Progress Report ID-9247 by fasting123

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• n/a n/a, 46 years old female, weighing 69 kg / 151.8 lbs, 67 in /170.18 cm tall, n/a. United States US

• Doing 30 days of Juice Fasting. Starting September 30, 2011

• Reasons for Fasting:
  I am fasting to heal from autoimmune diseases, turn this wagon around, and see if I can reverse any of the damage, which is, by all medical research, "impossible". There is "no cure". I say "bah" and "humbug", but the cure is quite hard to pull off - I think the medical term is "lack of patient compliance". I no longer underestimate the difficulty of maintaining a fast.

• Past Fasting Experience:
  I have done a few brief juice fasts (3 to 14 days). It took many attempts to get used to the different levels of hunger and gain control, and I found the absence of dinner in particular to be very punishing when fasting, especially when I had to prepare it for others, or the family was out to dinner, but nowadays I am too sick to eat dinner at all. My biggest obstacle remains having the patience to deal with the juicer (a 2 hour dreaded ordeal when you include scrubbing the veggies, cutting them up to fit down the chute, stopping to clean the filter every 5 minutes, then cleaning it all up!) on a daily basis. I have never gone the full 30 days yet - mostly because due to my particular illness, the first few days of a fast are increasingly painful, involving flu-like symptoms, swollen joints, horrible burning in all mucous membranes of my body, AND erratic emotional/mental swings that continue on & on, and there's seldom a chance to rest. A lot of people I've read about here feel immediate improvement in their troubles, and I'm envious - I have to get through some really tough days where it seems obvious that fasting is making EVERYTHING MUCH MUCH WORSE! This time, I hope to barrel slowly through it all, and see if there really is daylight far down the other end of the tunnel! At this point - I wouldn't even consider water fasting - I would become seriously ill, but I don't discount the possibility later on if this juice fast heals. I can't eat fresh fruit anymore, so having studied the diaries of successful fasters on this site, I think it's best to listen to my instincts, and use carrot, celery, cukes, granny smiths, dandelion leaves mostly. I have bad reactions to cabbage, and raw kale is not good for hypothyroid folk, so I will avoid this. I am lucky to be able to wander around a farmers market full of organic local produce, and see which items I am drawn to. I will initially mix the juices with water, because they are rather harsh on my stomach, since my GI is so damaged. I live with constant burning in my chest and gut, and it's getting rather nasty. In the evening if I'm cold, I have fresh mineral ( simple veggie) broth seasoned with lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Also, apple cider vinegar with lemon and molasses, because I am extremely anemic and the iron pills my doctor put me on make me sick! Here goes day one.

• Present Diet:
  1 small, gluten-free waffle, with flax seeds for crunch & almond butter in the morning - I eat half of this before a wave of nausea takes over, and I have a yoghurt in the evening. If I feel faint or starving, a tiny slice of cheese in the afternoon, when the kids come home and everything ramps up for the evening. Sometimes if I had no breakfast - I would have vegetarian refried beans (2 tbs) spread on rice cakes with steamed spinach on top for lunch, although recently, I cut this out - even the lowfat beans are too rich. Spinach is the only vegetable I can tolerate and I crave it daily. If I want fruit - I can tolerate a couple slices of canned pears (no syrup/sugar added). No fiber, no fresh produce anymore - everything causes bloating and inflammation. Needless to say - no energy, not much use at the moment. I have lost weight - but 20 lbs of that was muscle. I want that back!! I would like to have a raw, fresh diet, which is easy to do in this town - there are several well known raw food eateries around here, and a couple of juice bars where they make fresh juices to order if I get really lazy, rushed, or fed up with the whole thing, although that's really too expensive. I think part of the time I have to spend buying and preparing the veggies and wrestling that overheated pompous noisy undersized juicer of mine is actually an important part of the commitment to taking care of myself - I picked that up from the successful fasters here, too.

• Supplements:
  Can't afford Ye Overpricede Healthe Foode Shoppe these days, but occasionally remember to take my enormous multivitamin horsepill...that makes me nauseous too. I have some liquid vits to add to juices.

• Relevant Medical History:
  3 different autoimmune diseases diagnosed over the past 6 years. Rheumatoid arthritis, sjogrens, and celiac disease (positive biopsy taken 2010) I believe the current medications for these diseases are too dangerous and uncomfortable for me to take. Not that fasting is easy, but it is finite! I have a doctor who is progressive, respectful, open-minded and cooperative, and if this fast works for me - she would definitely mention it to others, although I realize professionally she cannot lawfully 'order' it as a treatment.

• State of Mind:
  Despair, exhaustion, withdrawal, chronic depression, hopelessness at times, and for the first time in my life, physical weakness, too. Since I know that I sometimes get even more lethargic while fasting, I will put on my shoes and get out of the house early every morning for some fresh air. I will resist the urge to run if my joints are hurting. There are parts of my recent history that I cannot post on a website at the moment, even 'anonymously' (there's really no such thing) - like Keith, I don't want to put it all out here. But if it becomes relevant later in helping someone else, I will reconsider.