No Matter What Happens: Fight

Myasthenia Gravis Awareness : Get in the Fight

IMPOSSIBLE is NOTHING: Fight Position. Step Forward

IMPOSSIBLE is NOTHING: Fight Position. Step Forward.

This week I got my USA Boxing fit-to-box doctors note! While a little note with a check mark sounds trivial to most, my MG com-padres and peeps in my corner know how much THIS means.

Little over four years ago, I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis (mg) a neuro-muscular illness that in short makes your muscles so weak you can't <insert any verbs here: walk, run, breathe, see , etc..> Yep, good times!

Since then I've been a Warrior of Health, a Crusader of Healing - on a live or die mission to get my body to work again. There's been doctors, tests, meds, nutrition, juice fasts, labs, exams, blood tests, follow ups, meltdowns, tears, fears, more doctors, more juice, more MRIs, CTs,  weird torturous tests,  hiding from people and too many moments of wondering if life would be normal again. Would I be able to take my kid to the park? Travel? drive? Play guitar, take a deep breath, run, sing?  How about chew or just swallow over-cooked pureed broccoli, not see double, not see in triplicate or simply be me again? --OK, honestly I wondered if I'd survive this.

Three years in, my rocker self had (literally and figuratively) gone pear-shaped and while Meds and nutrition were working well enough to function, the scales were tipping for the worse. I needed to do something or else resign that the slippery slope was going to win. The David Bowie in me told me " fake it til you make it" and fast! If I wanted to be healthy, I needed to fake/act healthy.  

As luck would have it and painfully down on luck, there was a boxing club across the street from my office. THIS was a no brainier! IMHO, the toughest motherfuckers are boxers! So on a hot day in June, I dared to walk across the street to Third Street Boxing Gym to see if I could just fake it through one class. Just one.  (crap, just realized I sound like Rocky - one punch, one step, one round. Apologies.)

I stepped inside the door and was greeted by Third Street owner, golden glove Paul Wade. "I know you want to be here" he said. He had no f-n idea. Humbly, pathetically, I made it through one class - barely. The next day, sore as F*#% I signed up for a year. 

I also believe in Neitzsche: "If it doesn't kill you...!"  I was all in!

For the next two to three months, I went. I showed up, desperately trying to keep up with the sit-ups, burpees and rounds of heavy bag. I teared up during class, often - praying it'd pass off as sweat. (So sad.) When I looked defeated a young fighter named Dino told me "It just takes practice. Keep going". The workout was hard. My body hated me. I felt like a lumbering jackass. My head screamed inside "you're six-kinds of messed-up, you're sick, you can't breathe, you fraud, you imbecile, why are you here, go the fuck home!"

Boxing folk are motivational wizards. In time Paul's mantras of "no excuses people", "everybody's got something", "do the hardest thing" started to crush everything else. Sweat became fueled by Ironman Ed's gregarious humor and motivation. Other gym-mate's fist pumps and steady confidence fed me. Third Street was a place of warriors, champs! Despite feeling like a mere shadow of the self I used to be, these crazy people made me feel like I belonged. 

Medically, i'm not supposed to be able to do this. Every time I throw a punch,  I'm supposed to be less able to throw the next one. I won't go as far as to say I don't feel the MG everyday - It's there! I feel it. But in a dark lonely moment when I wanted to run, when I wanted to stop - my (now) trainer, Adolfo, refused to see an ounce of weak in me. He simply said "fight position. Step forward."

So, today I got my "fit-to-box" paperwork. All I know is if I could do this, impossible is nothing!

Elimination Diet:

Been thinking, some specific and even "clean" foods are triggering symptoms--- a hunch is pointing to eggs, chocolate and ...oranges!

Starting an elimination diet!

• Four weeks of eating clean
• followed by introducing one item at a time
++++ eat one new food two times a day
++++ monitor for any symptoms for the next two days
++++ on the fourth day try a new food item and repeat process

Very excited about this process and the possibility of knowing!


NOTES:  Of all things, ORANGES are triggering me. Crazy! Frigging oranges! One of my favorite & staple treats--now kryptonite. Possibly one of the reasons juicing is magic for me because I don't do OJ on a fast.

Juicing 101

The down and dirty - what you need to know to start juicing! It's easy. It's just juice. Juice on!
 

My quick intro to juicing: JUICING 101! 

 

 
• Once you have a juicer (Breville, JackLalanne, etc..), you can use pretty much juice any fruit and vegetable that you can eat raw.

• The bulk of your juice should be cucumber & celery.

• Then add dark leafy greens (kale, dandelion, spinach), roots (carrot, beets, jicama) & tart fruit (green apple, lemon, lime, pear) to give variety of minerals, vitamins sweetness & taste.

• Be sure to incorporate a full spectrum of colors. Your cocktails should be a painter's palette of vibrant rich colors: yellow, greens and reds, pale to muddy goodness.

 
 
Things to know: Adding juice to your routine is the best way to start. You will easily notice your body crave more vibrant vitamin rich foods while simultaneously avoiding "junk".

Vegetables (especially dark leafy greens) will keep your blood sugar or glycemic levels steady and constant. This is helpful if you are prone to headaches or fatigue caused by fruit sugars.

Once your hooked on juice, try a one to three day fast. You can work up to longer fasting practice in time.

When adding juice to your normal diet, try incorporating one or two glasses per day. (About 16-20oz total).

When fasting or as i say "juice feasting" aim to drink 96 to 120 ounces per day. This will ensure your body gets an ample variety of vitamins and minerals. This will also decrease the urge to binge eat when transitioning back to solid food because you have been "feasting" all along.

Please read my section on juice fasting when preparing for a "juice feast"! There are lots of great tips for longer feasting.

Three of my favs:
cucumber, pineapple, ginger
beat, carrot, apple, ginger
kale, celery, pear, cucumber

To your health,
-sina

Great-full and Thankful!!

(Original post: 11/25/2013)
Hi friends, today is my first vacation day since July4th. MG slaughtered my last 3 week long vacations (thanksgiving, Christmas,New years & July4th).

As thanksgiving approaches, I'm freaked that some horrible MG attack will come and f me up despite that I feel pretty darn good!

2013 has been one weird year!----MG diagnosis, scary doc appts, MRIs, CAT scans, blood tests, disability leave Dec-April, 3month stints of double vision & weakness, month long colds, prednisone, mestinon, cellcept---and THEN nutribullet-ing, MG fb groups, acupuncture, 32 days of juice, colonics, going Paleo AIP, kicking coffee & the infinite quest for good health!

Well it's thanksgiving week, I am grateful and full of greatness! I am thankful for many joys and prosperity in my life. I am thankful that my MG is under control. I am thankful that I'm working, rocking and getting to enjoy being a mom. I'm thankful (yet terrified) to continue to taper off the prednisone (I'm at my last breakthrough level (but holding strong).

Grateful for today as my Mom reminds me of the saying "yesterday is history, tomorrow's a mystery, that's why they call today the present"!

Holi-daze!

Just came home from a celebratory end of the year dinner (fun but unhealthy food & drink). Also-- been (stress) eating since turkey day (cheese, hot chocolates, wine, pizza, even some gluteny cookies).

It's official: I feel like crud! Gained 10lbs. And my eyes are twitching and weak. Booze makes it worse.

Gunna get back in the juice train tomorrow!