Here we go...

So I knew this day would come sooner or later--especially when I started getting headaches nearly everyday that would not budge with my usual dose of 3 aleve. I have officially been prescribed an "elimination diet." Dun dun dun. Ha. =)

The nutritionist/functional medicine person (aka Dr. Butler) I have been seeing has asked me to eliminate wheat, corn, dairy, and soy from my diet for 2 weeks to see if my symptoms are due to "food sensitivities." Fortunately, this assignment does not seem so daunting after going through South Beach--mainly because 1) I'm not allowed to eat eggs (which I ate almost every day for 2 weeks on South Beach and I am not an egg fan) and 2) I can eat fruit. This makes me happy.

Hm, I'm realizing that I'm not sure that I ever explained on this here blog why I am doing all of this. Mainly, I noticed last fall that I felt more tired than usual and that my concentration and clarity of thought was not what it had been. I thought it might be an issue with my thyroid hormone replacement (I had my thyroid removed 2 years ago), but the endocrinologist said that wasn't it. A few months later I got a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes--classic signs of mono. I tested positive on the monospot test in April. But here I am 5 months later and the fatigue continues. The traditional docs say that there are cases of mono in which fatigue can last up to a year. Dr. Butler thinks there's more going on. And I'm pretty much willing to try anything to get my energy back.

Fortunately, God has allowed me to spend a semester at home free of the stress of classwork, assistantship responsibilities, and counseling patients--home with my parents who take good care of me, in familiar, comforting surroundings, and even with friends living in my basement. =) I am truly grateful.

And that, my dedicated readers, is my physical health update.