New Diet

I have been to see a local lady for Vegan Allergy testing. It was recommended to me by a fellow creative writer at my class in Weymouth Library. I had heard about her before and had a very close friend do a similar test with someone else and it helped her Asthma tremendously. So off I went. I was there for over an hour and I think we were both gobsmacked at all the foods I had shown up as intolerant to. Some I kind of expected as had struggled over the years with IBS and many people with M.E. also do. But some were unexpected.

So now I try my best to have a different kind of diet that excludes: Wheat, Gluten, Yeast, Sugar, Dairy, Tomatoes, Apples, Oranges, Lemons, Potatoes, unusually Vodka !, White Wine, Pork,Mushrooms, MSG and CHOCOLATE !, that's the hard one, plus tea and coffee. Most people say to me what do you eat, but I do not starve myself, I assure you. I had to get my head round it a bit. So I sat and wrote a list of all things that I can eat and felt a lot better. I was also advised to take a daily supplement and I was low on Vitamins and Minerals.

Nearly a month on and I feel so much better, my digestion has improved tremendously, no more constipation. Now I have a flatter stomach, and more energy. I do have to eat little an often as now I am not getting my energy from caffeine or sugar. For the first few days I did have a headache, this is nothing unusual for people with M.E. but was reassured by my Allergist that this was Caffeine withdrawal.

I now have cornflakes with fruit and soya milk for breakfast, usually a pear for snack. Oatcakes and Houmous or Ricecakes and mashed banana for lunch and Meat or fish and veg for tea, sweet potato replaced for the jacket or chips. I drink fruit herbal tea and blackcurrant no added sugar squash or cranberry juice, low sugar. I snack on Nuts or Dried fruit and have found in Tesco, pure fruit sugar fructose which I have on my porridge. I am experimenting with recipes and I am posting one that both myself and my daughter made, it was yummy. I will post more another time.

Lamb meatballs with Veg Sauce and Rice

1 Onion
1 Pack of Lamb Mince
1 Piece of Gluten Free Bread
1 Egg
2 Sml Sweet Potatoes
500ml Veg Stock yeast free
1 Red Pepper
Rice
2 tablespoons of Veg Oil.

Chop the onion and add to the mince in a bowl, crack in the egg, whizz up the bread until breadcrumbs and add to meat mixture. Stir all together until combined, adding herbs if required for flavour. Break up meat mixture into eight balls rolling in hands and set aside. In a frying pan heat the oil until quite hot and add the meatballs, turning, until all sides are brown, this is a bit tricky, I did it with two spatulas. Make sure they are cooked through before serving. Whilst they are cooking peel the sweet potatoes and chop the red pepper and then put into a pan with the veg stock and bring to the boil until soft. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth adding small amounts of water until the right consistency is achieved for a sauce. Cook your rice according to label or packet. Serve your meatballs on a bed of rice, pouring your sauce over the top. Yum !!!

My Writing

I have joined a creative writing class at Weymouth Library and am extremely enjoying it. The sitting and concentration is particularly hard for me as my back kills last week had to take a Co-codamol for the pain, which is never good as it gives me a fuzzy head. Even worse than ME Brain Fog. But I am perservering as I am meeting new people that also enjoy writing and I am learning lots of different ways of expressing myself with words. I have been writing my story and what happened to me, my journey through diagnosis and onwards its title is the same as this Blog as I still feel like screaming sometimes WHY M.E. I have also published one of my poems writen for someone I met at my support group. She told me how one day she had ventured out and was waiting for a bus to return Home. An old lady asked her where her Bus Stop was and she told her. The Lady was horrified and said to her 'A young girl like you should be walking'. This prompted her to burst into tears so here is the reply to her.

But you Look Alright

When you Look at me what do you see?

Is it a person with M.E.

But you look alright they say all the time,

Is brushing your hair such a crime.

Shall I not not bother with Blusher or Lipstick,

Do you want me just to LOOK SICK?

You cannot see on the outside,

The illness inside I try to hide.

Not all disabilities are visible to the eye,

Can you be understanding, why not TRY!