So as promised here is my recipe for sweet potato and spinach curry.
You will need -
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
2 sweet potatoes
1/2 a bag of fresh spinach
1 can of coconut milk
1-2 tea spoons of curry paste (I use pataks) with a little hot water
1 handful of ground almonds
(other veggies can be added)
Rice and poppadoms to serve
Slice and fry the onion in a little olive oil in a large pan (I use a cast iron one). Once the onion is golden brown add the garlic (either crush, press or slice the garlic). Once the garlic has been heated through add the sweet potato until slightly softened. Then add the curry paste and stir in thoroughly, after which add the hot water. After which add the coconut milk. Bring to the boil and add the ground almonds. At this point you may wish to add some other vegetables, such as broccoli/peas/green beans etc. Turn the heat down and leave the curry to simmer for about 10mins. During this time you can prepare some rice and poppadoms. Once the curry is ready to serve add the spinach and serve.
I do hope that if you try this you enjoy it as much as I do.
Monday 14 November 2011
Wednesday 26 October 2011
Why changing my diet has never been a sacrifice
It really gets to me when I read about other people with bladder issues saying that they are not prepared to give up certain foods to see if it makes them healthier and in less pain. They say it would remove one of their last pleasures in life...what I cannot understand is why you wouldn't try that if you thought there was some hope that it could give you your life back.
For a long time I didn't consider that food would make a difference, unless maybe it was bland or something. I used to eat baxters cock-a-leekie soup and toasted soya and linseed bread with soya spread on when I was flaring as I thought it would be nice and bland. What I didn't realise was that I was actually making the whole situation worse...having a wheat and soya intolerance at the time.
When it came to light that food may actually play a part in what I was experiencing (at that point I never thought it was IC) I willingly gave up wheat, for me this was fairly easy as my sister is a coeliac and has been for a long time...I knew about many of the alternatives. Not long after I gave up soy...this proved harder and I had to stop eathing chocolate among many other things (soya is added to SO many things, and often sneaks thorugh the net disguised as an E number). Later I even went on the anti candida diet because I had so many problems with candida. I made the changes to my life and I found it hard sometimes, like when eating out or trying to buy a quick lunch from somewhere, but I adjusted and gradually became used to reading the labels on everything. I knew it was making a difference so I stuck with it!
Despite these changes I was still having problems every few weeks (as apposed to every day before I gave up any of the culprit foods!), so eventually after several months of on off symptoms I consaulted a herbalist in london, she put me on the strictest diet I have ever been on! And boy was that hard, giving up fruit and cheese were the two worst parts of it, but I knew that if I was really seirous about getting my health back then I had to be willing to try it, so I rolled up my sleves and made it my mission to make my diet as interesting as possible despite how limited it was. I managed to succeed and gradually introduced foods back. I found SO many alterntives to things and adapted so many recipes to suit my needs (this would not have been possible without the help of my loving boyfriend - sadly no longer my bf but my friend now - who is a wonderful cook and was always up for eating the things I had to have). I learned that body products also caused me harm and set about using only natural body products and avoiding chemicals as far as possible.
There are so many things I have learned about my relationship with food during this last year and a half. I am not scared of food (although you'd think I probably would be considering how much agony it causes me if I were to eat potato/gluten/soya on even a minimal scale), I like to be creative with my food, my tastes have expanded and I have a much biggere interest in where my food has come from etc etc. This evening I made an Isabel-friendly curry :D and for my lunch I had a small portion of Isabel-friedly cottage pie. I will happily tweek and tweek a recipe to make it fit what I need, I have found almond flour to be the best replacement in cakes, I have bought so many new things I would never have considered once up on a time (like sweet potato, corn cakes, arrow root powder). I used never step out of my comfort zone in a restaurant, always ordering the same type of thing again and again, but now I try so many more new things even though about 70% of the menu is usually out of bounds. I have learned that the simplest things that come into contact with our systems can cause a multitude of problems, from skin irriations on my hands and feet and weak flaking nails to excruciating horrific pain in my bladder and dodgy digestive upset.
So all in all quite a few really good things have come out of this horrible experience. I just wish there was some way I could show others how much of a difference it can make!!
Watch this space for a copy of the curry recipe, as this shall be my next post.
For a long time I didn't consider that food would make a difference, unless maybe it was bland or something. I used to eat baxters cock-a-leekie soup and toasted soya and linseed bread with soya spread on when I was flaring as I thought it would be nice and bland. What I didn't realise was that I was actually making the whole situation worse...having a wheat and soya intolerance at the time.
When it came to light that food may actually play a part in what I was experiencing (at that point I never thought it was IC) I willingly gave up wheat, for me this was fairly easy as my sister is a coeliac and has been for a long time...I knew about many of the alternatives. Not long after I gave up soy...this proved harder and I had to stop eathing chocolate among many other things (soya is added to SO many things, and often sneaks thorugh the net disguised as an E number). Later I even went on the anti candida diet because I had so many problems with candida. I made the changes to my life and I found it hard sometimes, like when eating out or trying to buy a quick lunch from somewhere, but I adjusted and gradually became used to reading the labels on everything. I knew it was making a difference so I stuck with it!
Despite these changes I was still having problems every few weeks (as apposed to every day before I gave up any of the culprit foods!), so eventually after several months of on off symptoms I consaulted a herbalist in london, she put me on the strictest diet I have ever been on! And boy was that hard, giving up fruit and cheese were the two worst parts of it, but I knew that if I was really seirous about getting my health back then I had to be willing to try it, so I rolled up my sleves and made it my mission to make my diet as interesting as possible despite how limited it was. I managed to succeed and gradually introduced foods back. I found SO many alterntives to things and adapted so many recipes to suit my needs (this would not have been possible without the help of my loving boyfriend - sadly no longer my bf but my friend now - who is a wonderful cook and was always up for eating the things I had to have). I learned that body products also caused me harm and set about using only natural body products and avoiding chemicals as far as possible.
There are so many things I have learned about my relationship with food during this last year and a half. I am not scared of food (although you'd think I probably would be considering how much agony it causes me if I were to eat potato/gluten/soya on even a minimal scale), I like to be creative with my food, my tastes have expanded and I have a much biggere interest in where my food has come from etc etc. This evening I made an Isabel-friendly curry :D and for my lunch I had a small portion of Isabel-friedly cottage pie. I will happily tweek and tweek a recipe to make it fit what I need, I have found almond flour to be the best replacement in cakes, I have bought so many new things I would never have considered once up on a time (like sweet potato, corn cakes, arrow root powder). I used never step out of my comfort zone in a restaurant, always ordering the same type of thing again and again, but now I try so many more new things even though about 70% of the menu is usually out of bounds. I have learned that the simplest things that come into contact with our systems can cause a multitude of problems, from skin irriations on my hands and feet and weak flaking nails to excruciating horrific pain in my bladder and dodgy digestive upset.
So all in all quite a few really good things have come out of this horrible experience. I just wish there was some way I could show others how much of a difference it can make!!
Watch this space for a copy of the curry recipe, as this shall be my next post.
Wednesday 12 October 2011
Hello,
Here I am after many months of not bothering to post! It's very bad of me but it just turned into a cycle of doom really as I didn't have the time or the energy to post due to studies and illness of a close family relative. Then I felt it had been such a long time that I wasn't sure where to begin....So I am back and I am going to continue writing as I always wanted to put my story out there to try and help others.
The reason I am on here now is because I recieved an email from another girl of a similar age and her email inspired me to get back on here and write! (If you are reading this then please email me to isabel.dolman@yahoo.com and I will get back to you personally, currently it says you have emailed from an anoymous email address so I can't reply).
So anyway the other day was my 23rd birthday and I had a wonderful time, I even ate cake and drank acohol! These things dont sound like something that someone on a restricted diet should be doing! But I am very careful, all of my cake recipes are from this website http://www.elanaspantry.com/ and I only drink rum and orange juice/soda water (rum is made from sugar cane and does not have any weird additives or a grain base like most other spirits). Having said that I rarely eat a diet high in sweet things and I only drink very occasionally. I did spend a good 9months being very very careful! I am still mainlining the probiotics (natren megadophilus dairy powder 1 tsp in water before bed). Despite the above I am still very careful with my diet and lifestyle and I do take these things very seriously.
There are lots of things I still do...
I really want other people to benefit from my experiences. I really want to answer a wealth of questions, to give a positive example of how much you can change your own life when you've been told you have no other choice but to take pain killers, antibiotics and antidepressants to try and cope. I always felt there must be something else I could do and I managed to find that path, mostly alone, but also with help from friends, family, other IC patients and various holistic healers. No one out there could give me an answer and no one could tell me exactly what I needed to do, it was by sheer perseverance that I managed to get to where I am now, I wouldn't give up and neither should you.
Here I am after many months of not bothering to post! It's very bad of me but it just turned into a cycle of doom really as I didn't have the time or the energy to post due to studies and illness of a close family relative. Then I felt it had been such a long time that I wasn't sure where to begin....So I am back and I am going to continue writing as I always wanted to put my story out there to try and help others.
The reason I am on here now is because I recieved an email from another girl of a similar age and her email inspired me to get back on here and write! (If you are reading this then please email me to isabel.dolman@yahoo.com and I will get back to you personally, currently it says you have emailed from an anoymous email address so I can't reply).
So anyway the other day was my 23rd birthday and I had a wonderful time, I even ate cake and drank acohol! These things dont sound like something that someone on a restricted diet should be doing! But I am very careful, all of my cake recipes are from this website http://www.elanaspantry.com/ and I only drink rum and orange juice/soda water (rum is made from sugar cane and does not have any weird additives or a grain base like most other spirits). Having said that I rarely eat a diet high in sweet things and I only drink very occasionally. I did spend a good 9months being very very careful! I am still mainlining the probiotics (natren megadophilus dairy powder 1 tsp in water before bed). Despite the above I am still very careful with my diet and lifestyle and I do take these things very seriously.
There are lots of things I still do...
- I have bowen therapy when I feel I need it
- I see a pelvic floor physiotherapist
- I do not use any chemicals on my skin, all of my body products are 100% natural and I make sure they don't contain soy or gluten (I highly recomend green people, faith in nature and natura care, then just plain coconut oil is amazing as a moisturiser)
- I drink plenty of water, coconut water, peppermint tea, nettle tea and lemon in warm water.
- I make sure that my diet consists of plenty of variety but do not eat any potato, wheat, barley, oats, rye or soy, all of the above give me terrible bladder symptoms (a book by Wendy Cohan called 'The Better Bladder Book' outlines the link between gluten intolerance and bladder problems)
- I avoid as many additives as possible and had a completely additive free diet for at least 6months. When being totally gluten and soya free it is really important to check and double check packages for things, dextrose is a major culprit and used to cause me alot of problems before I realised it was a sugar derived from wheat (often on the outside of cured meats like ham and salami). E numbers are often derived from soy, so are lecithines (found in chocolate and chewing gum among other things).
- I avoid coffee and tea (unless its herbal tea), I only eat goat and sheeps cheese/milk. I get plenty of rice, green veggies, carrots, sweet potato, fruit and lots of meat. Without many carbs or much sugar in my diet I started eating alot of meat, not something I'd ever really done as I was pretty much nearly a veggi. I had also been advised that plenty of meat with my condition was actually a very good idea because the animals fats can heal the gut lining.
I really want other people to benefit from my experiences. I really want to answer a wealth of questions, to give a positive example of how much you can change your own life when you've been told you have no other choice but to take pain killers, antibiotics and antidepressants to try and cope. I always felt there must be something else I could do and I managed to find that path, mostly alone, but also with help from friends, family, other IC patients and various holistic healers. No one out there could give me an answer and no one could tell me exactly what I needed to do, it was by sheer perseverance that I managed to get to where I am now, I wouldn't give up and neither should you.
Thursday 28 April 2011
Just a quick one...
Hi all,
Just posting to say that the come dine with me wedding special this friday at 8pm on channel 4 has a contestant with IC on it :) and she has also been featured in her local paper, here is a link to the article http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/health-and-family/diet_saves_samantha_from_life_of_chronic_pain_1_3325283 not sure if it will work, if not then go to the yorkshire post website and look under the health and famiy section at the bottom of the main page - it's the 2nd article down. I am megga chuffed that a bit of exposure in the media is going on. I will definitely be watching the come dine with me special on friday!
I have changed a few things about the appearance of the blog, very happy to see that I have had nearly 300 views, I know not all of them will be readers but its a good number for a blog in the making.
I promise to post a long post soon with some info on my IC history and how I made the decisions I have made regarding which treatments to persue and how exactly these choices have helped me.
Love
little_ducks x
Sunday 24 April 2011
a few things...
Dear All,
I have a few things I want to put out there quickly this morning...some I have been requested to discuss others I felt I should discuss, so here goes:
Water I cannot stress enough how important it is to get 2litres of water a day. And more importantly bottled or filtered tap water are the best, especially if you live in an area where the water is full of chemicals (say London for example - thats where I am). I filter most of my water and have a small amount of bottled water. When searching for a bottled water the pH is a good way of deciding whether that water will suit you. A pH of 7 or higher is better than say a 5 or 6.
Contraception When I stopped using condoms because they were aggravating my urethra and bladder I had a copper coil fitted, this did not suit me one bit, it was in for 6months and I was having terrible abdominal pain and monthly vaginal thrush, I was told I had PID without any proper tests, given a ton of antibiotics but later my gynaecologist told me I didn't have PID and found everything to be fine on the internal scan. However I felt that the problems hadn't been there until my coil was fitted, so I asked to have it removed - the nasty thing had been corroding inside me and the gynae was shocked at how corroded it looked. After that I started using the pill Yasmin, however this did not suit me either, I was losing weight unable to put any on, I was miserable, I felt weak, disinterested in life etc etc etc. Some people say that hormonal contraception promotes yeast problems, regardless of whether this is true I had never really wanted to go on the pill I always felt wary of messing about with hormones, I started taking it as a last resort. After 2 months I was feeling dreadful and my bladder was playing up badly just before my period so I decided to come off it. I later found out that that particular pill was also a diuretic - no good if you have a bladder problem.
I have not attempted to use any other pills (before major problems I tried Marvellon but it made me blow up like a balloon and I was nauseous most of the time), nor have I found a brand of condom which suits me, for a little while latex free trojan were ok as long as I used plenty of coconut oil as a lubricant but I started reacting to them as well. I am now using the withdrawal method and starting to research the rhythm method. Many reading this will think it is madness which is exactly what I would have thought before this experience. But I am trying the best I can to manage on what I've got, its been 2 months and so far all is well. I really have tried so many things and for a time my boyfriend said he wouldn't mind not having sex at all because of all the pain from the condoms and my reaction to the pill etc but I love him and I want that important part of our relationship to be possible. I know the risks and I know that if I did get pregnant then I wouldn't want to have an abortion even though at this stage in my life it wouldn't be ideal to become a mum. However much research shows that the withdrawal method if performed correctly is only 2% less effective than condoms. This is a risk I am willing to take.
And finally...
I am going to see a female physio, they are usually for people who have just had babies or have incontinence (I've had neither), but I have worked out recently since I've been feeling better that when my pelvic floor muscles are too tight then my bladder starts to hurt, often after strenuous exercise or during a stressful situation. Actively relaxing the muscles helps but I am hoping that the physio will be able to get to the bottom of the situation and perhaps give me exercises/treatment which will reverse this issue/help ease it off. I am really excited about this because I think it could make a world of a difference.
I have alot more to say and will probably make a post soon about the story behind my bladder problems so a better perspective on where I have come from and where I'm at now, how I got there etc can be achieved.
I'm trying to sort out how to make it so that people can email me also, as I think that might be good for a bit of two way communication. I had a lovely comment on my last post from someone (I think in America) who I'd love to personally email a reply to, so I'm gonna look into that and see if theres a tool.
love
little_ducks x
I have a few things I want to put out there quickly this morning...some I have been requested to discuss others I felt I should discuss, so here goes:
Water I cannot stress enough how important it is to get 2litres of water a day. And more importantly bottled or filtered tap water are the best, especially if you live in an area where the water is full of chemicals (say London for example - thats where I am). I filter most of my water and have a small amount of bottled water. When searching for a bottled water the pH is a good way of deciding whether that water will suit you. A pH of 7 or higher is better than say a 5 or 6.
Contraception When I stopped using condoms because they were aggravating my urethra and bladder I had a copper coil fitted, this did not suit me one bit, it was in for 6months and I was having terrible abdominal pain and monthly vaginal thrush, I was told I had PID without any proper tests, given a ton of antibiotics but later my gynaecologist told me I didn't have PID and found everything to be fine on the internal scan. However I felt that the problems hadn't been there until my coil was fitted, so I asked to have it removed - the nasty thing had been corroding inside me and the gynae was shocked at how corroded it looked. After that I started using the pill Yasmin, however this did not suit me either, I was losing weight unable to put any on, I was miserable, I felt weak, disinterested in life etc etc etc. Some people say that hormonal contraception promotes yeast problems, regardless of whether this is true I had never really wanted to go on the pill I always felt wary of messing about with hormones, I started taking it as a last resort. After 2 months I was feeling dreadful and my bladder was playing up badly just before my period so I decided to come off it. I later found out that that particular pill was also a diuretic - no good if you have a bladder problem.
I have not attempted to use any other pills (before major problems I tried Marvellon but it made me blow up like a balloon and I was nauseous most of the time), nor have I found a brand of condom which suits me, for a little while latex free trojan were ok as long as I used plenty of coconut oil as a lubricant but I started reacting to them as well. I am now using the withdrawal method and starting to research the rhythm method. Many reading this will think it is madness which is exactly what I would have thought before this experience. But I am trying the best I can to manage on what I've got, its been 2 months and so far all is well. I really have tried so many things and for a time my boyfriend said he wouldn't mind not having sex at all because of all the pain from the condoms and my reaction to the pill etc but I love him and I want that important part of our relationship to be possible. I know the risks and I know that if I did get pregnant then I wouldn't want to have an abortion even though at this stage in my life it wouldn't be ideal to become a mum. However much research shows that the withdrawal method if performed correctly is only 2% less effective than condoms. This is a risk I am willing to take.
And finally...
I am going to see a female physio, they are usually for people who have just had babies or have incontinence (I've had neither), but I have worked out recently since I've been feeling better that when my pelvic floor muscles are too tight then my bladder starts to hurt, often after strenuous exercise or during a stressful situation. Actively relaxing the muscles helps but I am hoping that the physio will be able to get to the bottom of the situation and perhaps give me exercises/treatment which will reverse this issue/help ease it off. I am really excited about this because I think it could make a world of a difference.
I have alot more to say and will probably make a post soon about the story behind my bladder problems so a better perspective on where I have come from and where I'm at now, how I got there etc can be achieved.
I'm trying to sort out how to make it so that people can email me also, as I think that might be good for a bit of two way communication. I had a lovely comment on my last post from someone (I think in America) who I'd love to personally email a reply to, so I'm gonna look into that and see if theres a tool.
love
little_ducks x
Thursday 21 April 2011
I am on the mend
Hiya,
Its been a while since I posted, I am currently doing a degree so don't have much internet time on my hands (unless it revolves around Shakespeare or Linton Kwesi Johnson). Anyhow, I recieved an email from my fellow ICer (who we shall call B), B was very upset because she recently went onto the forum where we both met and found it has now turned into an overly controlled and unrealistic environment which moreso than ever focusses on the medical profession as the answer to our problems....this is not so!
Like myself B has found that various lifestyle and dietary changes have made the WORLD of difference. I don't know about her but I am now 100% pain free most days, I get the occasional bout of 25% pain (usually lasting a few hours or less), the odd day of 4% pain and a few niggles now and then. This is a massive difference compared to my months of daily pain at about 75% and bad days of 90-100%. I haven't cried on the toilet for about 3months. In this time I have had no days in bed nursing my poor bladder unable to face the day, no days going to the loo every 10mins, no days where my bladder feels like its on fire. I can do things like go for long walks/run/swim/cycle without any pain, sometimes if I push myself too far then my pelvic floor muscles tense up and I get some twinges but relaxation soon helps that to subside.
I feel like a new person.
If I were to list all of the things I have tried to help myself in this situation I would be here for hours. But here are a list of things which have helped me tremendously...
Take Care
Love
little_ducks x
Its been a while since I posted, I am currently doing a degree so don't have much internet time on my hands (unless it revolves around Shakespeare or Linton Kwesi Johnson). Anyhow, I recieved an email from my fellow ICer (who we shall call B), B was very upset because she recently went onto the forum where we both met and found it has now turned into an overly controlled and unrealistic environment which moreso than ever focusses on the medical profession as the answer to our problems....this is not so!
Like myself B has found that various lifestyle and dietary changes have made the WORLD of difference. I don't know about her but I am now 100% pain free most days, I get the occasional bout of 25% pain (usually lasting a few hours or less), the odd day of 4% pain and a few niggles now and then. This is a massive difference compared to my months of daily pain at about 75% and bad days of 90-100%. I haven't cried on the toilet for about 3months. In this time I have had no days in bed nursing my poor bladder unable to face the day, no days going to the loo every 10mins, no days where my bladder feels like its on fire. I can do things like go for long walks/run/swim/cycle without any pain, sometimes if I push myself too far then my pelvic floor muscles tense up and I get some twinges but relaxation soon helps that to subside.
I feel like a new person.
If I were to list all of the things I have tried to help myself in this situation I would be here for hours. But here are a list of things which have helped me tremendously...
- Taking my diet right back to basics - brown rice, eggs, meat, green veggies, water, peppermint tea (I did 2 months of that and have gradually started introducing things back, starting with vegtables one at a time, totally avoding any kind of processed foods or additives)
- Drinking 1/4 of a teaspoon of bicarb when in pain
- Probiotics (Natren 2x daily)
- 2litres of water per day
- Castor Oil Packs
- Changing ALL body products to ones with 100% natural ingredients (including sanitary towels, deodorant, soap, shampoo, moisturiser etc)
- Bowen Therapy
- Homeopathy (Histamine 30c, Causticum 30c)
- Coconut water
- Stopping taking the pill, stopping using condoms of all sorts (I had tried in the region of 50 different brands and all of them set my bladder off)
- Relaxing my pelvic floor muscles conciously, deep breathing focussed relaxation
- The Better Bladder Book by Wendy Cohan
- Writing poetry
- Talking to others going through similar things - this has helped me BEYOND all else, without the support and kindness of various people I have spoken with I would not be at the stage I am at now, there are people out there who unknowingly have given me the determination and strength to say 'I can get well, and I WILL get well.'
Take Care
Love
little_ducks x
Friday 11 March 2011
First ever blog post
Hello everyone/anyone,
If you are reading this you have found a brand new blog started by someone suffering with Interstitial cystitis/a seriously inflammed and over sensitive bladder.
I am here because I want to try and share my experiences with anyone else who is suffering in the same/a similar way.
I want to put out there the things which really can help your body, many of which are things you can easily impliment into your life.
I'd really appreciate any feedback.
I will post again soon.
little_ducks
If you are reading this you have found a brand new blog started by someone suffering with Interstitial cystitis/a seriously inflammed and over sensitive bladder.
I am here because I want to try and share my experiences with anyone else who is suffering in the same/a similar way.
I want to put out there the things which really can help your body, many of which are things you can easily impliment into your life.
I'd really appreciate any feedback.
I will post again soon.
little_ducks
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)