Hormone Crazy

Is it allergies or something else? Sinus’s going crazy , itchy skin, abdominal bloating, rosecea…..

by Kathy Joy June 30, 2021

It is 2am and I can’t sleep. I was tossing and turning and finally decided to get up. The last few days I have had a terrible time with what I thought was allergies. Now I am not so sure. I think it might be a sinus infection because now I have a sore throat. In the back of my mind I wonder if I have strep or maybe got exposed to a virus or bacteria. I wish I felt better but I don’t seem to get much sleep these days. I got some fresh Thyme and started drinking Thyme tea with honey. That is supposed to help with killing off pathogens.

I am still trying to detox. More of a morning cleanse than anything else. Most mornings I drink plenty of water in the morning along with an orange and some probiotics. I am supposed to get in some healthy greens for lunch but it hasn’t been working out that way. I have just been having an Apple and extra water. My friend asked me why I don’t just deep dive into an advanced cleanse and get all the symptoms out at once instead of this little suffering each day. I think that with all of the problems I have, I would crash and burn if I go too fast.

I have been eating a regular dinner with my other half. I made a nice burger yesterday and last night we had roasted chicken with black beans, rice and plantains. I know that when I consume fats and protein it stops the liver from detoxing and it switches to digesting. At least once or twice a week I have been eating steamed veggies or potatoes for dinner. It feels better for me to work into it slowly. I tried eliminating the eggs and dairy but that is hard, especially when you want cream in your coffee. I slip up once in a while, especially when I watch TV at night. Oh, forgot about those chocolate chip cookies a couple weeks ago or the brownie when it came fresh out of the oven for my other half…LOL

One side effect I did not expect with this detox is the emotional release that I am experiencing. Old memories come up that I haven’t thought of in years. Old pains from that car accident 35 years ago come to memory. It is strange how the fat cells hold these memories and as they release the fat, they also release the experience. This journey is like going back in time. I started keeping a food log and it has been very enlightening. It seems that I want to eat every 2 hours. Why do I get so hungry??? OK, I has been 2 hours and it is time to either drink water or feed the beast…..LOL

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The beginning of the CELERY JUICE journey

by Kathy Joy June 18, 2021

written by Kathy Joy

First let me say that I never bought celery juice from the store, I only made it fresh and drank it 30 minutes after having drank 16 oz of lemon water. I first heard of this on a Facebook live that popped up on my news feed. Anthony Williams caught my attention about detoxing our body and what he was saying made a lot of common sense. I saw that he had some Apple podcasts and I listened to a few of them on my headphones while doing my workout at the gym. To put into perspective why I decided to do this, you would need to know that for the last 5 years, I had been going from doctor to doctor, test after test, and no one had any answers for the 39 terrible symptoms that I was experiencing except that you are getting older and you are going through menopause. 7 different specialists and over $20,000 out of pocket and I was feeling miserable. I had MRI’s, ultrasounds, CT Scans, blood tests, and allergy tests. Not to mention all the other poking and prodding. Each doctor would give me another medication to make a symptom go away only to make me feel even worse. I was ready to try some natural healing and cleansing.

First thing I needed was a masticating juicer like the old Champion juicer I had back in the 80’s when carrot juicing was a big craze. I got the Omega juicer and it seems like a pretty decent quality machine for the price. Day 1- I get up and squeeze half a lemon in a 16 ounce glass of water and drink it all down and then start to make some celery juice. I wash the head of celery and I juice the ribs, leaves and heart. It makes about 16 ounces. I put it in a large glass and start to drink and it is bitter….Whew!! I didn’t realize that the leaves make it really bitter. Next time, try it without the leaves. Later that day I realize that I probably should have started off with less celery juice when my body starts purging all the gunk in my intestines and I end up with diarrhea all day. This wasn’t a bad thing since I was usually constipated and only went every couple days. Tomorrow I will cut back on the amount of lemon in the water and the amount of celery juice because they both are very detoxing. LOL. A few bananas helps to ease the situation.

When I started celery juice I just wanted to get rid of my allergies and stop my hair from falling out. To me that seemed like a win win. I didn’t expect the emotional changes that would go along with this journey. It is hard to explain. It is almost like each cell had a memory of what I was doing when it was created and as it cleansed, that memory would come to the surface. I hit the 5 month mark of making and drinking celery juice every day and following the Medical Medium protocols for eating and I have to say it has been quite a journey. I’m not the same person and my body has changed. I wake up each day and wonder what today is going to be like. Of the 39 symptoms that I had when I started this journey, I only have about 7 left and instead of being an 8 or 9 out of 10, they are a 3 or 4. To put it mildly, it is like your life is going through a time machine in reverse. I am starting to feel like I did 20 years ago.

I still haven’t acquired a taste for fresh celery juice but it does work. Some celery tastes better than others. I only get organic and try to get the plump and juicy ones. The darker green, the stronger the taste. I now have a plastic bin in my refrigerator just for celery…haha. It is working. Well, it is time for me to go and make some more juice. Oh, just to let you know I can now drink the 16 oz without any negative side effects. Have you tried this and what was our experience. Would love to hear from you.

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Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair…………..

by Kathy Joy July 1, 2019

written by Kathy Joy

When I was a little girl, I loved to play outside in the garden. Every mud puddle was a treasure trove of things to find. I would argue and cry when it was time to come inside and take a bath. I didn’t have any incentive to come inside and get clean until the day my Mom came home with Fuzzy Wuzzy bear.

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a purple bar of soap in the shape of a bear. He had his own little stand and sat on the side of the tub. The instructions on the box said to lather him up with bubbles really well when you were done with your bath and put him on his stand. When you came back the next day, the bubbles had all dried and the purple bear was all fuzzy. When you got him wet and rubbed him, the bubbles went away and he became smooth and shiny. I would say the poem from the box as I reached for my fuzzy bear soap.

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, Was he?

I thought it was hysterical that I had the power to make him go from fuzzy to shiny and back to fuzzy again. From then on, I would run in from outside and jump into the tub with glee. Where is that glee now?

You may wonder what this has to do with hypothyroid, hashimoto’s or menopause. It has to do with finding something that makes us gleeful. Something that lights us up. Something that makes us want to jump out of bed in the morning like that little girl who couldn’t wait to jump in the tub and play with Fuzzy Wuzzy. I tried several things but my energy was so low that they seemed like more of a chore than anything gleeful. I have found that as I have been building a network of other women that are going through these life changes, it puts a smile on my face to think of them. I find joy as we talk and share stories. Sometimes we have big, belly laughs as we talk about the absurdities of what life has become. Find your glee. It makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning.

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Logging your symptoms

by Kathy Joy June 17, 2019

written by Kathy Joy

When I first hit menopause, the doctor told me, “This is how it is going to be. Get used to it. ” They offered all kinds of pills for all kinds of symptoms. Allergy pills, pain pills, sleeping pills, anxiety pills. They all had side effects and they offer more pills or creams for the side effects.

Here is what I found. To get real clarity as to what is going on in your body, you need to make a log of all your symptoms. Different hormones affect separate systems and you have to treat the systems one at a time. It has been over 2 years but I am feeling better than ever. Not like when I was 40, but I am getting there. So first, log all your symptoms with the date at the top. Start at the top of your head and go down to your toes. I had 39 symptoms. Across from each symptom put a number from 1 to 10 on how much it bothers you. I realized that some of my symptoms were a 9 or 10 while others were only a minor nuisance of 1 or 2. Write them all down. Don’t forget to include how you feel. Here is an example of when I first started compared to a year later. By scoring them with numbers, you can get a better idea of your progress of lack thereof. Remember to put the date at the top. It helps when you go back and review.

Some symptoms are directly related to your gut like allergies, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Other symptoms are related to your liver or thyroid like tiredness, dry skin, hair loss. Starting with one system at a time can be a gentler way of healing. There are specific ways of detoxing and healing for each of those systems. It is also important to eliminate foods for a period of time and/or add healing foods for a particular system. Example was that my gut couldn’t handle lemon juice while it was healing but it was very important for detoxing the liver which I did after I got the gut under control.

I found that eliminating all alcohol, dairy and grains helped to fast track the gut healing. Some tests I could get the doctors to order and others, like the 3 day poop test, I had to find a lab that would allow me to pay out of pocket. Cost a couple hundred bucks but once I had the lab test results, the doctor agreed to prescribe the cure. I tested for bacterial, parasites and viral. Don’t believe every test result due to false negatives. This has happened several times. I had both H Pylori (didn’t show up on the 1 day test but did on the 3 day test) and parasites. Once treated for those, my energy increased like a missile being fired. The headaches started going away. I started feeling good again.

After each treatment, log your symptoms again. Little by little, they start falling off. The headaches are not as frequent or as severe. Your hands, knees or feet stop feeling so achy or maybe the arthritis is not as bad. Maybe like me, the body stops attacking the thyroid. After the gut healing, the liver detox was next along with detoxing the skin with a nice soft dry brush every 2-3 days. I got this brush at the horse store. I like the one they use to brush the little horse’s face. It is nice and soft on my skin but removes all the dead skin. I moved toxic chemicals out of my house. Vinegar and baking soda became my favorite products. I am now working on balancing my adrenals to stop the cravings and the blood sugar racing up and down like a rollercoaster. I wish you luck with this journey and want you to know I am here if you need someone to talk to. Let’s dream of a day when we don’t have symptoms and just feel great. Till then, my friend.

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Does Polyester make you sweat??

by Kathy Joy June 10, 2019

written by Kathy Joy

.Have you ever noticed that every time you put on a polyester shirt, you start getting hot and sweaty within 5 minutes? I probably change shirts 2 – 3 times before I get out the door. I finally figured out that the common “thread” is POLYESTER. Ever since I hit menopause, I can’t wear polyester. It feels like I am wrapped in plastic wrap. I did that one time for Halloween. LOL I am down to about six cotton shirts in my closet that I am wearing.

I pulled my whole closet apart under the guise of the “Marie Kondo Tidying” to find new stuff to wear. As you can see, this was an all-day project. It seems like almost everything has some blend of polyester in it. The soft and pretty items were 100% polyester. Yes, the Marie Kondo system did make everything easy to find and created so much more room. I now have JOY when I go into my closet!! Thank you Marie. I did put the polyester shirts back in the closet because maybe I can wear them in the winter and I do like how they look on me.

So, off to the store to find a couple of shirts that are made of cotton and will feel nice and cool. First, I go t the big box store. NOTHING. Everything has polyester in it. Second big box store. One shirt. Can you believe that there is only 1 style of shirt that is 100% cotton? I finally found some cotton T-shirts in one of the discount stores and in the boy’s section. They have husky sizes for boys. I couldn’t fit in any of the girl’s sizes. Who wants to wear T-shirts all the time? So, now I go to a couple of boutique stores that advertise all-natural fibers. Can you believe that they want $45+ for a simple T-shirt style shirt? Some of them were $85-90 for anything with a little style.

The good news is that most of the rayon blends were okay to wear due to being made from mostly natural cellulose fibers such as grasses, bamboo, and wood. They are not as durable, will pill, and do not tolerate heat. Also, it seems that they don’t last for more than one season. If I find a place to find some nice cotton shirts, you will be the first people to hear it. As Elmer Fudd would say, “I’m going hunting wabbits”. Well, I am going hunting clothes that don’t make me melt like ice cream on a hot Florida day.

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10 tips for DIY Carpet Cleaning

by Kathy Joy June 7, 2019

written by Kathy Joy

I have always had off-white carpet in my home. In order to keep the carpet looking nice, I have found the following tips will save you thousands of dollars in replacement costs and extend the life of your carpet by years. Carpet cleaning is a must when people or dogs don’t wipe their feet or take off their shoes before they come in the house.

Even a cheap carpet cleaner can clean your carpet. You don’t have to rent one but they do work great. Make sure you have a full day to work on this since it is amazing how much time it takes to do it right but the results are worth it. Don’t forget the upholstery attachment since I always see a chair or corner of carpet that needs to be cleaned and this attachment comes in very handy.
Try to move furniture out of the room. Anything you cannot move out needs to have double folded aluminum foil put under the legs to keep the furniture from getting color onto the carpet and making a permanent stain. If you don’t have aluminum foil, plastic wrap will do but be careful to get it completely under the areas that touch the carpet.
Prespot stains and walkways. This is a very important step and will affect the outcome. Most also have brighteners which help it look cleaner when dry.
I use a 2 tank system with hot water in the soap tank. I do not use more than the recommended amount of soap. It makes too much foam.
Make sure to run 1-2 rinse cycles after you have cleaned the carpet to get all the soap out. Leftover soap in the carpet will make it get dirty faster.
Do several dry runs over the carpet to get extra water out. Go very slow to get the most water out. You will be surprised how much water comes up and press down a bit to squeeze the padding under the carpet.
Run your ceiling fans or other fans afterward in the room to speed drying time. It takes a good day depending on how much water was left in the carpet. I recommend using a roll of construction paper taped to the walk areas if you cannot wait for the carpet to completely dry. Walking on the carpet before it is dry will bend the fibers down and destroys the nap.
I leave the aluminum foil under the furniture for at least a week or two due to the weight of the furniture on the padding.
A rug Runner down the main walk area will add years to the life of your carpet.
Put sisal rugs in front of all outside doorways. I put one outside and one inside. You can ask people and dogs to wipe their feet when coming in from outside…..haha. If you can get people to take off their shoes at the outside door, a small shoe rack is great for keeping the front door neat and orderly. Sometimes, people will take their shoes off without being asked if they see you have shoes by the front door.

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Cold Fanny in the morning

by Kathy Joy June 2, 2019

written by Kathy Joy

This is the weirdest symptom I have experienced from menopause. I have found that in the morning when I wake up, my fanny is cold. When I was young, I had cold toes, cold hands, and a cold nose. Never was my fanny cold. As I came into menopause, I noticed that the hot flashes warmed the cold hands and feet. They were warm for a change. People didn’t comment on how cold my hands were when we would shake hands. For the first time in my life, I would sweat in the gym and sadly everywhere else.

I don’t notice that my fanny is cold during the day. Why would it be cold when I wake up in the morning? I mean noticeably cold, where I want to add some more covers. No other part of me is cold. I have to poke my feet outside the covers because they are too warm. I haven’t figured out whether to tell my doctor about this symptom. They already think I am crazy. Maybe, I should clarify that I am in Florida. It is hot and I should be waking up sweating.

Should I try googling cold fannies? Would the internet tell me that it is a rare disease that would be miraculously cured by taking a supplement from the Amazon forest? I think maybe there is the possibility of a “cold fanny” support group. How many people wake up in the morning with a cold fanny? We get together and start a bonfire and all face away from the fire while we talk about how we warm our fannies. Maybe sell a solar-powered fanny warmer on the shopping channel?

Well, I just had to get this off my chest. I wonder about things like this. Do you know anyone that has a cold fanny? Would like to know if I am all alone out here.

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Prune juice and bran muffins together?

by Kathy Joy May 27, 2019

written by Kathy Joy

Do you get constipated when you travel? Does the change in your regular routine throw everything off schedule? I always get constipated the first two to three days and then get desperate and start looking for solutions or natural remedies.

Recently, I went on a cruise and I noticed a bran muffin in the basket on the breakfast table. YUMMM. As I was munching on the bran muffin, the waitress asked if I would like some juice. Before I could even think about it, I asked, “Do you have prune juice?” She came back with a BIG water glass that was half full of prune juice. Now normally, I would not drink that much prune juice but something in me was joyful about the concept of easing my discomfort.

As you can see, I was quite happy. I finished my breakfast, went for a walk and then it hit me. I needed to run to my room. It never crossed my mind that I could be causing even more discomfort by combining two very potent remedies at the same time.

Luckily, I had brought Pepto Bismal caplets. I didn’t know that it came in caplets until we were in the drugstore before the cruise buying some travel size products. They brought the smile back to my face. Now, I have learned that I should stay away from high protein meals for the first day or two of travel and eat a lot of roughage. Also, prune juice and bran muffins DO NOT go together.

The rest of the cruise went without a hitch and we had a great time. I am glad to be home and back to my regular routine. I did get to slide down the highest water slide in Coco Cay while on the cruise. My review of that is a post for the future. LOL

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Dreambly laundry sheets – Pros/Cons

by Kathy Joy May 26, 2019

written by Kathy Joy

Although I did get this product as a free sample, I have given you an honest opinion of the performance of the product without any consideration from the company. There are pros and cons and I will elaborate them all. If you have any questions or comments, I will reply as honestly as I can.

I tried to look at the product as to whether it came up to the high standards that I set for any product that I will personally use. Overall, it is a good product that has some definite uses especially if you have limited space, are traveling, or wanting to eliminate toxic ingredients from your home.

Is it a “Dream” or a “Nightmare”? I found it to be more of a “Dream”. I received 5 samples of Dreambly laundry sheets. They are advertised as being natural, having no chemicals and will replace your stain remover, soap, bleach and softener. They also claim to be cheaper than all of those products together, but I have not done the math due to a wide variety of laundry detergent prices. You can calculate based on your choices.

I washed loads of colored sheets, black clothes, assorted colored clothes, and white towels. That is the order that I wash my clothes once a week. Yes, I know I am lucky to only do laundry once a week. Normally I pre-spot the front of all of his shirts but I did not use a pre-spot with these loads. I normally do not use fabric softener since I am allergic to them and I normally use All fragrance-free brand of laundry soap.

The Dreambly laundry sheet was a wet cloth that came in a single-use packet and had an oddly familiar scent. This would be extremely convenient for traveling, taking to the laundromat, use in dorms or apartments where space is limited or when residing in an RV or boat. I will probably take them when we go to the parks this summer. The same cloth goes from the washer to the dryer but it looked like a tissue in the washer and I almost threw it away instead of putting it in the dryer.

The bed sheets came out clean, smelled neutral and I noticed that they were softer and less wrinkled when they came out of the dryer. This was a plus. The dark clothes and assorted colored clothes came out the same way and I liked that they were less wrinkled. I don’t normally use dryer sheets that are supposed to eliminate wrinkles. I did NOT notice any food stains on the front of his shirts even though I had not pre-spotted so they did a good job of getting out the stains.

I have a different opinion about the white towels and it is more due to my idiosyncrasy of wanting them to be disinfected. I use white hand towels all over the house and for hand drying at the sinks. I am used to using the “Clorox” unscented brand with my white towels and they come out sparkly white and have a very clean disinfected smell. I have heard the arguments about how bad chlorine is for your home and the environment, yet I still use it for my white hand towels. I think it subconsciously eases the germaphobe anxiety in me since I use these towels instead of using paper towels in my home. The Dreambly sheet gave the white towels a nice bright, white look but I missed the extra clean smell and I don’t know if they were “disinfected”. They did come out much softer than my usual towels.

I am going to try them again on the whites and maybe I will figure out what the scent reminds me of. They will definitely go in the RV when we travel and I will put them in my travel essentials bag. Still on the fence about replacing all of my home products but I do have a very big laundry room closet so space is not an issue for me to store several laundry items. I would definitely recommend if you have limited space since they worked very well. I am going to re-visit the part about making my laundry less toxic by using products that are better for my home and the environment. Although I have removed a lot of chemicals in my kitchen, I have yet to make the change in the laundry room.

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Yoga Socks??

by Kathy Joy May 14, 2019

written by Kathy Joy

My grandchildren gave me yoga socks as a present. I always send socks for birthdays and Christmas since I like to be sensible and everyone can use new socks. They are always received with lukewarm appreciation. When it came time to give me a present, they thought it was hysterical that they could give grandma socks. Yoga socks. The socks have sat in a bag with my yoga mat for about 6 months and I finally decided to take them out for a zip around the classroom.

Now for the review: Pros – nice little silicone beads on the bottom helps with grip when doing standing poses, toe holes help when you want to spread your toes, they were well made and fit snugly. Color matched my mat and my blocks. Will keep your feet warmer.

Cons – takes a little getting used to having something between your toes. Can’t replace your mat unless you are prepared to sit or lay on the ground for other poses. They feel really funny in your sneakers so you need to only put them on once you get to class.

They are cute and match my mat and I was the only one in the class with cute little socks. Made me feel special…big smile…. They would work well, if and when, I do yoga on the carpet in the living room. The best part of yoga socks is that I will think of my granddaughters every time I put them on.

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