Well, there are quite a few updates that I have to share this evening. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was planning to get retested for my food sensitivities, as I haven't felt very well over the past couple of months. Well, I haven't felt as well as I did back in April or May. After a long discussion with Deb yesterday, we have decided to try a new elimination diet instead. The fact of the matter is, I've been working off of a road map that was made for me when I was not well. Since then, my sensitivities have changed- I'm certain of this. It makes no sense to follow a map that's outdated- it won't get me from A to B when new bridges and roads have been built over the past few months. 

My new elimination diet isn't extremely different from what I was doing with the LEAP diet before, but it certainly has changed a handful of items on my "can eat" list. We decided that I should still completely avoid all of my highly-reactive foods and food chemicals from my LEAP MRT results. My new diet allows for some foods I haven't eaten in a while and actually eliminates some foods that I have been eating for a while. The good news is, I feel like I'm going to have a bit more variety in my diet, which is something worth celebrating. It's been really difficult for me to feel like I'm eating the same foods day after day after day. I'm not picky when it comes to eating food- I always enjoyed foods from different cultures and I was never hesitant to try anything new. I have a wonderful appetite and so, my restrictions have had me feeling like a caged animal for quite some time now. I came to realize how serious this was when I became wildly excited over the fact that I was going to be able to eat escarole, kale, kiwi, and artichokes on my new diet among other things. My life should be riveting now- agreed? :)

I had some lab work done to check my iron, vitamin D, and zinc levels. They were all extremely low, which didn't surprise me much seeing as I don't get a whole lot of nutrients from my diet. There isn't enough variety for me to get everything I need out of my diet alone. If it weren't for my supplements, I'd be in biiiig troubs. I went and had my B12 blood work done today- I'm sure that this will be low, as well. I've been off of my B Complex vitamin for a week now because I ran out and had to order more. This actually worked out because I had to be off of it for a week in order to do the blood work. Unfortunately, I'm really feeling the effects of not taking it everyday. I'm miserably lethargic/fatigued. I really hope all my supplements arrive tomorrow so I can stop feeling like zombie. While I take a B Complex vitamin, I'm secretly hoping that my B12 is low enough that I can be considered for B12 shots, which I think would be more beneficial for me in the long run. 

So what does this blood work tell me? For one, research shows that hair loss is a sign of iron deficiency. So, I can link these two pieces of the much larger puzzle together. My fatigue, pale complexion (on some days), dry skin, random bruising, aching joints, and brittle nails can also be attributed to my low iron levels. Low vitamin D and zinc levels also play a role in hair loss and some of these other symptoms. Triple whammy. Thankfully Deb gave me two big lists of foods that are significant sources of iron and zinc. Only a few of the foods are some of my highly-reactive foods, so I have plenty to choose from to get my levels up. As for the vitamin D, I have to be ridiculously careful with how much of it I allow myself to take. My kidney stones are 100% related to my vitamin D intake- if I get too much vitamin D, you can bet your ass you'll find me curled up in a ball in the hospital, hooked up to an IV, convinced I'm hours away from my death. This sensitive bitch never has time for that.

Another update, which I'm saddened to report: I'm breaking up with my beloved coconut oil. It has come to my attention that this "miracle ingredient" simply is not cutting it for me anymore. Yes, it did miraculous things for me towards the beginning of my sensitive journey, but I have come to terms with the fact that it is to blame for my not-so-flawless complexion right now. I blamed my diet, my lack of nutrients, and possibly everything else I could come up with- but I'm past the denial phase and I am no longer using coconut oil as a face wash and moisturizer. Even when I wasn't well, 10 months- a year ago, I never had issues with my skin with the exception of getting hives every time I would shower. I now know that the hives were caused from a sensitivity to basic body washes. I was fine using regular face wash and so, there's really no reason why I can't go back to doing just that. I was always very fortunate to have clear skin- even as a teenager. My friends would get so mad at me when I'd flip out over one blemish on my face and insist that I was "breaking out like crazy." I now know how ridiculous I must have sounded. I stopped using the coconut oil a few days ago and I'm now using Burt's Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream. For a moisturizer, I'm using Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion. I'm already noticing a difference, which validates my suspicions about the coconut oil. Don't get me wrong- I'm surely going to use it for other things, but not as a face wash or moisturizer on my face, chest, and back. I will stand by my claims that it works wonderfully as a deep conditioner for hair, a moisturizer for hands and legs, and it's GREAT to cook with!

I'm currently working on a blog post for one of my loveliest friends. This one is going to require a ton of research in order to deliver the right and most beneficial information. To give my followers a back story- my friend is a thyroid cancer survivor. She had a complete thyroidectomy earlier this year and 8 lymph nodes removed between November 2012 and January 2013. She is currently taking Levothyroxine to suppress her TSH levels, as this will prevent the thyroid cancer from spreading. I have all kinds of natural remedy ideas for her symptoms but need to do the research on how they might affect her TSH levels. She needs to be as close to zero as possible, a.k.a. hyperthyroidism. Her symptoms include sore joints and bones, vitamin D and C deficiencies, mood swings and anxiety, and difficulty with nutrient absorption. These symptoms are caused by her medication. If any of my followers are able to offer some insight, resources, recipes, ideas, etc. on different natural/nutritional remedies for these symptoms, please comment on this post. In the meantime, I'm learning a lot, which is always the case when I write an informative piece like this. My mind is going a million miles a minute, so I figured I would turn to you guys for any help you might have to offer. 

When you make suggestions, keep in mind that she WANTS a hyperactive thyroid. So, think like a person with a hypOactive thyroid- what would they do to suppress their TSH levels?

Thanks, all!

Love & Light.

A week ago I went to see my dermatologist for a regular skin check. I had to have a mole removed for a biopsy, as it appeared to be atypical. I got my results back today, which could have been better, but they also could have been a lot worse. I have to go back to have more of the lesion removed. The results showed moderate abnormality in the sample collected, which warrants them to remove more of the skin that surrounded the mole in case the skin cells in that area were affected. The wound is about the size of a dime right now, but will obviously be bigger once they go back into it. I was told that I would need stitches after the second procedure to help with the healing. Fingers crossed- I hope they only have to go back into it this one time.

Indoor tanning and outdoor tanning without protection was not only ignorant, but 100% not worth the consequences. I've been so much better about being cautious over the past few years, but once the damage is done- it's done. All I can do moving forward is continue to take preventative measures and protect the skin I'm in. I encourage all my followers, friends, family- everyone, to do the same and make annual skin check appointments to stay on top of any moles and marks that may be suspicious or evolve over time. As I said last week, it's better to be safe than sorry. 

Not too long ago I wrote a blog post about one of my best friends, who found out she had melanoma after a regular visit to the dermatologist for a skin check. The news scared the hell out of everyone in our circle of friends. At the request of our friend, we made our skin check appointments to be checked out, too.

I had my skin check appointment today. I've always been able to breeze in and out of the doctor's office unscathed- without having to get anything suspicious removed, that is. Today was different. I prepared myself for the possibility that I may have some questionable moles on this sensitive vessel of mine and sure enough as always, my intuition was right on the money. I know people have moles removed all the time as a precaution so I'm not getting worked up about it. It's especially important for me to take precaution, as skin cancer runs in my family. My father has had basal cell carcinoma removed from different areas on his body quite a few times in the past five years or so. 

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common/ frequently occurring form of skin cancer today. BCCs are abnormal growths or lesions that arise in the skin's basal cells. BCCs may look like open sores, red patches, scars, or pink growths. In other words- not your "atypical" brown mole that may cause you to worry. The people at highest risk for BCC are those with blonde or red hair, fair skin, and blue, green, or hazel eyes. But of course, anyone with a history of excessive sun exposure or indoor tanning are at a higher risk for BCC (Skincancer.org). 

The mole I had removed today didn't look like BCC by definition, though. It was brown, a bit asymmetrical, and had a blurred or fuzzy border. It had been concerning me for some time, so it's no surprise to me that the dermatologist pointed it out right away and said she wanted to remove it for a biopsy. 

It's important to be checking your skin regularly for a number of reasons. I realized this when the nurse asked me about some of the moles I was worried about- I couldn't tell her how long they had been there, or if they had changed in size, shape, or color, and this is very important. I plan to be more aware of this moving forward. 

Do you know your ABCDE's of skin cancer detection?

A- Asymmetry, or when the halves are not identical, is suggestive of melanoma.
B- Border irregularity is suggestive of melanoma if it is uneven or ragged.
C- Color variation is suggestive of melanoma if the lesion contains more than one color.
D- Diameter greater than 6 mm is suggestive of melanoma. 
E- Evolving: change in size, shape, or color can be warning signs and are strong reasons to have your skin checked. 


Everyone should have their skin checked on a yearly basis. It's better to be safe than sorry.
As for me, I should get my biopsy results within the next two weeks. My hope is that I get my results much sooner than later. Until then, I'm filling my head with positive thoughts and envisioning the best possible outcome. 
:)

Work Cited

Skincancer.org. The Skin Cancer Foundation, n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2013. <http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/basal-cell-carcinoma>.