Anxiety, depression, laziness...Can the nameless wonder change? page 219

[jenn26point2]

I like Mike's suggestion. I take 500 mg of magnesium a day, but read in PBPM that you can take more than that if needed. She said to start at 400 and double after a couple of days if things don't work the way they're supposed to. I've found that the US RDA isn't necessarily what we need - at best it's a minimum of what we need. But to function PROPERLY, I feel we need more. I hope your body can relax a bit and you can maybe find some relieve this weekend.

[namelesswonder]

I think I'm going to stop taking any magnesium or C for the next few days. When the constipation first started, I was a bit uncomfortable, but not having gas or pain like I am now. My digestion is clearly off, but knowing for sure that I will probably not poop this weekend is more comforting to me than wondering about it or worrying about the opposite.

I think I might need to try doing GAPS. I'm going to hunt down the GAPS thread here and see if anyone can lend me the book. I know it's pretty basic in the beginning, but I'm not sure how to make that work with Boyfriend. Is it seriously just broths and stews? I feel like I'd be hungry all the time!

[namelesswonder]

Before I vamoose for the weekend:
A local store is closing (part of a local chain, originally comic book stores, now a bit of music and everything) and has 20% off everything. I bought some Starry Night (ala Van Gogh) socks and hair dye. I'll get more hair dye before they close next week if I like how this color comes out.

I had a couple of really casual and totally awesome conversations with people today. One was with co-workers, where I felt nervous, but I felt welcomed and it was enjoyable. The other was with the employees at the store that's closing. I know what it's like to lose a job at a store and not know if you'll have somewhere else to go after it closes, but they all have somewhere to go, so that was good to hear.

I also made mad savings at the pet store, yo. I feel efficient. And I'll share the pic of loot from my grandma later.

[namelesswonder]

Only got about 3 hrs of sleep last night, at most. Was tired, comfortable, relaxed, but couldn't sleep. Finally got out of bed sometime around/after 4AM and have been puttering around the apartment.

It may be the DLPA I took yesterday. I took it again this morning with Tyrosine and I feel great. The Mood Cure mentions it may have an over-amping effect on some people and make it difficult for them to sleep, even when taken only in the morning. I may have to seek out DPA.

TMI: I took a bath with a cup of epsom salts at around 2AM this morning. It was a little boring, but felt nice. I stayed in for 15-20 minutes. In about a half hour, I had a totally normal and easy bowel movement. I had another later. I feel like there may be more again. This is encouraging. I think I'll take another bath tonight, but with baking soda, as recommended by GAPS detox protocol.

[Jenny]

I know it's not very primal, but digestively, the thing that works most consistently for me is Miralax. Doc says it's safe for long-term use, too.

Huh, so if the epsom salts worked well for you, shouldn't you stick with the magnesium? (same principle after all.)

[WaylandC]

How much water do you drink daily? I'm just wondering if you're hydrated enough for proper bowel movements. I know that epsom salts can increase water uptake. And speaking of salt and water, how much salt do you have in your diet? Do you have enough?

[namelesswonder]

Funny thing is the last time I tried epsom salts, they didn't work. It seems like most things I try don't work for long. I am bewildered. That makes me hesitant to take something like Miralax, but maybe it would be good just to keep things moving (seems safer than just letting it sit!). I'm not sure if I want to take the epsom salts internally tonight or take another bath. I've only tried up to 600mg of magnesium in the evenings, but that didn't work. Not sure what's a safe amount. I see the doc again on Friday and will right some of this down to make sure I get as much information from him as possible. 4 day week, hooray!

I made some coconut milk rice yesterday (with Trader Joe's light coconut milk, ugh, it just doesn't taste as good since I've been having the full-fat 365 from Whole Foods) and it gave me a lot of bloat (gas that wouldn't come out). I wonder if it was the rice or the coconut. Coconut milk has not been problematic for me so far. It's one of the few things I could manage to eat because it's tasty and didn't give me problems.

Today I FORGOT about the relatively new lactose intolerance and had ice cream. We went to the local ren faire on the last day of the season. It was a lot of fun. I had some fries and most of a HUGE greasy turkey leg. I couldn't eat it all, so we shared. We mostly wanted to see the whipper show (guy that's about our age does it, he went to school with some people I went to college with), which we did, and it was awesome. I got some fun action shots.

Oh, oh, oh! It's confirmed. I have low progesterone! They tested all 4 sex hormones plus some globulin thing and TSH. Progesterone was quite low, all else is normal. I was wary of the TSH because it's very close to the low end of the normal range (0.64 uIU/mL, with the range being 0.40-4.50), but the gyn said she asked my primary and that it's fine. I think I will still get a full thyroid panel done. I started Vitex on Saturday. The gyn said she doesn't usually recommend dong quai, but that some people will use it. The Vitex was cheaper anyway, but I have both so I can try the dong quai if this doesn't seem to help. I have to take it daily for a few months. I hope I see improvements before then! So far, I don't feel like I've been extra irritable, but I am taking the 5-HTP, so that may be helping to mitigate.

I'll be stopping by tomorrow night to talk to Boyfriend's dad about the car some more and find exactly the right gasket kit it needs (for the header). I took a closer look at the car this evening: there are some cancerous bubbles on it (my dad can help me patch those up to slow the spread, he should even have the right shade of red paint), the rubber around the moon roof is pretty cracked (but holding, because it's dry inside), the tires are old, but the heat works, and it should get me through the winter. If I want to invest more in it next year, I can start picking away at it. If not, I'll sell it and see if I can save up for something in a little better shape. But damn it's cooooool

Like this, but not as shiny

[WaylandC]

I have a Mustang.

Late Model Restoration has everything. I don't know if you'll find better prices elsewhere. AmericanMuscle.com is another decent site.

Header Gasket Search: header gasket - LRS Search

[justyouraveragecavemen]

I had a couple of really casual and totally awesome conversations with people today. One was with co-workers, where I felt nervous, but I felt welcomed and it was enjoyable. The other was with the employees at the store that's closing. I know what it's like to lose a job at a store and not know if you'll have somewhere else to go after it closes, but they all have somewhere to go, so that was good to hear.

We had a VCR tape rental place in the little town I grew up in called The Video Center. It was always a treat to go in on Friday or Saturday night and get a movie with my mom, before that was uncool for me, of course. Also, they always had the newest Nintendo and even rented the Nintendo console when it came out! My brother and I rented one about every weekend until we got one for Christmas. The owners smoked inside, so it was always hazy/smoky in there. Anyways, they closed about 7-8 years ago and the wife and I bought a few of their movies, the super hard to find ones. My wife cried because she had the same experiences in there that I did. They never carried DVD's.

I also made mad savings at the pet store, yo. I feel efficient. And I'll share the pic of loot from my grandma later.

Mad savings and grandma loot. Music to my ears.

[namelesswonder]

I know Boyfriend and his dad like to use Rock Auto. I think his dad wanted me to get a kit that includes some more gaskets and parts, just in case, but I'll bookmark this site. I feel a bit stressed about this whole car process, but I don't think it's going to be as bad as I imagine. New tires will be, though =\

Welp, last night, I ran into a problem I haven't encountered in a while: got so hungry that I ate what was there, which happened to be pizza. I haven't had that much wheat and junk in months. I don't know the last time I had pizza. I had chest pain after, a kind of searing pain that I've associated with gastrointestinal issues. I don't know why it happens in my chest. I felt weak and stupid for giving in, but canned fish wasn't sounding appealing and I felt incredibly defeated by all the GI issues I've been having. It didn't make me feel any worse than I have been after eating lately, except for that chest pain. I don't think it's likely to happen again as long as I keep myself fed. It's just hard because my appetite is so screwy, so I have to eat even when I don't feel like it.

I really wanted to make a paleo dessert last night, but couldn't settle on a recipe. It's best that I didn't, since it would just be a lot of money for a one-time treat, and I'm sure it's not wise to eat that much sugar while my gut is still all messed up. I wonder how much better it is to use honey over cane sugar. Most of the recipes call for 1/4 or 1/3 cup, which seems like a lot, but I guess it's not that much per serving. I really want(ed) something pumpkin though, especially since Trader Joe's has canned organic pumpkin puree for $0.99. Maybe I should get some liquid stevia. That seems like it would last through more baking, and the treats would end up sugar-free. I don't know if that would work for some recipes though, like no-bake cookies, which probably depend partially on the melted sugar (honey or otherwise, my mom always made them with regular cane sugar) to help with the consistency.

Oh man, this wheat-free bakery is going to be opening up sometime next month RIGHT UP THE STREET FROM MY APARTMENT. I am excited to take a peak at the ingredients and hope that they'll be a reasonable option for quick me-friendly desserts. I will definitely tell Boyfriend, so he can treat me sometime They have another location close to my work, but I don't like to take the scooter out on my lunch break unless I have to.

I am COMPLETELY determined to take an epsom salt bath tonight! Early-evening, if possible. I hope it helps like the last one did!

Current supplements: 10,000 IU Vitamin C, Alive! multi for women, 1 Vitex capsule, 250mg 5-HTP, 500-1,000mg Tyrosine, 1,000mg Quercetin (but will run out tomorrow). I think I'm going to switch back to Zyrtec next spring, since it'll be cheaper, and quercetin was not very effective for allergy relief.