I made a bad choice yesterday, and now I hurt. I woke up with that all too familiar feeling, like I’d “been hit by a truck”. My whole body hurts. I used to feel this way every morning before going grain, dairy & nightshade free. It’s so hard to will yourself up & out of bed. To get up & get going. I know I’ve “red-fooded” myself (when you eat a food on your Red Food/Do Not Eat list), and am now in a flare up. I have to push through and get up. For me, luckily, I know at least it gets better as I move.
So what happened? On Christmas we’d eaten so well, with a homemade hash for breakfast, and homemade savoury pie, roasted brussel sprouts & mint chocolate cheesecake for Christmas dinner. Yum, yum. But yesterday for some reason I felt like nachos. So I made some nachos with organic corn chips, shredded organic chicken, pressure cooked organic black beans, pressure cooked organic salsa, green onions, parsley and goat’s milk mozzarella cheese. Honestly, I didn’t think it would cause a flare. I’ve been off most of those foods for so long now that it was worth a shot to see if my body could handle them again, since some sensitivities resolve themselves. But some don’t. Or maybe it was the combo of corn, dairy and tomatoes!?!
But it got me thinking. How many other people out there are flaring now, from their holiday choices? Did you willingly eat something you know disagrees or flares you, or were you super careful but unknowingly red-fooded. And what do you do about it?
I write this as I’m sweating in an IR sauna, after drinking a huge glass of water with some minerals in it. And will follow it up with my regular morning routine of knee-rehab exercises (I had surgery on my knee a while back for a torn meniscus), sun salutations to get my lymph moving, and the coldest shower possible (which is pretty darn cold at this time of year, lol).
Other things that some find helpful are herbs like marshmallow root or turmeric (great as a tea!), epsom salt baths, essential oils, and making sure you’re hydrated by drinking lots of water, bone broth or soups. And rest! If you’re feeling yucky, listen to your body and rest. Even if it’s just a whisper right now, listen to it, before it has to scream at you.
So what do you do when you flare? Do you use any of these? Do you have your own list?
If you’re new to autoimmune/inflammatory flare ups, you may be feeling disheartened and alone, but there is support out there. You just need to find it. When I finally got my official diagnosis, I joined a local arthritis support group (yes, fibromyalgia counts as an arthritis. Who knew!?!) where there were a few other women like me. I learned a lot from them, from the seminars the group put on, and it’s also how I found my myofascial release practitioner (another key to healing fibro, and all the muscle pain.) I also read a ton of books, and binge listened to fibro podcasts (if you want any recommendations let me know).
Although I don’t feel my best today, it's really only a fraction of how bad it used to be. Days like this remind me & make me proud of just how far I’ve come!
I hope you all had the best holiday with your friends & family (and that no-one is flaring!! Cuz you stayed on point and ate well). If you have any tips or tricks you use, please share those too!
And if you used our burger buns or bread for stuffing, I’d love to her about that too!!
My sauna timer just ended & Emily is hollering at me from her bedroom. Happy New Year to you guys!!! And we’ll see you back at the shop in a little over a week.
P.S. The photo is our pie from Christmas - one of the savoury options we hope to bring to the bakery in the new year. It was super delicious.