Time to switch things up a bit...

9/29

Ok, so I am on day 69 today.  No cheating, not even a lick of anything.  My ph goes back and forth between green and blue.  Urine ph is ok.  Spit test......still just streaking down, cloudy...some is staying on top but for the most part it hasn't changed in 69 days.  Some days it will take about a minute to start going down but most days it doesn't take but a few seconds.(I don't test it every day- about 1-2 times/week)

I have gained a pound this week.  Not happy about that.  I have switched to psyllium husks and cut back on the OLE.  I eat eggs for breakfast every morning.(think I am going to start laying some little chicks soon!!!), I make a fruit smoothie for lunch-8-16 oz. Of plain yogurt(Greek style has more protein, less carbs)and a small bag of frozen strawberries and blueberries. This is enough to last me all afternoon- I sip on it for a while!  For supper I eat meat, salad or veggie, maybe some almond bread.  If I get hungry during the day I eat a green apple, almonds...I keep those in my car.

Am I doing something wrong?  Or am I just at another turning point?  Should I get some Nystatin to boost the yeast killing ? Is the smoothie too many carbs?  I just feel like I have stopped with the progress! 

I'm trying not to focus on the weight.  All my pants are too big and I have lost several inches in my waist,stomach, and legs.  I don't feel any thinner but people are starting to comment on how great I look.(guess when you are almost dead, anything looks better!!)

I am not giving up by ANY means!! Good golly I have made it way farther than I ever thought I would!  God has just poured out His power on me!  I just wonder if I need to do something different.

Deborah:

Sounds like it is time to switch things up a bit.  Suspend the probiotics for a few weeks.... and switch to Grapefruit Seed Extract. It is at Vitamin Shoppe --- bottom shelf -- and less then $10.... It is a liquid.   It is powerfully bitter... but also very effective against Candida.  It is recommended that one put 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract mixed with juice (I have been known to put it in a swig of my lemon water... but it is BITTER. Thus I pour out literally just a swig of the lemon water into a separate glass, add the GSE .... swig that down (with my nose pinched so I don't taste it.. then quickly take a sip of my lemon water. )  twice a day in between meals for the first 3 days. Increase the dosage to 15 drops twice daily for days 4 through 10. On days 11 through 28, increase the grapefruit seed extract to 15 drops 3 times daily in between meals.  Once you complete this, start the probiotics back up. 

As for what you are eating, I would only do the smoothies a few times a week at best.  They are dairy based... and should be done at a minimum ---- certainly the Candida is benefiting from a daily dose of smoothie.... so cut that way back.  Better to have a meat roll-up or salad to switch things up a bit.  Make sure you are not in-taking too many almonds.  Again though they are good for you... nuts are high in calories and fat. 

Indeed our culture is suffocated with food....  it is a physical representation to our spiritual condition.  The vast majority of the populous couldn't imagine denying themselves anything the flesh wants.  Like most spiritual things it takes determination to stand against the current and do what is right. 

Hang in there....  This really will pass!!

Deborah

8 weeks ago today....

8 weeks ago today!

by Karen Bundy Barlow on Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 10:39am

     8 weeks ago today I started on my new journey to get better.  After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, diabetes, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, IBS, chronic fatigue, depression, weight gain and then the 2 min-strokes in June......it was time to take charge of my health.  I asked a dear friend Deborah Kirby, who has been doing research in why people get sick, to come sit with me and tell me what I needed to do.  I learned very quickly that all my health issues were due to an overgrowth of yeast and fungus.  I know that sounds a little crazy.   But yeast goes way beyond the popular "yeast infection" most women are familiar with.  There are millions of types of yeast and fungi that are NOT supposed to be in our bodies.  But we put them there with medications we take and the foods we eat.  

God created our bodies to have a pH- neutral- but every time we drink soda, eat processed foods, take medications that alter our pH, eat fermented foods, load up on sugar....this produces an acidic pH in our gut which provides a breeding ground for yeast and fungus to grow and literally take over every system in our body.   

Once our body pH is out of whack the fungi take over, attach to our neurons, rewire them, and wreak havoc.  This is what happened to me.  My body became a petri dish over the years.  Yeast and fungal overgrowth can CAUSE sinus infections, skin problems, muscle pain, arthritis, diabetes, depression, weight gain, cancer, asthma, thyroid imbalance, fatigue, bloating, mood swings, poor memory,migraines, anxiety,chronic pain, muscle weakness, respiratory illness and so much more!  

 8 weeks ago I was at a point where I could hardly get out of bed.  It hurt to walk, drive, turn the blinker on in the car, open the refrigerator, hold a hairdryer, brush my teeth, get a pot out of the cabinet, pour milk for my children......I hurt all over.  I was in constant pain.  I had no energy at all.  Most days from March- July getting out of bed was either not possible or only done for brief periods of time.  Going to the store would do me in for the day.  It was not much of a life at all.  Especially considering I have 3 children at home to take care of and teach.  I finally reached my breaking point with the strokes. 

 I had been on so many medications to help me sleep, cope with pain, fix  my fibromyalgia....but none of them worked. 

 I have tried close to 25 different medications in the last 3 years.   Most all have failed to do what their "intentions" were.  In fact, most have only made my conditions worse or caused another problem in which I would need another medication for! 

 Back to 8 weeks ago when I met with Deborah.  She taught me all about what the fungus was doing to my body and what I needed to do to get rid of it. 

 Diet. Yup.... all diet. 

 Not another doctor, another pill, a magic solution, no quick fix, no special prepackaged foods to buy......just diet. 

 All sweets, sugar, breads, carbs, soda(whaa-I loved my Coke 0!), fermented foods, cheese, processed foods, corn, peanuts, soy.....all gone.  

Bye-bye.  

How on earth was I going to do this?  I lived for my sweets, my diet soda, my bagels and cereal.  I craved them all the time. 

 As it turns out, all these foods have been feeding the yeast/fungus all these years.  It's like giving cancer what it needs to grow bigger instead of trying to shrink it.  So, I got my list of what I could eat and went forward.

  I am on day 56 and still going strong!  3 weeks ago I climbed 7,002 feet on Mt. Rainier.  Wait?  I couldn't get out of bed 3 months ago.  

That's right.  

With all the foods that were "taken" away......I have been "given" my life back. 

God gives and takes away.  

 Literally. 

 I was able to play in the ocean with my kids last week.  I now own a pretty pink bike and can ride it! 

 I am back in the world again.  

Has this diet been easy? 

 NO!!!  

I still want the foods I can't have.  But me being able to walk, move, and be almost pain free is much greater than anything those foods could offer!    

All that pain I was in is 90% gone!  

90%.  

 Am I yeast free yet? Nope....I have no idea how much longer I will have to be on the "kill the fungus" part of this. 

 But God has brought me through 56 days and He will take me through 56 more if that is what it takes.

 It has taken me a while...but I am finally getting to the point that I realize with all the foods gone from my pantry.....God has multiplied it with a variety of wonderful foods that I can eat. 
 I have never had to go without food in these 56 days.  Even on an airplane to and from Seattle a few weeks ago.  
God provided food that was fungus free.  
I have lost 18 pounds so far, 6 of which were while I was on a 2 week vacation.  
I made it through a week at the beach with no ice-cream.  
And I am alive to tell about it!  
Was I a little bitter?  Yes...but now...ice-cream does not seem so important to having a good time at the beach.  
It was not  so vital to my vacation after all.  
Neither was getting the candy at the Neuse Sport Shop as I have done for years.       
I hope that in 8 weeks I can post another note such as this one.  Maybe I will be done with the detox stage or I might be still doing some yeast killin'.  
Either way...I am glad that God put Deborah Kirby in my life to pass along this life saving information.  
I am thankful for my wonderful husband who has cooked almost every night and come up with great new recipes that I can have.  
I am thankful that my God did not push me off into a corner to live at my own will.  
I am thankful that He loves me enough to keep at me and give me the strength to change so that I can be more like Him, and less like me. 

Going backwards?

9/8

Ok, so I decided to test my ph this morning- both saliva and urine.  The saliva was a lighter green and the urine was about the same color, maybe slightly darker.  What in the world?!!!  Just a few days ago the saliva was blue.  Spit was very stingy and went right down his morning as well.  I have not done anything different! 

Strange.....don't like going backwards! 

 Deborah:

Hang in there, Karen.  This is actually not a bad sign.  Remember the

deeper tissues being cleaned?  That comes to the "surface" through the

spit and the pH.  Stay encouraged, dear one.  Think of it as a new level

being purged.

Food has been a plentiful!

9/7

Day 47 for me......still want the food I am not supposed to have.....beach =ice-cream.....but not for me!  We have not eaten out yet....the hushpuppies are going to be hard to pass up....but I have made it 47 days without cheating, I'm not going to mess it up now!

My ph goes between blue and dark green....so it's not bad.  Its been like that for a while.  Spit test this morning at the beach had some still going down with a little floating.  

I wish the cravings would go away!  I still have to fight them.  I can resist and know I am not going to even take a little bite....but the desire is still there.  I keep wandering what the first food I will eat will be once my spit floats!  

Jeff's new creation!  Almond meal bread- YUMMY!!!

I still have soo much weight to lose so I have a feeling I will be doing this for a while!  The weight has not fallen off as I thought it would considering my major source of calories has even taken away.

Jeff is making one of his special chicken and almond meal recipes tonight. 

 I won't be partaking in the ice cream for dessert,  but I have to be thankful for what God HAS given me to eat! 

 Food has been still plentiful......

By Your Side

I climbed to 7,002 feet on Mt. Rainer baby!

8/29

I climbed up to 7,002ft!!! 

Stupid flesh

Our cute little cabin

Jeff's collection!

8/26/10

Still doing great....on the diet that is.....having a HUGE flesh/heart issue with going to Seattle and NOT being able to eat what I consider yummy food!  No wine to celebrate, no desert in the nice restaurants, no bread, and what am I going to eat for breakfast in the hotel???? I can't cook my eggs and organic bacon!!!!!  I don't know what to do!::0

These went everywhere with me!

So, I need some prayer for this week....even the airplane ride.....got my nuts and apples.....but that is it.  It's gonna be hard to not eat what they hand out.  Oh, who am I kidding!  They hand out peanuts!  I can live without those easy....it's going to be all the other meals "on the go" .

"Spitting in Seattle"

My flesh is telling to" go ahead and have a little desert or regular meal", so I know I am heading into a battle zone!  My flesh is screaming "VACATION" from everything...including this diet!  

Lots O water!

Bistro salads- I could take off the cheese

Stupid flesh......it is slow to learn that God is already on the plane, already in Seattle, on Mt. Ranaier, has already gone before me and carved my path!!!!! 
                            We never take a vacation from God's word , right?  

Stupid flesh...it just wants chocolate and a Coke 0.......God has beautiful things to show me AND HE will provide what nourishment I need during this week!

Another die- off! UGG!

8/22

Can you experience die off symptoms more than once? Like as you get farther into this and more fungus is killed at a deeper level......cause this weekend I have had NO energy, felt yucky, and this morning I feel like my head is going to explode!

 Deborah:

Yes, it is completely normal to hit subsequent brick walls.  I believe April hit more than one in her process.    Karen, you are a month into the process... and as I explained there are various layers of tissue cells that require examination by our body's army. 

My headache is one of the worst ever!  I feel so tired and yucky...just want to sleep.....my parents have Karianne today and Jeff will be home soon, so I think it will be a lay in bed and rest day for me.

On day 31!!!  I'm going to push through....headache or not!

I've just been in bed all day.  My body aches all over! I am trying to remember this is a good thing.....another thick layer of fungus being taken down!!

Home alone!

 8/21/2010 

Suddenly, I was home alone...no kids, no husband...normally this would have been a HUGE binge time for me.  We needed milk but I refused to go to the grocery store- I decided to let Jeff get it on the way home.  I would have gone( before detox) and gotten lots of donuts..candy...and just come home and pigged out, after going through the McD's drive thru first.

But, I fought it and fought it hard!  Even just at home with not eating anything that was off limits.  I heated up left overs from last night and got busy doing laundry.

That was 3 1/2 hours ago....now it's bed time...the boys are back, Jeff is home...and it's time for bed.

Whew....I made it! Praise God for His strength!

I was a petri dish!

This Thursday will be 4 weeks exactly that she sat with me at my kitchen table for 2 hours teaching me about God's design and plan for our bodies.  I was ready to listen.  I was ready to take all that information and do something with it. God brought me to this place. 

His heart had been aching watching me "perish" with illness right there before His eyes.  

He has the answers.  

He has the cure.  

He used Deborah to feed me His truth and redirect my path to a life of "living" instead of a life of "dying".  

In 27 days I have gone from not being to get out of the bed, hold a hairdryer, unable to do basic chores and tasks...to now walking, biking, and yes, even running!  

My fibromyalgia and arthritis is about 80% gone. 

GONE!  

In 27 days.  I am sure that if I had my diabetes test again...it would come back negative. 

My journey is far from over...I am sure I will have to be on the "fungus killin'" phase for  at least another month or longer.  But, it will end.  It's not forever..."This too shall pass".  It's until I get rid of all the toxins that my body has had thrown at it all these years.  

My prayer is that God will show you when the right time is for you to hear this information.  And that is what it is ..information.  It's a seed to be planted and then God will grow it up in the right way.  You have to want to change.  You have to be ready.  You have to come to a point where you realize that your body is not how God designed it.  I am NOT talking about weight.   That is not the goal.  It is a by-product of eating differently, but it is not what drives you to "eat well". You have to have a crisis or be in such desperation for change that you are willing to let God take you down this path.   

I could never make it past day 3 on other diets.  

I have made it 27 days without any sugar, soda, carbs, chocolate,pasta, donuts, candy, cereal, pizza......something I NEVER thought would be possible.  

But- it is only possible when you understand what these foods are doing. 

 They are feeding the fungus and they love it! 

I am a parasites food trough!  Gross!  

When I took my focus off of losing weight and put it on my Ph levels and that my body is a petri dish....and with God's strength and timing....only then have I been able to do this.  

It's not been easy.  

It's not convenient at all.  

But God doesn't always call us to do easy and convenient things. 

He loves us and wants us to be in His image.  

We can't  come close to that if we are covered in fungus and bacteria that was not meant to be in our bodies.

God does NOT have a "fungus among us"! 

A battle of the flesh

This is a battle of the flesh...and it's not pretty in my heart sometimes....

The only thing I can say is that me being on this diet for 23 days  without a lick of "cheating" is so beyond my own abilities ...the ONLY way I have made it this long is because of the power of my Father. 

 I also KNOW that this is what He wants me to do because all those times in the last 2 years that I have kept trying another diet and could never make it past day 3!  That was not where He wanted me, even though I thought it was. 

 He wanted me to surrender my food issues to Him for sure, but it was at a much deeper level than just a 5 bars and one lean and green meal a day! 

That was not getting to the root of where He wanted to take me.  He had such more planned for me..so much more to teach me..so much more to show His power in me.  That is why the other program never worked...it was on my own will, not His, cause that was not His will for me.  

I was more caught up in the quick weight loss than I was anything else.  God wanted to show me so much more!

He wants to show me how He designed my body to be...in His image....not packaged, canned, or processed!

Thank you so much for walking through this journey with me, letting me be real,and most of all praying for me.  God has used you in a mighty way in my life.....I am so blessed He put you here!

I just want to go back to Egypt! For 5 minutes?

At Providence, the sermon series has been on Moses.....you know, how all the people were whining to go back to Egypt! 

Here is my version: ( with grammar not checked!)

How it seemed so good that Egypt did!  I could eat anything I wanted to- none of this desert stuff....I had variety in Egypt! Not this plain food with no sugar and chocolate....sure, I was a slave to all that food, but it doesn't seem so bad now that I am in the desert.  Where is the Promise Land I was told about? It's been 23 days now- it should be here by now.  I might as well go back to Egypt.  The Promise Land is not going to happen anyway.  It's too good to be true.  At least in Egypt I could order Papa John's pizza and always add the Cinnipie for dessert.  I could go to CiCi's and binge on the hot cinnamon rolls.  Sure, I felt horrible afterwards, I would blow up like a balloon, whine and complain about how fat and undisciplined I was.Yes- I know, I would feel soo miserable  after eating all that stuff, but it was good going down! The tears after my binges?  Oh, that's right.  I did cry a lot after eating all that yummy pizza, the 1/2 dozen donuts I would eat by myself on the way home, the fries and milkshakes I would get "for the kids".  But I don't remember crying like I am now- certainly it was not as bad as now.  Ok- so my pants were getting tighter and tighter in Egypt and I was having to buy new clothes and the pain of having to shop in the "woman's" section is deep.  You know, the "fat chick" section.  Hoping no one would see me there.  Looking at the size 18-20( XXL) sometimes even 3X just to make sure it doesn't shrink. Yes, that hurts to the core of my being. I never thought I would be this big.  I never thought it would come to this.  I never thought I would be this size.  I hate having pictures taken of myself.  I can't believe I look the way I do.  I don't want to see anyone socially.  I dread running into someone I knew from the past.  I am miserable here. But I can't stop. I love the food too much.  It gives me the quick fix that I need at the time I need it.  Ok- so shopping in the fat chick section is not too grande.  Not being able to wear cute clothes, skirts,or dresses creates great sorrow for me. Yes- it does affect my marriage- but just in a small way.  Intimacty is not all that important , right?  My husband doesn't really mind that I don't want him to touch me, right?  Well, maybe a litte....All this causes me to be depressed which just leads me right back to the donuts, M&M's at the check-out line, the huge Hersey's bar.  Don't you understand?  These things give me great satisfaction quickly! I don't have to wait.  At every turn, store, isle, shelf, drive-thru in Egypt there is delicious,sweet, chocolatety, melt in your mouth food for me!  Now I am stuck having to make sure I have some pecans or almond with me where ever I go in case I get hungry.  This desert has nothing.  Nothing delicious, nothing sweet, no drive-thu places, no Dunkin Donuts, no pizza, nothing that tastes good to me like it did in Egypt.  This desert only has stupid green things to eat.  I don't even like broccoli.  It's ugly.  I am tired of having to eat it.  I am tired of having to eat vegetables.  I don't like them.  They don't satisfy me. They don't taste good.  There is no pleasure in eating anymore.  I hate the desert.  It's hard here. I don't like having to go out with my family and watch them eat all the "good" stuff while I suffer silently having to eat my plain chicken and stinking vegetables.  It's just wrong to forced to be here. I want to go back to Egypt just for 10 minutes. Let me go for just 10 minutes.  Let me get my "fix".  I can stuff  in a lot of donuts and chocolate in 10 minutes!  Then I would feel better.  Then I could stay in this desert for a little longer.  But I just need to go back to Egypt for a small amount of time. I promise I will come right back to the desert once I have had a little some "free time" in Egypt.  Just 10 minutes is all I need.  Really, it's not too much to ask.  After all, I have been very obedient here is this desert you put me in.  I have not eaten anything you told me not to. Not even a lick.  That should count for something, shouldn't it?  I should get a few minutes off for "good behavior" , right?  

What? Don't I feel better in the desert?  Well, yes.  I can get out of bed now in the morning which I could not do in Egypt. Yes, I am able to exercise and run now which I could not do in Egypt.  Well, of course, I am eating healthier and treating my body as a Temple of God instead of my own.  It is a miracle that my children have not had fast food for 23 days.  I do have wonderful husband who is very supportive of me here in the desert..he has come along side of me when he didn't have to come. And come to think about it, God has provided me with all the food that I need for each day.  I have not had to go hungry. Food has been plentiful and abundant.  I have had my needs cared for.  The Promise Land is not so far away after all.  Egypt for even 10 minutes still sounds really good, but if it would take me off the path to the Promise Land...I think I will stay in the desert..... 

Why is this so hard?!

8/13/10

Why is it 10 times as hard in week 4 than in the beginning ?!!  I am wanting to eat carbs SOOOOO bad it is driving me nuts!  It incredible hard right now to not lick or "taste" something of the kids.....i have not given in....but please tell me why it's harder now than the 1st week!!!  Are the yeast just getting killed off deeper down?  arggg. I feel like I am going out of my mind!!!!

8/14/10

Honestly, Karen, I think a part of it is the layering of the fungi, but a apart of it, too, is just the human flesh nature.  When we first bring something new to our flesh -- be it a diet change or an exercise change, or whatever.... our flesh pitches a fit for the first little bit.  Then it gets sort of quiet... thinking, "Okay.. but this won't last."  Then as the weeks go on... the flesh figures out this change is still happening. This is where "white-knuckling" change fails.... and our endurance kicks in. We endure not because of our will -- but because of God. It is God-reliance in anything that brings success.  I have found that when people being a new thing -- they start out in the mode of self-reliance and may in fact which back and forth between God-reliance and self-reliance.  Eventually the "self" tank gives out -- then the flesh screams, "I knew you couldn't last -- just give it up now! I want what I want!!"   This is point where the Spirit really really takes off and takes over. 

This is your last hurdle in defeating the flesh.  I can tell you that. 

This is your flesh's "last stand" -- so it is the loudest.  This is the point where April had to crank up the praise music to get her mind off food.  This is where she read the Word --- even at inopportune moments -- when temptation was banging at her door.   It will not last long!  The flesh is weak... very weak... from the past four weeks.... but it can't help but try to get you to revert.

Stay tough --- it is dying!  And the Spirit is developing super strong roots. After you cross this threshold, I'll tell you that you will NO LONGER be at the mercy of "flesh cravings."  They will have died.  You will come out of this a victor over your food battles that have harassed you a very very long time! 

Crank up the worship tunes --- bury yourself in your favorite passage of the Bible.... HE is your strength right now....

Deborah

Wow! I really have come a long way in such a short time!

August 10, 2010 at 12:31pm

Subject: Sooooo PROUD of you!

Karen,

I just wanted to take a moment and tell you just how proud I am of you. Not even a month into this and you are biking and walking! You go girl! I took time this morning to review your facebook posts. Perhaps you will find the log interesting... and certainly it is worth giving praise to our Father!

Enjoy!

Deborah

April: What a great day. I was diagnosed with: fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica, TMJ, elevated liver enzymes, and Vitamin D deficiency.

May: In bed since Friday- not able to move much...whole body hurts from fibromyalgia/arthritis....

June: Big slam from the doc yesterday. To add to my fibromyalgia, arthritis(type disorder) fatigue....I can now add "diabetic" to my list.

End of June: Well check up today with my family doc- his verdict of last weeks episodes....TIA- mini-strokes.

Mid-July: Seems I may have a possible answer to what happened to me last month.( 2 mini-strokes). I tested positive for a blood disorder called Lupus Anticoagulant Disorder.

(July 22nd is when we met together at your home.)

**July 23: I started a new journey today....a journey to rid myself of what has been making me sick.....Good bye fibromyalgia, arthritis, IBS, Chronic Fatigue, TIA's, blood clotting disorder, sleep apnea, insomnia, diabetes, restless leg syndrome, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, fat cells, toxins...

July 27: Have now made it though day 5 ....I already have less pain and more energy for the first time in 6 months.

August 3rd: Haven't ridden a bike in 15 years. Jeff bought me a pretty pink bike this week(producing much anxiety since I am scared to ride one!). However, we all just rode on the greenway and I am proud to say I rode over 4 miles!!!!! Not bad for a first ride!!

August 7: Started my walk/run program today. Off to a slow start but I have to start over from square one. Would have gone better if very ugly duck hadn't chased me, I went in the heat of the day, and I ran out of water 1/2 way around Lake Lynn. But , I made it all the way around- 2 miles. Last 10 minutes just walking, no running. Felt it would be better to walk and make it back to the car vs.run and pass out!!

ROCK ON, KAREN! Your new life is being walked out day by day. Forget about sickness -- it is just not a part of God's plan for His children willing to do the thing!