All That Glitters

For years I've had an allergy to metal. I know there are many who are similarly afflicted. Hang tight, here's where the story becomes interesting.

A few weeks ago, a close friend gifted me with a lovely gold bracelet from Greece. It's unusual, beautiful, meaningful. While I was fumbling with the clasp, I gave a mental shrug, thinking I will wear it until the rash develops. After a few hours, I noticed... nothing. No itching, swelling, or reddening of my skin. After a day, I noticed the same nothing. I wrote it off thinking I haven't worn metal in a couple of years; maybe it will take longer before symptoms appear. At the end of the week, I was convinced that I had in my possession a magical bracelet. There could be no other explanation. Clearly, my friend has mystical powers! I wore the bracelet, made of metal - which I am allergic to - for over two weeks without removing it, and I remained symptom-free.

I decided to push my luck, and I gave earrings a try. Usually, I'll feel discomfort immediately. Nope, I felt neither irritation nor pain. I wore earrings with metal finding for over a week, and my ears stayed infection-free.

What the heck!?!

I decided that there must be a connection between allergies and illness. Specifically, I believe there is a relationship between PCOS and allergies. For me, now that I'm eating a high protein, low sugar (and very low glucose-rich foods), it seems like my body can now handle wearing metals.

Does this mean I get to go earring shopping?

Yes, yes it does.

Related Links

• How to Buy the Right Jewelry When You Have a Metal Allergy
• Infections may trigger metal allergies

CPAP and Gas, who knew?

I noticed an increase of stomach air when I began using my CPAP machine. Over time, that diminished. Then, after my hysterectomy, it returned with a vengeance and hasn't decreased. Is there a correlation? I thought so, at first. Turns out, I had accidentally increased the pressure and hadn't noticed. Go figure. As it happens, one of the causes of increased belching and flatulence is a pressure setting that is too high. 

That's an easy enough fix, and it did help enormously! 

Even so, the topic of CPAP gas can be bigger than simply adjusting the air pressure setting on your machine.

When you swallow the pressurized air from CPAP, you may notice:

• Burping or belching
• Flatulence
• Bloating
• Stomach pain

While none of these symptoms are life-threatening, they can be pretty embarrassing. If reducing the air pressure setting doesn't help, you may want to try a full face mask rather than the cute nose option. 

Related Post:  A Breath of Fresh Air

Related Links

• CPAP and Things That Go “Burp” in the Night
• CPAP Gas Problem - Aerophagia
• The Causes and Treatment of CPAP Gas

Crouching Sugar, Hidden Glucose

I stumbled on my current eating strategies by accident. I made note of the foods with a high glycemic index, and eliminated them from my diet. I'd like to think it was an insightful move, a new way of thinking! But no, others have come before me; in fact, they've even wrote the book. While I might not be as original in my thinking and strategies as I previously thought, I still feel proud of myself for connecting the dots. Now, had I read the book 20 years ago, and had followed the writer's advice, would I have avoided the insulin resistance portion of PCOS, maybe avoiding it completely? I think the answer to that question is a resounding yes, but...  I doubt I would have followed the strategies, because I was 20 years younger and not really interested in the long-term health ramifications.

Knowing what I know now, and having children on whom to impart my hard-won wisdom, I'm all about showing how the sugar in our diets, not only refined white sugar, but the hidden sugars in whole and processed foods, have negative, long term health affects. Whether or not I read the book, the guiding principle resonates:

"The Sugar Busters diet is a diet focused on eliminating foods containing refined carbohydrates such as refined sugar, white flour, and white rice, as well as naturally occurring carbohydrates rating high on the glycemic index such as potatoes and carrots." Wikipedia

Regardless of the state of one's pancreas, constantly flooding your bloodstream with sugar, no matter the form, places a tremendous burden on one's body. For a teen, who feels invincible, that statement would fall on deaf ears. Heck, I ignored the "sugar is bad" and "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" adages for nearly 50 years! It wasn't until I felt the results of my poor food choices, and had to make changes or face a serious decline in life quality, did I sit up and pay attention.

I think it's high time I read Sugar Busters.

Related Links

• Ask This When Controlling Blood Sugar Levels
• Blood Sugar in Diabetes
• Sugar Busters! - Wikipedia

I've Been Spayed

Once I made the decision, it was easy to schedule the surgery. I chose the traditional method rather than the laparoscopic, because the procedure was a shorter duration, and I had already decided whom I wanted as my surgeon. 

The hospital and staff treated me well from the moment I was admitted. The prep part went smoothly, and I was under sedation quickly and easily. Then I woke up. I chatted and joked with the nurse, who was administering morphine to keep my pain levels manageable. Pain was okay with the meds, as long as I didn't laugh or breathe too deeply. I had no sense of time, so I'm not sure how long I stayed in the recovery room. At some point, I was transferred to the room in which I'd stay the next two nights. I didn't like the moving part, especially when the gurney went over thresholds. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it hurt like hell, with a side of barbed wire. The gentleman who was stuck with transporting me felt awful for torturing me, and gave me time after crossing each of the nine threshold to breath through the pain.

My nurses were outstanding.  I was up and walking in no time, and they were with me every step of the way. I was given lots of advice before surgery, and I want to share the hints and tricks that worked best for me. The best advice was to suck it up, and stretch out. Don't give in to clutching a pillow to your tummy. When it's time to walk, stand up straight and breathe through the pain.  I took the "suck it up" advice, and I know the intensity and duration of pain was greatly reduced because of it. Essentially, it's like ripping off a band aid. You can go slowly, and prolong the pain, or you can rip it off and get it over with. I chose the latter.

Things I enjoyed doing before surgery were unpleasant for a while after surgery. Laughing, taking deep, cleansing breaths, going from laying down to sitting to standing, and vice versa. Each day, the pain lessened and it wasn't long before I was driving. I am not ashamed to sat how painful navigating speed bumps were. Yes, I drove slowly and cautiously in general, and I crawled over speed bumps in particular. I loved being mobile, but I was careful to follow another piece of advice: don't do too much too quickly. I was (mostly) pretty careful about not overdoing it.

I was struck with a stark reality about 1/2 through my recovery: there's an empty spot in my body cavity. I felt all sorts of things, depression, fear, and incomplete, for a while. I was expecting it, so I knew what these feeling were when they crashed over me. I was worried for a while that I wouldn't be able to enjoy an active sex life as I had before. I was afraid that I had mutilated my body and would no long experience orgasm as I once did. I can assure you, that fear is groundless. My missing parts and pieces do not in any way reduce my sexual appetite or the ability to experience pleasure.

There are a lot of articles and information out on the interwebs, but I'm not going to link to any of them, as I didn't find the concerns they raised either true or helpful. My hysterectomy experience went well, and I achieved the desired results: I no longer have uterine pain from fibroids.

I take a daily estrogen supplement, and I am free of menopausal symptoms. All in all, I consider my hysterectomy a success.