Saturday, September 10, 2016

10 Annoying Things about Costochondritis


Costochondritis is a relatively rare condition, quite painful, sometimes debilitating and very hard to explain to others. If you or a loved one have costochondritis you know it can mimic the symptoms of a heart attack, feels like you have a tight belt around your torso, and causes a variety of other pains and issues. This is a list of the lesser known annoying systems. Feel free to share with others. 


1. Not being able to open mildly heavy doors, jars or lids, or pretty much anything really.

2. Not being able to lift things heavier than a dinner plate over one’s head, and even that is painful somedays.

3. Not being able to hold anything against torso for more than 5 seconds. This includes crossing one’s arms across one’s chest.

4. Not being able to sit comfortably in chairs - the soft kind, the firm kind, and especially not the wooden kind.

5. Not being able to get comfortable while sitting, laying down, or standing.

6. Not feeling better whether you rest or whether you push yourself.

7. Not being able to take deep breaths without sharp pains.

8. Feeling anxious all the time.

9. Constantly thinking about costochondritis.

10. Trying every remedy out there and not finding consistent relief from the chronic pain.

Friday, September 9, 2016

Shaklee Teacher Challenge

The reason I joined Shaklee over 10 years ago was to help boost my daughter's immune system and to get toxic chemicals out of our home.

The reason I am still using Shaklee a decade later is because of their commitment to safe, quality products that work.

Shaklee has helped me in countless ways and is a life-saver during the school year for everyone in our family.

I'd like to share Shaklee products with more people with no commitment because the products are simply amazing and I am convinced that you will love the products as well. The best part is none of the products contain nasty chemicals, preservatives or sweeteners so you can be assured that the products are safe.

So, without further ado, I am looking for 3 teachers to try the...
Shaklee Teacher Challenge!


Requirements: 


  • You must work in a school or daycare full time. 
  • You cannot already be working with another Shaklee distributor. 


The challenge: 


  • I will provide you with the following full-size products at no cost - Shaklee Energizing Tea (you choose Pomegranate or Green Matcha); Shaklee Energy Chews; Shaklee Defend and Resist: Shaklee Stress Relief Complex.
  • You will keep track of your energy levels and if you catch any colds or viruses. 

At the end of 30 days if you love the products you can keep them at no cost. If not, you can return them to me with no penalty.

In addition you will receive a newsletter with more tips on how to stay healthy and energized.

First three teachers to reach out to me will be selected so act fast!





Friday, August 12, 2016

Traveling with Supplements



As promised, I'm going to write a couple of blog posts regarding traveling tips for those with conditions like costochondritis that require special dietary needs and/or pain management needs. This post is solely dedicated to traveling with supplements.

I'm a bit nervous about my upcoming travels. Things that increase my pain are sitting for extended periods, impact to the ribs and aerobic impact, and stress. I'm still ruling out certain foods and other factors as triggers.

To get to Iceland we are taking a red-eye flight that is about 5 hours and then driving by car for 6 hours to our first destination. During our first three days we are exploring, hiking, horseback riding and whale watching. We have a trip planned to the Blue Lagoon after this to help me recover!

My rhemotologist suggested I take my prescribed NSAID, diclofenac, twice a day during the whole trip to reduce inflammation and pain from the get go. While I'm someone who resorts to medicine as a last resort, I have dealt with costo for long enough now (10+ months) to know that staying on top of the pain and inflammation before it gets too bad is crucial. So because the first leg of our trip involves lots of sitting and being bounced around I will heed this advice.

Meanwhile, I have packed all my necessary nutrition and supplement products to keep me as healthy and pain free as possible.

Below are the products I am taking with me for myself and my family for a 10 day trip. All of the items have links if you would like to purchase. Hope this helps anyone who is considering traveling.

Shaklee Performance 

Shaklee Performance is a sports hydration drink that has more electrolytes that the leading brands. It has a unique blend that helps maintain blood-glucose levels while providing instant and sustained energy. And of course it contains no artificial flavors, sweeteners or added preservatives. 

My kids love the flavor and it will help to keep us all hydrated while we are exploring Iceland. 

In order to save room in our suitcase I measured the serving size we usually use into little ziplock bags and then placed all those baggies into a freezer bag. So when we are getting ready in the morning we will just toss a serving into our water bottles with some energizing tea from Shaklee and be on our way!

To get yours please click on this link
  •  

Water Bottles

While this is not a supplement, I added it here as it is essential for me to have water as part of my nutrition. I drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day not because that is "what we should be doing" but because my body requires it. I get dehydrated easily and don't feel good if I'm not drinking enough water. 

Lugging big water bottles around though would have been difficult. So I found and purchased this 4 pack of BPA free, collapsible water bottles at a great price (was $24.77 when I ordered) that I can toss in our carry-on luggage and fill as needed. They come with color-coded clips so we can attach them to our backpacks or belt loops when exploring.

To get yours, click here

Shaklee Energizing Tea


These are my favorite teas. They are a blend of green, white and red teas that provide a natural energy boost without a "caffeine high." They contain taurine to help alertness and energy levels while aiding in muscle development and weight loss. 

They taste delicious and come in two flavors: Green Matcha and and Pomegranate. We love mixing them with Shaklee Performance in our water bottles to create a "natural red bull drink." 

To pack them, I simply tossed 20 (to get 2 servings a day during our trip) into a sandwich-size plastic bag. 

To get yours, click here!


Shaklee Energy Chews


To round out the energy supplements I am bringing, I tossed a whole bag of Shaklee Energy Chews into the suitcase!

These are amazing! They taste like candy and just two chews wakes me up more than a whole cup of coffee. They are made of natural green tea extract, L-tyrosine, L-theanine, B vitamins and vitamin D and of course contain no artificial flavors, sweeteners or preservatives!

To get yours, click here!


Shaklee Life Energizing Shake


Since going gluten free and dairy free two things have happened: 1) I have to plan my meals carefully so that I'm not hungry with no healthy food choices available and 2) my daily calcium intake has dropped.

Shaklee Life Energizing Shakes has taken care of both of those problems. The two-scoop serving contains 35% of daily calcium needs (as well as 16g of protein!) without including the calcium from the coconut almond milk I mix it with! One shake is all I need to fuel my day.

Plus it a convenient meal or snack replacement throughout the day. I can take it with me and blend or shake it with my non-dairy milk and some fruit or almond butter and I am full and don't need to worry about eating out somewhere and not having dairy-free options.

For packing, I just placed the serving size I normally use in little baggies and tossed those in a freezer-size plastic bag. I'm so excited that I can take this with me and not take up too much room in my suitcase.

To get yours, click here.


Natural Vitality Natural Calm Magnesium 


In addition to taking Shaklee's Chewable CalMag Plus daily, I also take Natural Vitality's Magnesium powdered drink every 2-3 days for an extra boost. It is vegan, organic, all natural, non-GMO and gluten free.

This is a highly absorbable blend of magnesium that helps me sleep, decreases my restless leg syndrome, reduces stress levels and helps my tummy. To drink I just scoop a serving size into water, mix and drink. It taste's like bubbly lemonade.

To pack, I also just scooped the serving size into plastic bags and tossed them in a bigger bag.

To get yours, click here.


 Essential supplements

Some of the supplements in the picture below are ones I take daily and some are as needed. I am under the care of a doctor, a rheumatologist, and a nutritionist and my blood is tested regularly. I am going to list the supplements I take with links but please talk to your medical professional before starting supplements other than a multi-vitamin. 

Daily supplements:



As needed supplements:




To pack I was able to put everything I needed into my vitamin organizer and toss in the Vitalizer, prebiotic and Stomach soother into a freezer-size bag. In a snap I have everything I need to optimize my health. 



And for the finale....all of the supplements I described in this blog fit into one, yes one, freezer sized plastic bag. I can easily take this bag out, put it in our kitchens at our Air BnB rental homes, find what I need, and easily pack it back up again.




And I am ready for Iceland!! Can't wait to share more with you all!



Comment below or message me with questions or comments. Be on the look out for the next blog post.



*Note: As you can see most of my supplements are from Shaklee. The reason being is that I trust the safety and quality of Shaklee products. The company has been in business for over 60 years and the founder, Dr. Shaklee, invented the first ever multivitamin in 1915! Shaklee does not allow fillers in their supplements, tests for 250+ contaminants, conducts over 100,000 quality tests per year, and will not sell anything that does not meet their strict requirements. Shaklee has over 70 patents on their products and are backed by over 120 published scientific papers and presentations. In addition, Shaklee was the first company in the world to be certified climate neutral and many Olympic althetes take Shaklee supplements. For more info about Shaklee's company and safety click here.

*Disclaimer: I am a Shaklee distributor.


Saturday, August 6, 2016

Recipe: Easy Savory Veggie Soup


Ingredients: 

2 T. Extra-virgin olive oil

Whole container (14.5 oz) of Trader Joe's Mirepoix (or one cup chopped each: carrots, celery, onion) 
1/2 cup chopped zucchini (optional) 

1 container (32 oz) Trader Joe's Low Sodium Vegetable Broth 

2 cubes Dorot frozen garlic cubes (found at Trader Joe's)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried paprika
1 tsp non-salt seasoning or low-sodium Adobo

1 cup gluten free penne or elbow pasta 
1-2 tsp. capers (to taste) 

Instructions: 
1. Warm stock pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. 
2. Add all the vegetables (except capers) and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables soften. 
3. Add olive oil, garlic cubes, spices and pasta and heat over high heat for 5 minutes stirring often. 
4. Turn heat down to low-medium and continue to stir occasionally for 15-20 more minutes (until pasta is al dente). 
5. Serve in bowls and add capers to taste. 

Serves 4. 

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Costo and the benefits of exercise

Diagnosis
I was diagnosed with costochondritis in October of 2015, but had symptoms on and off for long before this. Up until July of 2015 I was working out regularly. Around August or September is when life got too hectic and working out and eating right were the first things I dropped from my list of priorities. Combine this with two stressful, sedentary jobs and it was the perfect storm for costo to fully rear it's ugly head.

After being diagnosed (which consists of the doctor asking specific questions and pushing hard on and around my ribs) I had my first costo flare - meaning the symptoms increased sharply as did the pain. For the next few weeks and months I had to learn about what costo was and how it affected my body, about what I could do and couldn't do, and about how much I could handle. I was in a proverbial "survival mode" while trying to manage this, work, home and kids. Exercise seemed impossible and out of the question at this time. Luckily this changed over time.


What if Feels Like
I often get asked what costo feels like. It's so difficult to explain because the symptoms can vary day to day and the pain can move not only day to day but throughout one day. For me, most of my pain is on the right side of my body and only sometimes on the left. But when it moves to the left I get heart palpitations; shortness of breath; anxiety; and pain throughout the left ribs, sternum and down the left arm. Yes, it sounds (and feels) like a mild heart attack.

Costo also feels like you have a leather belt being wrapped around your torso and it is being pulled as tightly as possible around your body. Not fun. On better days I just have swollen, sore ribs that feel like I have been punched. Yes those are my better days! The heart attack feeling and the belt feeling are, for me, the worst physical part of costo.
Photo credit: Jami Lynn of http://www.jamiswords.com/

In addition I have on "flare days" general lethargy, malaise, and a feverish feeling with no fever. I also have shoulder, wrist, lower back, and knee pain. I sometimes also have headaches, "brain fog", emotional sensitivity, insomnia, restless legs, sensitive skin, and have felt off balance at times. To this day opening doors hurts (heavy doors at stores and restaurants are nearly impossible), bending down to pick something up or tie my shoe brings on a wave of pain, holding anything against my torso (even crossing my arms) feels like I'm bruising myself, and wearing a bra with a wire and carrying a purse are not allowed.

Why exercise?
I have a fitness tracker that I continued to wear throughout the early months after my costo diagnosis. It quickly became my enemy as it reminded me to get up and move around both at work and at home. At work all I wanted to do was go home and at home all I wanted to do was lie down. Yes, I could have shut off the hourly reminders to get up and stretch and walk but I didn't want to throw in the towel 100%.

Anyone that knows about physical fitness, health conditions, or physiology knows that movement, any gentle movement, is better than no movement at all. I knew this too, but couldn't get myself to consistently move. I had days where I would consciously make an effort to walk more at work or at home. I had days I would try some gentle yoga. But it all hurt and I couldn't torture myself more than I was already being tortured.

Finally I met an amazing physical therapist (a special thanks to my hubby for finding her) who specialized in the spine and was very familiar with costo. Throughout having costo I keep hoping for "the miracle solution" that will finally heal me from this condition. I need to let that thought go. Because while my physical therapist didn't heal me from costo she did help put me on the path to getting physically active again.

Easy walk on the beach aka my happy place

Baby steps
Our first sessions were very slow and steady, just seeing what my body could handle. Laying facedown on her table was my first challenge! Laying on my ribs was a no go for a bit. She manipulated my ribs with her hands, trying to get some gentle movement back into my torso. I had muscle imbalances and could only rotate my torso so many degrees on my right side. We worked to get that back in balance. I added gentle chest stretches (still my arch nemesis) and eventually I was able to lift my arms a few reps and started strengthening my shoulders and side body.

The prescribed exercises from the physical therapist spawned a new outlook on exercise for me. I began to learn when I could push through the pain and when to not. I learned how to safely exercise and when I needed to rest. I had to learn that change and growth comes at a much slower pace than ever before in my life but that if I am patient with myself and my body I will make progress. I had to remember not to overdo anything so as to not have a major setback or more pain. I have learned to love the gym again.

When I started "Operation Me!" at the end of June (see this post for more info) incorporating physical fitness was one of my primary objectives. I started walking, both at the gym and outdoors, in order to build up my endurance (at that time I had none!) in preparation for traveling in August. At first walking added some pain to my lower ribs, not unbearable, but it would take me a day or two before I could walk again. My first walks were 20-30 minutes at a slow, comfortable but steady pace. Even though the cartilage of the ribs doesn't have any blood flow, I think that movement and cardio help heal the area somehow.
Day 1 of Operation Me included yoga



Moving on up
Eventually I added the elliptical machine to my day and quickly realized that the machine itself felt good, but that using my arms on the arm poles was what caused pain. At first I could only do about 15-20 minutes of the elliptical but with slow and steady progress I can now do 45 minutes. I still cannot use the arm poles.

The biggest excitement for me is that I can now do arm/shoulder/chest exercises for 15 minutes after cardio! I have a real gym routine! I also do leg exercises on alternating days. I will share the arm exercises I do, but not as a prescription for others. Each of our bodies is different and will react different to exercise so please don't start any new exercise without being overseen by a medical professional.

When I started arm exercises I couldn't use any weight and I could only do 2 sets of 5 reps. Now I can use 5 pounds of hand weights and can do 3 sets of 8-10 reps! I do the following exercises: bicep curls, hammerhead curls, overhead tricep extensions, tricep dips, overhead shoulder press, lateral deltoid raises, one arm dumbell rows, and one arm tricep kickbacks. I sometimes add in 3-5 wall pushups, but this still gives me pain. I still occasionally try yoga, which is my first love, but the pain in my ribs moves and is unpredictable so I only do yoga when I'm feeling really good.

For more about the above exercises please google them, but again do not try these without being under supervision of a medical professional. I have found that they help me to build up arm, shoulder, chest and back strength but they can cause pain so please be careful.

Here are two pictures from my fitness tracker app that show some of my walking progress. On average now I walk about 6,000-7,000 steps a day. Walking around various cities catching Pokemon for the Pokemon Go app has helped keep my steps up :-)
June 16 step victory 4,994 steps

July 28 step victory 12,498 steps! 
One of my favorite things to do is go the gym to watch Jeopardy or HGTV while working out. The time flies and my mood improves immensely after.

Two somewhat unexpected benefits of working have been moderately improved sleep and a much improved resting heart rate. I started slowing incorporating exercise before I started Operation Me but after just 7 days of consistent exercise my resting heart rate improved and continues to do so! This alone is motivational! 

Questions? Comments?
Do you have costochondritis or another chronic pain condition? How are you doing with physical fitness - what are the challenges? Do you find anything particularly helpful? Comment below!

Friday, July 29, 2016

Five things I have learned about having costochondritis

Well, here I am, almost 10 months after receiving a diagnosis of costochondritis and five weeks into my more intensive health care journey that I named, "Operation Me." My intention on this journey was to devote time, energy and resources into healing from costochondritis in order to be ready to travel to Iceland in August with my husband and children.

Along the way I have learned a lot, some that I will share here in this post. While writing is therapeutic for me, my goal is to help others suffering from costochondritis (as it is a relatively rare condition) as well as other chronic pain or health conditions.

Beaches are my stress relief


First and foremost: I have learned that this journey will continue well past August. I had two thoughts when I started this project. The first one was that I would maybe, just maybe, be fully healed from costo by now. Sadly, this is not the case at all. The second thought is that this project would be too difficult to maintain while traveling and even more impossible once I'm back to work.

I have decided that the above is not the case. With the help of some of my medical providers as well as my own experiences drawn from this journey, I now know I can continue on this path of healing while traveling and while returning to a crazy schedule in the fall. I would like to continue to share how this journey unravels while traveling in a few weeks. I am hoping this may inspire others with pain to not be afraid to travel with a little extra planning.

The second thing I have learned is to not give up. We know our own bodies best and while many of the medical providers I have encountered have been extraordinarily helpful to me on this discovery, some have been completely baffled and a small minority have been close-minded. From chatting online with other costochondritis sufferers around the globe, I have heard horror stories of doctors ignoring symptoms or believing the symptoms are psychological and not physical.

Having experienced unhelpful providers in the past, I was ready to put up a fight with providers if they tried to go down this path, but luckily that really didn't come up much this time around. But in the meantime I listened to my body, didn't try anything that didn't feel right for me, kept a detailed health journal of my symptoms, and did my best to explain myself to providers.

Help is out there, if you have not found the right people who are willing to listen and who really hear what you have to see, keep searching. Don't give up. Reach out to others who may be able to point you in the right direction. Social media outlets can be helpful in finding resources. Facebook has some well-established closed (aka private) costochondritis groups where members vent and receive support and share tips and resources.

Thing three that I learned (re-learned is a better word) is that family is everything. It is easy to get stuck in your own head during this windy road - this very long windy road. Being hyper-focused on my health sometimes was a barrier to living in the moment and focusing on what's important in my life.

I knew this already but it was hard some days because I was in so much pain and that pain hindered everything. Luckily, I have an amazing family and have truly won the "lottery of life." My family is the reason I have something to look forward to every day, my motivation to get up and push through the pain, and the reason I laugh every day (even though laughing hurts sometimes!). Whether family is your pet, your spouse, your kids, your parents, your siblings, or your best friend: cherish them, laugh with them, talk with them; you won't regret it. (Balance this time with rest and recovery if needed. Going out somewhere with family often meant laying down after with heat, pain creams, and medicine.)


The fourth thing I learned is that everything we have been taught to eat since we were kids (at least in America) is wrong, wrong, wrong. I am going to save most of this information for a future blog where I will list resources and research so you don't think I'm just blowing steam. But I thought that I ate relatively healthy (on my good days) but I really wasn't. Some of the finer details of nutrition will be different for everyone because our bodies are different, however we need much more vegetables (especially the green varieties) than we think and much less grains and protein than we think we should be having. I am still working on my nutrition and it takes a long time to heal all those years of unhealthy eating, but I am happy with the changes I am making. More to come later!

Life changing book:



The fifth major thing I have discovered is how important physical activity is. Again, I knew this and I enjoyed fitness before costo. I loved zumba, walking, yoga, light weight lifting, P90X and more. I always felt better when moving. But I also love learning and could spend hours researching, taking classes, writing, etc. I had symptoms of costo years before I was diagnosed, but costo finally kicked my butt in October after working two jobs for a few months trying to advance my career. Both jobs are stressful and sedentary. There wasn't any time for exercise, plus it hurt.

After the diagnosis I spent months trying to balance pain and physical fitness. My fitness tracker became my number one enemy. Everytime it vibrated, telling me to get up and walk around, I would feel worse and worse about my predicament, but I was afraid to move and be in more pain. There were more days than I would like to count that I needed help putting on or taking off shirts, lifting clean dishes to the cabinets, bending over to tie my shoes, and opening doors. Who wants to work out when they are in that much pain?!

One of the many symptoms of costo is shortness of breath. I had this even while lying still. Trying to exercise (even walk) was tough at the beginning of this journey (just over a month ago)and being out of shape only made physical fitness more difficult. I was hard on myself, wondering if I would ever be fit again. I am not very patient, especially with myself, so learning how to slowly (and I mean slowly) build up endurance and strength was not easy for me. I had to learn how small the increments of change and progress would be.

Looking back now, though, it wasn't all that long. It may not sound like much but when I started this project I couldn't do much more than 10-15 minutes of walking or the elliptical machine but now I can do up to 45 without more pain (I still can't swing my arms yet or use the arm poles on the elliptical). In the beginning I couldn't really do any arm exercises and now I can usually do three sets of 6-8 reps of a few traditional arm/shoulder exercises every other day without too much discomfort. I still don't have any strength in my pecs/chest and can't do more than 5 wall pushups without pain that lasts 2-3 days. But I'll get there! Most importantly I can walk 2 miles outside comfortably - Iceland here I come!!


Monday, June 27, 2016

All of Me

As you probably know from previous blog posts, I am taking the summer to work on my health after being diagnosed with an inflammatory condition called costochondritis. This condition has caused a lot of physical pain and difficulty as well as caused some emotional difficulty for me. For more on this journey please read two of my previous posts, "My Health Story" and "Operation Me!"

Last week as part of my summer project to work on my health, I took a spirit flow yoga class at the Tai Chi Acupuncture and Wellness Center in the North Shore of Massachusetts where I reside. I highly recommend this venue as the space is amazing and the community is very supportive.

The flow class was too much for me physically at this time and I had to modify most of the poses. However, I still got so much out of the class. And this is what this post is about because on this journey of healing I am realizing it is about so much more than just the healing of the physical pain.

At the start of the class the instructor had us sit in a circle around a deck of past life cards and pick a card to open our practice. The card I received made no sense to me but she asked us to just keep the cards and think about them during our practice and see if the meaning came to us at all.

My card was the "nun or monk" card. Throughout the practice I thought a lot about the card and what it could mean but decided I must have gotten a card not meant for me. And I was feeling that all of this past life stuff was garbage (did I mention it was a hard yoga class for me?! I think my struggles with the poses rubbed off on my mood.)



At the end of the practice we sat in the circle again and the instructor passed around the book that describes each card's meaning. Color me surprised! I read and re-read the write up because I couldn't believe how spot on it was for me!!

To summarize the card stated that because of a past life I now have the tendency to isolate myself from others and that I might sometimes feel most comfortable when by myself. It went on to state that this may not be what I want and that it may be interfering with current relationships without me knowing why I tend to isolate.

Well, I have been struggling with introversion my whole life. As an adult (and a therapist) I have worked hard to understand and manage it. I definitely have the skills to not isolate yet I tend to do it even when I don't really want to. So while I may not be rushing to make an appointment with a past life regressionist, I am going to add working on connecting more with others to my summer project, Operation Me!

I am so excited to see where else this journey takes me!!





**Note for those with costochondritis or other chronic pain: Please, please, if you get anything from my posts, please remember to be very careful with any physical activity, alternative treatments, or changes in diet. Each of us is at a different stage of healing/pain and the pain can very so much from one person to another and from one day to another (as you know!). For this reason each of us will react differently to different treatments. Please make sure you are under the guidance of health care professionals knowledgeable about costochondritis or your particular ailment before embarking on your own journey.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Operation Me!

Today was the first day of my summer vacation and I'm feeling so positive about a new change I am going to make - Operation Me! Last year I worked throughout the summer as a clinician. But this year has brought a new challenge - costochondritis. This is a relatively rare health condition that is defined as inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the sternum. Those who have the condition define it as hell. Plain and simple. I was officially diagnosed with this condition in October of 2015.

Costochondritis is a hard thing to try to try to explain to others. For one, it affects everyone differently. Some who have this heal with in a month or two while others have it for years (some for more than 20 years!). The pain most often occurs on the left side of the ribcage, but some (me included) have it primarily on the right. And it moves around - it's hardly ever just the left or just the right; or just the upper ribs or just the lower ribs. For some it can feel like one is experiencing a heart attack as the pain travels to the shoulder and arm as well as the sternum. It can cause shortness of breath, anxiety, rapid heart rates, and inflammation and swelling.


This illness can be debilitating at times and can wreak havoc on one physically and emotionally. For me, I found it to be quite a shock to my way of life. I have always prided myself on being a hard worker, extremely independent, a go-getter, a goal-oriented person, and a "supermom." Suddenly I was forced to not be able to do my normal day to day activities, call out of work at times, miss family events, rely on others more than I would have liked, lay down and rest, and focus on my health. I had some tough moments. I wasn't depressed but some days I was feeling very down and very emotional. I had some bouts of anxiety that would send my heart racing and my emotions soaring.

Through all of this, though, I learned a few positive things. First I was reminded day in and day out about how many people in my life love and care for me. They were willing to do anything and everything for me. I didn't always let them (did I mention that I am very stubborn?). I had just gotten married last July and this was not how I had envisioned my marriage - I felt I was letting my husband down. I worried I was going to feel like this forever and wondering if he would have married me had this started before I had gotten married. I was overcome with sadness and tears every time I had to miss my kids' events or when I couldn't drive them somewhere or when I had to ask them to be careful when the hugged me. I felt I was letting my family and friends down when I didn't go to family events or when I didn't want to even pick up the phone to say hello because I had nothing positive to say that day (which I learned wasn't true). It was a very tough place to be during the hardest months of this illness.

The second thing I learned, and referenced above) was that no matter how terrible the pain was or how hard of a day it had been, I could always find something to be grateful for. I dug deep and started two journals lists. The first was: things I was grateful for that day. It could be as simple as fresh water, my heating pad, my loved ones, and Netflix! But once I started writing a few items each night it got easier and easier to notice all the amazing things in my life. The second list was: a "can do" list. Costochondritis comes barreling in and makes you feel that you suddenly can't do the things you used to. Any chronic pain condition will do that and it really messes with your emotions. So I started listing the things that it hadn't taken from me. Again on some days this list was very basic! It included things like: took a bath, was able to read a book, was able to do dishes, etc. On better days the list included things that helped me feel like I was getting back to my old life: did 15 minutes of yoga, went to work, and walked the dog.

Lastly I learned that we all have mountains we have to overcome in life and they come in all shapes and sizes. I was used to overcoming other mountains and having control over managing them and coming out on top. This mountain was different for me because I had no control, the condition was relatively unknown by many doctors and other practitioners, and was virtually unheard of my most people. But somehow the human spirit perseveres and finds ways to move mountains.

I found two facebook groups of fellow costochondritis sufferers and this was the most invaluable tool for me to start to heal next to resiliency. I was able to use this venue as my place to vent when I was having a terrible day and this took some of the worries off of my loved ones. I was able to find answers, support, resources and encouragement from these groups.

Today after 8 months of costochondritis; 8 months of not one pain-free day; 8 months of ups and downs emotionally; and 8 months of learning how to care for me while trying to manage a normal life; I am going to take the next 7 weeks to kick my healing into high gear. Why 7 weeks? Because it's my summer vacation and I have 7 weeks until we leave for our "familymoon" to Iceland. We have planned and saved for this trip for a year and I am hoping to be able to to enjoy it with as little pain as possible (or maybe no pain at all!).

I have a fluid plan of what Operation Me is going to look like. It will include a minimum of 60 minutes of exercise a day (this can include gentle walks, stretching or yoga, swimming or physical therapy); eating an anti-inflammatory diet, meeting with a nutritionist who specializes in behavioral and functional medicine, getting an orthopedic massage at least once a month, meditating, using mindfulness, aromatherapy, and taking supplements.

I am still going to spend time with loved ones, do housework, blog, and run what I call "Camp Charlie" with my kids (my version of an at-home summer camp full of activities). But now that I don't have a full-time, strenuous job to deal with each day I can spend some of that time each day focused on healing.

Wish me luck! I don't know where this journey will take me but I'm looking forward to the ride. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates. I am hoping that this process does two things: 1) helps me to beat costochondritis (maybe for good) and 2) helps others who are dealing with this condition or another chronic condition to find support, resources and encouragement.

Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time with questions!


Sunday, May 22, 2016

Anti-Inflammatory foods and the relation to common illnesses

Ive slipped up a number of times but I'm working hard to eat an anti-inflammatory diet as much as possible after being diagnosed with costochondritis: an inflammatory issue.
Inflammation has been found to be the cause of most major medical illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, auto-immune disorders, alzheimer's and so much more. It is crucial to try to eliminate processed, chemical ridden and inflammatory foods from our bodies in order to live a full, healthy life.
Here is a good list of anti-inflammatory foods from Discover Shaklee on Facebook.
1. Almonds
2. Avocados
3. Broccoli
4. Blueberries
5. Carrots
6. Dry Beans
7. Kale
8. Olive Oil
9. Oranges
10. Salmon
11. Spinach
12. Strawberries
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Swiss Chard
15. Walnuts
Dr Weil created the anti-inflammatory diet.http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet
And I find his food pyramid very helpful. I have it hanging on my refrigerator door as a reminder, as well as at my desk at work. It is quite different from the traditional food pyramid, but makes much more sense.
http://www.drweil.com/…/Dr-Weil-Anti-Inflammatory-Food-Pyra…

Lastly, there is a lot of information and recipes on Pinterest I find helpful. This is a link to my anti-inflammatory board that I'm always adding to.
https://www.pinterest.com/charlene1401/anti-inflammatory/
I will soon be posting recipes that include all anti-inflammatory foods that I eat on a regular basis.
If you have any health concerns or any food allergies please talk to your doctor or nutritionist before making changes to your diet. 

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

My health story



Hi everyone,

I would like to share my health journey so that it may help you as well.

I was first introduced to Shaklee products years ago through a magazine ad for all natural cleaning products. I was just learning about the impact of chemicals in our environment and my daughter was young and I became a Shaklee distributor, changed brands and threw out all of my conventional cleaning products in favor of Shaklee's Get Clean Products and I've never looked back.

Shortly after this time my daughter's allergies began increasing and my amazing Shaklee mentor and friend, Beth Duris, suggested starting my daughter on Shaklee's supplements for children. It was amazing to see my daughter's allergies subside and be able to take her off of her allergy medications that the doctor had started her on. One of these medications gave her a serious side effect. My daughter is now 15 and while she doesn't always remember to take her vitamins daily, at the first sign of a cold coming on she is the first to up her intake of healthy foods and vitamins as she can recognize that they make a huge difference.

I started taking Shaklee supplements as well after seeing my daughter's improvements. However, I had a harder time sticking to it as well because I was generally healthy, or so I thought. This past year, however, I began experiencing a lot of pain when under stress and was diagnosed with costochondritis, a painful disorder that affects the cartilage that are connected to the ribs. For anyone that has ever had this illness, or knows anyone else who suffers from it, it is quite debilitating at times and can affect every part of a person's daily life.

In addition to having costochondritis I began to have other unrelated symptoms such as: pain and swelling in the knees, shoulders, neck, hips, hands and legs; brain fog; headaches; exhaustion; insomnia; emotional sensitivity; and more. I met with my doctor more than once, wound up in the ER to check for blood clots, and then finally met with a rheumatologist to check for underlying issues such as lyme disease or auto-immune disorders. I had extensive blood work done which ruled out most health issues but was essentially inconclusive with regards to auto immune disorders. Luckily, the rheumatologist is open to holistic health care and suggested I start taking therapeutic doses of essential vitamins and nutrients to see if I find any improvement. I was low on vitamins D, B, and iron so she suggested those as well as fish oil and glucosamine. I was glad she did not jump to medication as a first resort.

Without question I started on Shaklee vitamins, with the exception of two products. The fish oil and the vitamin B I had to order from other companies, not because of anything on Shaklee's end but because  I cannot swallow pills (yes I'm 33 and cannot swallow pills, it's very frustrating for me because boy have I tried). Most of Shaklee's supplements I just crush with a pill crusher from my local pharmacy, but the fish oil is a soft liquid gel not meant for crushing and the B vitamins are patented with protective coating to ensure proper absorption of the B vitamins and crushing the pill will destroy the coating.

It's been a month since I started on this regimen of vitamins and while I've still had two spans of 4-5 bad days, I am improving and seeing more good days than bad. I'm hoping I am on my way to healing for good and I now know how important these supplements are to my health and will continue to take them forever.

What worked for me may not work for everyone as our bodies are all different and we need different things. If you are suffering from health issues, chronic pain, or just every day recurring headaches, sinus infections, lethargy, etc, I recommend you talk to your doctor about supplements and do some of your own research as well. I'd be happy to help you come up with questions for your doctor or suggestions from my personal experience. If you decide to try Shaklee products, please know that they come with a 100% money-back guarantee, no questions asked. So if they don't work for you or you are dissatisfied for any reason you will get your full refund back.
Below is a video of my story and me showing you the supplements I take. It's a little over 15 minutes but please watch when you have time. The links to the supplements I take are listed below the video.



Vita-Lea: multivitamin and multimineral 
Vitamin D3
Iron plus C complex
Advanced Joint complex
Energizing shake with pre and probiotics
Omega Guard fish oil
Vitamin B Complex