Day 5 Juice Fast

Blood pressure normal! 123/82! Lost 2 more lbs – total 12 lbs in 4 days! Loving It!
I have had a frozen shoulder since 2-04-11. It was really painful and caused sleepless nights. I could only sleep flat on my back and not move! I kept waking up in sharp pain every time I rolled over in my sleep! Well, last night I had a really good sleep and when I woke up I almost thought it was gone because there wasn't any pain! But, when I fully got out of bed I realized it was still there. I still couldn't raise my arm up over my head. But, it gave me hope that maybe this fast will reduce the inflammation enough to stretch it back to normal!
This is New Year’s Eve tonight. On my usual SAD New Year’s Eve Menu I was raised on, we ate chips & dip, soda and homemade fudge. So, I needed to change my tradition a bit but still have something special to toast the New Year in…Cinnamon Apple Juice! It tasted great, even my husband decided he wanted that too!
Today I had 40 oz lemon water and 20 oz detox tea.
I also made a juice out of butternut squash, ginger, orange juice, carrots and cinnamon. The butternut juiced up thick like puree or baby food consistency. It was more soup like, so I warmed it up slightly and ate it like soup. Well, I didn't really like it. It took me a while to get it down! I kept thinking, "This sure would taste better with butter!" But, it was also too sweet! I sure did love the apple cinnamon drink though, I think I'll save that one for special occasions! Like my birthday in January!

Vitals: Time        Weight   Blood Pressure  Pulse   Blood Sugar
           10:00 am    207.2    123/82             75      287
           3:00 pm                      127/90             76      234
           6:00 pm                                                              244

Day 4 Juice Fast

Well, still no detox symptoms! Lost 2 more lbs – total 10 lbs in 3 days! My blood pressure took a much needed dive last night! I have been in the 160’s/100’s for the last month, now this morning 126/96! My morning blood sugar readings have dropped about 50 points! I haven’t eaten fruits in a long time because of my diabetes and I really didn’t know if I could do this fast with fruits! Life is sweet again!
Today, I had 40 oz lemon water, 20 oz detox tea, 1 tbs silica, 1 scoop zeolite (yeah, it came in today!). And I juiced Beets, carrots, orange juice, celery apple, cilantro and parsley.

Vitals: Time        Weight   Blood Pressure  Pulse   Blood Sugar
           8:00 am    209.2    126/96             88        275
           9:00 pm                     146/104           86        231

Day 3 Juice Fast

Lost another 4 lbs! That's 8 lbs in two full days! I expected a lot of detox symptoms. They say the first 3 days are usually the worst, but I'm not even hungry! I have a lot of energy, but get really tired around 9 pm. Maybe because I really syked myself up that I would be going through all that pain from teeth being pulled and detoxing from juicing at the same time. And since my teeth didn't get pulled, it seems a lot easier?
Today, I had 40 oz lemon water, 20 oz detox tea and 20 oz water with 1 tbs silica. I really wanted some orange juice! I haven't had fruits in so long because of my diabetes that I was a little afraid to do anything but green apples! But, I really wanted orange juice, so I juiced orange juice, celery, apple, spinach and carrots. I was in heaven! And guess what....My blood sugar didn't spike!  It was lower than this mornings!
My energy is normal in the morning, but I get really tired in the evening and can't make it past 9 pm. Which if you think about it is really good for getting enough sleep at night!

Vitals: Time        Weight   Blood Pressure  Pulse   Blood Sugar
           9:00 am    211.4    155/101             87     310
           3:20 pm                137/97               103    235
           9:00 pm                127/97               88      226

I woke up in the middle of the night with a overpowering smell! I opened my eyes and realized it was my husband's breath! I thought I was the one that was suppose to stink during the juice fast, but instead my senses have sharpened so much that I smell things that no one else does. Cool, I now have super powers! 

Day 2 Juice Fast

The dentist won't pull my 2 root canals! Why do they always want to try and save them! He wants to re-evaluate in 2 weeks! I want these toxic vessels out! I'm still sticking with the early juice start...I'm afraid if I stop, I'll have a hard time starting again.
Today I had 40 oz lemon water, 20 oz pepper mint and detox tea. I juiced cucumber, celery, spinach, cilantro and apple.
I went to bed early...at 9:00 pm, to avoid my husband & daughters night time munchies. Slept 'till 8:00! 11 hours!!! Felt good!!! Lost 4 lbs! 

Vitals: Time        Weight   Blood Pressure  Pulse   Blood Sugar
           9:00 am    215      148/100              90      317
           3:30 pm                154/96                87      260
           10:15 pm              152/92                89      286

I noticed I was a little moody and irritated with my husband today. I didn't know why then I realized it must be a part of the detoxing. I glad I recognized it time to stop before it got worse!

Day 1 Juice Fast

I'm starting today! I'm having 2 root canal teeth pulled today that have ached for 4 years since they were done.  I have had lots of health problems ever since (stroke, heart attack). I can feel the aching radiating up to the same spot on my head that I had the stroke.... connection? I don't know, but I'm done with them! I figured I might as well start today since I won't be able to chew for a while! Bring on the detox!
Today I started with 40 oz lemon water, and 20 oz peppermint and detox tea. I had 20 oz water with 2 Tbs silica and I juiced cucumber, celery, spinach, kale, cilantro and apple. I was a little afraid of the juice tasting too green and having a hard time swallowing it, but I was pleasantly surprised with a very refreshing drink!
Vitals: Time        Weight   Blood Pressure  Pulse   Blood Sugar
           6:30 am    219      161/97               92      323
           2:00 pm    217.4   155/102            80      232
           6:45 pm                  161/92                  78     223

Not bad considering last night I ate a lot of Christmas left over and candy and my blood sugar spiked up over 600! (My blood sugar meter only read up to 600, so who knows how high it really was!) Took some insulin
(hopefully my last) and started juicing today!

Is Juicing the solution?

I haven’t posted in a while. This is want happened…without any change in diet my numbers started moving up! Very confusing to me! I started searching the internet! Someone suggested I try Death to Diabetes. His story is fantastic, so I started his program, by adding steamed veggies like he suggests, I just couldn’t bring myself to the meat part or fruits! And I was adding more and more greens…still numbers kept rising!
Then came thanksgiving, I ate a little taste of everything! Blood Sugar jumped to 575! Luckily, I brought my insulin just in case, but I never dreamed it would go that high! Then, right back to raw and steamed. But, my numbers just kept rising! I got depressed with nothing working anymore, so when people started bringing over Christmas food gifts, I ate! Then Christmas parties I ate! But, I kept eating well at home…still searching the internet.
Then I found a statement by Dr. Cousens (Simply Raw-Reversing Diabetes in 30 days) He said if your numbers aren’t going down you need to detox! He puts his patients on juice fasts. He also uses Zeolite to help pull the toxins out. I order some online and also ran across Silica which is good for detoxing and helping our skin, hair and nails! I used to fast in my 20’s and 30’s. I did a 29 day water fast when I was 23. Maybe, if I would have kept that up I wouldn’t be in the situation I am now!  I found a new group on facebook; Juicing Only, January 2012, and joined. It’s a great support group for juicing one full month in January. Isn’t it amazing how the Lord puts what you need in front of you when you need it!

Update Time!

I am so excited, and I can't hide it!!! I am on a high today!!! I went to a Health Fair and my cholesterol was 157 and blood sugar 97. I had to go to another booth and consult with an MD before they would give me an A1c test. He looked at my cholesterol and blood sugar numbers and said, "Your numbers are normal, why do you want an A1c? I told him, "Well, I had a heart attack in February and had two stents put in my heart artery and I had a stroke the year before. My A1c was 11.8 with the stroke and 11.6 with the heart attack. I did everything my doctor told me to, but I couldn't get my blood sugar under control with the insulin and I couldn't get out of bed, so 2 months ago I stopped taking my meds and I started eating raw food!" He looked at me and said, "Well, you haven't had 3 full months of change, but I'm real interested to see what your A1c is!" When my turn came up, he came over and stood there waiting for my test to be done.... The tech said 8.2... I said, "Wow, I didn't think it would be that good, yet! The doctor shook his head and said, "I didn't think it would be under 9!" He gave me his business card and said, "I'm really interested in seeing how this works for you."

I want to send the cholesterol test to my Cardiologist. He wanted me on a statin drug to lower my cholesterol, but I had an allergic reaction to it in the hospital. So, he gave me a script for another type, but I researched it and I didn't like the common side effects. When I started the Raw Vegan Diet, I researched nuts and found out they bring your cholesterol down and clean your arteries out without side effects! Well...It worked!!!

Day of Heart Attack

02-04-11 Blood Pressure 169/119, Pulse 108, Blood Sugar 565, Weight 206, Cholesterol 265, A1c 11.6

09-08-11 Blood Pressure 149/99, Pulse 99, Blood Sugar 190, Weight 232

Stopped Medications - Tired of feeling sick and not having the energy to do anything.

Ate Atkins style diet, lost 8 lbs, but still didn't feel well

09-16-11 Blood Pressure 159/117, Pulse 102, Blood Sugar 525, Weight 224...Stroke level, need to change again!

Started Raw Vegan Diet

09-21-11 Blood Pressure 149/99, Pulse 82, Blood Sugar 271, Weight 224

10-05-11 Blood Pressure 119/72, Pulse 68, Blood Sugar 176, Weight 217 -15 lbs

10-29-11 Blood Pressure 113/66, Pulse 69, Blood Sugar 97, Weight 212 -20 lbs Cholesterol 157, A1c 8.2

Once A Month Regular Food Day!

Yesterday, was my 36th anniversary! So, I was looking forward to having my once a month regular food day. Since we had a gift card for Olive Garden and they were having endless pasta night, we decided to go there. I was looking so forward to it, I had already been on their website and decided exactly what I was going to eat a week ahead of time.

The soup and salad were great as usual. Andy decided he didn't want to eat bread, but I did. Then, the appetizer came; smoked mozzarella with bread slices. I took one bite and got a mouthful of mold!!! I had to drink lots of water and eat more bread to get the taste out of my mouth!!! Yuck!!!

The the main course, roasted mushroom in a Parmesan sauce with sun-dried tomatoes. It wasn't bad, but not great either. The sun-dried tomatoes should have been soaked. Instead they were hard as a rock sprinkled on top. I was also surprised, I could only eat 1/4 of it. With other endless pasta nights, I've been able to eat two plates of pasta. Now, I think my stomach just isn't used to that any more!

I wasn't going to have any dessert, but they had pumpkin cheesecake! My weakness! It was fantastic!!! With a crunchy gingerbread cookie sprinkled on top.

Then we went to a movie; Abduction with Taylor Launter. Andy thought it was going to be a chick flick because of the Twilight star. But, it had a lot of action in it. He really liked it.

We had a small popcorn during the movie, which we agreed just didn't taste that great.

On our way home we both agreed that, we liked our raw vegan spaghetti dishes way better than the cooked, bland Olive Garden meals. Not only did they not taste that great, they left our mouths dry and thirsty. I was so thirsty by the time we got home, I drink 3 tall glasses of water!!! I also noticed mucus gathering in my throat and I had a sore on my tongue .

When I got home, I took my blood pressure, it was still normal; 129/71. But, my blood sugar was 293!!! I could of guessed that would have happened!

In the morning, I had another attack of the right eye allergy; Swollen, itchy! Still salty, dry, thirsty mouth! I snored again last night! I haven't snored since starting raw vegan. Gain 2 lbs!

Conclusion: Regular food just isn't as good anymore. When you get used to super fresh live food, dead food tastes bland! And it caused inflammation, mucus and snoring! So, I got to ask myself, Was it worth it! NOOO!

I'm really not craving sweets anymore, so I shouldn't have caved into the pumpkin cheesecake. It wasn't worth the spike in my blood sugar. I need to work on a raw vegan pumpkin cheesecake for thanksgiving, because my daughter is bringing her famous pumpkin cheesecake with caramel pecan topping. We'll have to see how next month's regular food day works out! It's going to be Thanksgiving!

Indoor Winter Garden

Is it possible to have fresh veggies all winter long? Well, This year I'm going to find out!

I just transplanted my outdoor herbs; rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, sage, and celery into their new indoor home.

I used a portable clothes rack on wheels and hung shoe holders on the rack with shower curtain hooks. I put a long planter on the bottom rack to catch drainage from watering. This works really well when it's a sunny day, I can wheel it outside. And it's easy access to my herbs when I'm cooking; just walk a few steps, snip, snip, snip and wonderful flavors in every dish!!!

Now, if I can find a way to get my tomatoes and zucchini in here before the frost gets them!

Two Week Update:

Start Raw Vegan Vitals:

09-21-11 Blood Pressure 149/99, Pulse 82, Blood Sugar 271, Weight 224

10-05-11 Blood Pressure 119/72, Pulse 68, Blood Sugar 176, Weight 217

Blood Pressure normalized in two days!

Blood Sugar still gradually coming down, not normal yet. But, really good for not taking insulin in 19 days!

Weight Loss 7 lbs in 14 days! Not hungry and eating well! Total of 15 lbs lost in one month. 9 more lbs to go to be back where I was before I started taking insulin.

Tips:

1. I make a big batch of Green Soup Smoothie in the morning and divide it up for each meal throughout the day.

2. I drink a Green Soup Smoothie before I eat each meal to fill up.

3. I prepare two days of meals at a time, so I get a break every other day. That seems to help me stay on track, because it's easier to eat the raw vegan food waiting for me in the refrigerator, than to make something else.

4. Have good snacks on hand and when out on errands to stay away from junk and fast food. (usually nuts and veggie seed crackers)

High Blood Pressure Cured!!!

I think I can safely say, “My High Blood Pressure is Cured!!!” Every time I take my blood pressure, I am surprised at how “normal it is!!! “118/73” Without my medication!!!! Go Raw Vegan!!!! Now for my diabetes!!! It’s in the very low 200’s now. About the same as when I was on insulin!

I don’t know if it’s just my taste buds adjusting, but I’m really starting to like the unsweetened “soup smoothies”. The first two days, I just drank the smoothies and ate some raw nuts. Then I started making raw vegan food. Walnut Crunch Thai Wraps, Mock Tuna wraps with a dill sauce, Pumpkin Seed Cilantro Pesto over zucchini spaghetti, Mock Tuna Sushi. Yum, Yum!!!

I've gone back and forth eating SAD (Standard American Diet)over the past 5 years. If I would have only stayed with it, I wouldn't have been in the dire shape I'm in now! I need to stay on this forever!!! I can’t understand myself sometimes!!! The food tastes great!!! I lose weight, my blood pressure goes to normal, and my blood sugar goes to normal! So, why do I go back to eating the SAD food? It’s killing me!!! Literally!!! So, why do I go back to SAD?

Yeah, I know it’s easier to eat SAD! Because, there’s nowhere nearby to buy prepared raw vegan food. SAD food is more socially acceptable. I try to please everyone else on what they want to eat because they constantly turn their noses up to raw vegan food, without even trying it! “Oh, Raw Vegan! Don’t we have any real food to eat?” They have literally gotten mad at me for having some raw vegan choices with the regular Thanksgiving meal. I’m not trying to force anyone to eat the same way as me. I provide the food they want for themselves, so why the hostility? Especially, since this is a life threatening choice I’m dealing with here!!!

I’ve been providing them with their needs all their life; it’s time to take care of myself! Sometimes, I feel guilty, but I need to keep remembering, if I don’t take care of myself, I won’t be around to take care of anyone! I want to live to see my grandchildren grow up. I want to be alive to see my great grandchildren.
But, not only live, but, living a quality life!

I've decided I will allow myself 1 day a month to eat socially. But, I have to go directly back to raw the next day. I still have to be careful on what I eat; low glycemic, so I don't have to take insulin for the diabetes. Hopefully, this will satisfy my family, especially through the coming holidays.

SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED!!!

I am so sick and tired of being sick and Tired!!!!
I have done everything the doctors have told me to do for 7 months now!!!
I feel like my body is slowly closing down. Too many medications!!! No progress!!!
Just sicker and sicker!!! Too many drug side effects and no positive Results!!!
Why should I be taking a blood pressure medication that hasn’t lowered my blood pressure
in 7 months? And causes so many side effects?
Why should I take insulin that causes me to gain so much weight?
Doesn’t more weight cause more insulin problems?
I feel like I’m a vicious cycle of no return!!!
Most days I can’t function! I’m always in bed!
And when I do get up and do something, I feel like I’m pushing myself to my limits!
I don’t want to just live longer. I want quality of live, not just life.
Being alive in bed and not being able to do anything is not living!

Ok, the radical, rebellious person inside me is ready to come out and fight!!!
I stopped taking all my meds!!!
I went to Atkins Diet with no carbs, because I know it will help me lose weight fast and keep my numbers down. But, I also know that it only helps me for about 1 week and then I need to go to Raw Vegan. For life, this time! I wish I could afford Dr. Cousens program for Diabetes Cure. But, $12,000 isn’t in my hands right now! So, I’m going to be studying what others on Raw Vegan have done to help their Diabetes.

On 9-8-11 I started the Aktin’s Diet with no meds!!! My blood sugar was 190 and my blood pressure was 149/97 (Average numbers, even with all my meds!) My weight had climbed up to 232 lbs.
During the week of the Aktin’s Diet, I lost 8 lbs. And I felt great! Lots on energy and getting things done! But, then after the week, my blood sugar and blood pressure stated going up every day, until one day, my blood sugar was 535 and my blood pressure was 159/117. STROKE LEVEL!!!! Ok, I had to do something fast!!! I broke down and took 1 insulin shot! I didn’t want to go back on my non-working blood pressure meds so; I went online to see a natural way to bring down my blood pressure. I found Epson Salt Baths! An hour later and my blood pressure was 130/76. WOW! That really works!

The next day I got Vertigo (dizziness) really bad!!! I was awakened at 4:45 am to the room spinning!!!
I could only lie on my back in bed. If I turned my head slightly to get my water cup off my night stand, the whole room would spin!!! So, I had to lay still!!! For 8 days!!! Now, I can get up, but if I look down or up, the room spins again. What is the cause of this??? I believe it is from the withdrawal of my blood pressure med, because when I first started on that med, I got vertigo for a whole month!!! And I have never had vertigo before in my life! Well, I continued this way, in bed with my dear husband bringing me Atkin’s meals and taking Epson Salt baths.

My blood sugar was still in the high 200’s to mid 300’s. So on 9-21-11, as soon as I was able to get up, I made me a green smoothie. But, not the sweet banana kind like I used to have. I had to stay away from sweet carbs to bring down my blood sugar. It was more like a soup smoothie. Not, bad, but not real good either! But, Boy it was like my cells opened up for nourishment and started dancing around in joy! “She’s feeding us real food!!! Something we can work with!!!” And I guess it helped them go to work because my numbers have been steadily going down!!!