Day of Change

In the past several days I've become pretty concerned about my health. This stems back to 2010, when I started having some very bizarre symptoms that still remain a mystery. My symptoms would almost always start in the middle of the night. I would wake up with uncontrollable body shakes. My entire body would just shake, sort of like cold chill shakes, but worse. This usually lasted for several hours, sometimes up to 7 hours. Then the left side of my head would go numb and the numbness would creep down into the left side of my face. My left arm would tingle as if it were asleep. My husband and I would read the Bible and pray out loud almost the entire time my body would shake. The first time this happened to me, I thought I was having a heart attack or a stroke. I reluctantly went to the hospital...twice. The only thing they could find is that I was pretty dehydrated. I followed up with a neurologist, who set me up for an MRI. I didn't care for this doctor at all and when I realized that I was going to get an IV with dye in it and he neglected to tell me that part, I never got the MRI and I never went back to a doctor. Last June, I had a friend pray over me during one of these spells and I believe I was healed at that very moment. My body has not shook since then!

About a week ago, I noticed that I have put on about 10 pounds in the past 2 months. I also noticed that the left side of my head has had that numb feeling almost everyday. I try to ignore it. Well, yesterday when I looked in the mirror, it was a real wake up call to me. My hair was in a ponytail and as I looked at the left side, I could see a few lines that revealed my scalp. At that moment, I realized that the hair on my left side was thinner than on the right. I had my husband to look and feel my hair, and he agreed. I held back the tears. I will admit that the first thought I had was, "What if I have a brain tumor and it's preventing the growth of hair on that side?". Then I tried to convince myself that it would've shown up on the CT scan they did when I went to the hospital. The very moment we made this discovery, my husband put his hands on my head and prayed for me. It always comforts me when he prays for me. I know that illness does not come from the Lord, so I am not accepting this! I believe it is all stress related and that I need to make some major changes in my lifestyle.

Before noticing the hair loss, we were in the process of making out a grocery list. I told my husband that I have to make some serious changes. I can't afford not to. It was very overwhelming, but we managed to buy all healthy foods at the store.

Here are the biggest changes that I am making, and it all starts today:

More water ~ Since they found that I was dehydrated when this all began, I want to make sure that I don't allow that to happen again.
No more pop ~ This coincides with more water. Pop dehydrates you and prior to today, I have been drinking 1-2 a day.
B Vitamins to help my nervous system. I already take a prenatal for hair growth and calcium and vitamin D supplements.
Fish Oil ~ I've had trouble finding one of these that is safe for me to take because I'm severely allergic to seafood, but yesterday we found one (that's not a horse pill).
Eating a real breakfast ~ This is the hardest one for me because I have a habit of drinking chocolate milk, and calling it my breakfast. While it's not the worse thing in the world, it isn't very filling and I've read that chocolate can trigger migraines, so it makes me wonder. I plan to eat Honey Nut Cheerios, oats or pancakes for now. They are all quick and easy and I think they taste okay.
Less processed foods ~ Processed food can also trigger migraines and we all know they aren't good for you. Prior to today, my typical day would be loaded with processed foods. 
Keeping a list of stress relievers and working on it daily! ~ I'm keeping a running list of ideas that I come across that helps me relax and I'm going to try to implement them each day to try to shed some stress from my life. This includes things like taking a walk, a long bath (which I can't remember the last time I've done this), reading my Bible, calling a good friend, etc.
No more pony tails ~ I'm guilty of throwing my hair up in a pony tail about 6 days out of the week. This is going to be another major challenge for me, but I know that pony tails can lead to hair breakage. I'm going to try to go pigtail free for 3 months and see what happens.

So here's to a new day! If you have read this, I would appreciate your prayers and support. I know that Jesus will see me through. I just need to stay focused on Him and His promises to me. I know Satan is trying to throw me off track, but I'm not allowing it. Everything that he means to cause harm in my life will be turned around for God's glory. I can't wait to loose the weight that I've gained and come out more healthy than before! Today it all starts with a bowl of cheerios instead of a glass of chocolate milk. I can do this!