I’m going to start by saying I absolutely LOVE my acupuncturist, Jennifer. We have a history together, I’ve seen her for about 6 years now, maybe 7 – I can’t really remember. There are times when I don’t see her regularly for various reasons but I know she’s just a phone call away. I can call and schedule an appointment “for a tune-up” and I can usually get in to see her within a week, sometimes even the same day.
One of the things I love about Jennifer is that she will tell it like it is. And so on Monday, October 17th she told me like it is… again. The quick backstory: From Friday 10/14 8 am to Sunday 10/16 10:30 pm, I was at my younger son’s school for over 40 hours working at the food booth of the Fall Festival. Long story short, I overdid it – really overdid it. I needed a total engine overhaul.
So it was time for me to hear it again… I guess I’m stubborn and I didn’t get it the first, ummm I don’t know I’ve lost count of how many times. And this time it started with “This is not a dress rehearsal” and as soon as she said that I knew what was coming. In a nutshell the scolding went a little something like this:
“This is not a dress rehearsal, you can’t continue to do this to yourself. If something doesn’t change you’ll end up in a wheelchair and then you won’t be able to be there for anyone, especially your kids. I know that you want to participate in your kids’ activities and you’ve always been an overachiever. The only way you’ll be able to continue to do this is if you go into organize and delegate mode. I’ll do my part to help you if you do your part”
I’m sure there are some details I’m missing but that’s the basic message I heard. I’ve also got a list of instructions to follow. For now, I’m doing my best to follow a no wheat, no added sugar, no caffeine, no nightshade diet and I’m taking a supplement she recommended.
So far so good, I’ve stuck to no caffeine and I’ve done fairly well with no added sugar. No wheat has been a bit harder because there is wheat in everything! I’m adjusting though and finding some non-wheat substitutes. I’ve found some brown rice pasta, I’m ordering burgers at restaurants that are wrapped in lettuce instead of in a bun. I’m finding that the wheat alternatives taste good and are satisfying too. It’s been harder to eliminate the nightshades – tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, chili peppers. I’ve always loved tomatoes and potatoes and while I still sneak in the occasional french fry when we have burgers I’m definitely not having a whole order of fries all to myself.
This is not a dress rehearsal, this is my life. I’ve got to do everything I can to make it the best possible experience that I can. If there’s anything I can do to improve my quality of life I have to do it. There’s no reason not to. Yes, I understand changing my eating habits can be very difficult, taking toxic medications is a challenge especially when they cause nausea but these are a small price to pay when I consider what the alternative could be. And yes, I still love Jennifer even though she scolds me, I know she does it because she cares and she knows I NEED to hear it.
