It didn't happen all at once...

Here's my story.

I'm barely conscious during the night... but I feel.... constriction, tightness, almost strangulation. I search for it's source and realize it's the ring on my finger... For the past few nights, I've been awoken by this recurring distraction. I remove my ring, put it on the nightstand, and return to blissful sleep.

Well, bliss didn't stay long...

This swelling around my ring finger continued. Soon I couldn't even force my ring on to any of my fingers. I ignored it.

The swelling continued to increase, along with pain, and... it spread.

Fast...

First starting on my left ring finger spreading around the hand, going to my right ring finger and around that hand, it continued. Pain began to catch my attention in my toes, then to my hips and my knees. Each joint seemed to be crying out in agony. "What is this?" I thought. Getting out of bed in the morning and out of the car after a long drive made me feel like a 90 year old woman. I couldn't grip the steering wheel, a football, a jar, weights, anything...

But what really got to me was how it affected my children... Buttoning my daughter's dress made me almost scream out in pain. Pushing her on the swing was almost impossible. (I learned to turn my hand upside-down and push with my palm.) I would find myself ripping my hand out of my dear children's tender, yearning hands due to shooting pain up my arm. Playing ring-a-round-a-roses became a time to "hold pinkies" but it was all still barely tolerable.

How old was I?

28.

I finally had enough the day I woke up and immediately called for my husband. "I can't lift my head!" It had spread to my neck. I made an appointment to see a doctor that day. My doctor hypothesised that it was either: Lyme Disease, Arthritis, or Lupus. Didn't sound like any good options to me. She did some further tests and sent me off to a Rheumatologist.

He thought my hand was broken. Off to X-Ray. "What?" How did that explain all the pain I was feeling in each of the other joints in my body? But... you can't "see" that pain like you could in my left ring finger. (It was enlarged, immovable--almost claw-like.) Well, I refused to get the X-Ray. What's the point? So, I got a referral to another Rheumatologist, but, he was booked for a full 6 months out. Somewhere in the mix of this, I also came down with an additional symptom. I developed a red, bumpy, flaky rash on my face each time I exposed my skin to the sun for more than 10 minutes. It was awful... I couldn't go outside to play with my children. When I did, I hid under trees, over-hangs, anything-- to get out of the sun. (And I love to be outside!... And I love to be with my children...)

I felt strongly that I just couldn't complete my mission (I think everyone has one)--that I was sent here to do-- if I were also required to endure this pain. I needed help and I needed it fast! So, I did a lot of searching, and I did a lot of praying.

What transpired is not what I would have guessed would occur. I continued to research for answers. At the time, the "coincidences" didn't register, but each time I prayed hard for help, I ran into ideas of health and healing that were similar. The first few times, I blew it off. I finally noticed the pattern the last time. And finally, it got my full attention.

The first time, I came across some LDS information that all came to similar dietary conclusions. (More on this later...) But, they were way too extreme for me!

The second time, I was searching for solutions, I found Dr.McDougall's website. What he stated made sense to me... and, it's worth a try, after all... "I'll do anything to get rid of this pain."

He states:

"...About 70% of people with the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, can expect dramatic benefits, and often a cure, in less than 4 weeks of diet change. The diet must be followed strictly – medications are reduced and stopped as improvements occur."

That sounds good to me! No pain and no medications (that's good--because I can't even find a doctor who can diagnosis this pain yet!)

So what is the diet? You can find his explanation here.

But very basically it is to eat whole plant foods and avoid all animal based products.

So I started changing what I ate. The good thing is that I had a child that has needed whole grains since he was young. (I was previously considered a "health nut" so plants weren't a problem.) But, I hadn't realized how much dairy and small amounts of fish, chicken, and other animal products were in my diet. And, I didn't think that you could actually be "addicted" to dairy products. My friend, noticing my grumpy behavior one day said, "How long have you been off dairy?" It was evident that it was during my withdrawal days...

I wasn't perfect yet, but my pain was so significantly better! I didn't have to lay in bed for a half-an hour longer in the morning before I could get up the courage to move... I could move around the house and push the grocery cart without holding my breath due to gnawing and sometimes shooting pains. But I definitely wasn't "free from pain." I still ate fish and eggs and every once-and-a-while dairy products. (I just wasn't fully convinced that these foods weren't necessary for a healthy body.)

Until I read this book: it's called The China Study.

On the cover it says, "...This is one of the most important books about nutrition ever written-- reading it may save your life."

It did mine, and I'll tell you how.

It's because I finally listened. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I didn't entirely grasp or understand the Word of Wisdom. It clearly states much of what I needed. But I never intended to follow it to the T. I'll explain more soon...

This is what is written about the author of the The China Study on his website:

"Early in his career as a researcher with MIT and Virginia Tech, Dr. Campbell worked to promote better health by eating more meat, milk and eggs -- “high-quality animal protein … It was an obvious sequel to my own life on the farm and I was happy to believe that the American diet was the best in the world.”'

He worked on a project "to ensure that the children were getting as much protein as possible."

"The findings? “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored,” said Dr. Campbell."

In his book, he explains how in the rural, isolated China villages, diseases that are prevalent in the rest of the world, are almost non-existent there.

What do they eat?

A plant-based diet void of all animal products.

He goes on in detail how Cancer, Heart Disease, Obesity, Autoimmune Diseases, Bone, Kidney, Eye and Brain Diseases and more could almost all be avoided if we take a closer look at the food in which we fuel our bodies.

He convinced me.

He, like I, was taught early in his life, that animal products contain the best protein and other nutrients necessary for a healthy body. Guess What? We were wrong. Dr. Campbell explains the reasons why we might have made those incorrect judgments and what we can do to change it.

By now, I had a Rhumetologist officially diagnose me with Lupus. Lupus! Yuck! After researching on the Internet about the causes, symptoms and affects of Lupus, life seemed almost hopeless. Researchers say they know very little about Lupus—the what and why things happen, but very basically your body attacks itself until umm... well... pain turns into non-functioning organs, and well... you die. Wow... That sounds great! Sign me up!!
A loving relative told me that in order to feel better, I just needed to regularly exercise and the pain would improve. Well, how would you feel if someone jumped up and down on your big toe and then said very calmly-- OK! Now, we just need to walk through the pain... You really just need to exercise... everything will be fine. =)
Uhgg... Everything was not fine—my hands, my knees, my waist, my toes hurt... I mean really hurt... My energy was that of a 100 year old-- or so I felt. And my hand couldn't even grasp a hand weight to lift weights. Lovely... So, really, following a plant-based diet in exchange for a pain free life—didn't sound so bad to me.
Was it ever hard to stick to the diet? Well, yes. But there was a pivotal moment for me when my view changed from hard and difficult to...I guess...almost easy (in comparison at least.) My mom came to visit. She had been diagnosed with Lupus years ago, but her doctor was convinced that her symptoms were actually evidence of Rheumatoid Arthritis. But from Dr.McDougall's website, I learned that it really doesn't matter what doctors “call” the disease-- that they all manifest the same problem in different ways.

So when she came to visit, I had already figured that what she has, I too have, since we share so many of the same symptoms. Immediately she began telling me that I needed to replace this faucet and that doorknob because at some point when my hands became unusable (as hers occasionally got) I could use my wrists instead. She recalled the time she got stuck in a church classroom because the doorknobs were the ones in which you must twist and her hands were the size of a softball and no-functioning. She mentioned her last visit with her doctor... She had an X-Ray of her feet taken and the swelling (due to the disease) had caused the bones in her feet to move apart causing all sorts of problems for walking and pain including affecting her knees and back.

You can imagine the pain I felt for my mom... The sadness I held inside knowing--a little bit better than I did a year ago--all that my mom has gone through. And... you can imagine the outlook I saw in my own life. It's at those times you realize that you never thought you'd be “one of those people.” That is... you never thought you'd be the one who'd come down with Lupus, or Cancer, or Diabetes....Those types of things happen to lots of other people, but, oh No... not me. Knowing a good friend whose life has been severely affected by Cancer in her family, I really don't know anyone who expects Cancer or disease.

But the truth is that disease is wide-spread in our country and across most of the world.

What if.... what if... most all of it is-- preventable.

What if the pain and suffering you witness in your friend or your spouse, your loved one, or yourself could be prevented?

Would you change? Would you beg them to change?

I did, and I am...

Why? Because it's just food.

My view changed. It's just food.

It's food, and your whole life.

Life—fully lived.

Or life— shortened and full of pain and suffering.

The Word of Wisdom says “And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.” D&C 89:18-21. I didn't want to live in pain. I didn't want to go through those struggles, and possibly end life on Earth earlier...and What if...

What if ...I wasn't supposed to? What if that wasn't in the plan...? Well, I decided to change.

And I did.

How am I now?
The Pain is gone.
All of it.
Not even an ache.
It's been over 9 months since I completely changed my diet and I still wake up with the memory of pain in my hand. I fear it...

But I do “the morning test” and slowly close and open my hand... My hands move freely and smoothly. No pain. My mind and my heart rest... No pain.

I'm healed. Truly healed.
And...no butterfly rash.

No rash at all...

(As long as I'm good--and attentive to what I eat--)

"I'm free from pain!"

My sister recently sent us a game in which you answer some questions. One of the questions was, "If you could yell anything on the top of your lungs, what would you yell?" My answer:

"I'M FREE!!!!!"

You can be too. What if all you had to do is put different foods into your body, and you could live without Cancer or Arthritis or Lupus or quite frankly-- anything that ails you!!

(Well...maybe not everything, but-- at least try it!)

I'm the healthiest I've ever been. And I am completely convinced that it is because of my diet. I recently gave birth to a beautiful boy. After each child I've always come down with a sickness of some kind because of the lack of sleep that seems to accompany bundles-of-joy.

This time was no exception. I came down with Pneumonia. But this time, instead of weeks and weeks of sickness, pain, fatigue, and discomfort. It lasted one day. One. I tried to get some extra rest and make sure my nutrition was at it's best, and had only one day of complaint.
(By the way, the website of the green smoothie girl helped me to quickly add additional plant foods to my diet. I have a raw, green smoothie almost every day.)

Dr. Campbell talks in his book (--which by the way; I urge you to buy. You can borrow mine, but you'll eventually want one of your own... ) about how the plant-fed rats chose to run on the exercise wheel far more than the animal-fed rats. I find that I am oh-so-similar to the plant-fed rat. My energy level is far above what it used to be. (Even when I have a newborn in which to take care.)

Another change I've noticed, is that my taste-buds have altered. When the Word of Wisdom states that we should eat with thanksgiving, I guess I really didn't grasp that idea. So many people mention how hard it would be to live on a "such a constricting" diet. But I find that food is so much more enjoyable. And nothing gourmet is needed. A plain baked potato with a little salt, raw almonds, a handful of raspberries, an avocado and tomato sandwich on homemade whole wheat bread -- all make my mouth water, just sitting here. I've found joy and thanksgiving in food. And I haven't altered the God-given and God-devised foods. I find that the more natural or raw food (and life--in general) is, the more I find joy and comfort in it.

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I feel better, I think better, I am better, not to mention... I'm Wildly Happy.

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More on my LDS search for Faith and Health to come...