I Rested Yesterday

Yesterday's high of 11.5C at 6 am dropped dramatically to 0C by noon. It was mainly cloudy all day. It did clear off and it was bright outside at 1 am as the moon was shining. This morning it is hazy and -1C. We are to have a mix of sun and clouds. NE winds, and a high of 4C. 

Lifestyle

The balance sheet was completed in fairly good time with only 1 small but easily found mistake. I am on track at this time and am very happy about that. 

Once done, I chose to do very little all day. I was exhausted from the storm during the night. I did putter some, rested lots and went to bed early. I did no sewing or knitting yesterday. I looked at the sewing and couldn't focus on it. 

I went outside for a few minutes yesterday to see if someone's bbq cover landed in the yard. I found a metal lid off a box on the lawn so put it against the fence. There were no other "offerings" in the yard. The lawn was super squishy when I walked on it. We need a few days of warm dry weather to help it dry out but that isn't going to happen this week. 

What was annoying about last night was a motor ran all night. I could hear it though I did sleep through most of it as I was tired. It was still going when I got up. It is outside as I opened a window to listen. I have a feeling a night crew is working on the highway and the noise is a generator for lights. 

IBS

Carol, I have had IBS for a long time. The main cause has been stress but foods have played a part. In 2019 it became worse as my stress level went off the charts. I didn't realize it was stress and thought it was food. I was eating rice and chicken to calm my system down which helped marginally. The IBS got worse as the Spousal Unit declined with Alzheimer's. Then the pain in my hip and knee kept flaring the IBS issues. Though I wasn't ill from it, I was mighty uncomfortable. 

When the pain and stress were reduced, I noticed that my IBS was better. When it flared up, I started to think it was more food related vs stress related. I know corn can be a trigger food. I don't eat it very often. I thought onions were a trigger food but I eat them regularly with little to no issues. When I ate peas, I had major issues and my body went into overdrive to get rid of them. It took about 48 hours of my body quickly get over what I ate. I retained fluid, bloated, and finally my body expelled it. 

I am never sure what foods will trigger a flare up but I am very careful about what I eat. I look at certain foods that I love and won't eat them often as they could be "that" food. I have played around a lot with the foods you shouldn't eat and I can eat some of them. Others I haven't tried as I don't care for them. It is a trial and error process. What affects me may not affect someone else. It is a case of trial and error.

I have a list similar to this one that I refer to.

FODMAP Click to get the food list. 

This is the elimination part of the diet and once you are ready you can add the avoid foods to it one at a time. Have a flare up and you eliminate it, wait a couple of weeks and try a new food. It is a long process and I did it while loosing weight. I was very methodical and found out that some foods will cause a flare up if eaten regularly but not when eaten occasionally. 

I monitor wheat and dairy. My mom reacted to wheat as does my daughter. My mom's eyes would swell shut whereas my daughter has the same issues as I do. Wheat is one of her trigger foods. I also eat less refined wheat than she does and in smaller amounts. I also monitor milk products as my brother has a dairy fat sensitivity as does my daughter. I try to limit the amount of dairy I eat.  

I have to continue to monitor my stress levels and not let things get me upset. If I get overly upset, I will have a flare up and it takes longer to get over. It is also comes on very quickly. I have a hard time controlling stress and am trying to focus on what I can control (within limits) vs what I can't control. I catch myself thinking about things I can't control and have to give myself a little talking to. 

Am I better today IBS wise? I think so. I am dealing with my stress, diet, and quality of life. I am not perfect or over my issues but I am working on them so I can have less IBS problems in the future.  

Today

My goal today is to do yoga and some housework this morning and sew this afternoon. I hope to knit tonight. I plan on staying home today as I have no need to go anywhere. 

Until the next time..............................................