A Great Motivator.

I have always had health problems, it's always been part of my life, and I don't remember a time when I didn't have one thing or another going on.  I have asthma and severe food allergies and have just developed my life around them with the occasional trip to the hospital along the way.  I developed a goiter after I had Ayden, that came with some thyroid issues but that all went away by the time I was done nursing and went to have it checked again.  When I developed another goiter after I had Annette I didn't think much of it and it's been hanging around ever since.  Recently I have noticed it more, either it has grown or with the weight I have lost it is just more noticeable.  Anyways I decided it was time to have it looked at and see what I needed to do about it.  I went to the Doctors in November and  he ran several labs and ordered an Ultrasound of my thyroid.  When the labs came back everything was looking good except I had a high level of  anti-nuclear antibodies and my progesterone is low.  So he sends out referrals to an endocrinologist and a rheumatologist.   I finally get in to see the rheumatologist in early January and he looks me over and says, "Well, you don't have Lupis."  I didn't even know that having Lupis was a possibility!  He goes on to say I have some swelling in some of my joints and to just keep and eye on it, there isn't anything we need to do about it now.  Then I go see the endocrinologist in late January and he looks me over and looks at the ultrasound and then starts talking about tumors, and cancer, and life expectancy.  Honestly as much as I tried to catch everything he was saying most of it was lost after he said cancer and even more was lost when he started talking about life expectancy.  This is why I should use my cell phone to record all Dr.'s appointments in the future.  So he orders more blood work and a Fine needle aspiration (FNA) or biopsy of the two tumors that are in my thyroid.  Really, I hate needles and now I get to look forward to having someone suck pieces of tumors through needles in the front of my neck, joy.  So about a week after meeting with the endocrologist I go and get my FNA done.  It wasn't the worst thing in the world, not as bad as I thought it would be at least, but not great.  Long story short, it's not Cancer!   However, I still have the two tumors in my thyroid and after two weeks of thinking that it could be cancer I have been motivated to put healthier things into my body.  After saying a prayer in the parking lot after hearing the dreaded C word for the the first time, Heavenly Father called me.  Okay not really but he used a good friend of mine to get a message to me.  She called and asked my how I make my lawn mower juice.  Lawn mower juice is the green smoothies that I have been making and drinking.  When she saw me drinking it one day at church out of my classy mason jar she pulled a disgusted face and asked me why I saved the run off from cleaning my lawn mower and why was I drinking it.  She wouldn't even try it and even bought me a solid green water bottle so she wouldn't have to see it when I was drinking it.  So... this question came as a great surprise.  She told me she had just finished watching a movie called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It was about juicing, and eating right and getting healthy by giving your body only the good stuff. I went home and watched it on Netflix.  The next day I started a 10 day Juice cleanse/fast.  I went to the local Mexican grocery store (they have really good prices on produce) and bought $50 worth of fruits and veggies and drank nothing but the juice from those veggies for the next 10 days. 

First trip to the store

Second trip to the store

Before juiced

After juiced

 (I had to go the store and buy more halfway through)  It sounds crazy doesn't it?  The movie can explain it much better then I can and the Green Smoothie girl has much more research to back it up then I can give you, but the basis is if we eat what God intended us to eat natural, unprocessed, unrefined foods then our bodies are going to be able to use the nutrients from those foods to thrive.  My goal is to eat 80% raw foods and 20% cooked foods in hopes of getting my body healthy.  I am 30 years old with four children, children that I love very much and want to see grow up.  I want to be a part of their lives and meet and play with my grandchildren.  So going to the Doctors office and have him start talking about cancer and life expectancy was scary and stressful and the best motivator that I have ever had to figure out what I need to do to live. Oh and FYI if you ever juice and decide to use garlic, use it sparingly.