Kristin from SoCal

[Little_Rainbows]

Hello, I am a 40 y.o. stay-at-home-mom to my beautiful, vibrant 3.5 y.o. daughter and plan to homeschool. My husband is an engineer with a demanding job which takes him away ten hours each day. After I got married to him 6 years ago, my health fell away when my father died suddenly and their was a lot of legal stuff going on with his estate & business. The stress of it all stole my health away - it is so true that stress is a killer! I have developed severe myofascial pain & nerve pain that never goes away. As a result of the severity & chronicity of this pain, I have also developed a bit of depression, uncontrolled anxiety at times, and disturbing insomnia. Before all this I enjoyed wonderful health and studied health all the time. I was a mostly vegan, striving for raw food enthusiast even. But I got so down from the pain that my whole life changed. I became a fraction of the person I used to be. It became so hard to DO anything. Let alone take charge of my own health. There are some that even blamed my raw food endeavors for causing this. At one point I was so bad that I let others convince me to try a Nourising Traditions type diet with meat! But I couldn't stomach it - it was blatantly against my morals and even my intuition. I have spent thousands of dollars on alternative/holistic health care for very lengthy periods, but sadly did not improve. Finally, out of desperation, I started taking prescription medications. My anxiety improved and I was able to sleep again. I started gaining weight and looked horrible in every aspect. My pain continued to worsen and I was referred to a chronic pain program and was prescribed narcotics which I actually happily took as my need for relief was intense. You see I had been dealing with the pain for 5 years by that point and it had worsened devastatingly over the years. Many times I thought of suicide and if it weren't for my beautiful daughter and my loving husband, I would have certainly chose that way out. (BTW, I did have a brief remission early on from a cortisone shot which somehow did the trick and so I went ahead and got pregnant and had the baby I wanted so badly - but the pain came back 8 months later). Anyway the past year and a half has been the worse ever for me. The narcotics have stopped working so well and I am just a ball of pain with no energy. Recently some raw living literature came my way and I got inspired again. And I am now determined to make raw work. I do not want to be a slave to whatever it is I have (it is not Fibromyalgia even though it sounds just like it). I want to be health & happy, not just for me, but for my daughter and my husband and other family members. I used to be beautiful and have friends. I used to believe in the raw diet before and now I believe again. I am ready to stand up for myself responsibly and take my health back! It is going to be hard from this condition, but I feel this is the best hope I have. If this doesn't work (but I know it will) then nothing else will.
I am 167.5 lbs on a small frame which makes me obese. According to the scale, I am 38% fat! I've noticed how hard it is to walk with this extra weight and it tires my poor little feet. Anyway, I am starting to ramble I think and need to go to bed, but I am excited to be here and join you all in this fantastic lifestyle where I AM going to be healed - completely!

Blessings!

[Frugal Raw]

Welcome Kristen!! I wish you the best of rawesome health! Have you tried myofacial release? It's a type of very light massage that unrolls those stressed knots of pain. I did it for someone with a similar situation in massage school and it did give her some relief. The main thing is as you said - the stress. If you can't get it out of your life, you have to displace yourself from it to the point that it doesn't affect you. (((very gentle hugs))) As for your raw life, ease into it and I would suggest to you that maybe you begin with a period of green smoothies. I am currently on a 33-day fast, and fasting is when the digestive system isn't used, so the body begins to repair itself. Throughout my raw journey the stress has melted away...and there's been some very tragic periods in my life. You ARE on the right path - I can attest it to! Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Brightest Blessings!

[DawnW]

Kristin,

Welcome. I am fairly new to this whole venture too, but wanted to welcome you.

We moved from SoCal 3 years ago. I miss it pretty much every day (DH does not! :rolleyes: ) We currently live in NC.

I am also short (just under 5' tall) and around the same weight as you, so we can do this together!

Dawn

[jacsam]

Kristin....it sounds like your ready and willing. I can just feel that your going to be okay and do alright....follow your heart.....as you've been down a difficult road the past 5 years, don't let raw overwhelm you. Just do more and more raw each day and things will start to shift and slide into place as you gain both physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength. Green smoothies are a great place to start. One thing I like doing is: when I prepare my breakfast (which is usually fruit) I will also make a large green smoothie, pop a lid on it and put it in the fridge for lunch. This way I already have something prepared and I get extra greens in for the day. I know I tell almost all new comers this but here it goes again....be sure to get Alissa's book and DVD. They really answer all your questions, give you alot of guidance and inspiration. You can regain your health not only for your husband and little girl but also for yourself....life is beautiful.

Love, Judith

[islesgirl]

Kristin, your pain and suffering really touched my heart and I so hope that you will stick with eating raw foods as I am so sure it will change your life. I am only just beginning to do this myself and already I see very obvious changes in my health and appearance and mood and energy levels. A very big WELCOME to you.

[BeadedGraces]

Sounds like you are ready!!! (((hugs))) welcome...;)

[StarFire]

Aloha and Welcome Kristin to RFT! I am soo glad that you have found this forum. As you can seee... lots of loving support here. We all come from such diverse backgrounds - and many of us have dealt with eating disorders, pain, illness, depression, and so many other things....

You have already received such wonderful information... and I so agree with jacsam... Alissa's book and DVD will be a great help to you on this journey. Many of us.... our lives have changed because of learning so much by reading Alissa's book and watching that DVD.....

I love you positive attitude... know that this journey - will take time, but it will be well worth the effort and perseverance.... I know you can be healed and your pain level will drop drastically - if not all completely!

I'm so glad you have joined us!

blessings on your journey...

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/welcome.gif

[Morn]

So glad you are here with us! I understand the feelings of depression and wanting to die especially when I was overweight and unhealthy. It was my young daughter too who inspired me to go on. Think of all the influence in her life that you have and how not only will you be reshaping/changing your life but her future life as well. I am proud of you for taking this first step back towards health again. At first it isn't easy but with time it will become second nature and when you start to feel better this will keep you motivated to continue. Best wishes to you on your journey! We are here for you!:)

[spicyfull]

I wish you everything you need to Stay RAW.........Welcome to MY World.