Tabasco but everything else is ok

Dairy= I can only have, egg whites, cow milk yogurt (low fat), cottage cheese, low fat goat cheese and low fat goat milk yogurt and butter

Fruits= all fruits except dried, mango, melons, watermelon, and pineapple

Grain & products= no wheat products, or whole wheat, white flour products or white rice. So in my eyes pretty much all rice, bread and pasta is a no no.

Meats: I can’t have bacon, bologna, fowl, ham, luncheon meat, pork, sausage and I can still have beef but what ever I eat now cut that in half. I can still have all seafood, chicken, and turkey.

Nuts/seeds= all except almonds, peanuts and peanut butter

Oils= really wants me to eat olive oil when cooking and flaxseed oil in the capsules if I can find them (I already take this).

Sweeteners= no sugar except splenda if I have to have it.

Vegetables= all except no eggplant, peppers, potatoes, radishes, sweet potatoes, or winter squash. I can’t have raw onions or tomatoes but I can have them cooked.

Miscellaneous: no alcohol (I can have an occasional glass of wine), candy, chocolate, pizza, popcorn, pretty much all junk food. I can have green and herbal tea in the am but not coffee.
And finally: he recommends I get reiki done, and drink hot water before meals, short walks and gentle yoga and deep breathing exercises.

So this is it. Please wish me luck because the more I see this diet plan the more I realize how hard it’s going to be. I need to make my grocery list. Thanks for reading.

Carmen San Diego