And so the journey begins....

At around 10am this morning my knees, ankles and wrists started to hurt/burn and the brain fog is slowly closing in on me. In my head I am thinking CRAP and a few other choice words. My to do list is going to shrink today. So I started thinking about what it is I ate yesterday and today. Is it the coffee(with a tsp of sugar & almond milk) I had this morning?? I haven't had coffee (with creamer) since sunday morning and couldn't walk by the evening. I also had a ton of sugar and other gluten and dairy products over the weekend. Which was really the turning point to start cutting it out of my diet. When I was nursing my son I had to cut Gluten and dairy out, thinking back I had more energy and felt a lot better. I still had joint pain but it was different. Anyways back to what I ate yesterday. I had tortillas with cheese & a porkchop lastnight, a piece of the leftover icecream cake from my dad's birthday. Which Lin did an AMAZING job on. The kids and I snacked on apple slices, cucumbers, cheese slices and celery with peanut butter.  I also started to think maybe It isn't the food at all...Did I do to much yesterday? Probably a little of both. The food and amount of running around did me in this morning. I got a good amount of sleep. With the kids being sick I have been getting less. Which I know can be a trigger. So now I am in the process of figuring out my triggers. Stress is a major one. But who doesn't have stress. I mean raising two boys, dealing with my illness (whatever it maybe) and trying to keep up with the house and everything else can be very stressful.
I have been wondering about the corrolation (not sure if this is the word that I meant to use) between meat and how its feed. Grain feed? Grass feed? I know that I am allergic to grass. I have been for years. Would that mean my body can't handle beef or chicken?? I now have a new mission to research more about meat. I can't imagine cutting it out. But I might have to. Geesh...no meat, no gluten, no dairy. Wow...what next? Hopefully the allergy tests will help too I know the elimination diet is supposed to be the best way, but I don't have much patience when it comes to food. Either I can have it or not!!

On another note, I apologize to all that are reading this and are cringing at the grammar errors. English was not my strong subject in school. I love to read, but writing was always an issue for me. My brain speeds along with everything I want to say...

If you have a loved one suffering from arthritis please read this

http://yawa.arthritisnsw.org.au/intro_arthur.html

I do not have RA....

Happy Tuesday (wishing it really was Thursday)...I apologize for not posting for awhile.
I have been to see my Rhuematologist and she said that I don't have RA, that I had PsA (psoriatic arthritis). Now after a few more tests and a visit to a dermatologist. I am told that I don't have psoriasis, have never had it (more about that later). I do have something called Telogen Effuvium. It is the diagnosis for why I am losing my hair. It was suggested that I take an iron supplement. So I am now taking an FE iron supplement twice a day. I will be going back to the Dermatologist in 3 months to see if it has helped. Okay since I no longer have PsA I am told I probably have UNDIFFERENTIATED SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY. And that I should just start on methotrexate (more about that later). I don't agree with that diagnosis and will not start taking such a harsh drug just because you think I might have UNDIFFERENTIATED SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY. After doing some research and talking to others that have taken Methotrexate I believe that it is not the best place to start. So now it's time for a second opinion. I am now gathering all my tests and charts from my doctors and am sending them on to the UW.

Until I get a confirmed diagnosis I plan to live a Whole New Life . Which I hope will in turn remove the pain and stress from my body and life.
To do this I am going to change my daily choices :
Step 1: Removing toxins from our home and lives.

Step 2: Eating more Organic and Whole foods.

Step 3: Making better life choices.

All of these changes I hope will help me and my family live a more managable life. Free from Stress and Pain (which usually are both together causing calamity). I love my family and want to be able to enjoy these years of my boys lifes.
A quote I came across while reading a number of books on auto immune diseases.
"Having an Auto Immune Disease is really a 'camouflage disorder' that creeps through your body. A person with an A.D. can look extremely normal but can feel absolutely awful. The pain doesn't limit itself to just one area of the body as it can travel from head to toe, and it all starts within." author unknown

Please feel free to join me on my journey to a better life.