Remember when I said that I was going to show you how to cook with no kitchen? That didn't happen because I got sick and I didn't really eat anything other than yogurt and chocolate milk for much of the renovation. I made a leg of lamb in the crockpot. That was about it. But I am thankful that I have pulled through this whole thing. But while I was down and out I was always with my trusty iPhone so I learned a few things.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar is Everything. One of the myriad of things that I went through over the past month was acid reflux. They put me on some medication to help and I developed chest pains. If had not just seen the heart doctor I would have thought I was having a heart a attack. I did some searching and found that apple cider vinegar might help me out a bit and it did. I put a tablespoon in my water bottle and got to sipping. Not sure of the science but I all really needed was n=1 to let me know it worked. It's worked for my hair and my allergies so I wasn't hesitant to try it.
2. Greek Yogurt and Bio K+ = happy tummy. One of the persistent things through this whole ordeal was nausea. A friend of mine recommended that I eat Greek yogurt to help put some good bacteria back in my stomach after a course of antibiotics. I was trying to stay away from dairy but I was desperate to feel better. I started eating Fage every morning and it really helped to settle my stomach and get me out of bed. Plus I had to admit that Fage has a great texture so I stopped eating the store brand varieties. However, the nausea didn't fully go away. Another friend recommend I try Bio K+ from Whole Foods. She said it was expensive so I was immediately turned off especially having recently read this article. But I found myself in Whole Foods one day and I picked up a bottle. It's essentially a super dose of probiotics, again something to put the good bacteria back in my stomach. I took it for a few days and by day three the nausea was gone. I don't know if I was nearing the end of my sickness or what but I'll stick with it for now.
3. Just rest if you can. Sometimes you just have to accept that you are going through it. I didn't want to accept this so I wouldn't rest. I kept trying to declare myself cured and just get back to it. Only to have leave places in hurry because I thought I was going to pass out. That's not fun for your friends. I had to realize it's okay just be. I think a meditation course is in my future.
4. There's got to be an app for that. Growing up I got all of my medical care through Kaiser Permanente. All I needed was my medical record number and I could call and find out when and where I needed to be. Then I got Kaiser in DC and it wasn't the same. The doctors just sucked and the facilities aren't big enough to have everything in one place. So I went the PPO route. While my choices of physicians are better I don't have a single medical record, each doctor does their own thing. I think I had 10 encounters with medical facilities. I was carrying around all these papers and I had to remember all the instructions for preparing for each test. Then there were the medications. Calls to the insurance company. Bills in the mail . I have worked in public health all my life and even I was drowning. I totally understand why people don't adhere to doctor's orders when they have complicated care regimens. I know that there has to be an app to help people but I didn't even have time to figure that out for myself. I was just trying to get better.
So friends take these lessons and tuck them away for a later time. Toodles.
